(Somewhere Unknown)
"Why… why… why…"
The word spilled from my lips like blood from a wound.
"First Dad. Then Mom. And now Alyssa…"
My voice cracked. "Why do I lose everything that matters?"
Silence.
Not the kind that comforts. The kind that presses against your chest like a weight. The kind that makes you feel like the universe forgot you existed.
Then—breath. Cold. Still. Mine.
"Wait…" I gasped. "I'm alive?"
I opened my eyes.
Or maybe I didn't. Maybe this place didn't need eyes.
I was suspended in a void—neither falling nor flying. To my left stretched a radiant expanse of white, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. To my right, a vast abyss of darkness, deep and unmoving.
I didn't know where I was. I didn't know what I was. But I knew one thing: this wasn't the slums of Oris-9. This wasn't the alley where I died.
This was something else.
The light shimmered. The darkness stirred. And from each, a figure emerged.
They stepped forward in quiet harmony—two men, ageless and serene. One glowed with the warmth of dawn, his white hair catching the light like spun silver. The other moved like shadow given form, his midnight hair flowing gently despite the stillness.
Their eyes met mine—not with judgment, but with sorrow.
I didn't speak. I didn't move. I just watched.
"Alastor," said the one in light, voice low and steady. "We don't expect you to trust us. We wouldn't either."
"I'm Genesis," he added. "I was Creation incarnate."
"And I'm Null," said the other, his voice like distant thunder. "I was the Void itself."
I stared at them, fists clenched. "Who the hell are you to me?"
Genesis nodded slowly. "You don't know us. That's fair. You weren't meant to—not like this."
Null stepped forward. "But you're the only one left who carries both of us. Not by choice. Just by blood."
Blood. That word hit harder than I expected.
I thought of my father's hands—rough, calloused, always trembling. I thought of my mother's voice—soft, tired, always humming. I thought of Alyssa's smile—bright, defiant, always fading.
If I was descended from anything divine, it sure didn't show.
"I grew up in a gutter," I said. "My family died screaming. If I'm your legacy, you did a shit job protecting it."
Genesis's expression darkened. "We didn't protect it. We failed it."
Null's gaze dropped. "We fought something ancient. Something wrong. It tore through reality and birthed the Veils."
I felt a chill crawl down my spine. The Veils. I'd heard stories. Whispers. Monsters that slipped through cracks in space and tore colonies apart. No one knew where they came from. No one knew how to stop them.
"We tried to stop it," Genesis said. "We gave everything. But we lost."
I folded my arms. "Let me guess—some noble sacrifice?"
Null shook his head. "No. Treason. Our own children betrayed us. Only my wife and his stood with us. The two of them were murdered in cold-blood.
Our children. wanted to be stronger than us. The Unknown gave them power.
Genesis's voice was bitter. "They opened the Veils. They fed it souls. And now they sit beside it, watching galaxies burn like it's a game."
I clenched my jaw. "So they're still alive. Watching us suffer. Laughing."
Null's form flickered. "Yes. They watch your kind. And others you've never heard of. Entire civilizations fighting for survival—just entertainment to them."
Genesis's eyes met mine. "Even the Awakened."
That stopped me cold.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Null's voice was quiet. "The Awakened aren't chosen by fate. They're selected by the traitors. Blessed with power. Not to save the world—but to amuse them."
Genesis nodded. "Every burst of strength. Every heroic stand. Every tragic death. It's all part of the show."
I felt sick.
I'd grown up hearing stories about the Awakened—those rare few who could stand against the Tainted. They were legends. Symbols of hope. Proof that humanity could fight back.
And now I was being told they were just… toys.
"They give them powers," Null said, "like a child handing out fireworks. Just to see what happens."
Genesis's voice was heavy. "And when they burn out, they're discarded. Forgotten."
I didn't respond. I didn't know how.
I'd spent my whole life believing the Awakened were our salvation. That maybe, one day, I'd be lucky enough to become one. That maybe Alyssa would.
But now I knew the truth.
They weren't born to save the world.
They were distractions. Amusement.
Genesis looked at me, eyes dimming. "Before we fade, there's one thing we need you to understand."
Null's voice was quieter now, almost a breath. "This isn't about saving the universe. It's about saving yourself."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Genesis stepped closer, his form flickering. "Power isn't glory. It's freedom. It's the ability to choose your own path. To protect what matters."
Null nodded. "We were betrayed by our own blood. They were controlled. Twisted. And we watched as everything we built was turned into a game."
Genesis's voice cracked. "We don't want that for you. We don't want you to be another pawn. Another tragedy."
Null's gaze met mine. "Become powerful—not for us. Not for revenge. But so no one can ever control you again."
Genesis's eyes softened. "So no one can ever take your loved ones from you again."
I didn't speak. I couldn't.
Because deep down, I knew they were right.
I was tired of being powerless.
Genesis looked at me, eyes dimming. "Before we died, we built something. A system. A weapon. A seed."
Null's voice dropped to a whisper. "A way to train. A way to become stronger. A System, by your terms. Made from what we were. Bound to you."
A mirror appeared between them—floating, silent. It shimmered with memories: my father's laughter, my mother's lullabies, Alyssa's smile. Then the glass rippled, revealing not just what was lost, but what could be.
I saw myself—older, stronger, standing in a place I didn't recognize. Surrounded by light and shadow. Holding something that pulsed with power.
Genesis extended a hand. "Creation isn't purity. It's rebellion. It's rebuilding."
Null extended his own. "And Void isn't death. It's rest. It's resistance."
I didn't move.
My mind was racing. My heart was pounding.
I didn't know these men. I didn't know if they were real. I didn't know if this was some hallucination cooked up by my dying brain.
But I knew one thing.
I wanted to be free.
"You say this is a choice," I said. "But it feels like a curse."
They spoke together, voices fading.
"We know. But it's yours now. Do with it what you will."
Genesis's voice grew quieter, almost reverent. "There's something else you should know. Something we barely dared to speak aloud."
Null's eyes darkened. "The Unknown… it's not the end. It's not the peak. It comes from a place where it's barely a fly—an insect among giants."
I blinked. "You're saying there's more? Stronger than that thing?"
Genesis nodded slowly. "We suspect it. We've seen glimpses. Echoes. The Unknown is a fracture—a sliver of something vaster than you can imagine. A place where reality folds in on itself. Where laws break. Where gods are born and devoured."
Null's voice was low. "And we think… we think our parents came from there."
I stared at them, stunned.
Genesis gave a faint, bitter smile. "We were orphans. Raised by silence and survival. We never knew who made us. But the power in our veins—it didn't belong to this universe."
Null nodded. "We were anomalies. Just like the Unknown. Just like you."
Genesis looked at me with something close to hope. "You're not just our descendant. You're a question the universe hasn't answered yet."
Genesis's form flickered. "This is the last and only time we'll speak."
Null's voice was fading. "There's nothing left of us."
Genesis gave a faint smile. "But you're enough. You carry us forward."
Null nodded. "And through you… the war begins again."
Their forms began to dissolve—light and shadow unraveling into dust.
"Goodbye, Alastor," they said in unison.
And then they were gone.
I stood alone in the void.
No light. No shadow. Just silence.
I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I just stood there, fists clenched, heart racing.
I thought of Alyssa. Her voice. Her eyes. The way she looked at me before everything went dark.
I thought of the slums. The hunger. The fear. The way people looked away when you begged for help.
I thought of the Veils. The monsters. The screams.
I thought of the mirror. Of the power. Of the choice.
"…I don't know who you were," I muttered. "But if this is real… I'll make it mine."
And somewhere deep inside me, something shifted.
Something woke.