The city of Galam was alive at night, a chaotic mix of human existence.
The streetlights filled every corner, car horns blared in constant chorus, and a humid sensation hung in the air over the city — this was the face of Galam.
There was nothing special about this city. A place full of ambition, where its inhabitants fought just to survive in the heart of a massive industrial hub.
Everyone had their own drive, their own reasons for living, no matter what they were.
A drive that made them willing to kill each other just to keep their dreams alive, hoping to one day make them a reality.
For the people of Galam, dreams and desires were the fuel that kept their monotonous lives going. Without them, life would feel unbearably painful.
The night sky was shrouded in thick clouds, holding its breath, hugging the city in a deep, gray layer. Lightning occasionally struck, splitting the darkness, casting sharp shadows from the towering skyscrapers.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, sending a chilling tremor through the silence.
On the rooftop of a 53-meter high apartment building, a man stood frozen. His gaze dropped to the gray sidewalk below, flooded by the city's poor drainage system. He watched the city's bustle, like ants scurrying aimlessly.
His eyes were empty, as if there was no more essence of life left within him. Those eyes reflected pain and emptiness that had been accumulating for so long. If you looked closely, you would see the scattered scars and stitches all over his body.
The man had lost everything: his right arm, his left leg, and someone precious to him — his fiancée.
In his disheveled state, his body radiated a cold, dark aura. He hesitated as he moved his prosthetic leg, which was attached to his upper thigh. Even though he had worn it for some time, it still felt uncomfortable. With unnatural movements, he limped toward the edge, heading for the rooftop's perimeter.
In the man's hand, there was a silver pendant.
The pendant felt cold, just like the emotion now dominating his heart. He pressed a small silver button at the top of the pendant. It clicked open, revealing a small photo hidden inside — a snapshot of a smile that had once been the reason for his existence.
He took a deep breath, letting his thoughts drift back to the last night he spent with the love of his life.
That night, the flicker of candlelight inside the church painted a soft shadow on Sinar's face, his fiancée. She looked so beautiful, like an angel straight from heaven. The man was in awe, and even after all this time, that admiration never faded.
Sinar smiled, a smile that could calm any storm in the heart of every man who saw it — including the storm in his own heart. With swift hands, she worked with the church staff, ensuring every detail for their wedding the next day was set. From the flowers on the altar to the rows of guest chairs, everything had to be perfect.
"I still feel like this is all a dream," the man said, his hand, usually firm in the lab, now cold and trembling. "What if I wake up, and everything here just disappears?"
Sinar took his hand, holding it tightly. She chuckled softly, like the gentle breeze of spring. "Then I'll wake you up, and make sure you know I'm real, Rudi."
Rudi blushed, caught between embarrassment and happiness at the love Sinar showed him.
She gently stroked his cheek, looking into his eyes with unwavering confidence. "Tomorrow, we'll be fine. Trust me."
After finishing the wedding preparations, they decided to head home. During the drive, their car was filled with laughter and jokes. The night was cold, and the highway was almost empty. Rudi drove fast, one hand on the wheel and the other holding Sinar's warm hand.
"Do you remember when we first met?" Sinar asked suddenly, her voice filled with nostalgia.
"How could I forget?" he replied with a small smile. "A beautiful psychology student who was so passionate about debating Darwinian evolution in my cell biology class."
Sinar laughed loudly. "And you decided to fall in love with me after I embarrassed you in front of the whole class?"
Rudi shook his head and laughed. "No. The reason I fell in love with you is that you're the only one brave enough to do it."
The conversation was warm, warm enough to chase away the night's cold. Deep in his heart, Rudi felt truly thankful to God for bringing them together. Soon, God would bless them with the happiness of marriage and the small family Rudi had always dreamed of.
But that night, God wasn't feeling kind. God was bored. He was no longer merciful or generous. He had become cruel and calculating, a great figure demanding a price to be paid.
Rudi had to pay the price for the happiness he had known.
As they speed down the highway, the headlights suddenly revealed a man who appeared out of nowhere, standing in the middle of the road, like a shadow emerging from the darkness.
"OH MY GOD!" Sinar screamed.
Startled, Rudi jerked the steering wheel harshly, trying to avoid the figure. The tires screeched, losing grip, and within moments, everything turned into chaos.
Their car flipped, slamming into a road barrier. The sound of shattering glass and screeching metal filled the air.
Rudi was thrown from the car.
The world spun around him, and everything appeared blurry in his vision. When he opened his eyes, his body felt paralyzed. Standing was harder than usual.
Rudi looked down and found his left leg was gone. Blood poured from the stump, pain so intense he couldn't bear it. He screamed, trying to hold back the agony.
