My consciousness floated in an eerie void, surrounded by a profound, unsettling silence. Numerous questions and thoughts swirled in my head. Was this just another hellish dream? If so, should I feel relieved or troubled by it? Why had my life not ended already? If this wasn't a dream, what was it?

The faces of those I had just witnessed having fun—something I hadn't experienced in the past five years—flashed through my mind. Had it all been for nothing? Their lifeless corpses, an indelible image etched into my memory, only deepened my confusion.

As I spiraled through these thoughts, a voice cut through the void.

"Child," the voice said, its tone ambiguous, resonating deeply within my soul. I became aware, my consciousness surfacing. It felt as though I was floating in a vast, boundless ocean. I opened my eyes to a world of black and grey.

What struck terror into my senses was the presence of a figure—a dark, indistinct shape. It loomed like a giant shadow, its form wavering and shifting. The figure's gaze seemed to penetrate into my very essence.

"Child!" the voice thundered. "Are you yet aware?"

I dared not answer, yet the words forced themselves out of my mouth as if I had been commanded and ignoring was not an option. "Yes, I am awake."

"Do you know who you are?" the voice asked.

"Yes, my name is Owen of the Rowe family," I replied without hesitation.

"Good. Do you know what happened to you?"

I paused to gather my thoughts, then recounted everything I remembered—the sudden collapse of the bodies, the chaotic scene, and my own attempt to escape, which led to my fatal fall.

The shadow seemed to contemplate my words. "Ugh, what a disgusting situation we are in," it said. "The orb absorbs every life it detects during the reckoning. Your death occurring simultaneously with the episode was unprecedented."

"The orb?" I asked, my confusion growing. "What do you mean? What episode? Who are you?"

The voice let out a weary sigh. "Have you ever heard of reincarnation?" it asked, its tone carrying a hint of impatience.

I thought about it, recalling everything I knew from stories, books, and anime. The concept seemed familiar but surreal. "Am I being reincarnated?" I asked, my voice tinged with a mixture of hope and dread.

"I'm not entirely sure about you," the voice replied, "but your friends definitely are."

"My friends?" I echoed, stunned. Did it mean the ones I had witnessed dying? A pang of sorrow and disbelief surged through me. "And what about me? Why am I here, alone, and not part of that process?"

"It's because you were not the intended target of the episode," the voice explained, its tone steady but carrying an edge of frustration. "The orb was designed to absorb only the seven students. Somehow, it ended up taking you as well. The system I work with operates on a limited number of runes each period of time, specifically for seven individuals from a timeline. You, being the eighth person, caused an overflow that the system couldn't accommodate. As a result, the game rejected you. Unless I can pay for extra runes, which I am currently unable to do, you cannot be reincarnated into the game."

I tried to process the flood of information. In the vast void where I found myself, I couldn't hear my heartbeat, and I wasn't even sure if being here counted as truly living. There was nothing but the shadow before me. I couldn't see anything else, feel anything, or move my body. It was as if I was suspended in a state between existence and nonexistence.

I thought about Daniel, Rob, and the others. They had seemingly been sacrificed and were on their way to a new reality. The idea of the "game" puzzled me. What did it mean? I had read countless comics and watched many shows about survival worlds, where one had to play to survive. Could this be something similar?

The dark figure seemed to peer into my very essence, as if assessing my thoughts. "You are not entirely mistaken, child," it said. "Your contemplations are correct. The world of the game does operate in a manner akin to what you've read or watched, though it is far more complex and different from those portrayals."

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The shadow's voice took on a more serious tone. "You have two options. The first is to remain here, trapped in this void between realities. You would float here forever, existing in a state of limbo, free from harm but also devoid of purpose or connection."

It paused, allowing the weight of that choice to sink in before continuing. "The second option is to use the remaining power I have left for the moment to reincarnate your soul into a new body, merging it with a few other souls. This would entangle your fate with a new reality—one that holds horrors beyond your imagination and difficulties you cannot begin to fathom. It will be a harsh and challenging existence, but it will also offer the possibility of a remarkable destiny."

