Percy opened his eyes.
His pod hissed open like a soda can under pressure, steam curling around his face. His clothes were a disaster — tattered, soaked, and stained crimson like he'd just crawled out of a horror movie. Which, to be fair, wasn't far off.
He blinked.
The room was dark. Rows of pods lined the walls like sleeping coffins. No lights. No voices. Just silence and the faint hum of machinery.
He stepped out, feet squishing against the floor.
"Okay… not exactly the welcome party I imagined."
His eyes adjusted slowly. Then he saw the plaques.
Each pod had a name.
Each name began with the same phrase:
In Loving Memory Of…
Percy froze.
He turned to his own pod.
In Loving Memory Of Rain
His jaw dropped.
"I'm dead!?" he whispered — loudly.
He ran from pod to pod, scanning names. None familiar.
'So even if I died in any of the other routes, I wasn't even gonna be buried next to my family? That Entity Hunter lied about those final requests!' he thought, offended and mildly betrayed.
His body, now fully restored thanks to the rebirth process, felt great. His soul? Not so much.
He slugged his way out of the room, dragging his feet like a sleep-deprived zombie. The hallway lights hit him like a flashbang.
"Gah—! Who turned the sun on?"
He squinted, yawned, and muttered:
"Maybe I should've slept in the pod…"
After a few wrong turns and a hallway that felt like it looped back on itself, he finally stumbled into the room he'd first left from.
Empty.
Just pods and a desk that looked like it hadn't seen paperwork since the last apocalypse.
He wandered out again, eventually finding the reception desk.
A new lady was there.
"Um, hi. Can I help you? If you're expecting to be cursed today, I'll lead you to the room."
Percy blinked.
'They're not even using the same room anymore?'
"Actually… I'm an Awakened Star-Crossed." He said it like a kid flexing his toys to a Friend.
She squinted at him.
"You passed your trial that fast? I could've sworn it just started..."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"It's true!— Maybe not fast but I was in the last session, I swear!" Percy pleaded, hoping she wouldn't call security.
'Damn arrogant lady!' he thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
"Last session? What's your pod number?"
"138, ma'am."
She tapped a button.
"Leon, come in."
"Yees~ Ma'am!" crackled a voice through the speaker.
"Verify pod number 138."
Percy stood there, trying not to look like a fraud.
"Number 138 has not returned from their trial."
The lady turned slowly.
"So… who are you?"
"I can assure you— I mean look at my clothes!"
She did.
His jacket was shredded, his pants damp, and he looked like he'd been mugged by a tornado.
"Hmm…"
Just then, the original receptionist walked in.
"What's going on?"
"There's this bum-looking guy saying he's a newly Awakened Star-Crossed."
The lady leaned in, squinting.
"Hmm… you look familiar. I just can't remember—wait. You're that boy who entered with The Curseless Prince!"
Percy blinked.
"They said you were sent to an unknown part of the cursed route!"
'Why would they lie about the route I took?'
"Um, actually I was branded the soul—"
"I'll notify Lane right now!" she cut him off, already dialing.
Percy sighed.
Soon, he was handed a school uniform from the back closet after being escorted to the showers. The tracksuits weren't in his size — apparently, they didn't stock for "post-apocalyptic chic."
He sat in the station, waiting.
"Excuse me, miss!" he called.
"Lane will be here shortly."
She replied quickly.
"No, I wanted to speak to you."
"What is it?"
"You referred to Certis as the Curseless Prince. How did you know that?"
She lit up.
"Who doesn't know? Being chosen when the odds were against you spread like wildfire. He got tons of internship offers and ended up with the strongest sovereign in the country — the Reaper's Campaign!"
Percy's jaw dropped.
'What…? Certis did that much?'
"Please tell me… how long has it been since I've been gone?"
She paused.
"Oh… you don't know. It's been about two months."
"Two months!?" Percy shouted.
Everyone turned.
'I'm behind by two months!? What the hell!'
The doors burst open.
Snow spilled in.
Lane entered, brushing flakes off his shoulders.
"Well, I'll be damned." He grinned. "You made it."
He turned to the receptionist.
"Thanks for notifying me. I'll take it from here."
Lane led Percy to a luxurious car parked outside.
Percy shivered, buttoning up his uniform.
"It's cold…"
Inside the car sat a scrawny man with glasses and bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept since the last solar eclipse.
"Hello! My name is Charlie! Nice to meet you!" He grabbed Percy's hand, shaking it like a blender.
"It's an honor to meet someone who survived the mysterious Soulless route! Please tell me — what was it like in there!?"
Charlie leaned in, eyes wide, nose practically touching Percy's.
"Woah, chill out, man." Percy shoved him back.
"Hey Charlie, calm it down on the questions!" Lane said, honking the horn like a disappointed dad.
"Uh… where are we going?" Percy asked, settling into the seat.
"To the Entity Hunters' personal five-star hotel. We need to talk privately."
Lane glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"Although everyone's pod couldn't hear what you were branded with, Myself and a few others did. We told them to keep it a secret — just in case you ever returned."
"Why?"
"Because if word got out that someone passed the Soulless route, you'd be sought out worldwide."
Lane smirked.
"I couldn't pass up the chance to snag a wildcard like you for myself. Ha!"
Percy leaned back, arms crossed.
'Typical selfish driven move! Just wait 'til he hears I can barely use any of the great abilities I gained!'
The car pulled into the driveway of the five-star hotel.
And Percy, still damp, still confused, still very much not dead, stepped into the next chapter of his very weird life.