Free-falling into the void, Akira was squeezed tight by the chill grasp of darkness, devouring everything in its path. His mind spun, slamming against him like unceasing surf. Memories of his parents—their laughter, their warmth—blazed across his mind, only to be wrenched aside by the ghastly images of their suffering. A chasm of grief, as if it would swallow him up completely, opened in his chest. The weight of his failure crushed him.
Akira's thoughts were a storm of regret and despair:
"This worthless life… I didn't enjoy any of it. Not a single moment. I've done nothing to avenge my parents—the very reason for my existence…"
One tear managed to leak out onto his cheek and trace a warm path downward, but even that was empty in the chasm that enveloped him.
"Why… Why didn't I awaken powers too? Why didn't the gods give me the chance? If I had awakened, even as an E-Rank, maybe something would have been different. Why did they betray me? You were the only people I had put my trust in since I lost everything."
The words replayed in his head, each syllable heavier in his heart.
"All I wanted was another chance."
Despair washed over his mind, and the feeling of falling started to numb. Instead, a weird cold seized the air, and for that instant, a flutter of light tore through the endless darkness—brilliant, a flash of white lightning across the void like a blade.
It was alive—an entity, a figure garbed in light and shadow, an overwhelming presence that seemed to tug at Akira's very soul. Its voice boomed, low and rich, echoing through the void:
"Do you want to live, brat?"
Akira's heart skipped a beat. His eyes flew open, and he went rigid in sheer surprise. The voice… it felt familiar, and yet foreign.
"Who was this? What was this?"
Akira strained, his voice no greater than a whisper as his heart raced: "Wh-who are you?"
The entity laughed, the sound full of a sinister amusement that sent shivers down Akira's spine. Its tone was heavy with amusement, almost teasing:
"Does that really matter?"
It leaned closer, its eyes—if they could even be called eyes—seeming to pierce through him, stripping him bare.
"The real question is, do you want to live? To fulfill your goals and not be burdened by regrets? Answer me."
The words cut through the fog of despair in Akira's mind, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he was still. Images surged through his mind: his father's final moments, his mother's condition, Eri's betrayal, the treachery of Mia and Entoa. Rage bubbled to the surface, burning hotter than any sorrow.
Akira clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together. His voice, trembling but growing steadier, broke through the silence:
"If I can survive… if I can take my revenge… I don't care how! Help me. Help me live."
A moment of silence passed, as the implication of his words hung in the air, until the entity's stare seemed to pierce into him deeper than he could understand. Then it smiled—a dark, knowing smile, insidious and yet impossibly soothing.
"Very well. But remember this, boy the power I give you comes at a price. Your soul will bear the weight of my darkness, and your vengeance will be my feast."
As the figure began to dissolve, Akira could feel its power surge, filling every fiber of his being. It was as if fire had been channeled into his veins, burning him from the inside out. Yet, for some reason, the pain felt energizing. Freeing, even. The darkness that had swallowed him was now his strength.
The entity's voice echoed in his mind, a whisper that reverberated through his soul
"Finally… I am free."
The wound in Akira's stomach began to heal immediately, and his body surged with a rapidity and intensity that left him gasping in amazement. There was no more sharp pain, only an overwhelming feeling of power. His body contracted, and raw energy coursed through him, sending electricity through every muscle, every nerve, and every inch of his being.
A primal roar escaped Akira's lips, his voice trembling with raw energy, almost too much to be contained
"A second chance!"
But at the height of this transformation, the incomprehensible force of the power overwhelmed him. His body still could not hold it, and his consciousness began to fade away. His legs buckled, and he fell, his body limp against the cold, unforgiving end of the hole.
The entity's voice was soft and firm, echoing deep in his soul:
"Sleep now. When you wake, your path will start… and mine too."
His soul's final whispered breath was drowned out as the darkness consumed him whole. Yet amidst that nothingness, something within Akira stirred. The entity that was now fully inside him had irrevocably altered the course of his life.
Gone was the man who had willingly handed himself over to the dark depths of despair. A new chapter in his life was about to begin—one that would rewrite his destiny.