I'm a vengeful nightmare.

“You finally got that long vacation you deserved!”

“See you next year, Julien!”

“Say hi to your family for me.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything to these pricks; they are protected by laws.

Co-workers said their farewells as I passed by them on the way out. Friends are a luxury if you work for a place such as this. Returning perfunctory replies until my jaws hurt from smiling didn’t seem that bad when you won’t be able to see any of them until the next year. But…this company is fake. All I want is to burn it to the ground and plant my flag on it, but both are illegal. Maybe just the first one, I think.

I've been working inside a black company for more than five years now. I didn't know it back then.

Taking young birds from the nest and teaching them how to soar is their creed. Along with the said birds being able to, was all because of their stupid company. That she would still be a worm-eating waste of a hatchling without the company. I wouldn't bother listing their entire litany or mantra for their stupid creed. I would rather work for a real Lethal Company. That way, my dream to ride a spaceship would come true. And the cause of death would not be boring, contrary to dying “overworked.”

Sigh.

My true passion is playing computer games and reading online litrpg novels 24/7. But with how much overtime they are forcing on me, I could only take time from my day off or sacrifice sleep.

I left all these depressing thoughts behind and rode a bus towards a place. I'm heading over to a venue for a large Christmas gathering hosted by an auntie of mine. They've been doing it with my parents for eight straight years, and this would be my first time attending. College was just that rigorous, and after that, straight to that sh*thole.

Anyway, they would gossip about their sons and daughters about who got it better. My father would boast that I would always be busy because the company valued my "talents,” while my mother would show off suggesting the most vile thing I could imagine.

“My daughter will become the company's next CEO.” I knew she would say it with a straight face.

How do I know this? If my cousin wouldn't update me, I would bother him for the rest of the year, so all the credits belong to him.

My dearest father and loving mother, to HELL with that! I never even got promoted, not even once. My salary hadn't even increased this year. It still sits a little over the minimum wage. With all the work they were pushing into me even though those were not included in the workload. They think I'm a pushover! I'm secretly not! If there were no laws in this society, I would've cleansed that evil place to heaven and hell if I had to!

Sigh. I cleared my thoughts as I stepped down from the bus.

I arrived at the venue and stayed near the window. A set of Filipino Christmas delicacies were all lined up, ready for an online post. My eyes could barely make out that covertly hiding Leche Flan behind the Broken Glass.

This spectacle didn't stop my anxiousness but alleviated some of it at least.

“Heh. Heh.” A chuckle came out underneath my breath. My head hung low as I headed for the door. My gut felt like it was being wrung dry the more I got closer. Shutting my eyes, I took a deep breath.

Sigh. Happy thoughts.

Vacation. Burning that company to the ground. Unaliving my manager.

I reached a hand out to hold the shiny metal knob, and although my hand slipped on the first try, I continued. My sweat made it harder to turn. I wished the door would be forever closed, but I would only be lying to myself.

Julie, there's no turning back now.

Ka-chack.

The gentle sound of the door opening is like the signal for the final boss. I raised a smile on my face and pushed the door open with an internal battle cry. The cacaphony of conversations stopped. Gazes, both familiar and unfamiliar, showered my charging figure as I walked in. Is my smile too dull? Are my eyes too weak?

The latter gazes were from young kids who don't look a year older than ten. Were they toddlers the last time I saw them?

I hadn’t even located my parents' in this gathering when something wet and red drenched me.

Thuack! Splash.

I was hit by something hard. My vision spun as I collapsed on the cold floor. With my view obscured by the height and the thing I bathed with, it's getting harder to breathe.

I noticed they all slowed down as my vision darkened. As if an old and crappy television that my life was—powered off, slowly, painfully. I could hear the slow, muffled screams and cries for help.

What happened? I can't breathe? Am I dying?

Mom?

Dad?

I couldn't even see them one last time. I would just like to tell them, “I'm here! I showed up, right? ”

•••

I don’t have any idea how much time had passed when some of my vision returned. Did I lose consciousness? Please don't tell me I slept through my entire vacation leave. I hope whatever this is will be done quickly. I know that Leche Flan wouldn't be able to eat itself.

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I found myself hovering on top of the clouds. Ah, I'm dreaming. Was I rushed to the hospital? How did I collapse?

“Welcome to Heaven! I'll need to send you to hell in a moment, so please bear with me.”

My heart stopped, if I had one left. I want to check if I still had an injury only to see myself, not quite myself. The work clothes I wore were replaced by a white knee-length dress. I haven't used or even seen this before, but I could somehow subtly see through it along with my body. The clouds below continued to change forms, albeit slowly. And I'm seeing it through my torso and legs. I'm translucent. Wait, clouds?

Julien found herself in the middle of the atmosphere, just above the clouds. She could almost see the stars in the sky, peeking through the sky's blue curtain.

So, I died? How?

I brought my attention to that thing I kept ignoring. It was just a white mannequin at first. But as my 300/300 vision started to clear up, an invisible figure started to form. From nothing to black hair and Caucasian skin, which gradually took the form of a blurry man.

I noticed late that I couldn't talk. But I still wanted to try.

Can you hear my thoughts? Uhmm… I know that I may not have lived a grea—good life, I changed my wording. With me being told that I would be sent down below, there's no way I'm even near good. I continued, with me leaving a lot of regrets behind, but if you don't mind me asking, can you tell me how I died?

