Year 2023;
The city lights stretched like molten threads across the surface of the black sea, trembling with every ripple, as if the night itself was breathing slowly beneath the bridge that connected Averton City Island to the mainland of North Qudour. The hum of passing cars rolled behind him in uneven waves, tires grinding softly against asphalt, engines fading in and out like distant thunder that never quite arrived, yet the man standing by the rusted rail did not move, did not turn, did not even acknowledge the world that continued without him.
The wind came in cold and restless, slipping beneath his clothes and brushing across his skin with a quiet insistence, and when it pushed back the hood from his head, it revealed a face that had already gone still long before this moment. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, unblinking, as though he was trying to carve the shape of the sea into his memory one last time, or perhaps searching for something that had never been there to begin with.
Arceus Blaze slowly stepped forward, his shoe pressing onto the narrow ledge with care, testing its balance as though the ground itself might reject him. One hand stayed wrapped tightly around the rusted rail, the cold metal biting into his palm, grounding him to the world he was about to leave, while the other rose toward his chest, fingers curling around the pendant that rested there.
The crystal was simple, a faint blue that barely caught the dim streetlight, yet it shimmered faintly, as if it held a quiet pulse of its own. His grip tightened, knuckles whitening as the edges of the crystal pressed into his skin.
His breath came out uneven, breaking against the wind. "I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered, his voice thin and fragile, almost lost before it could even exist. "I tried my best… but your dream is going to stay a dream."
The words lingered in the air for a moment, then vanished, swallowed whole by the vastness in front of him.
His fingers trembled.
And then—
A memory surfaced, sharp and sudden.
Year 2001;
The smell of old leather filled the cramped backseat, thick and worn, clinging to the air like something that had been there for years and refused to leave. Arceus, small and restless, sat with his legs slightly drawn up, his attention completely consumed by the flickering screen of his handheld console, thumbs tapping rapidly, his focus sealed away from the rest of the world by the soft music leaking through his earphones.
In the front seat, his father held the steering wheel steady, eyes fixed on the road as the speedometer hovered at 100 kph. The night outside was a blur of passing lights and shadows, the road stretching endlessly ahead.
"Ark, your mother is bringing your sister with her this time," his father said, his tone light, carrying a warmth that tried to reach the backseat. "Are you excited about that?"
No response came.
The only answer was the faint clicking of buttons and the low hum of the game.
"Ark… Ark…" His father's voice rose slightly, not in anger, but in gentle insistence, as he turned his head just a little.
Still nothing.
A small sigh escaped him before he reached one hand off the wheel, leaning back slightly. "Ark."
Just as his fingers neared the earphones, Arceus lifted his head.
The world shifted in that instant.
His eyes caught something ahead—two blinding lights, far too close, far too fast, swallowing the road in a heartbeat.
There was no time.
No warning.
Bam
The sound exploded through everything, metal folding, glass shattering, the force crushing the moment into nothing.
Darkness swallowed it whole.
A breath later.
The memory twisted again.
Year 2019;
The room felt too quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against the ears until it became unbearable. The woman standing in front of him kept her gaze lowered, her fingers twisting together as though they were trying to hold something in place that had already broken apart.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice careful, controlled, yet trembling beneath the surface. "I tried to keep it in. Suppressed it for years. But I can't anymore. I'm bi. It's time I admit it."
She paused, her breath hitching slightly before she forced herself to continue.
"And if you still want to stay with me… this is something you'll have to accept."
Arceus remembered that moment not for what was said, but for what followed.
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating. Endless.
It stretched between them like a wall neither of them knew how to cross, and in that silence, something quietly fell apart.
Another shift.
Year 2020;
The hall was filled with soft music and murmured conversations, lights glowing warmly as they reflected off polished surfaces. Arceus stood at the front, dressed as a groom, his posture straight, his expression open, a genuine smile resting on his face as he watched the bride walk toward him, her hand resting on her father's arm.
For a brief moment, everything felt aligned, as though the pieces of his life had finally fallen into place.
Then—
Year 2021;
The air inside the club was thick, heavy with music that pulsed through the floor and climbed into the bones. Lights flickered in shifting colors, painting everything in fragments of red and blue, never still, never clear.
Arceus stood in the shadows, just far enough to remain unnoticed, his presence blending into the edges of the room. His body felt rigid, unmoving, yet his eyes were locked forward.
She was there.
His wife.
Laughing.
Not with him.
She sat comfortably on another man's lap, her posture relaxed, her hand resting lightly against his shoulder as if it belonged there, her laughter easy, natural, untouched by hesitation.
