"Hello, is anybody here ?"
Damien was alive.
Awake.
His body was functioning, breathing, beating, moving, but everything around him was unfamiliar. He found himself in a place devoid of light, an expanse swallowed entirely by darkness.
There were no walls, no ground he could see, only an infinite void stretching in all directions. The air felt heavy, dense with silence, as if sound itself had been stripped away.
He stood amidst it, conscious and alert, yet disoriented, caught in a world where shadows reigned and the concept of time seemed suspended.
A place that was not death, yet not life.
A place full of darkness.
"Haa…" Damien exhaled sharply, the sound barely echoing in the oppressive stillness.
"Fuck… at least someone could tell me if I'm dead or alive."
He glanced around, though there was nothing to see, only that suffocating darkness pressing in from all sides.
"But to be honest," he muttered, his voice laced with dry sarcasm, "judging by the look of this place… it sure as hell feels like I'm in hell."
He looked around for a while, turning in place as if expecting something, anything, to appear from the void. But there was nothing. Just darkness, silence, and more darkness.
"Tch," he scoffed. "But if I'm really dead, then why the fuck would that shitty so-called god toss me into hell instead of heaven?"
His voice grew sharper, edged with frustration.
"Okay, fine, I probably did some things I don't remember, sure. But the least that bastard could've done was hold some kind of judgment trial, right? You know, like in those manhwa or movies… where you stand before a grand court and they weigh your sins and shit."
He let out a dry laugh. "Guess that was too much effort for them."
Then—
Step—!
A single footstep echoed unnaturally through the void, sharp and heavy, as if reality itself cracked under its weight.
"Shitting around again, even though you're on the brink of death, Mr. Damien Parker."
The voice slithered through the darkness like a blade, cold and inhuman.
From the shadows ahead, a figure emerged, humanoid in shape but forged entirely from the void itself. Its body was made of shifting, writhing blackness, as if the very essence of the darkness had taken form.
No face, no features, only those void-like eyes, gleaming faintly with cruel amusement.
Damien instinctively stepped back, his breath hitching. His pulse quickened as he stared at the creature now standing before him, its presence radiating a suffocating aura that made even the endless darkness feel heavier.
"The fuckin' hell, man,"
Damien blurted out, clutching his chest instinctively. "You almost gave me a goddamn heart attack."
His voice echoed into the void, sharp with irritation and adrenaline, though it barely seemed to faze the dark figure standing before him.
"Right… You're not even scared of me," the void-like figure remarked, its voice carrying a mix of curiosity and amusement. "It's your first time meeting an unfamiliar, terrifying entity, and yet, not a trace of fear. Wow… just like before. You really are unique."
Damien raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms with a smirk.
"Wutt… Why the hell would I be scared? We're in the 21st century, dude. Haven't you read any manhwas or watched anime or something?"
He shrugged casually. "You're creepy, sure, but I've seen worse designs in horror mangas."
"And what do you mean by before?"
Damien narrowed his eyes, his tone shifting to suspicion. "Have we met before or something? Cause I sure as hell don't remember ever crossing paths with a shadow-faced horror like you."
He took a cautious step forward, eyes locked on the figure. "And also, what did you mean by on the brink of death? Am I not dead right now or what?! Make some damn sense already!"
The entity seemed to hesitate for a moment, a single bead of spectral sweat forming on its shadowy form, an oddly human gesture for something so otherworldly. It stared at Damien's rising frustration and finally spoke, its voice less composed than before.
"O-Okay, so like… yeah, you're not exactly dead, but you're likely to be dead."
"…"
Damien blinked, his expression blank for a beat before twisting into complete disbelief. "The fuck are you even saying?"
The void-being cleared its throat, if that's what the raspy echo could be called, and replied more seriously,
"Mr. Damien Parker, I mean… your body, the one currently lying in the real world, is dead, or as close to it as possible. But your soul, you, haven't entered any cycle yet. No reincarnation, no afterlife judgment. You're… stuck in between."
"And I'm asking," Damien snapped, his voice cutting through the void like a blade, "why the hell am I stuck in between?! What's the goddamn reason?"
The entity blinked, literally blinked, as if caught off guard, then rubbed the back of its formless head awkwardly.
"Oh… um," it mumbled, almost sheepishly, "because I… brought your soul here."
Damien stared, jaw slack. "You what?"
The entity gave a slow, guilty nod. "Yeah… that one's on me."
"So, basically," Damien said, his tone rising with growing irritation, "you're telling me you interrupted whatever afterlife or reincarnation I was supposed to go through… and dragged me into this shitty, pitch-black void of a place, this god-knows-what the hell dimension?"
He threw his hands up in exasperation, eyes scanning the endless darkness around him.
"I don't even know what this place is and you're bringing my soul to this place like I am some kind of Amazon mail?"
The entity let out a small, weary sigh, its hollow gaze fixed on Damien. "Let me explain, Mr. Damien Parker. The place we're in right now is called the Borderland, a realm where one plays with life and dea—"
"Wait," Damien cut in abruptly, raising a hand, "so it's like Alice in Borderland?"
The entity blinked, pausing mid-thought.
"Hmm… no, not exactly like that. But… well, dead souls do usually gather here… and, uh, they do get involved in trials between life and death and… um… yeah," it scratched its featureless head awkwardly, "I guess… yeah. It's kinda the same. In a… loosely inspired, don't-sue-us kind of way."
"…"
"So you brought me here to do the same crap?" Damien scoffed. "To play your twisted little games, just like in that series?"
