On a cold dark night, Zeran thought to himself while gazing at the moon from his window, 

'I wish my life would be better… only if i was able to awaken my element..'

In the world Zeran lived in, Monsters called 'Azars' had appeared, it had been 200 years since 'The Day Of Screams'.

On that day the Azars appeared, since it was very sudden a lot of people died, through-out the world only screams of victims could be heard, while a lot of people hid inside shelters, there were people who were outside and it didn't end very well for them….

The despair didn't last for long, as people started awakening 'elements'.

Elements were just as the name suggested, people could awaken an element based on their experiences, bloodline, personality, etc.

At first the elements were basic, 'fire', 'water', 'thunder', etc. 

But as time passed, unique elements started to appear, 'steel', 'acid', etc.

Elements started to be categorized in different rankings, such as 'common', 'uncommon', 'rare', 'legendary', 'mythic'. 

People usually awakened their element between the age of 8 to 12, but here was Zeran at his sixteenth birthday and still he could not awaken his element….

"I'm feeling hungry.. Should I go grab some instant-noodles ?" Zeran told himself.

He looked outside the window and saw the shop was still open.

'Well… It's not like there will be anyone at this time, I can peacefully go and get myself some packets of instant-noodles' Zeran thought.

He lived on the 3rd floor of the apartment, so he needed to use the elevator to travel down.

'Should I use the elevator?? What if someone is inside it? I don't want to face anymore humiliations…' Zeran thought with a depressed expression.

The truth is that Zeran had been bullied in school for not being able to awaken his element.

After he passed the age of 12, he was basically a laughing stock..

He didn't want to face humans anymore… To him even Azars seemed better than some humans..

At last he finally decided to use the stairs, as Zeran walked down the stairs he could not help but think, 'I hope there's no one taking the stairs'.

To his 'so-called goodluck' there was no one taking the stairs, afterall why would someone take the stairs?? When there's an elevator…

He reached the shop and asked, "Umm, can I have 8 packets of instant-noodles ?" his voice was as depressed as ever.

"Yes sir ! Sure, would you like veg or non-veg ones?" The oldman at the shop replied while putting both his hands together.

"Anything should be okay…"

The oldman looked at him for once and said, "Uhh, okay !"

The old man then handed him 8 packets of instant-noodles in a polythene bag, "Here's your 8 packets of instant noodles".

Zeran took the noodles and paid the oldman.

"Looking forward to your next visit !!" The old man smiled and waved his hand at Zeran.

Zeran took the stairs once again and went back to his room.

While the 8 packets of instant-noodles were being made, Zeran jumped on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"I think.. This should be my last meal… instant-noodles as a last meal ? not that bad.."

Zeran was going to end his life after this meal. 

He looked at his right hand, "1, 2, 3, 4-".

Zeran was counting the amount of times he tried to end his life.

His right hand was filled with scars that suggested that he had tried to commit su*cide a lot of times.

It was not that he got saved by someone that he survived his attempts.

He just couldn't make the cut properly, so most of the time it ended with him going to the hospital. How did he get to the hospital? Well after not being able to die, he was basically suffering for no reason, so he had to go to the hospital at the end.

He looked at the clock, "It's almost time for the noodles to be ready.." 

As he ate the noodles he wondered, 'Should I do this? …Its not like I have any future..'

"I can't eat anymore, looks like the rest is going to be wasted.."

He took a deep breath and took a knife, "Hopefully this time i make it."

As soon as Zeran cut his veins he fell unconscious.

"Looks like this time…. I made it."

Zeran looked around him, "It's dark and empty.." He continued with a face full of despair, "After death its just an eternity of darkness ?"

Out of nowhere someone/something engulfed in darkness appeared, "O' forsaken child of human, what have you done? Why did you try to take your own life?"

"I didn't want to live… my life… it was trash… I couldn't even awaken my element."

"I see.. That is your reason for not wanting to live, but what if I give you an element?"

Zeran was shocked to hear it, "Really? You can give me an elemen-" His face went down, "But I'm already dead..

"You are not dead yet."

"But i did cut my vein-"

The being interrupted, "What i meant was, you are not dead yet but you soon will be that is if you refuse my offer."

Zeran looked at him astonished, "What offer?"

"Collect souls for me."

"What ?"

"Souls." The entity's voice turned darker still, full of ancient malice. "Give them to me, and you will be granted power beyond your understanding. But remember, child, this gift is not without its price."

Zeran shuddered as he realized the weight of the offer. The entity's eyes—if it had any—burned into his soul. "Choose wisely. Choose now."

Zeran's mind raced as the entity's words echoed through the void. Souls. He didn't understand, not fully. "What does it mean? What will I become?" The thought gnawed at him.

"What... what happens if I don't accept?" Zeran's voice trembled, the weight of his situation suffocating him.

The entity's response was a low, almost imperceptible hum, like a whisper from the abyss. "You will remain in this void, eternally. Lost. Forgotten. You will never escape this darkness."

Zeran shuddered. Eternal darkness… The thought filled him with a cold dread. He didn't want that. He couldn't bear it. Wasn't it better to accept the unknown? To have a purpose, even if it was a dark and twisted one?

The void seemed to close in, the silence becoming unbearable as Zeran stood at the crossroads of his fate. The promise of power… it was tempting. More than anything, he wanted to prove that he was more than the worthless failure he had been.

But at what cost?

"I'll give you the power you seek, Zeran," the entity continued, its voice soft but chilling, "You will awaken the element of Death, and with it, the ability to end others life and keep them."

The words sunk in like poison, and yet, they also filled Zeran with a strange sense of anticipation. The element of Death. He had always been powerless, always on the edge of the world, forgotten and ignored. Now, he could be something. He could take control. He could make people see him for who he truly was.

"You will be mine to command, but remember, every soul you claim will belong to me.. as you provide me souls, i shall provide you with more understanding of the element 'Death' "

Zeran swallowed hard. His heart was racing. "I… I get it," he said, his voice steady but betraying the turmoil inside.

"Then the pact is made." The entity's form shimmered and stretched, its presence overwhelming. "The element of Death is yours, but know this: with great power comes greater emptiness. What you do with it… is your choice. Will you become a savior, a hero, or will you walk a darker path?"

A surge of cold washed over Zeran, and suddenly, his body felt heavy—unnaturally so. He looked down at his hands, his veins throbbing with an unfamiliar energy. It was as if the very air around him had changed, becoming thick with an oppressive force.

Then, it happened.

The entity made a cut in its own hand, and fed the dropping blood to Zaren...

The blood was as dark as the void itself.

"The power is yours." The entity's voice faded into the ether, its presence still lingering, a constant reminder of the deal he had made. "But remember, child, you will never be free of me."

Zeran gasped for breath as the weight of the change settled in. His mind was flooded with visions of death, of souls being torn from their bodies and dragged into the abyss. 'This… this is my new reality', he thought with an unsettling calmness. The element of Death was no longer a distant idea—it was a part of him. It surged in his veins, cold and unforgiving.

He stood alone in the darkness for a moment, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. The silence around him felt infinite. But somewhere, deep within him, a voice whispered, "What now?"