In a world where all of existence's misdeeds drift endlessly, overflowing with sins unfit for the living.
A soul so dark screamed from below.
"Because of you..."
The sound tore through a space where nothing should exist.
"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"
It was not a voice meant for the living, but something heavier.
Below, it struggled, dragged into a void that swallowed even light.
"[EsRrpEcTrrrORRR!]"
From above, a figure in gray stood in silence, watching.
"If only..." it whispered. It turned its back as tears flowed down its ghastly cheeks.
"I'll return one day..." The void began to close.
"...AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PROTECT EVERYONE."
• • •
The chatter of the classroom filled the air. Voices overlapping, chairs scraping, and the electric fan humming raggedly in the corner.
"Isn't it interesting?" White Alyan spoke without looking up from his book.
No one answered.
His classmates were too busy minding their own business.
"The history of this country," he continued, flipping a page. "The myths, the stories... things people used to believe."
"Used to," someone muttered beside him, closing and tucking the manga beneath the table.
White's eyes shifted slightly, but he didn't respond.
He already knew what they would say.
That it didn't matter.
That it was pointless.
That the past had nothing left to offer.
"Yo, White," Blaster leaned forward. "What rank are you at right now?" He blocked the fan like it belonged to him.
"Diamond, probably." White didn't look up. "Why ask?"
"Just curious," Blaster shrugged, glancing toward the corridor.
A few students were already watching.
"If I had your skills," he added, lowering his voice, "people would treat me differently too."
White followed his gaze. For a brief moment, his deep-blue eyes met theirs. They quickly looked away, whispering and giggling.
He returned to his book, indifferent.
"Sana all," Blaster sighed, clearly bummed out.
"What happened to that team that scouted you?" he added. "They offered again, didn't they?"
White flipped another page.
"I turned them down."
"Again?" someone laughed. "You're wasting it, you know."
"I don't have time," White replied. "I've got things to maintain."
"Yeah, sure," another student raised his hand. "Captain, top rank, perfect student... must be nice."
White didn't respond.
He leaned back slightly, brushing a hand through his blue-tinted hair as the fan pushed loose strands across his face.
His gaze settled on them again.
The classmate hesitated, then abruptly stood up. "Uh... I forgot something at the cafeteria." He left.
White grumbled, massaging his throbbing head, and a few seconds later, a loud crash echoed from the door.
"Could you KINDLY stop pestering my brother about such things?"
A girl stepped in, walking straight toward them.
"You've always bothered him about this!"
The classroom froze.
"Oh sh*t."
They recognized the voice instantly and began looking for an escape.
"The villain's here! Run!"
Chairs scraped as they rushed for the door, laughing as they fled.
"Villainous, you say?" she snapped. "Come here and I'll show you what villainous looks like!"
She reached for a broom, but Blaster and the others were already gone.
"Hey! Don't run away from me!" she shouted, clearly irritated.
She let out a breath and walked toward White.
Her silver-tinted hair swayed with the movement, catching the light as she approached.
White adjusted his seat, bookmarking his page.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Is it forbidden to check on you?" she shot back, still annoyed. She opened her bag and handed him a book.
"Did you forget you asked me to bring this?"
[ Ancient Myths, Legends, and Folklores of the Philippines, I guess? ]
"Ah... right. I forgot."
"Why do I always have to carry your books? You have your own bag."
"You know it's already full."
Zia glanced toward the corridor, still irritated.
"Full, huh."
White tied his hair back, ignoring the comment.
She sighed.
After checking the time, she turned away.
"Buy me ice cream when you get home."
"The usual?"
"The usual."
"Alright. Take care."
She paused at the door.
"And stop chasing them," White added. "You've scared them enough."
Zia clicked her tongue and walked out.
• • •
"Wha... what is this...?"
White stood in a world of ice.
The cold pressed into him.
Not just around him, but through him.
This wasn't right. It wasn't his body.
"...Why did this start..." The voice wasn't his, but it came from him.
He was seated atop a jagged iceberg, unmoving.
Memories surged through him.
Shattered.
Distant.
Unbearable.
His head throbbed.
"Kggh-"
"I'll kill them... even the gods..."
The words slipped out like an oath engraved too deep to forget.
A translucent panel flickered into view.
•[Attention! [EwrHRiToER], prepare to leave this [REDACTED].]•
The text warped.
Unreadable. Wrong.
White didn't understand it, but something inside him did.
'...So this is the game you made...'
The thought wasn't his, but it rooted itself inside him.
Hatred.
Weight.
Resolve.
It wasn't his, but he felt all of it.
Then something moved.
From below.
A hand of black smoke reached up. It grabbed him.
Tight.
• • •
White jolted awake as morning light seeped within the room.
"What... was that...?" His head throbbed.
He tried to remember, yet nothing remained.
No images. No voice.
Only the feeling that something had slipped away.
"Ugh... what's your problem... it's still early..."
Zia groaned from the upper bunk. She was woken up by the movement on the bed.
"I had a nightmare," White muttered. "I tried to remember it, but-"
"Tsk. You talk too much."
White blinked.
Then glanced at the calendar.
"...Ah."
That explained it.
"Ahh?"
Zia popped her head over. "What 'ahh'?" she snapped.
"Haahh? Go buy pandesal and make me a coffee," Zia snapped. "That way you'll stop being an annoying piece of-"
"Alright." White sighed and stood up.
"Hurry up before I smash your head!"
He caught a glimpse of her wrapping herself in a blanket.
'What a child.'
"I'll wake you up when it's ready," he said, stepping out.
"Morning, Ma."
"Oh? You're up early," his mother said, watering the plants. "What happened?"
He reached for her hand and did a mano po.
"I... had a nightmare."
"Maybe it's because you slept late," she teased. "Kaka selpon mo yan."
"Ma naman..."
She laughed softly.
"Where are you going?"
"Buying pandesal and coffee."
He paused.
"...Aya's month started." His mother smiled knowingly.
"Alright. I'll take care of it."
She handed him extra money. "And buy another coffee. Your father's on his way home."
"Okay. I'll be back."
• • •
At the store, a news report played in the background.
[ A well-known fortune teller has issued an alarming prediction for this year- ]
The vendor scoffed. "World's going to end? What nonsense."
White glanced at the screen.
'Yeah... that's not happening.'
The vendor handed him his order and said "Salamat, balik ka ulit!"
He walked away from the store.
The streets were...alive.
Tricycles, jeepneys, and voices filling the morning air.
Normal.
Everything was too normal.
Yet, something lingered.
A quiet discomfort settled in his chest.
'I know that's impossible...'
His grip tightened around the bag.
'...so why does it feel like it isn't?'