"Green elixir," I whispered, a little bit of drool escaping the corner of my mouth.

  My eyes locked onto the swirling, shimmering sludge like it was the last gourmet meal in the universe.

  What would this one do?

  The yellow elixir gave me super regeneration. The black one boosted my senses.

  And this… this beautiful, suspiciously glowing green goo?

  Who knew?

  Maybe it’d turn me into a mutant. Once upon a time, I would've found that exciting. Join a team of spandex-wearing superheroes, fly into the sunset, punch evil in the face.

  But that phase had passed.

  Now I was just hoping it wouldn’t melt my intestines.

  I extended my hand, scooping up a handful like a man possessed...

  SMACK!

  Chama-Fish slapped me on the back of the head so hard it echoed through the cave like a gunshot. I clutched my skull, spinning toward him in shock.

  "Hey! What did I do wrong, my lord?" I asked.

  Chama-Fish didn’t answer right away. He summoned his aura, pulsing it softly, then shook his head with a slow, disappointed sigh.

  Oh.

  That made sense.

  Apparently, this green elixir wasn’t exactly "grab-and-gulp" material.

  Chama-Fish explained that it was highly toxic in its raw form. Lethal, actually.

  It had to be refined with aura first, breaking down the toxins before it was safe to drink. Which, apparently, applied to all the elixirs. All of them.

  Including the black elixir… which I had been chugging straight from the source for months like a cosmic juice box.

  Chama-Fish stared at me like I was some kind of biological anomaly.

  He explained that his people considered the black sludge the least toxic, but also… completely useless.

  No special effects. No power boosts.

  Just sludge.

  Well, not for me. Apparently, for Keegan Carter,

  Resident Human Disaster,

  Destroyer of Physics,

  Uncrowned Sludge King,

  …it worked just fine.

  Absolute unit, confirmed.

  "My lord… oh wise cosmic fish… worry not for me," I declared, puffing my chest like an idiot.

  "I have drunk things I shouldn’t. I have eaten things I shouldn’t. I have survived things no one should. And I assure you… this green elixir will be no different. I shall savor it in its rawest, most primal form."

  Chama-Fish gave me the most casual shrug I’d ever seen.

  His aura whispered one very clear message:

  "Do as you wish. I am not responsible if you die."

  Perfect.

  Time to prove just how uniquely unhinged Keegan Carter really was.

  I scooped up a massive handful of the glowing green sludge and downed it like I was shotgunning a soda on a summer afternoon…

  Apple.

  Not just the smell, but the taste. Kinda refreshing, actually.

  I stood there for a few seconds, licking my lips.

  Chama-Fish watched, tense, like he was waiting for me to explode or melt on the spot.

  I felt something building.

  Rising.

  Pressure filling my gut like a ticking time bomb.

  This was it. The great consequence. The universe preparing to punish me for my arrogance.

  And then…

  BUUUUUUUUUURP!

  That’s it.

  Just a burp.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  I turned to Chama-Fish with the smuggest grin imaginable.

  "Well, my radiant master, it seems the green elixir isn’t as deadly as you—"

  Heat.

  So much heat.

  My words caught in my throat as my body locked up.

  I dropped to my knees, gasping.

  My skin lit up emerald green, glowing like I’d swallowed a nuclear reactor.

  My aura? It didn’t just spark… it ignited. Wrapping around me like a living, breathing storm of light.

  But no pain. None at all.

  My body felt like it was seconds away from tearing itself apart, but there was… nothing.

  No burning. No agony.

  Just power.

  Raw, surging power, building higher… and higher…

  I tried to control it.

  I did exactly what Chama-Fish had taught me.

  Breathe.

  Flow.

  Guide the energy, don’t fight it.

  But this…

  This was too much.

  The aura didn’t stop.

  It kept expanding, pushing out through the cavern like a tidal wave.

  The light burned brighter and brighter, so bright I couldn’t see anymore.

  I clenched my eyes shut, heart pounding, lungs frozen.

  This was it.

  Whatever came next… I was ready.

  Or at least, I thought I was.

  What happened next… I never saw it coming.

  The hum of a huge console fan. The faint glow of a TV.

  I knew this place. I’d been here before…

  …or had I?

  I was lying on a bed. Soft sheets. Warm air. The familiar weight of a game controller in my hands.

  I looked around, blinking in disbelief.

  Dark wooden walls.

  A heater humming softly at the foot of the bed, filling the room with that dry, cozy warmth only winter nights could bring.

  I sat up slowly, chest tightening with every breath.

  Why did this place feel so… real?

  I stood and stepped into the hallway.

  The walls were covered in paintings, old family photos…

  Photos of us.

  Me. Mom. Dad. Eva.

  No. No, this can’t...

  My legs moved on their own, faster and faster, until I reached the kitchen door.

  I stopped, breath caught in my throat.

  Warm light spilled into the hallway.

  I could smell the food. Stew, bread, something sweet in the oven.

  And then…

  I heard them.

  "Hey, Keeg. I was just about to call you."

  My father’s voice.

  Calm. Casual. Alive.

  He stood by the table, setting down plates like nothing was wrong with the universe.

