The view from the mountaintop was breathtaking. A land, wild and untamed, stretched on for kilometers, washed by the rain and lit by the storm extended all around like a fractal ring, ending into the nothingness below. The far away peaks, scattered and low compared to the central mountain, glittered when their barren rock was hit by the light of the roaring sky.

It was there, surrounded by the majestic beauty of magical nature, battered by the rain and the storm, that Albert finally reached the light he had seen from the edge of the island. It was a small orb, too bright to make out its features, hovering a few centimeters from the ground, no larger than a hand.

And when he finally got used to the brightness he saw the contours, against the darkness beyond, of what looked like a miniature tree. He could not see its color, but the branches and the tiny leaves were clearly visible in the glow of magic that surrounded it.

Albert decided to use Appraisal.

[Eulogy of the Void Isle: this item will allow you to cheat death. Only once.]

That was it. And as Albert held the small tree in his hand, he knew he should have been elated and happy at the discovery, but a grander reality hit him. The realization that indeed he was stuck on the island, with no way out of there. It was no longer a game, with all the fun and lighthearted atmosphere having left him the moment he had first stepped foot outside the caves, and realized how this place was harsher and more hostile than anything he had ever seen.

He had tried everything. He kept trying anyway. But it didn’t take long, this time, before the sense of hopelessness drowned everything else. How long, he wondered, had he been stuck on this floating island in the void? How much longer still, was he going to be trapped here?

But the item. Its description. They screamed at him. It could not be a coincidence, the system did not make coincidences happen. The system knew. It always did.

Slowly, an idea formed in his mind. There was, perhaps, a way out. It was a long shot, all but guaranteed, but it was there nonetheless.

***

Clarisse, the young, attractive woman working at the welcome desk of Transit Global HQ, Temalas City, saw the man enter through the double reinforced doors. He was large, wearing a suit and tie, walking confidently with a hint of impatience as he waited for the security mechanisms – akin to those of a bank – to let him inside the grand, decadent hall of the building.

The man stepped inside and took a long, drawn-out breath of smoke from his dwindling cigarette, letting it out even more slowly.

Clarisse walked up to him, wearing her best smile. It was her job, after all, and no matter how intimidating the person before her was, she had yet to meet someone whose confidence and demeanor wouldn’t buckle once she demanded things from them, under the full authority of the CEO.

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“Sir, I have to ask you to put it out. It’s a no smoking area.”

He looked down at her from his impressive height. She felt, for a moment, like he was about to snicker at her, berate her, treat her like she knew he treated other women in his life.

“I want to talk to the CEO. Now.” He said instead.

Who was this guy? Did he really think he could just waltz in here, demand to see the CEO like this? Of course, she could not tell him what she really thought, but she had other ways.

“Of course,” she said sweetly. “Follow me, please.”

She led him to the front desk, where she began typing things into her computer terminal. Usually, she would have just pretended to type, only to then tell the man the CEO was occupied with other matters. Being in her position, she knew full well who to let in and who to leave out, with no exceptions. She knew her boss’ schedule better than the man himself. Perhaps, she liked to think, she was better suited than him at choosing who he would need to see right away and who better to avoid.

Still. They had received a software update, called L.A.I.R. – an acronym she did not know. It made it all the easier to do her job. She just needed to ask it what to do, and it would respond. Like ChatGPT, she thought, but even better, tailored to the needs of Transit Global, with full access to their systems and information.

“It seems that Mr. D’Onofrio is very busy today…” she said with faux dismay. “Do you want to schedule an appointment?”

“I do not need appointments, young miss.”

He took out his card from his wallet. There were big names there, badges and other… less conventional certifications. Pentagon, BSA, HDF…

Nothing that the L.A.I.R. system had not already shown her when she asked it to run a background check.

She smiled at the confident man in front of her, watching him revel in self-importance at the thought he had done it.

“I am very sorry, Overseer.” She said. “Mr. D’Onofrio is not accepting visitors at the moment. He is away on a business trip.”

The man scoffed. “Really? And where can I find him?”

“That would be confidential information. I hope you understand. And please, this is a no-smoking area. If you wish to continue smoking, do it outside.”

She smiled. The man scoffed, and turned to leave. “Tell your boss that it would be better for him not to play games he cannot afford to play, young miss.”

Clarisse kept smiling. “Of course. I will.”

***

Albert peeked down, lowering his center of gravity in the reflexive sort of mind-panic that certain people experience when standing at the edge of a precipice. It was not just the fear of heights, but a combination of various factors, prime among them the little voice in the back of Albert’s head telling him to jump.

It’s a common phenomenon: the call of the void. Aptly named.

Except, this time, Albert wanted to jump. It was the only avenue that was open to him after every other attempt at getting off this damn island had failed. It was the only way out.

Holding onto the faint hope that the little tree, the item he found at the top of the mountain granting him one free reincarnation, would save him. There was no way to tell if his plan even made any sense. There was no way to tell for sure whether he would die or just fall down forever. Was there a bottom? A rift? A portal?

Would he return to Earth or be sent somewhere else?

With nobody to answer these questions, Albert did the only thing he could do. Before he managed to talk himself out of it, he clutched the little tree in his hands and jumped.