"For the two of you to get together one must search endlessly and another shall wait for eternity"
"What a line he spoke!"
"And you know then the protagonist came and sliced through all the Veilborns at once"
A sixteen-year-old boy named Julius, with pitch-black hair and emerald eyes, sat on a bench.
With a poker face, he casually listened to the conversation going on between his friends.
It looked like they were enjoying it, the conversation.
After all, it was about the recently popularized fantasy novel named...
'Path to Invulnerable'
It took the light novel community by storm.
Almost everyone, either boy or girl, adult or old, read it due to its complex world-building, plot, and structure.
And here came Julius, who seemed to be the biggest fan of that light novel to ever exist, but...
Reality was the opposite.
He had never even read the first volume of the book, as he was not a fan of the fantasy genre.
So he could not help but only nod at them.
Actually...
He had been doing the same for the past few weeks.
Today, 29 August 2024, was the day his fate was going to change...
He was finally going to read 'Path to Invulnerable'.
...
A few minutes later, the school bell rang.
With his usual stoic expression, he carried his bag on his back, while one hand held the strap to ease the tension on his muscles.
And he walked towards the exit.
As he was about to leave the school premises, a voice came.
A masculine voice.
"Heyy Julius, can you lend me volume sixteen of 'Path to Invulnerable'? It is out of stock, even though I wandered all around the city searching for it."
At the comment, Julius' brows furrowed, and he clicked his tongue in a bizarre way.
But he quickly regained his composure and pursed his lips.
"Sorry, but I am not done reading it yet. You have to wait for some days."
"Okie, goodbye."
After the short conversation, he went to the nearby bookstore and glanced around to find the book, and to his surprise, he found it very easily.
'What can we do, after all it is really popular.'
He sighed as he gripped the book in his hands, only to remain speechless at the sight of the cover page.
It was designed by many skilled artists, highlighting every minor detail, adding to its beauty.
'But as people say, a book can't be judged by its cover.'
Saying so, he flipped the first page, but the page was...
Blank.
Considering it a printing mistake or an intentional attempt, he flipped again, but...
Blank.
Next.
Blank.
Next.
Blank.
Next.
Blank.
He glided his thumb over the edge of the book but found only...
NOTHING.
Soon after, the surprise was accompanied by another.
'Uh, why am I feeling dizzy... akhhh.'
As he glanced around, the world began to blur.
A heavy oppressive weight settled over his mind.
The edges of his vision darkened, as if curtains were slowly being drawn shut.
The sounds became distant, muffled, like echoes in a tunnel.
A strange sense of detachment took over, as if he were slipping away from his own body.
The ground seemed to tilt, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Then with a final, overwhelming pull, everything went black, as if he was swallowed by the void of unconsciousness.
...
'Where am I?'
'Did I die?'
'Why did I die?'
Anger dwelled inside Julius, but he couldn't find a way to let it out.
He couldn't sense his limbs nor his organs—just his consciousness remained intact.
He tried to look around, but everything was pitch black. There was no sound, no light, just an empty black void.
Time passed by in the void as his anger turned into desperation.
'Why am I not going to heaven or hell?'
'Or perhaps... is this hell?'
Julius pondered, his mind racing through different possibilities.
'Maybe... I am going to reincarnate... maybe an angel will come and take me from here.'
Time kept passing, and Julius' hope kept fading.
No one was coming to pick him up.
Floating through the void, he wanted to cry but couldn't, he wanted to scream but couldn't.
He was bored.
Having nothing to do, he began counting to keep a rough record of how much time had passed.
'One... Two... Three... Four...'
Hours went by, but he kept counting.
'Two million eighty-six thousand nine hundred ninety-two.'
'Two million eighty-six thousand nine hundred ninety-three.'
Nothing happened. The frustration dwelling inside him was replaced with sorrow.
As such, a few months passed by...
'Two trillion, eight hundred thirty-eight billion, seven hundred forty-eight million, three hundred ninety thousand, nine hundred one.'
Many years...
'Two hundred ninety-four quindecillion, eight hundred forty-seven quattuordecillion, seven—'
On his nth count, a cold yet authoritative voice echoed in the void.
'Hmm, looks like you have managed to survive the void for sheer six seconds. By now, most of the test subjects' souls were ripped apart, but yours is still intact.'
'You shall be the one to receive another chance to live.'
Julius couldn't make out most of it, but for sure his ears captured the words:
'Six seconds'
and
'Chance'
---
Thanks for reading the chapter.