Philippines on the island of Negros Occidental.
There lives a 20 year old young man who is struggling on his academic journey. His hobby are only playing video games and also reading and writing.
He loves reading webtoons and webnovels of any genre. He came from a middle class family whom either poor or rich. They're the class in between the lower class and the higher class in social classes.
He was just your average modern man who is studying in order to get a proper job for his future and also a young man who loves playing video games. Additionally, the games he played is limited only for mobile phone video games because he couldn't afford an personal computer which is very expensive for his financial status.
He only watch walkthrough of games through YouTube videos made by some youtubers. Furthermore, he wrote a short novel and is currently gaining some popularity.
This young man named is "Nero Eshwald" a 20 year old young man who is currently on his 2nd year of college.
Nero is currently on his room at the house of his parents. He was currently studying for his incoming exam in 3 days time. Furthermore, he was stressed out due to the large amount of activities the school is giving him to the point he was exhausted and did not have a rest mentally.
If this goes on he might even die due to stress and exhaustion. Furthermore, he is mentally exhausted which is very dangerous and the lack of sleep he was getting.
His school gave them a large amount of work just 5 days before the exam. Additionally, the worse of it all the activities were given at the same time and not little by little.
Nero have a rough childhood just like other kids like him that grow up in the countries belong to Asia.
Where parents were so obsessed in shaping the life of their children. Where parents compared their children to other parents children. Where parents loves to boast about their children academic achievements to the other people and if that child is getting a grade lower than 90 that child were given a treatment worse than the cold treatment.
The child will be beaten up until the child tears dried up from crying. That is why Asian children have a giant mountain of a pressure at their backs and competition were fierce.
Nero is one of those children.
...
An unknown time passed by...
It was already night time and Nero was still studying. Beside him were mountain of books and papers.
Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.
The alarm clock his parents set rang out and Nero turn it off.
"Ah, finally I can rest." Nero said as he sigh of relief.
The alarm signifies the time of his rest from studying. Nero only got an hour of rest and then would continue from studying. He would stop studying at 10pm in the evening.
The current time was still 6pm and by 7pm he would continue studying non-stop until 10pm.
He can have a day off every Sunday, but due to the pandemic that is happening to the whole world he cannot go out and would just play video games or read some webtoons or webnovels. He sometimes will write a chapter for his novel.
But today was still Saturday so he can only wait for tomorrow for his day off.
After he rest a little, Nero went downstairs to eat his dinner along with his family members.
...
Their house were just the average modern house you can see in the Philippines barangays' and Nero family house were some of the few two stories tall house that were quite old.
After walking down through the stairs Nero finally arrived downstairs. His two younger siblings were running off the house and their toys was scattered throughout the floor. His grandmother is preparing the table, his father is watching TV along with his older brother.
Nero's mother is still cooking their dinner.
Nero smiles at the scene. Although his parents like to control the life of their children like almost all Asian parents. Nero understand that all of that is for his future so that he can have a good life.
Nero was the second oldest among his 4 siblings. His older brother is already a college graduate and is currently the Municipal Engineer of their town. His older brother is 4 years younger than him.
He also have a twin sibling name Abby and Gabby. They're a fraternal twin and also 7 years younger than him.
His family owns a small business of selling toys and other things. They are like a modern merchant that goes from town to town.
Nero sat at the sofa along with his older brother Gideon and father Bennett. Nero chatted with his family.
...
"Dinner's ready!" His mother shouted.
"Okay."
"Abby and Gabby let's eat now. Stop playing." his father said as he chase the twin around.
...
The whole family sat at the table and his grandmother said, "Let's pray."
All of them close their eyes and hold their hands close.
"Dear God, thank you for this food and the blessings you have given to us. Help my grandchildren overcome their hardest challenge of life, amen."
"Let's eat." his mother said.
Thier dinner were only consisted of pork adobo and 1 pot of rice.
...
After a while, they all have finished dinner and Nero help his grandma clean the table while his mother washes the dishes.
Nero brushed his teeth and went upstairs to continue his study.
3 hours later and it was already almost 10pm.
"Huh?"
Nero rubbed his eyes because for a moment his eye sight blur. He check the clock and it was only 9:37pm. He continued to study after checking the time. Then, suddenly, his sight once again became blurry.
"I overworked myself again." Nero said after rubbing both of his eyes. After that, Nero plan to go into bed and rest for a while.
But after standing up and taking a few steps, Nero felt extreme nausea and he felt his legs weakening.
*Thud~*
Nero collapsed and the sound of his fall created a loud thud that alarm his family downstairs.
...
At the kitchen.
