Chapter 0
Judge: "After reviewing the evidence presented, hearing the arguments from both the prosecution and the defense, and receiving the jury's final decision…"
(The judge pauses for a moment.)
Judge: "…This court finds the defendant, Mr. Jay, guilty of first-degree murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code."
(A gasp rises from the public gallery. The defendant's hands tremble.)
Judge (continues): "Given the heinous nature of your crime and the lack of remorse shown during the trial, this court hereby sentences you to death by hanging, subject to confirmation by the Court."
(The judge picks up the gavel.)
Judge:
"This court is adjourned."
(Gavel slams.)
Jay (Narrating):
That was the last thing I heard in my world...
Man 1: "Just die, you murderer!"
Man 2: "People like you shouldn't exist. Die!"
Woman 1: "Why were you even born, killer?"
Woman 2: "Someone like you should've died long ago."
Jay (Narrating):
Their words didn't make me angry. They didn't even hurt.
They felt... true.
They didn't know the real story, yet they cursed me without hesitation. But like they said—
I wanted to die.
I had already lost something precious.
I had lost my place in the world.
I had lost the will to live.
I had lost... everything.
---
The heavy doors creaked open.
Cold air brushed against my skin as two guards flanked me, one on each side. Their grip was firm, but not cruel.
I didn't resist.
What was the point?
My wrists were bound in front of me.
The rough rope bit into my skin.
My legs moved, but I couldn't feel them.
My body was here… but my mind was somewhere far away.
Ahead stood the wooden gallows.
The noose swayed gently, like it had been waiting for me.
We climbed the steps.
The Warden stood by the lever, reading from a folded parchment, his voice echoing into the cold morning air.
Warden:
"Jay Mayor, convicted under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder… Your sentence of death by hanging is to be carried out as per the law, on this day, at this hour."
That name hit me like a whisper from beyond the grave.
I said nothing.
I had nothing left to say.
A priest stepped forward—kind-eyed, tired.
Priest: "Say your final prayers, my son."
His voice was soft, like rain on dry earth.
I didn't look at him.
My eyes locked on the noose.
That ugly rope. Stained. Worn.
Hungry.
No prayers came.
Not even thoughts.
Only the weight of what I'd done.
And what I'd become.
The Warden gave a nod.
Officer 1: "Proceed."
I closed my eyes.
The hangman pulled the lever.
There was a rush of air.
A sudden drop—
Then... nothing.
---
Darkness.
That's what I thought.
The fall felt real.
The rope tightened.
Judgment was complete.
Then—
Nothing.
No more pain.
No more sound.
No more weight.
No more breath.
Just silence.
I died.
I wanted to die.
So why...?
---
Jay (Narrating):
What is this place?
I couldn't see anything.
Is this because my body died?
Am I... a soul now?
But there's no light.
Only grey fog.
A fog with no shape.
No floor.
No sky.
No end.
It feels like floating inside a memory that's already forgotten itself.
---
???: "Jay…"
A voice.
It doesn't echo.
It isn't loud.
But I feel it.
???: "Jay Mayor…"
I look around.
There's no one.
Just mist.
A chill that isn't cold, yet it crawls under my skin.
Jay: "Who's calling me?"
Another voice rises.
Familiar.
My own voice: "You said you wanted to die, right?"
Mocking.
Cold.
Then, the courtroom voices return—
> "Why were you even born?"
"Just die, you murderer!"
I close my eyes.
But here… closing them changes nothing.
Here…
You can't escape your truth.
---
Footsteps.
Not mine.
Tap… tap… tap…
From the mist, a figure walks out.
A tall silhouette in a long black robe.
No face.
Just a hollow void where a face should be.
It stops a few feet away.
???: "You were sentenced to death. But your soul hasn't decided yet."
Jay: "…What?"
???: "You think you wanted to die. But your heart hesitated at the end."
Jay: "I didn't."
???: "You did."
I float there.
Thinking.
Remembering.
Jay: "What is this place?"
The figure slowly tilts its head.
???: "Limbo. A place between judgment and rebirth."
Jay: "Am I… being judged?"
The void flickers, like water touched by wind.
???: "No. You already were."
Jay: "…Then what now?"
???: "That depends on you."
Its voice sharpens.
???: "Do you still want to die?"
I stay silent.
Because I don't know the answer.
Jay (thinking):
Do I?
---
Then—
A crack in the air.
A golden light tears through the fog like a rip in the sky.
Warm.
Distant.
The figure turns toward it.
???: "Your door has opened. Walk through it… if you still want to exist."
I stare at the light.
Something inside me trembles.
Not fear.
Not hope.
Just… movement.
After so long of feeling nothing.
I take a step.
Then another.
Then I run.
---
Jay (Narrating):
Maybe I did want to die.
But something inside me pushed forward.
And now—
I don't know where I am.
Or who I'm about to become.
But I know one thing:
This is not the end.
---
Chapter 1: Reborn
I ran toward the golden light.
That was the last moment of a murderer.
From that moment onward, I was not.
---
Kwah… Kwah… Kwah… Kwah…
That's the first sound I heard in my new life.
A woman lifted me and handed me to someone.
He looked like a warrior—maybe he was.
Maybe he's my father in this life.
He took me gently into his arms.
His eyes overflowed with tears, but his lips smiled.
He was overjoyed.
His name was Park.
I don't know if it's his first name or last… but his name was Park.
From the moment I was born, I sensed something in the air—something flowing.
It had colors.
If I counted correctly, there were five:
White, yellow, green, blue, and red.
I cried from the moment I was born.
I couldn't control the emotions of this tiny, helpless body.
Park passed me to my mother.
Her presence felt familiar—deeply familiar.
Not her face... but the feeling.
The warmth.
She took me in her arms and offered milk.
I stayed conscious for just a few seconds after that—
Long enough to feel safe.
Then I slept.
Her name was Fern.