"Maybe this is just a dream that I can't seem to wake up from," my dumb ass said while looking around in the empty corner. Today didn't seem to be my day because I was fucking dead and unlike the stories(that I totally finished) there was no heaven or hell or just pure blackness.
I was stuck in a really dark room however I could still see somewhat myself even though there was no visible light source. This type of scenario makes me regret taking up extra science lessons to catch up with the lessons that I had missed.
The one interesting thing here was how time flowed. It was different but at the same time not that much different. I felt as if I had been here for an infinite amount of time but also felt like I'd been here for two seconds.
"These days you gotta find time even at night," I said to myself. I was used to it by now there was no source of entertainment and it didn't help that my brain couldn't sleep because of this I was often stuck talking to myself.
This really makes me regret leaving behind my life, not to mention I hadn't even finished some of my favourite shows. The one I was most hyped out for was blue lock because the final goal was about to be scored but unfortunately my untimely death stopped that from happening.
"I hate my life!" I yelled frustrated and started jumping around hysterically. I was literally going to go insane if I was stuck here for one more minute. Human isolation could be said to be the worst type of torture.
I was losing all hope… well as if I had any in the first place. I just wish I could just sleep and never wake up. My bodily functions weren't even working as they should, like I wasn't breathing but yet I could remain standing.
It hurt my brain that the science I had been led to believe through the hard-work of numerous brilliant minds was now being tossed around like a toddler with its toy.
But at the end, you adapt and get used to it because there is no other way to hang on to hope and hope that I will be free at the end.
Why couldn't someone set me free? This wasn't how I expected it to end, I was just enjoying my human life and now it just had to be over because of my pride.
A guy was trying to rob me even though I had done nothing wrong, so respectfully I told the dude to fuck off and he wasn't having any of it so he took out his gun and shot me.
"Point blank into my head," I muttered out.
"For fucks sake God or devil I don't care someone set me free!"
"Follow the light," a calm monotone voice said. Which admittedly surprised the fuck out of me.
My heart contracted, the hairs on the end of my body were on edge and my legs got shaky. A scream came out so loud I swear I could hear it myself. It was less of a scream but more of a girly shriek. Any sane person would have the same reaction after hearing another person's voice who wasn't theirs after a thousand years of isolation.
"What kind of idiot asks a question and doesn't expect to be answered.. It shows that you really had no hope from the first place!" the voice said while chuckling a little bit.
My body was less tense but I could still feel my heart pumping and trying to rip out of my body. I knew that there was no point of asking who he was since there would literally be no point. So I decided to do the next best thing. Say the first words that came to my mind.
"It's a human reaction, fuck you!" I replied. It took me a second to realize what I had said. I may have screwed up my chances of getting out. "I really am an idiot," I muttered to myself.
"Well in case you don't know you are anything but human at this point," it said back.
I thank God he didn't take no offence and left me alone. I was really desperate for human attention(I don't care if he is not a human) so any type of interaction that I had was appreciated(a lot).
"Well I will leave you with one message," he said, his voice vibrating in every nonexistent corner in this cell. "Follow the light and you will surely reach what you want!"
"What? Tell me more!? WHERE IS THE LIGHT!??.." I tried to ask more but all I was met with was deafening silence.
"What an interesting higher life-form. Hope to meet more of them," I sarcastically said to myself.
"But I should take his message seriously and follow the light, if I can find what he means," with nothing else to do I decided to embark on a journey to find the light that this guy was talking about.
I started sprinting in every direction, I couldn't see anything so at times it felt like I was in space walking on air which was a surreal direction.
After a few minutes of running around I was losing hope. There was surely a ruse to taunt me, I was not getting out of here. There was no hope.
[It shows that you really had no hope from the first place!]. Maybe he was right. I had no hope in the first place of getting out of here.
"Wait.. that's the last piece in this puzzle. The light isn't a physical thing but rather something in here," I yelled in excitement while pointing my finger at my hand.
"Get me the fuck out of here already!" It seemed the heavens just became my pet as a portal made out of light came out in front of me. There was a little bit of pressure exuding off this and I wasn't sure if this was exactly safe but I knew it had to be a whole lot better than this shitty place.
As I entered the portal a huge gust came towards me and I closed my eyes. When I reopened them I had to close them immediately.
It was a completely empty white room. It took me a while to get used to it but when I could observe I was left in complete horror as it wasn't any better than the black room. But I wouldn't say it was worse.
The white room feels stark, minimal, and serene, with every surface—walls, ceiling, and floor—painted in a soft, unblemished shade of white. The space appears expansive, as the light bounces off the clean surfaces, giving the room an airy, almost infinite quality. The natural or artificial light creates subtle shadows, highlighting the simple shapes of any furniture or objects. There's a quiet calm here, a sense of purity, as if the room is a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with life or meaning. The absence of color draws attention to the smallest details, making even the simplest elements seem more significant. Everything feels fresh, neutral, and open to interpretation, as though the room exists in a moment of pause before something happens.
