Darkness.
Not the kind you get when you shut your eyes, but the kind that eats away at existence itself. No floor, no ceiling, no sound. Just void.
Renji blinked—or at least he thought he did. Hard to tell when you don't have a body.
"...Well," he muttered, "guess I unlocked the premium void DLC. Figures it wouldn't even come with a tutorial."
A laugh answered him. Light, airy, and far too casual for a place that felt like nothing.
"Finally awake. I was beginning to wonder if you'd sulk for eternity."
Renji whipped around—or at least tried to. In front of him sat a man in simple white clothes, cross-legged as if the void were his personal sofa. He looked ordinary, with a friendly smile that somehow made him less trustworthy.
Renji frowned. "...Who the hell are you? Some kind of afterlife NPC?"
The man grinned wider. "If you like. Call me the Watcher."
Renji squinted. "Right. Because ominous one-word titles always scream 'trust me.'"
The Watcher chuckled, tilting his head. "You died. Anti-climactic, wasn't it? No grand legacy. No tearful funeral. Just a footnote nobody read."
Renji's jaw twitched. The words stung more than he wanted to admit. "…You've got a real talent for pep talks. Do you do birthday parties too?"
Ignoring the jab, the Watcher leaned forward, eyes glinting. "But you're interesting, Renji. A genius buried under apathy. A man with absurd fortune who never used it. Do you know how many times you dodged death without realizing?"
Renji blinked. "What, are you telling me my luck stat was hacked or something?"
"Something like that." The Watcher smirked. "Call it… a bug in the system of fate. One that clings to you. I find it amusing."
Renji narrowed his eyes. "…So what? You dragged me here to roast me about wasting my life? Congrats, mission accomplished."
The Watcher shook his head. "No, Renji. I'm giving you another chance. A world far more… entertaining. A place where power is everything."
"What are you tal__"
A strange warmth rippled through the void, and glowing runes floated around Renji. Words etched into existence:
[Eternal Dominion System – Initialized]
Renji stared. "…Wait. Did you just install cheat codes into my soul?"
The Watcher smirked. "Think of it as a gift. With this, you can command, conquer, and ascend. Whether you become a hero, tyrant, or something far worse… that's entirely up to you."
Renji's lips curled into a grin. "So, you're telling me I get to speedrun life 2.0 with hacks on? Hell. Yes."
The Watcher chuckled softly. "Careful, Renji. Luck may open doors… but Dominion decides who walks through them. Even you."
A portal of blinding light tore open beneath him. Renji felt himself being pulled in, his body reforming in shards of light.
"Wait, wait, wait—hold up!" Renji shouted, half-laughing, half-panicked. "You can't just drop lore crumbs and shove me in the oven!"
The Watcher waved lazily. "You'll figure it out. Or you'll die again. Either way… it'll be entertaining."
The void vanished.
Renji's last words echoed as he fell into the unknown:
"Fuuuuu—!"