"Death offered me life."
```y
Yes, the Death—the one man chosen by mortal fear since the beginning of time. The quiet figure waiting at the end of every beat. The one we don't like to consider until it is much too late. But rather than taking away my soul like I'd assumed, he gave me something else altogether. a second chance. An employment. And a scythe.
```.
Without considering the consequences, I blurted out, "Yes. Naturally, I'll take the offer."
Within me, I was shocked—no, stunned. My brain worked overtime, attempting to grasp the enormity of the words. And yet. deep inside my chest, something odd happened. Thankfulness. Second chance? Given to me by Death himself?
It seemed like a dream, and I kept expecting to awaken. but I didn't.
Before I had time to say another thing, he disappeared into the darkness, consumed by the shadows as if he had existed at all.
And then it occurred.
A screen materialized before me—hanging suspended in mid-air, unreal. It was like the sort of thing you'd find in those web novels I read in my spare time, the ones in which systems tutor the main character through crazy, impossible escapades. I stopped dead. My heart thumped so violently that I thought it would die.
Then, a voice resonated within my brain, as real as day but from nowhere:
[Host found.]
[System needs updating. Permission required. Press YES or NO]
"What is this system?" I whispered, my voice shaking. "What am I to do?"
My fingers moved involuntarily. I was held for a moment in the vortex of my mind. Then, half-along, I mumbled, "Yes."
[Loading 12%. Loading 36%. Loading 57%. Loading 84%. Loading 95%.]
[Error. System Error!!!]
My eyes expanded. "What did I do?" I said aloud, barely above a whisper.
But there was no time to think it.
Darkness covered me.
I passed out.
I woke up to pandemonium.
Shrieks echoed from all sides. Metal against metal. The smell of iron and fire in my nostrils. It was the smell of my death.
I opened my eyes, and I wished I hadn't die.
There was blood—everywhere. Shredded bodies covered the ground. People struggled with feral desperation. Screaming. Sobbing. Dying. Dark, shadowy creatures moved through the slaughter like predators, tearing through people as if they were nothing more than paper dolls. The ground was crimson-saturated. The air was thick, filled with the smell of war and fear.
My body started to tremble. Every muscle contracted with instinctive fear.
And then I saw it—something nearly human, its face contorted with fear as it cried out for help.
I didn't think. I ran.
"What's going on?!" I yelled into the chaos. "Why is everyone getting murdered?! What is this place?!"
The creature stared at me, wide-eyed . But before it could get any words out, something enormous loomed above us.
I gazed up.
A hand—gigantic, monstrous, godlike—crashed down from above with unarrestable power.
My breath froze in my throat.
"Am I. am I going to die like this?!"
[To be continued…]