The shadow's words hung in the air, and the choice felt both daunting and profound. Would I choose the eternal float of peace and emptiness, or the tumultuous path of a new life fraught with unimaginable trials? The decision was mine to make, with the fate of my existence hanging in the balance.

My decision was both instinctual and defiant. Five years of relentless monotony had hardened me, rendering me numb to the endless cycle of solitude and despair. The thought of spending eternity in this cold, empty void—an endless, soulless matrix—was far more terrifying than the unknown perils of a new world. The prospect of facing death, suffering, or even a thousand failures was infinitely preferable to the certainty of an unchanging, lifeless existence.

The shadow's presence seemed to pulsate with a dark, foreboding energy, as if it understood the gravity of my choice. Though its form remained obscured and shifting, I felt a peculiar sense of approval emanating from it. "Very well, child," the voice intoned, its tone resonating with an ancient, almost primordial force. "This may be a significant toll on me, but it may also yield unforeseen benefits in the future. May you find the life you have yearned for. I will endeavor to reincarnate your soul in proximity to your fellow beings. Surviving alone in this game is unfeasible. May the heavens be with you. May, The Game, be with you..."

As the shadow's words echoed through the void, its dark form seemed to swell and grow, expanding in size. A tiny, brilliant light emerged from what I could only imagine was its forehead. This minute spark of illumination began to intensify, radiating an otherworldly brilliance that pierced through the encompassing darkness. The void, once a cold, oppressive expanse, was now illuminated by this piercing light, casting long, ethereal shadows and bathing the space in an almost celestial glow.

I closed my eyes, letting the overwhelming brightness engulf me. The darkness that had once been my shroud was replaced by a blinding radiance that felt almost like a rebirth. I felt a smile stretch across my face, and a deep, resonant laugh escaped my lips—an expression of pure, unadulterated joy that I hadn't experienced in years. My hands, previously immobilized by the void's grip, now moved freely. I reached out to grasp the burgeoning light, feeling an intense wave of determination and newfound hope surge within me.

"Watch," I thought, my resolve hardening. "This time, I won't falter. Parents? Friends? Bonds? Connections? Fuck Them All. The years of Tartarus I have borne. The sharp gazes and derisive stares I've endured, the echoes of a life mired in ruin—a life shattered by the failures of those who brought me into this world. Their mistakes, their shortcomings, had become my burden, a chain that bound me to a life of unyielding desolation.

But no more. I refuse to be defined by their failures any longer. I will not be the shadow of my parents' ineptitude. I will not let their shortcomings dictate my fate. I was crafted by the harsh hands of fate, molded by the relentless trials of my existence. But now, as I stand on the precipice of a new reality, I am no longer a mere product of circumstance. Now, I am what I become.

In this new world, amidst the darkness and the unknown, I will forge my own path. I will seize my destiny with both hands and shape it to my will. No longer will I be a pawn in the game of life, driven by the whims of others.

I am not what I was made to be; I am what I decide to become. And in this uncharted realm, I will carve out a new identity—one that transcends the failures of my past and embraces the boundless potential of my future.

"Do you wish to bear a new name in this world?" The voice's query echoed through the void.

A name. My mind raced through countless possibilities, but one name surfaced from the depths of my memory, a relic from my past life.

"New name? Well, I suppose I could go with something I used to use... Eldric Zephyris," I answered. It was my in-game name, one that felt oddly fitting in this surreal moment. Even though I had once considered it somewhat childish, it seemed appropriate for this new chapter of my existence.

In a cataclysmic burst of light, the void seemed to implode, folding in upon itself. For a fraction of a moment, I ceased to exist—an ephemeral transition between states of being. Then, with a sudden, jarring sensation, I felt what I could only interpret as the ground beneath me. A cool, calculated voice resonated in my mind, imbued with an air of grandiosity and mechanical precision: "Welcome to the game!"

The words echoed with an almost prophetic resonance, as if marking the beginning of an epic saga. The world I was about to enter promised trials and tribulations of unimaginable scope. But for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt truly alive—ready to embrace whatever darkness and grandeur awaited me in this new reality.