"—Hhk!"
Ethan's chest jolted.
Air refused to enter his lungs properly, as if something heavy was pressing down on him. His throat burned when he tried to inhale, and his fingers curled reflexively into the thin bedsheet beneath him.
Breath.
He needed air.
His vision swam. Black spots flickered at the edges of his sight as he sucked in another desperate breath, then another. Each inhale felt wrong—too shallow, too weak—like he was drowning on dry land.
'… Suffocating...'
His heart hammered violently, pounding against his ribs. The sound of it echoed in his ears, drowning out everything else.
Slowly—painfully—the pressure eased.
Air finally filled his lungs properly.
Ethan lay there, staring blankly upward, sweat clinging to his skin, chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.
'Am I…still alive?'
The ceiling above him was cracked.
Paint peeled off in long, ugly strips, exposing dull gray beneath. Right in the center, a ceiling fan rotated slowly, squeaking faintly with every turn, like it might stop at any moment.
Creak… creak… creak…
His eyes shifted.
To the side was a small, dilapidated desk shoved against the wall. One leg looked shorter than the others, tilted just enough to be annoying. An old laptop sat on top of it, lid closed, covered in a thin layer of dust.
Beside it—
A small digital clock.
Red numbers glowed faintly.
Ethan frowned.
The room felt… familiar.
Too familiar.
Not in the way a hotel room felt familiar, or a place he had visited once or twice.
It felt like a place he had lived in.
'No…'
His gaze dropped.
The bed beneath him let out a faint creak as he shifted, the sound sharp and unpleasant. The thin mattress pressed against his back, offering almost no comfort.
This place was old. Neglected. Lived in by someone who didn't care enough to clean.
And yet—
"I've been here before…"
The words slipped out hoarsely.
His heart skipped.
His eyes locked onto the digital clock.
07:12 AM
Monday
June 3, 2032
The moment the date registered—
His mind exploded.
'June… 3rd, 2032?'
His breath caught.
'No.'
'No way.'
His hands trembled as memories surged up violently, crashing into his consciousness like a flood.
The day when the world changed.
The day God's Glory descended upon humanity.
The VRMMORPG that wasn't just a game.
The system that rewrote society.
The beginning of everything.
"That's… today…"
His pupils shrank.
A chill ran down his spine.
This is impossible.
He remembered the last moments clearly—too clearly.
Lily's innocent smile.
The sudden pain in his back.
The warm sensation spreading as blood soaked his clothes.
And Tyler.
Watching. Smiling.
'I died.'
There was no doubt.
'So why…'
Ethan's breathing turned shallow again.
'Am I hallucinating?'
'Is this what happens right before death?'
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sudden sound shattered his thoughts.
Ethan flinched violently.
His muscles tensed as he shot upright on the bed, heart racing again.
'Someone's knocking?'
The sound came again—firm, rhythmic.
Knock. Knock.
His gaze snapped toward the door.
It stood at the far end of the room, old and scratched. In the center was a small round glass hole, barely big enough to see through.
Cold alertness washed over him.
Moving quietly, Ethan slid off the bed. His bare feet touched the cold floor as he approached the door cautiously.
He leaned forward.
Peered through the glass hole.
Outside stood a man wearing a blue hat and a matching jacket. A delivery box was tucked under one arm, and a digital pad was in his other hand.
A deliveryman.
Ethan blinked.
"…What?"
He opened the door slowly.
The hinges creaked loudly.
"Uh—Ethan Cole?" the deliveryman asked casually.
"…Yes?"
"I've got a package for you. Congratulations, sir—you won this in a lottery."
'Lottery?'
The deliveryman extended the box forward and handed him a pad. "Just sign here."
Ethan stared at the package.
It wasn't large, but it was solid. Heavy.
He didn't remember entering any lottery.
Still, his hand moved on its own. He scribbled his name on the pad, barely registering the action.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"No problem. Enjoy." The deliveryman smiled, waved once, then turned and walked away down the hallway.
The door closed with a soft click.
Ethan stood there for a moment.
Then he looked down at the package in his hands.
Curiosity burned.
'What is this?…'
He carried the box to the desk and set it down carefully. The dust on the surface puffed slightly when it landed.
Slowly, he opened it.
The flaps parted.
And Ethan froze.
Inside—
A God's Glory VR Helmet.
Sleek black design. Smooth curves. The faint logo etched into the side.
The exact same model he remembered.
"…No way."
His fingers brushed against it. It was solid. Real. Cold to the touch.
Beneath the helmet lay a folded letter.
He picked it up and read.
[Congratulations!
You are one of the lucky winners selected in our promotional lottery event.
We hope you enjoy your journey in God's Glory.]
Ethan let out a shaky laugh.
He never won anything in his life.
Yet here it was.
His lips slowly curled upward.
Joy—raw, sudden, overwhelming—surged through him.
God's Glory.
Again.
If this was a hallucination… then it was one hell of a convincing one.
The laughter faded.
His smile slowly disappeared.
In its place—
Coldness.
Ethan closed his eyes.
Lily's face surfaced in his mind. That familiar innocent smile that hid the blade she plunged into his back.
Tyler's mocking gaze.
Their voices.
Their betrayal.
His hands clenched tightly at his sides.
"So this is how it is…"
Whether this was a hallucination…
Whether this was a dream before death…
Or whether—
Something impossible had happened—
It didn't matter.
If God's Glory was real again—
Then so was his chance.
"I swear," Ethan said softly, voice steady, dangerous.
"Lily."
"Tyler."
His eyes opened.
Cold, calm, merciless.
"I'll make you pay."
"Slowly."
"In the most brutal way possible."
The ceiling fan creaked above him.
And the day God's Glory descended upon the world—
Had begun again.
----
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