Chapter 3: Death

  Disappoi filled me as I sat o Cir’s lifeless body. Her death was too quick, too anticlimactic. I wanted more—closure, satisfa—but my broken body didn’t leave me with many options. The first rays of sunlight crept through the shattered windows, illuminating the chaos around me.

  I struggled to stand but colpsed bato the chair. The sound of approag footsteps jolted me to attention. High heels. A woman. 'No one should see this. Whoever es here will have to die.'

  Grabbing a shard of broken gss near my feet, I readied myself to throw it at whoever entered.

  “Boss, are you here?”

  It was Selia. 'Should I bait her inside and kill her? Or send her away? I ’t afford more trouble.' Exhaustion made the decision for me. I chose to talk.

  “Yes, it’s me. What are you doing here? And why didn’t you show up st night? Our deal?” I tried to sound normal, masking the agony in my voibsp;

  “What? I did as promised. I just left Brody. I’m here because of the fire. I wasn’t going to e inside, but I heard—” Her voice trailed off, her words muffled. Am I losing my hearing? I crawled to the door, pressing my back against it to listeer.

  “Selia, are you still there? I ’t hear you anymore,” I called out.

  She saw my silhouette through the cracked door. “Boss, are you okay?” she asked, her voice ced with .

  “Are you okay? Did he…” I hesitated.

  “Yes, he did, and I’m fine,” she said, though her voice betrayed her. After a pause, she sobbed, “I’m not fine.”

  “You don’t have to do this anymore. We’ll talk about it ime we meet. Now, leave.”

  I listeo her footsteps as she walked away, loud and deliberate—unlike her usual quiet demeanor. She’s wearing high heels. Dressed for the night. What happeo you, Selia? Her steps faded into silence. “I’m sorry, Selia,” I whispered.

  A sudden crash shattered the fragile moment of peace. At first, it seemed like a rock had been hurled through the window, but as I examihe embedded object, dread gripped me. That’s not a rock. That’s something else.

  Before I could act, the door creaked open. “What the fuck are you still doing here?” I screamed, spotting Selia’s figure. Panic surged as I tried to dislodge the object from the wall, but it wouldn’t budge. With no other choice, I grabbed Selia’s hand and dragged her toward the window.

  “Trust me!” I yelled, leaping backward to break the gss with my body. The hole left by the object’s impact weakehe window, and I mao pull her through with me. The world slowed as we fell. 'Will we survive this fall?'

  The device triggered.

  A strange force rippled outward, dist the air around us. It wasn’t heat or fire, but an unnatural vibration that twisted reality itself. The explosion enveloped everything, pulling us into its ter. For a moment, I felt weightless, as if the world had lost all structure. My surroundings blurred into blinding light.

  'This is the end,' I thought. But a defiant part of me refused. “I won’t die!” I roared, letting go of Selia’s hand as the force pulled us apart. My fists ched, ready to fight the unstoppable. Thehi dark.

  Death was supposed to be the end. No gods, no afterlife, no sed ces—just the silence of oblivion. Or so I thought. Or so I thought. But when I opened my eyes, the world around me was impossibly clear—tht, too sharp.

  I heard voices. Dozens of them. g. Screaming. Fighting. Who are these people? I was surrounded by chaos. 'Is this hell?' I wondered.

  My surroundings slowly came into focus. I was encased in something—a white co. Its translut walls allowed me a blurry view of the outside: a stark, snow-white ptform that stretched endlessly, ft and sterile. Dozens of people wandered around, many armed with ons that would be illegal in life. Most of the cos around me were torn opey.

  A group nearby tried to break through a co, but its exterior resisted their efforts. From the i felt soft, like cotton. From the outside, it was a solid shell. Inside, I examined myself. My body, once scarred and battered, looked rejuvenated—except for my left arm. 'Still gone. Even ierlife, I’m handicapped. What a joke,' I thought bitterly.

  I observed silently for hours, pieg together the rules of this strange pce. People didn’t seem to feel hunger. Death ossible here—perma, from what I could tell. Those who left their cos became targets. There was no sun, no day ht, only endless white. And one man anded respect above all others. They called him Pedoro.

  Pedoro was a tyrant, his strength unmatched. Boredom and frustration domihis pce, and he exploited it to assert dominance. His test decree? Every woman would bee his wife, and he would spend 12 hours with a different one each day.

  I watched from my co, waiting for the right moment to act. Pedoro’s arrogance would be his undoing.

  A otion drew my attention. A girl with sky-blue hair emerged from her co, naked and disoriented. Pedoro noticed her instantly, striding toward her with predatory i. She resisted, pushing him away, but he ughed and grabbed her again.

  Her face became clear as she turned. My heart sank. Selia. Memories of our st moments flooded back. The fire. The explosion. My desperate attempt to save her. All of it was meaningless. And now, here she was, trapped and vulnerable.

  Pedoro’s hand reached for her again. I couldn’t let this tinue.

  I broke free from my co, the shell shattering around me. Grabbing a nearby sword, I sprioedoro. My body screamed in protest, my missing arm throwing off my bance, but I didn’t care.

  With everyone’s attention on Pedoro and Selia, my approach went unnoticed. I adjusted my grip, spinning midair as I swung the sword with all the strength I had. The bde sliced ly through his neck, severing his head from his body.

  Pedoro’s lifeless form crumpled to the ground as I nded, my breathing ragged but triumphant. Blood staihe pristine white ptform as I turo face the crowd.

  Standing over Pedoro's lifeless form, I turo face the crowd, blood dripping from the sword. The silence was deafening, every pair of eyes locked on me. After a moment, I raised the bde and decred, ""This pce is mine now," I said, my voice low but firm, letting the silence carry the weight of my words."