The ground began to shake.
I dropped onto the pulsing floor just as I grabbed the sharp, floating fragment.
I looked in front of me.
This is the physical manifestation of the target's mental state, ideology, and memories.
A dragon..?
It was unstable—flickering as if it wasn't from this world.
Its mouth spewed fire.
Its eyes were sharp and furious.
Anger..?
No—it's something deeper.
The dragon was about to charge at me any second.
I blinked.
There was… nothing.
I looked behind me.
The fragment slipped from my hand and fell.
I looked at my left arm—
My hand..
It—it wasn't there.
My left hand was completely severed, like it never even existed.
The dragon cleaved it off the moment I took my eyes off it, for less than a second.
I grabbed the fragment again and tore my leather jacket to stop the bleeding.
I only had one shot.
"It's too fast…"
I looked to my right.
There.
My heart stopped.
But I knew what I had to do.
I raised my right hand—the fragment—and aimed it at its face.
The dragon came charging forward.
I took a deep breath.
And ran towards the dragon.
I ducked and slipped underneath the dragon—at the perfect moment.
The fragment sliced its neck—perfectly.
Too perfect...
And it collapsed—into dust.
"This… is more than just a fragment."
The bandit, the man who tried to kill me, was lying in front of me.
Touch the forehead of the soul to proceed with judgment.
As always, I did what the system said.
The moment my hand touched my killer's head, my mind fractured.
It was filled with his memories—past, present, and future—all at once.
It was too much.
Too much for someone who barely knew anything about his life.
But I felt it all.
His pain, suffering, greed, love, and happiness.
I understood all of it.
For a second—
I believed—
I was him.
I don't know why… but my eyes were filled with tears.
Not because of my severed hand.
Maybe.
I grieved for him.
The system showed me two options.
Heaven
Or
Hell.
There will be no consequences for whichever option you choose.
Take your time.
I knew without a doubt what I would pick.
I went through his life, his childhood, and every stage of his existence up until now.
"I know… what he did was wrong."
"But he didn't have another choice…"
I chose to send him to heaven with the little strength I had
His soul turned into a white orb and floated upward.
Into a place I didn't fully know.
I blinked.
And I woke up in the hospital.
The ceiling didn't feel real.
White.
Too white.
Like I hadn't fully come back yet.
The air smelled sharp and pungent. Herbs and potions burned my nostrils, heavy and bitter. It wasn't the soothing scent of my old world.
Sheets clung damply to my skin. The mattress creaked beneath me, uneven and cold.
A faint pulse ran through the floorboards, like the building itself was breathing
or
A fracture would have cost you your life in the "old" world. Healers here worked cheaply. Although I didn't need to pay. My mother owns this place.
"Son!" Her voice cracked as she barreled toward me, footsteps thudding on the wooden floor.
"Are you alright? I heard you were stabbed… with a knife!"
"I'm fine…" My voice sounded foreign to me, rough and small.
"You'll get well soon. I'll be right back!" She left, the door creaking shut behind her.
"Also, there's someone who wants to meet you," she called back.
"The woman who was being mugged, she healed you. You should thank her."
Right…
I tried to push myself up, but my left hand…
It wasn't stiff.
It was gone in my mind.
My brain had forgotten it existed. It felt as if the nerves had been erased.
Punishment for losing a left hand during Judgment: Hand Paralysis.
Duration: Until second Judgment.
"…Gr-great," I muttered, my voice cracking. My shoulders shivered, my back pressed into the cold mattress.
I forced myself up with my right hand.
The air felt heavy, dense, like it wanted to hold me down. My heart thudded in panic.
I saw her in the hallway, hands folded in prayer, eyes wide with concern.
"Excuse me!" I called.
She rushed forward, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Thank goodness you're alright!"
"H-hey… it's alright. I'm fine," I said, voice trembling. "It's thanks to you that I'm alive."
"Oh, no need to thank me." She wiped her cheeks, attempting a smile. "I work as a part-time healer here."
"That's… great." My voice faltered.
"…Honestly, I've never had even a fragment of mana," I admitted. "I've never used magic in my entire life."
Her eyes softened. "It's actually common—my father had his first channeling in his thirties."
I nodded, silent for a moment. Footsteps echoed faintly in the hall, the soft clink of glass vials, murmurs of other patients. Everything pressed against my skull like a drumbeat I couldn't escape.
"Well, I've got to go—new patients to see."
"..."
I sank back slightly, chest tightening.
I need to judge someone now.
I can't stand having my left hand paralyzed..
I am left handed...
Memories...
I gulped.
Would I see another one of those?
What does the system even want from me?
My body trembled, right hand clenching the blanket. I took a shaky breath.
I had to find answers.
I had to be ready..