No sound.
No pain.
Just nothing.
Until—
"—hk!"
A sharp breath tore out of my lungs, my vision snapping into focus. I was standing before I knew it.
Not in an alley, though. And not with broken ribs or fire scorching my lungs. Just… endless white space.
My hands twitched at my sides. My breathing was surprisingly steady. My body was… fine, from the look of things. But I can't see myself.
I turned in a slow circle, wary. What the hell is this place?
"...You're awake."
The voice came from behind me—even though I don't see anything there just now.
I twisted around immediately.
This time, something was there. A thing draped in a shifting black cloak. No face. No eyes. No mouth. But somehow, I can feel its gaze settle on me.
I frowned—or at least, I felt like it. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"
"This is the space in between," it said. The voice came from nowhere. Everywhere. "Call it limbo, if you like."
Limbo...
So I was really dead, huh?
A bitter chuckle left my lips.
The figure tilted its head, just slightly. "You sound disappointed."
I shook my head. "Nah. Just… figured it'd be more dramatic. Light at the end of the tunnel. The whole life-flashing-before-your-eyes thing. Instead, I get a white void and a creepy voice."
"Would you prefer flames and eternal suffering?"
"Hard pass."
Something rumbled from the figure. A sound like laughter, but hollow and empty.
"Then let's skip to the point," it said, stepping closer. The air around it warped like a heatwave. "You were not meant to die here, Kuroya Ren."
My eyes narrowed. "That so? Then maybe tell that to the guy who put a bullet in me."
"Ryoji was simply fate's executioner. But your thread was not meant to be cut yet."
Thread... Fate... Executioner...
Sounded like a load of bullshit to me.
I exhaled sharply. "So what? Do I get a second chance or something?"
"In a sense," the being replied. "But not in your world. That path is closed."
I frowned. "And? You're shipping me off somewhere else?"
"Precisely."
I blinked.
Wait, seriously?
"Where?"
"A world of heroes and villains," it said. "A place where your existence will shift the balance between them."
That made me pause.
"...Heroes and villains? What, like some kind of comic book world?"
The being tilted its head—Or at least, I think it did. It was hard to tell when it didn't have a face. "You will understand in time."
Too vague.
"You have two choices, Kuroya Ren." Its voice turned sharper. "Step forward, and you will be reborn in this new world. Stay where you are, and you will fade into nothing."
Fade.
The word sent a slight chill down my spine.
No reincarnation. No do-overs. Just… erasure.
I looked down at my hands. I can see now. They felt solid. Real. But if I hesitated—if I refused—would they start to vanish? I clicked my tongue.
Like hell I was going out like that.
"Fine," I said, taking a step forward. "Not like I have anything better to do."
The being let out that eerie, echoing chuckle again.
"Then go forth, and walk the path between hero and villain."
"No, before that—"
Before I could finish, the white void shattered—
"—huh?"
I fell.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
"—!"
Wind howled past my ears, roaring like a beast. My stomach lurched as gravity yanked me down at terminal velocity.
—oh, come on! Really, now?!
I flailed, twisting midair, but there was no ground, no sky—just a chaotic swirl of colors, stretching into infinity. The world around me was a mess of shifting hues, twisting and bleeding into one another like an abstract painting on steroids.
I couldn't help but yell. "What the hell is this?!"
No answer. Of course.
The creepy cloak guy had already yeeted me out of existence and dipped.
But then, through the endless vortex, something appeared. At first, I thought I was hallucinating—but no, I wasn't.
A screen.
Floating. Dark.
Like a damn video game HUD.
───『 Assigning Ten Shadow Techniques to * ** *******'s World... 』───
───『 Successful 』───
───『 Transitioning Chimera Shadow Garden... 』───
───『 Successful 』───
…Ten Shadow Techniques? Chimera Shadow Garden?
What the hell kind of name—
───『 Assigning User… 』───
───『 Successful 』───
───『 User: Kuroya Ren 』───
───『 Cursed Technique: Ten Shadows Technique 』───
I barely had time to blink before more words flooded in, each one slamming into my brain like a truck.
───『 Ten Shadows Technique : An ability allowing the user to manifest and control ten powerful shikigami using their own shadow as a medium. Each summoned entity possesses unique combat abilities and can be dismissed or merged at will. The user can also utilize their own shadow for mobility, storaging, and deception. However, summoning stronger shikigami requires extensive skill and control. 』───
Before I could wrap my head around it, a sudden, crushing force slammed into me. Like my entire body was being compressed, stretched, reshaped all at once.
My bones burned. My muscles screamed. My nerves lit up like fireworks as something foreign crawled through my existence, latching onto me, becoming part of me.
It was like being rewritten on a cellular level.
And then—
BAM!
My body crashed into something solid.
"—urk!"
Pain flared through my body, and my lungs heaved as I gasped for air, limbs twitching from the impact. Every nerve from my body felt like it had been electrocuted.
What... the hell?
I can't think straight immediately, paralyzed.
With some difficulty, I can eventually cracked my eyes open.
And above me; a clear blue sky, empty and cloudless, greeted me.
I was flat on my back. Probably alive. Hopefully.
I frowned slightly, and started to press a hand to my forehead.
"Where am—"
THUNK.
"—?"
Something smacked me in the face before I could think of anything, causing me to flinch.
It's soft... Fabric?
I blinked down at the thing now sitting on my chest—some sort of plastic bag filled with convenience store food.
...Did food just fall from the sky?
I reached up and poked it. It had weight. The packaging crinkled under my fingers. There was even a faint warmth, like whatever was inside had been freshly microwaved. Definitely real.
"—oh no! Did I hit you?!"
A voice. From above—not in my direct line of sight, of course.
So, I lifted my head backward and there was a girl. Floating.
Not standing on anything. Not attached to any wires. Just casually floating in midair.
I blinked.
What?
***
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