The entity quickly shook its head, its form flickering slightly under the weight of Damien's glare. "Nope. Not exactly for you, Mr. Damien Parker."
It took a slow, deliberate step forward, the shadows curling at its feet.
"I brought your soul here for a different reason… a special reason."
"You see, Mr. Damien Parker," the entity said as a faint, eerie glow pulsed from its body.
In that moment, a shimmering wall of screens materialized in front of Damien, each screen displaying a different-colored crystal, slowly rotating in an empty void, flickering with arcane energy.
"I brought you here because there's a small thing I need you to do. Not exactly for me, but... for yourself."
Damien raised a brow, arms crossed as he eyed the crystals warily.
"This better not be one of those 'save the world' clichés..."
The entity chuckled softly, its voice echoing like distant thunder. "Did you ever hear of Transmigration?"
Damien blinked. "Seriously? Of course I have. It's literally the hottest manhwa genre right now."
"Exactly," the entity said with a nod. "And now, it's your turn."
Damien narrowed his eyes, folding his arms as he stared at the entity in silence. Seconds passed, the eerie hum of the crystals vibrating in the air like a faint heartbeat.
Finally, he spoke, voice calm, but edged with skepticism.
"So… let's say I do accept your proposal," he said, tilting his head slightly. "What do I get in return? What's in it for me?"
The void around them pulsed, and for a brief moment, the crystals shimmered brighter, almost as if reacting to his question. The silence that followed was heavy.
Damien's gaze never wavered. He had played games before, championships, battles, even life itself, but this… this was a new board entirely. And he wanted to know what the prize was.
The entity's glowing eyes narrowed as it raised one shadowy hand. The crystals spun faster, and the screens shifted, now displaying fragments of worlds, some medieval, some futuristic, some completely alien.
One screen showed Damien himself, but different: in some, he was a king; in others, a god, a warlord, a savior… or something unnamable.
Then the entity spoke, voice deep and smooth like a ripple through space:
"The prize, Mr. Damien Parker... is choice."
It continued:
"You will be given the rare right to select the world you enter. You will retain your memories, your skills, and be granted a soul-bound gift, an ability that grows with your will."
"In these worlds, you can build an empire, chase revenge, find peace, or seek the thrill of battle again. You can rewrite your fate from scratch. You were a champion once... but what would you become without limits?"
A beat.
"And should you survive long enough… you will be given the chance to return, reborn, healed, and free from the disease that was killing you."
The crystals slowed, dimming slightly.
"That, Damien Parker, is the prize: freedom, power, and the chance to choose your own ending."
'Choice, huh…?
That word alone hits harder than all the gold medals and trophies I've ever won. I've lived my whole life fighting, bleeding, striving, always for something. For glory. For discipline.
For survival. But now… now I'm staring down something else. A second chance? A new world? Transmigration? Damn, I thought that genre was just escapist fantasy for tired people like me.
But here I am.
A soul on the edge of existence, between death and whatever comes next, and this… thing offers me not just a way out, but a whole new game board.
And it's not like I've got anything left behind. No family. No regrets. My life already hit its final credits. If anything, this feels like the afterparty.
Still, can I trust it? Probably not. But what do I have to lose? My body's already broken, my days were numbered. Even if this is some cosmic scam, it's better than rotting in some eternal void.
Besides, who else gets to walk into a new world with their will sharpened like a blade and their past life still burning in their eyes?
Alright... Damien Parker, champion of ten disciplines, survivor of this cruel, glorious world… are you ready to do it all again?
Heh.
Why the hell not?'
Damien whole smirking and folding his arms,
"So let me get this straight. You're offering me a second shot at life. A whole new world, new rules, new powers… and in return, I just need to do a little something for you? Sounds like a win-win, doesn't it?"
The Entity nods slowly with its voice low and cryptic.
"Yes. You will awaken in a different realm, one that will need you. The fate of its balance… lies with you."
Damien eyes narrowing slightly, pretending to ponder, "Uh-huh. And let me guess, I'll be 'The Chosen One' or some cliché title? Maybe I'll awaken with amnesia in a wheat field surrounded by villagers?"
The Entity chuckling slightly replied,
"Something like that. Your entry will be… appropriately humble. But your journey, monumental."
Damien while leaning in, lowering his voice.
"Alright. I'm in. But only on one condition."
The Entity blinking slowly asked
"Name it."
Damien while grinning started speaking,
"I want to choose where I start. The world, the body, the perks, I want creative control. You see, if I'm going to save your precious little realm, I need to be in optimal condition. None of that weak-to-strong trope, got it?"
The Entity hesitated a little bit replied,
"That is... highly irregular. But—"
He cut in with voice sharper,
"You brought me, didn't you? Not some clueless soul begging for reincarnation. You wanted Damien Parker. So, deal's off unless I get to tweak my entry a little."
Entity, visibly conflicted, the shadows around it warping,
"...Very well. I will grant you limited customization within the parameters of the world's balance."
Damien while smiling confidently, voice in his mind
'Limited,' huh? That's enough for me to break the system later. Just need to slip in the right cheat without the bastard noticing. Let him think he's in control. Heh... just like tricking those sponsors back in my fourth championship. Classic bait and flip. Damien Parker doesn't play by anyone's rules, not even cosmic ones.'
Damien aloud, stretching his arm,
"Then we've got a deal. Let's shake hands, wait, do you even have hands?"
The Entity unfazed,
"Your soul will be transferred shortly."
Damien chuckled softly,
"Perfect. Time to conquer another world, this time... for myself."