  "Come on, honey, before it gets cold."

  My mother, smiling like she always did… like she hadn’t aged a day.

  And then the front door slammed open.

  "I'm back! Estela’s place was boring, so I came home to eat here instead."

  Eva.

  She kicked off her shoes, walked into the kitchen... and froze when she saw me standing there, wide-eyed and shaking.

  "What? Do I owe you money, idiot? Why are you staring like that?"

  My throat tightened.

  I couldn’t move.

  Couldn’t breathe.

  I was back.

  "Are you okay, Keeg?"

  My dad’s voice snapped me out of the spiral I didn’t know I’d slipped into.

  I took a breath, slow and deep. Tried to hide the trembling in my fingers.

  "Yeah... yeah. Just took a nap. Had a weird dream, that’s all."

  He chuckled softly, pulling out a chair.

  "Oof, nap dreams are always the wild ones. Must be the cold air. What was it about?"

  I paused.

  Looked down at my hands.

  They were clean. No scars. No calluses.

  No blood.

  "It was… strange," I said slowly. "Something hit Earth. Some kind of global event. And I…"

  My voice faltered.

  "I got kicked out. Woke up in an alien wasteland. Completely alone."

  A beat.

  "Well… except for a rock. Named Waldo."

  That got a laugh from my parents.

  Eva, on the other hand, gave me the classic 'you need help' look.

  "Seriously, Keeg?"

  "I’m telling you," I said, smiling, even though my chest was tight. "He’s got this British gentleman vibe. Wears a bowler hat. Very supportive."

  My mom shook her head, still giggling.

  "You really could write one of those stories you like to read. That’s a whole saga right there. Why don’t you try it?"

  I looked at her. At all of them.

  So real.

  So normal.

  "Maybe I'll try. It wouldn't hurt," I replied.

  My hands were shaking more and more.

  When I tried to pick up the fork, it fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

  "Hey, Keeg, I don't think you're okay. Something's wrong with you. You can tell us,” My father said, placing his warm hand on my shoulder.

  Tears started to flow without me even realizing it.

  "I... I... I've felt so alone. I've almost died so many times, I've been through so much pain... and all the while, I had no idea if you were okay."

  "We know, darling," my mother said, placing her hand in my hair and stroking it slowly. "We know all the suffering you've been through. And we're so, so sorry."

  My sister exhaled heavily.

  "But you survived, right? Look at you now. You always dreamed of having a nice tan and muscles. Too bad your brain is made of muscle now. You survived. You overcame everything, you moron."

  "But… I’m tired."

  My voice cracked again, the weight of everything I’d carried pressing down like a mountain.

  "Sometimes I think about just… giving up. Just staying in that house I built… waiting for it all to end. Waiting for the relief of death to finally come."

  My fists clenched so tight I felt my nails dig into my palms.

  "How can I even keep going?"

  My dad’s grip on my shoulder tightened. Not rough, not angry, just steady.

  "You’ve thought about giving up before, Keeg. But you didn’t do it. You fought. You got stronger. You kept going. So why stop now?"

  My mother leaned in, her voice a soft whisper.

  "All is not lost, sweetheart. There’s still so much waiting for you."

  She kissed my cheek, warm and real… too real.

  Eva started tapping the table with her knuckles, forcing a smirk.

  "You still owe me a year of math homework, remember? You promised, idiot. Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook."

  I laughed, weak and shaky.

  "I love you… I missed you so much… all of you."

  The words slipped out before I could stop them.

  Hearing their laughter… their voices… seeing them again…

  It felt so… good…

  But then the fear crept back in, sharp and cold.

  "I’m scared," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Scared of forgetting you. Scared of forgetting… myself."

  My father and mother stepped forward, standing side by side, faces calm, eyes shining.

  "You will never forget us," they said together, their voices blending like a memory I didn’t want to lose.

  They pointed to my chest.

  "We will always be there. And when you feel like you're losing yourself... look here. To remember. To prevail."

  Then, the world around us began to shake.

  Light dimming. Walls crumbling.

  The warmth began to pull away from me, like breath escaping a dying fire.

  "We love you, Keeg," my mom whispered.

  "Survive."

  "We’ll be waiting for you to come back."

  No. No. NO!

  "Please don’t go!" I shouted, reaching out as their outlines flickered like static.

  "Don’t leave me alone, please! Not again!"

  Their faces blurred.

  Their voices echoed one last time. Faint, warm, already fading.

  We love you…

  I screamed.

  Begged.

  But it didn’t matter.

  The scent of food vanished.

  The light blinked out.

  And then, silence.

  Darkness.

  I was alone again.

  Floating in the black, empty cold.

  Alone…

  Until I wasn't.

  In the silence, something shifted.

  Tiny fragments of green light began to gather in front of me.

  Slowly, patiently, like stars drifting into place.

  The glow was warm.

  Just seeing it eased something deep inside me, like a hand gently resting on my heart.

  The light began to take shape.

  A soft silhouette. Vague, glowing. Familiar in a way I couldn't explain.

  I watched, breath held.

  And then...

  "Hello, Keegan."

  It spoke to me.