Even so, his logic still overpowered the panic that gripped him.
Rudi unbuckled his leather belt and tied it tightly around the remains of his left leg. At least it would slow the bleeding, he thought.
But there was something else that mattered more than the pain in his severed leg.
"Sinar!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and filled with despair.
Rudi crawled through the rough, dry grass at the side of the highway, heading toward the overturned car. There, trapped inside, was Sinar. Her face was motionless, blood flowing from her temple.
"Hang on!" Rudi reached for the car door with his right hand, trying to pull it open. His strength was fading, but he kept struggling.
Then, the explosion happened. A massive blast triggered by a leak in the car's fuel tank. The fiery blast threw his body into the air. After that, the world went completely dark and silent.
Time passed, and when Rudi woke up, he found himself in an entirely different place. He was in a clean, white room with the smell of antiseptic—a hospital room. Around him were numerous life-supporting machines connected to his body, which was covered in severe burn wounds.
He couldn't feel anything in his right hand. He lifted it, only to realize that it was no longer there. But Rudi's face showed no surprise. Aside from losing his left leg, there was something else troubling him more.
Rudi screamed, trying to call for help. He weakly called out Sinar's name. A nurse entered his room, checked his condition, and hurried out toward the doctor's office.
Soon, a young man entered the room. A young man Rudi knew very well—Danu, Sinar's younger brother. His face was filled with sorrow and anger.
"Sinar didn't make it," Danu said softly, his voice shaking. "My sister... she couldn't be saved. It's all your fault, Rudi."
In that moment, Rudi felt empty. The scientific logic he had prided himself on was useless now. He wished all of this was just a dream, desperately trying to wake up from the nightmare he was experiencing.
To wake up and return to the church, where his wedding was supposed to take place, the same place where Sinar was waiting for him. Sinar, wearing a beautiful white gown, standing at the wedding altar as his bride.
But Rudi didn't go anywhere. He was still in the same place, trapped in a cruel reality. A reality that devoured his dreams and happiness.
The cold raindrops on his face snapped Rudi back from his painful memories.
The humid air and the rain intensified the grim atmosphere of Galam City.
A rush of emotions surged inside him, threatening to explode from the overwhelming sense of loss and unbearable guilt.
"God... If you exist, why do you just watch? Why don't you do anything? I should have been the one to die in that accident..."
He cursed God. He cursed himself. He cursed fate for making him so helpless.
"It's over. There's nothing left," Rudi said, his jaw trembling. He took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that this was the right final decision.
Tears fell from the corners of his eyes, the poor man whispering, "Sinar, I'm sorry," his voice almost swallowed by the thunder that resonated against the building windows.
He closed his eyes, his body ready to jump. Just one small step.
Just as Rudi leaped, the world seemed to hold its breath. The rain stopped, the sounds of the city faded away, leaving only the echo of his heartbeat in his ears. At that moment, Rudi felt something strange, as if time itself had stopped.
"Am I hallucinating?" he thought.
The raindrops froze in mid-air, as if the Earth had lost its gravity. Rudi could touch the droplets with his left hand, feeling the cold and wet sensation on his skin.
At the same time, a figure appeared—a man floating in the air about five meters from where Rudi stood. The figure looked like a mass of black smoke, formed from the very night itself.
The figure slowly walked closer, stepping through the air gracefully. Rudi froze, as if his body couldn't move.
Rudi realized he wasn't hallucinating. The figure in front of him was real.
The figure now stood directly in front of Rudi, touching his right shoulder with a cold hand. "Greetings, you hopeless human," the figure said. His voice was deep and heavy, calm, and measured.
Rudi flinched, stepping back a few paces. His heart raced erratically, making it hard to breathe.
He tried to steady his breathing, searching for calm.
"Could this be the Angel of Death coming to take my life?" Rudi thought.
The celestial being remained silent, standing tall, before giving a faint smile. With slow, controlled movements, he removed his black fedora and placed it over his chest. He bowed, a formal yet friendly gesture.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am an envoy from Heaven. You may call me Amadeus."
Amadeus straightened his body, snapped his fingers, and a piece of paper appeared from the emptiness, igniting in a blue flame like a magic trick.
The envoy, wearing antique gold-rimmed glasses, read the glowing text on the paper—writing in a script never before seen in human history.
"Rudi Hermanto… I have not misnamed you, have I?" he said. There was a playful tone in his voice, as if he already knew the answer before asking.
The way the being stared at Rudi, it was as though he was reading both his thoughts and his soul. Rudi felt confused, terrified, yet curious. What did this being want from him?
"Congratulations, human," Amadeus said, cutting through Rudi's silence. "I come bearing an offer. An offer you won't refuse."