“There are a lot of things you wish to ask. I know all your thoughts and emotions, from beginning to end, and especially now.”

I don't like the sound of that. A woman needs her privacy, you know? I argued.

“Julien, I would never ask you to trust me. I would love to talk or argue with you for millennia to come, but I need to send you to Hell to conduct an investigation. You were chosen to fulfill a purpose greater than you could imagine. Now, we should talk about the speci—”

You should've started with THAT!

If I could have said that with my mouth, this mannequin would've been deaf by now. I'm so mad, so mad that I could eat a whole layer of Leche Flan and never be concerned about my weight gain.

“Our time is limited, so let us not delay.”

Lifting his right arm, he brought the thumb and index finger together with a stern gaze.

Snap!

It was like a thunderclap reverberated in the entire area as if we were in an enclosed room. I could feel something changed, something deeper in level, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

“That is all.” He waved his hand dismissively.

What!? No mission briefing? Not even the acquisition of special spy gadgets!? Suddenly my entire being felt a very strong invisible force that started pulling me down.

I tried to argue, but it was too late.

Lots of questions, her mind spun as she tried to come up with something. Something to delay or pry out more information. However, the only thing she could do was stare at the blurry face, which felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

Just tell me something, anythin—!

Whoosh!

The clouds swallowed Julien.

In the silent skies above the clouds, a featureless humanoid stood still. Cumulus clouds encompassed his entire figure, his figure becoming blurry. It wasn't long before it happened.

“Where. Is. That. Soul?”

A loud, grating voice disrupted the peaceful atmosphere. The clouds began to boil and moved erratically. The sky darkened, as if the sun were being snuffed out. The breeze transformed into an uncontrollable gale in response to the voice. Twisters transformed into giant cyclones, exposing the hidden waters below. Thundering footsteps sent ripples across the sea’s surface, birthing tsunamis and whirlpools. The atmosphere turned into an apocalyptic storm. The featureless humanoid at the center stood still, unbothered by the chaos.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The young blurry man over the mannequin disintegrated, as if blown by the wind. Leaving the white featureless humanoid behind. Its skin slowly darkened, mimicking the sky. He became ominous, unapproachable. The grayish-white skin turned darker until it resembled the clear night sky—complete with its stars and distant galaxies. His body rose and got larger and taller until his figure reached the darkened skies.

With a tone so ancient and lofty, he inquired as he tilted his head, “What soul?” Even with his voice changed, there was still a trace of amusement he had earlier.

Even with torrential winds and tidal waves, a snort exceeded the calamitous noise that came from outside. A large shadow stopped before the calamity. A couple of large, brilliant dragons of lightning manifested. These magical dragons crackled and coiled around the silhouette—unable to illuminate his figure.

“Don't. Play. Games… I. Know. You. Change. On. How. You. Are. Perceived... That. And. Time… Possibilities. Were. Narrowed… Attempt. To. Hide. The. Soul. Is. Futile.”

“Man, you talk slow. How about you try saying something with more syllables, like pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis? ”

With a deeper, grating voice, the titanic shadowy figure asked, his tone subtly different, “Buying. Time..? That's. A. First… Even. For. You…” After a few moments of silence, the voice suddenly increased an octave. “What. Have. You. Done.!? It’s. Not. Here…”

The apocalyptic storm slowly receded as the figure of the newcomer collapsed as if he were built on sand.

•••

“Falling~! Falling~! Falling down to Hell-ver~! Hah!”

I definitely hadn't gone crazy. I'm just amusing myself with improvised songs. Not because I don't have any idea what's going on. Nothing at all! But somehow, there's this something inside me. This unknown assurance that everything will be okay is unnerving and outright frightening. Like I have the courage to do anything. What did that mannequin do to me?

After a few moments, I was struck by sensations, both old and new.

Unknowingly, she went through a metamorphosis and gained a new body—a rebirth.

But why is it red?

With a flash of light, she found herself wearing old brown rags stitched together to form a dress, standing in a white dessert. The ground felt so cold that she would freeze to death, but she knew it wasn’t snow. It was just cold white sand. In contrast, her upper body was locked in scorching heat. A thin mist sandwiched between these conflicting temperatures destroyed Julien's image of hell. Where's the lava, cauldrons, and devils with pitchforks?

An unfamiliar terrain, crimson-purple sulfur skies, and an ivory landscape. It eerily felt like home. These new sensations might overwhelm someone sent to Hell on their first day, but it fueled Julien's desire even more. A desire for vacation!

[You have entered Hell, the Devouring Desert.]

"Sweet mother of Leche Flan and Broken Glass."

She whispered underneath her breath. Ignoring the first prompt, her translucent eyes shimmered at the sight of something she thought was impossible to see.

“Being in Hell isn't that bad after all.”

————————————————

Julien

Level 1 Angelite

Disguise: Level 1 Demonling

Titles: None

Hidden Title: Heaven's Secret Investigator

Class: None

Health: 30/30 Mana: 90/90 Stamina: 30/30

Stats: 4 Str 6 Chr 7 Dex 9 End 3 Wis 5 Lck

Skills: [Absolute Mind Concealment (Divine)] [(Rare) Angelic Soul] [Phasing] [Hell's Resonance] [Demonling's Potential]

Items: [Ring of Deceit (Mythical)]

Souls: 0

Blessing: [Wish (Epic)]

Curse: [Memory Vault (Divine)]

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