His mother was washing the dishes when she heard a loud thud coming from upstairs. "Honey what was that!?" she shouted.
Due to the loud sound from the TV her husband couldn't hear her. Mrs. Eshwald stopped washing the dishes and went to the living room to ask her husband about the loud sound.
"Huh? What was it honey?" Nero's father said.
"Did you heard the loud thud earlier?" the wife said.
"What thud?" he replied.
Mrs. Eshwald ignored her husband and looked around. "Where is Abby and Gabby?" she asked.
No one answer her. Mrs. Eshwald raised her eyebrow and left the living room. She went upstairs in order to check Abby and Gabby whereabouts.
...
Upstairs...
Mrs. Eshwald heard someone crying and followed the sound. She arrived at Nero's doorsteps and opened the door. That's when she saw the unconscious Nero and the crying twins beside him.
"Nero!" his mother rushed towards him. "Wake up! Wake up!"
"What have you done!" she shouted at the twins.
The twins cried even louder.
"Help! Help! Benneth come up here!" she shouted.
Nero's father heard the shouting and rush over. The scene that meet him was a surprise. He saw his son unconscious and his other children crying. His wife is also crying.
He panicked and don't know what to do. " Call the ambulance!" Mrs. Eshwald shouted with bloodshot eyes.
Mr. Eshwald snapped from his panic situation and went to get a mobile phone to call for an ambulance.
...
"Hello, this is 117 how may I help you?" someone from the emergency department said.
"M-my son collapse!" Benneth said.
"Okay sir calm down. I'll be sending an ambulance right away so kindly tell me your address." the emergency department said.
Then Benneth told his address and told them to hurry up.
...
His brother Gideon performed CPR to him in hopes for him waking up. Additionally, his grandmother who is in her room watching TV is still did not know about Nero collapsing. No one dared to inform her because she may also fell unconscious about the news. His grandmother have poor hearing due to age.
His mother's crying beside him while putting pressure at his wound located to his head and his father is trying to hold himself up. The twins were terrified because they saw the blood.
His brother is also trying to hold his tears from flowing out and doing his best to do CPR.
Weeeeewoooo! Weeeeewoooo!
Finally, the sound of an ambulance could be heard. His mother ordered her husband to switch places and she quickly ran off to meet the responders.
The responders quickly ran off upstairs along with their equipment. They arrived at Nero's room and checked his condition.
"He's gone." one of the responders said while shaking her head.
That one sentence broke the family into tears. They hugged him.
"What is going on?" the grandmother said after she heard the loud noise coming from the ambulance.
The remaining responder don't know what to reply and they just quickly escorted the old lady back to her room.
But the old lady was stubborn and wanted to go upstairs. The responders explained to her that everything is fine. They tried to calm her down.
Then Nero's mother dejectedly went downstairs and saw her mother looking at her. She quickly ran towards her and hug her. She broke into tears.
The grandma was confuse as to why her daughter was crying.
Mrs. Eshwald explained everything about Nero's death to her mother. As the words and tears flow out from her, the look at the grandma is also getting gloomy as if death took a few years from her life span. Her legs weakened.
The responders notice it and quickly assisted the grandma in a wheelchair while fanning her.
...
After some time, Nero's body is being escorted to the ambulance.
The whole family have bloodshot eyes due to crying intensively excluding the grandma whom currently inside the ambulance getting treatment from falling unconscious due to shock.
Weeeeewoooo! Weeeeewoooo!
The ambulance quickly take off.
...
At present time, Nero slowly open his eyes and found himself lying down facing the skies.
"O-ouchy. Ouchy..."
Nero felt pain at the back of his head. He rubbed the back of his head where the pain is at.
He quickly stand up after easing the pain and look at his surroundings, "Where am I? Am I at the middle of an ocean!" he said.
The scene before him was like the endless ocean water that is crystal clear that act like a mirror. The skies above were being reflected by the water.
"W-wait a minute... How can I able to walk and stand above water!?"
"C-can I touch the water?" Nero asked himself.
He slowly reaching his hand towards the water and to his surprise he can touch the water. Furthermore, he can also dip his hands into it.
The feeling he felt after dipping his hands was like touching nothingness. He felt nothing not even air.
Nero look at his right hand because that is the hand he used dipping underwater. He sighed in relief because he have observed no abnormalities.
"Maybe this is what they called having a Lucid Dream."
Nero plan to walk around to this endless ocean, but after taking a few steps a voice could be heard.
_____________________
"Welcome Traveler of the Void."
_____________________
"Who is it!?" Nero shouted as he quickly look around him and saw no one.