"Zzzzzz, zzzzzzzzz."
A long time ago—no, a very long time ago—human beings began to worship an entity they believed responsible for every good and bad thing in the world. This entity, God, was credited with the creation of universes and would one day bring about their destruction.
But what if this God is actually a higher-dimensional scientist performing experiments in a lab? What if "God" is just a metaphor for the universe and its systems? Or could God be a being like (0,0,0,0,0,0...∞), where each additional zero represents an increasing dimension, stretching infinitely?
Hmm… but isn't God supposed to be beyond all concepts, including infinity? So, wouldn't that make Him boundless—without any boundaries? But isn't "boundless" itself a concept? Wait, wait, wait…
Ya Shun woke up gasping for air and murmured,
"Hyaaaa! What the heck was that?!"
"What's with these philosophical dreams? God this, God that… is there some hidden meaning, or am I just losing my mind? Honestly, I'd rather dream of beautiful girls or something."
After ranting, Shun rolled out of bed to get ready for school. He looked excited—today marked the start of his transfer to a new high school.
"Forgive me, God, for what I said earlier," he muttered as he buttoned his shirt. "You know I'm starting a new phase of my life. So, with that said… can You please give me a girlfriend? Even my 13-year-old brother has a girlfriend! Why not me?"
Shun left for school, his initial excitement fading as he sighed dramatically.
"Why, why me? What did I do to deserve this?"
"You know what, Lady? Let me see Your happy face when I'm on the verge of death!"
Suddenly, Shun punched himself in the street, muttering "Boom!" People passing by gave him strange looks. Some laughed, while others seemed worried. Embarrassed, Shun wiped his tears and facepalmed himself.
"This mental disorder is going to kill me one day," he said under his breath before continuing down the street.
As he walked, Shun noticed a large crowd gathering. He felt both annoyed and curious, so he squeezed his way through the throng.
"Hyaaaa! What's going on here?"
The crowd jostled him forward, and he suddenly found himself at the center of an event.
"Oh, it's a festival," he muttered. "Why is there a festival here, of all places?"
An old man standing nearby overheard him.
"Young one, this is a rare festival. Even I, at 78 years old, have never seen it before. My grandparents told me about it, though," the man said with a smug expression.
"Wait, so this is some kind of ancient festival? Like from the time of Mohenjo-Daro or something?" Shun asked earnestly.
The old man laughed. "Maybe. But I've only heard stories. Look at those dancers over there!"
Ten performers wearing terrifying masks moved in a slow rhythm to the sound of traditional instruments: bangus, tanggus, suonas, and hand cymbals. Their costumes reflected their nature and characteristics, with garlands of bells tied around their waists.
Suddenly, the dancers began running toward a nearby mountain with a massive shrine at its peak.
"That mountain's a popular dating spot these days," Shun muttered bitterly.
"Young people today have no respect for culture," the old man said with disappointment.
"I agree, old man! But don't remind me—I've been single since birth! At this point, I'm practically a single-cell organism or some kind of great sage," Shun shouted sarcastically, drawing some attention.
At the shrine, the dancers placed their masks on a large stone slab.
"Why are those masks so scary-looking?" Shun asked curiously. "Especially that one…"
"My grandmother told me never to point at the masks," the old man warned, trying to recall the stories.
Shun smirked and pointed at the mask anyway.
"Nothing's going to happen, old man. That's just a silly superstition."
"My grandmother said the mask you point at will chase you until your karmic deeds are complete," the old man explained.
"Chase me? Then I'll point at every mask!" Shun said with a laugh. He proudly gestured to each mask, his ignorance shining through.
"You're such a fool," the old man muttered.
As Shun leaned closer to inspect the masks, he noticed movement inside one of them. He froze.
"What the fricking hell was that?" he murmured.
Suddenly, he felt dizzy. The world around him spun as he collapsed to the ground.
"Wake up! Wake up, young one!" the old man shouted, shaking him.
Shun's consciousness drifted as he felt his soul being pulled out of his body.
"Ahhh, this is so painful! Someone help me—or just kill me already!" he groaned. Blood streamed from his eyes, replacing tears.
The crowd panicked. Some tried to help, calling for an ambulance, but it was too late. Shun's body had gone still.
When he opened his eyes, Shun found himself in a white, empty space.
"Is this… the afterlife?" he asked aloud, his voice tinged with sadness.
"But honestly, this is fine. I didn't have any big dreams or goals, anyway. Nothing was keeping me alive except responsibility."
In his despair, Shun contemplated ending his existence here. He tried biting his tongue to die, but it didn't work.
The sound of bells filled the void. Trembling, Shun turned to see the ten masks floating toward him, now worn by smoky, shadowy figures.
"Now I really want to die," Shun muttered as the figures roared like wild animals.
"What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice devoid of hope.
The figures raised their hands and pointed at him.
"You want me?" Shun asked, baffled.
He felt a sharp, choking pain in his neck.
"I… I can't breathe…" he croaked as he struggled.
One of the shadowy figures spoke in a deep, terrifying voice:
"Is it hard to breathe, Ya Shun?"
"Open your eyes!" the figures commanded in unison.
When Shun opened his eyes again, he was hanging from a tree by a rope tied around his neck. He panicked but managed to break free and collapsed to the ground, gasping.
"What's happening to me? And… where am I?"
Looking at his hands, he realized they were bigger and rougher. He touched his face and felt a beard.
"Did I… time travel?" he wondered aloud.
With no answers, Shun started walking toward the nearest village, questions swirling in his mind.