What is life?
I asked myself as I began to contemplate life itself on my so-called "death bed" in my hospital room. You see, I was diagnosed with a heart disease at a very young age, specifically Coronary heart disease. It has been three years since the doctor told me such bad news—I can still remember that day vividly; my mom's face had gone white, and her tears began to roll down her cheeks before she could stop them. Of course, it's only natural to be sad at that time, even I felt like it was the end of my world. Yet, I still decided to cling to the hope that one day, I would receive a heart transplant and finally be free of such disease and be able to live my life with my family to the fullest.
Knock knock*
The nurse came in and greeted me. "Your family is here today," she said with a smile.
"We're here, Kyo, how are you feeling today?" My mother went inside, followed by my wonderful little sister. "Mother! I'm feeling great as ever!" I replied. Seeing them was the only thing keeping me cling to that hope even more. I hugged them both tightly, embracing the warmth that is my family. They then sat right next to my bed. As always, I tried my best to hide all traces of weakness.
"So, how's school lately, Hina?" I asked my little sister.
"Everything's great! My friends are nice, and we always play at the playground during lunch!"
I smiled, knowing that my little sister was doing well at kindergarten. "That's nice...," I replied.
"Nee, big brother... when are you going to play at the playground with me?" she asked with a look of concern.
"Don't worry, I'll be able to play with you soon," I said, then I patted my little sister on the head to ease her worry.
"That's a promise?"
"Yeah! It's a promise."
After that, I made a pinky promise with my little sister. My mother, witnessing such an event, smiled with glee. "Now, now, let's celebrate Kyo's 15th birthday," she said, then brought out a fruit basket.
"Happy birthday, Kyo!" They both said with joy etched on their faces. And with that, I thanked my family with all my soul as we laughed, smiled, and only be happy as we celebrated my birthday.
It was all I could ask for.
...
[11:50 pm]
A sudden urge to drink water woke me up from my sleep in the middle of the night. Looking around, I saw a mug of water on top of the table beside me. I took and drank it to sate my thirst. “Phew…, water in the middle of the night sure hits differently.” Once I quenched my thirst, I looked to the side and saw my mother and little sister sleeping as they sat on the chairs beside my bed. "They looked so tired," I smiled as I saw my little sister's saliva dripping out her mouth as she slept. Then, I turned my attention outside the hospital room's window to see a beautiful full moon. "If only moments like these could go on forever," I thought.
I closed my eyes and began to sleep once again.
However, something wasn't right. What is it? I seem to feel it but do not notice it.
Well, I tried shrugging it off.
….
Then it went.
I felt a sharp sting in my chest.
The sudden, sharp pain in my chest jolted me awake. It was as if I was stabbed in the chest and had a black hole enter my heart that started squeezing every inch of my life out of me. As I gasped for breath, I held my chest while the pain surged throughout my body. My mother and sister were baffled as they woke up to the sudden commotion.
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"Kyo, what's wrong?" my mother asked. I could see her panic as she reached for the emergency button to call the nurse.
I couldn't speak. I couldn’t tell my mother anything.
The pain then began intensifying into nothing more but anguish. Panic struck me as I started to have difficulty breathing. The nurse rushed in and medical equipments were turned on.
The room was now filled with panicked voices and beeping machines. My little sister, frightened and confused, clung to my mother's side. I saw tears welled up in my mother's eyes as she realized the gravity of the situation. Time seemed to stretch, each moment an eternity of agony.
As the medical team worked frantically around me, I found myself drifting away. The edges of my vision started to blur, and a profound weariness settled over me. It was as if my body and soul were preparing for an inevitable departure.
Amid the chaos, my thoughts turned to the promises I had made earlier that day, the celebration of my 15th birthday, and the simple joy of being surrounded by my family. Was this how it all ended? A life defined by a relentless illness, cut short before I could fulfill the promise I made to my little sister?
The pain began to ebb, replaced by an odd sense of calmness. It was as if a decision had been made for me, a path chosen beyond my control. I gazed at my family one last time, etching their faces into my memory.
"I love you," I whispered, though whether the words reached them or forever lost in the chaos, I couldn't tell.
And when the clock struck midnight, the world, as I know, faded to darkness.
...
I opened my eyes and found myself floating in an empty void. The emptiness around me was absolute, a void without form or substance. I felt weightless, drifting in a vast expanse of nothingness. There was also no sensation, no sound, just silence that enveloped me.
As I floated in this space, I began to question the nature of my existence. “Is this the afterlife?” The questions lingered, but the answers remained hidden in the void that held me. As I drifted away into the unknown, I embraced the darkness, for it was the only thing I could do. But then, a sudden bright light broke the darkness. The void now pulsed with a gentle glow that revealed a silhouette of an otherworldly presence.
Amidst the radiating light, a colossal hand emerged. The presence of it exceeds the boundaries of mortal comprehension. It was a hand unlike any I had ever seen. It was gigantic and powerful yet emitting a comforting warmth. The fingers, decorated with patterns of shimmering light, extended towards me as if the gods were reaching for me across the cosmic expanse.
As if guided, I began drifting closer and closer to the hand.
The hand reached out for me.
....
Once the hand touched me, It sucked me in, and the events leading up to this moment replayed in my mind—it played a vivid recollection of the life I had lived.
Memories of my family, the promises made to my little sister, and the warmth of their love surged in my consciousness. Yet, the pain and suffering from my illness were also present. It was filling the systems of my brain to the point of almost exploding.
....
After the replay of such memories had stopped, I returned to my surroundings and took a deep breath.
However, once returning to my senses, I felt something odd. I was standing on a stone floor, wearing a thick white robe covering my entire body. This place was also dark, but I could move as if I were alive again, contrary to the depths of the void. I stared at my hands for a while and thought, "Where am I?"
As I looked around, I noticed people wearing the same white robe. In front of us was a big round table, and everyone encircled it. Also, they were all looking down at the floor, making it impossible for me to catch a glimpse of their faces. This place truly couldn't get weirder at all.
But then.
A figure emerged from the shadows. However, this person was different, cloaked in a ghostly darkness. His footsteps echoed, and the air felt suffocating as he approached his throne. A hood obscured his face, and a long flowing cloak trailed behind him.
The figure spoke, his voice commanding attention yet veiled in a shroud of mystery.
"Welcome, souls, to the festival," he intoned, the words resonating in the dark chamber.
I listened intently, my gaze fixed on the figure.
"You, who have faced the abyss and emerged here, are not merely spectators. No, no, you are participants in a grand game," he continued.
"All the thirty souls I've gathered here would be teleported to another world."
"The rules are simple: kill each other, and the last among you, the sole survivor, will earn the right to return to the realm of the living."
The figure's voice echoed through the dimly lit space, carrying an ominous weight that sent shivers down my spine. The dark aura surrounding him began intensifying as he continued unveiling the rules of the game.
"Your identities to each other are hidden. Do as you please," The figure started laughing, his sinister laughter reverberating in the chamber. "Deception will be your ally."
"Then, shall we begin?"
He snapped his fingers.
With just that snap of his fingers, the area around me came and went.
I blacked out.
....
As my consciousness gradually returned, I found myself in a different environment. What was once the dark chamber and the mysterious figure were replaced by a frigid expanse of snow-covered mountains. The cold, biting wind cut through the thick white robe I wore and sent shivers down my spine.
I stood up and looked ahead. The mountains stretched endlessly; the peaks crowned with glistening blankets of snow that sparkled in the pale light of an overcast sky.
I asked myself.
"What is this place?"
— End of chapter 1 —