"I'm surprised you passed! Most people just go around running around trying to find out where the light is," the same voice said to me.
"Why on earth would you create such a difficult test," I asked him calmly. At this point I felt like nothing could bring me down.
"Tsk tsk this isn't earth and about your question you haven't seen the least of it," he replied back in an annoyingly childish voice.
"Don't tell me there is another one because I don't want to be stuck here forever!" my reverberating voice said.
"I mean you asking me to reverse death for you so I'll have to decide if you are worthy," the being replied back this time dropping to a serious tone. "Now as for my final clue find the strength you have been hiding."
"Find the strength I have been hiding? Your hints are so worthless because you told me to follow a light when all I had to do was believe that I could get out of here" I said.
"Most people fail at this point… I hope you are different," he seemed to ignore my last remark and continue with what he was saying.
"What? Is that it again? You are going to leave me with nothing but some anime quote to get out of this shit-hole," I muttered all used to it at this point.
But some of his points directed at him being a God or R.O.B of some sort. I could not be asked to find out his true identity because all I wanted to do was get the fuck out of here.
"Find the strength within?" I repeated again. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean. First hope and then now strength, this shit is messed up… these isekai characters have it easy while I have to work hard for it!"
If I'm guessing what he means when hope was probably to do with my will. Then strength should be something physical, with that thought I went towards one of the pale white walls.
I directed a heavy kick towards the wall, I would have used my fist but my hands would undoubtedly hurt from the impact. So after pouring and directing all my strength towards my dominant left leg I kicked the wall and a huge crater appeared on it.
But I was disappointed because even though I had broken it there was another wall. But I wasn't too worried because this showed me that it was something physical and not something that had to do with my emotions.
My resolve was high and so was my energy, nothing could stop me now.
"EXCEPT THAT THESE DAMN WALLS GO ON FOREVER, I'VE BROKEN THE DAMN THING 40 MANY TIMES!!" I screamed to God knows who.
"The fuck does he mean find the strength within," I quieted down knowing screaming wasn't going to help at all.
Even so, I knew that this was probably a test of determination of some sort or just to show whether or not I was strong enough to be reincarnated. But I knew that this couldn't continue but I had no other thing to do but keep on going no matter the circumstances.
Because of that reason for weeks I tried to get out of there failing miserable each time. I must have broken the walls a million times because my fists were bleeding and my legs were even worse, but I didn't stop because the mere thought of being stuck in a white room for eternity didn't sit well with me.
I still had a break from time to time but most of the time was focused on getting out of here, but even with that, it didn't help so I decided just to keep on going and not to waste any more time.
I couldn't even walk so I crawled. My determination was only so high because of the time I spent in that black and scary place it really toughened me up. I think that was why I was able to go on for weeks.
"J-just o-one more and I'll be o-out," stumbering my words really says a lot about the dark room toughening me up. I was about to use my head to head-butt the final crack to a wall that seemed to be one punch away from deteriorating. But I couldn't muster up any strength and I fell down.
I think for once a human feature of me was shown. My brain shut-down and I passed out. This test was my final test. I had always had this feeling that if my brain shut-down then I wouldn't cease to exist and I would ultimately fail.
But as soon as I closed my eyes I opened them back again.
"Well done, you passed the test. You may be permitted to enter the world of the living!" a booming voice echoed over my body.
"Aye what!" was my stunned reply. My body didn't seem to have its physical parts again. I was back to what I was in the dark room.
"What do you mean!? It is finally over!"
"The first trial was to test whether or not you had hope in actually getting out and could carve your way in the living without having to rely on others. The second was to see if you had the strength to keep on going even when you knew it was impossible. You wouldn't have gotten out of the room even if you went through millions of the walls." the entity said but to my shock he started to get an actual form.
I was back in the white room but this time the damage and cracks I made weren't visible anymore. It looked like it did before I started the trial.
Even though the room was completely white, a white figure started to come out of the ceiling and he looked kind of like mist. A bit like the Human God from Mushoku Tensei.
"I think you would prefer this form over just hearing my voice!"
"Yes I would prefer it.. However, let's go back to the serious topic of the living world. I think I deserve a bit of reward after what I've been through."
"A reward you say? Well I can do something for you.. Send you to a fictional world of your choice!"
"Oo lala now you've got my attention," I thought about the worlds that I would like to go to. To be honest, I've had my fair share of action so no fighting would be good for me.
I would probably want a world that is similar to my old one, this makes me remember one of my dreams when I was younger… To become the best footballer in the whole world. And after going through this I'm sure the extra determination that was needed for me will be enough.
"I would like to enter the world of blue lock!" I said excitedly, even after all those trials I still have my human emotion and I thank the heavens for that. I don't want to turn emo or any of that weird shit.
"Very well… I'll be sure to reward you also with some boons," he said while casting his white hand over me. I saw myself starting to fade and I was ready for this new world.
"Sweet."