The man she was with carried the effortless confidence of wealth, his clothes sharp, his gestures smooth, everything about him speaking of a life Arceus had never been able to give.
Arceus's throat tightened, the sound around him fading into a dull echo as something heavy settled deep inside his chest.
He didn't step forward.
He didn't speak.
He simply stood there, watching, as if witnessing something he had no right to interrupt.
A few months later;
The paper struck his face with a dry, snapping sound, edges brushing against his skin before falling toward the ground.
"Here," she said, her tone flat, detached, as though the words no longer carried weight for her. "With this, we are done."
Arceus did not move immediately.
The document slid down slowly, grazing his cheek before slipping from view.
"As per the agreement, all the furniture, the house rental deposit I paid, and all of them are yours now," she continued, her voice steady, almost businesslike. "Even if you sell these, I highly doubt that you can turn around the situation in your store."
There was a pause, brief but deliberate.
"Before I leave, let me give you one last bit of advice."
Her eyes met his then, not with anger, not with regret, but with something colder.
"Give up on that stupid dream of yours. It's already too late for you to find a job. Put away the pride and use those good looks you have to become a male escort or something."
Each word landed cleanly, without hesitation.
"You might be able to escape your debts."
Arceus stood there, silent.
He didn't argue.
He didn't reach out.
He didn't even pick up the paper.
Now;
Two years after the divorce, the bridge stood beneath his feet once again, the sea stretching endlessly before him, dark and indifferent.
Arceus shut his eyes tightly, the memories collapsing inward as he forced himself back into the present, his grip on the pendant tightening just a little more.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again, softer this time, as though the words were meant only for himself.
Then—
He let go.
His body tipped forward, the world tilting with it, gravity pulling him down as the wind rushed past his ears in a sharp, rising roar.
Splash
The impact hit like solid ground, the water slamming against him with crushing force, stealing the air from his lungs as cold wrapped around his body instantly, dragging him downward.
His limbs slowed.
Heavy.
Unresponsive.
The surface above blurred, the faint glow of lights stretching and distorting as they slipped further and further away.
The sea closed in.
And his thoughts, once scattered, began to drift together.
"If only I were more selfish… instead of chasing a dream that was never mine…"
The words formed slowly, as though each one had to push through the weight surrounding him.
"If only I had accepted Sera for who she was… instead of walking away like a coward…"
His chest tightened, the need for air burning faintly now.
"If only I hadn't rushed into that marriage… thinking it would fix the emptiness…"
The pressure built.
His body weakened.
"If only…"
A breath caught.
"Sigh…"
The last of the air slipped from his mouth in a trail of fragile bubbles, rising gently toward a surface he would never reach.
And then—
The crystal against his chest pulsed.
Once.
A soft, quiet glow spread through the dark water, faint yet unmistakable.
Then again.
The light deepened, wrapping around him like a whisper that refused to fade.
And everything went black.
After an unknown amount of time;
A sharp gasp tore through the silence as Arceus shot upright, air flooding into his lungs in uneven bursts, his chest rising and falling rapidly as though he had been holding his breath for far too long.
His eyes blinked rapidly, struggling to focus as he looked around, his mind still caught somewhere between what had been and what was.
He was sitting on a mattress.
A familiar one.
The room was small, simple, unchanged. A cot stood nearby, a wardrobe pressed against the wall, and in the corner, a wooden desk held a monitor that looked older than it should have been.
"This place…" His voice came out hoarse, uncertain, as he turned his head slowly, taking in each detail as if afraid it might vanish if he moved too quickly. "It's my old house. What's going on… I was on the bridge and…"
Before the thought could settle—
A sharp sound rang inside his head.
Ding!
[Welcome back to Codex]
[A New Host detected: Arceus Blaze.]
[Main Quest inherited.]
[131 Eggs added to Inventory.]
Main Quest: Sell 1000 System-Provided Eggs, each at 1000 credits. (Progress: 869/1000)
Reward: War God System.
A glowing holographic screen unfolded before his eyes, translucent yet vivid, its surface flickering softly as lines of text appeared one after another, each word syncing perfectly with the echoing voice in his mind.
Arceus stared at it, unmoving.
His fingers slowly rose to his face, pressing lightly against his skin as if testing whether any of this was real, whether he was still breathing, whether he had truly come back.
"Is this…"
His gaze lifted again, locking onto the floating screen, his voice dropping into a quiet murmur.
"Afterlife?"