The gods lost their homeland and decided to wander the universe in search of a new home.
They searched and searched, but were unsuccessful.
So they kept searching and searching, because they were not willing to give up.
Moved by the gods' search for a place to stay, the cosmos decided to gift them with a new home, a new land.
When the gods finally set foot on the land, they loved this new world, and this world loved them back.
At that moment, the gods decreed, with the heavens and stars as witnesses, that this land would be named Eden...
...
"Hmm...?"
His eyes opened; he had awakened from his sleep.
The room was quite dark, and although the windows were closed, there was no trace of morning light coming through the cracks.
Did I wake up that early? He wondered inwardly.
He reached out from under the covers, grabbing his cell phone that lay on the nightstand next to his bed.
He brought the phone closer and when he turned it on, the light from the screen exploded like a supernova in his eyes.
Shit...! He cursed in his thoughts.
It was very dark in the room and his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, but whether due to sleepiness or impatience, he had forgotten this fact.
However, before turning off his cell phone to stop the painful light, he was able to register the information he was looking for right from the lock screen: the time.
It's 4:02 a.m.... I definitely woke up very early, how strange...
Not that it was completely atypical or strange to wake up suddenly in the middle of the night on a Monday, but he didn't remember having any impactful dreams that would cause him to wake up or anything like that.
Could it be some anxiety or concern he had harbored before falling asleep that had disrupted his sleep? It was possible, but regardless, he still had time to spare and could sleep a little longer.
Or so he thought.
Ten minutes passed, then twenty, and after that, before he knew it, he had lost track of how much time had passed.
The only thing he knew was that he couldn't stand being in that bed anymore.
Tossing and turning in bed isn't the best way to get back to sleep anyway, I'd better go do something. He thought.
He removed the covers and got up carefully. Once standing, he took a moment to do some stretches and ease the stiffness in his body.
Then he took a few steps forward, crossed the room, and pressed the switch, turning on the lights.
The light, of course, almost blinded him, causing him to massage his temples for a few moments before his eyes adjusted to the light.
Now able to face the light without any problems, he walked over to the full-length mirror next to him. It wasn't because he wanted to check anything specific about his appearance, but simply out of habit to look at himself when the moment was right.
Reflected in the mirror was a twenty-one-year-old young adult. His brown hair was long, reaching his neck, and looked a little messy after waking up.
His skin was white, and his well-defined face was clean and free of facial hair.
His pupils were dark green, and his eyes were surrounded by visible dark circles, but except for the dark circles, his face could be considered handsome or above average.
He wore only comfortable black pants, and his entire upper body was bare, revealing a slim but defined physique.
Looking more closely at his own eyes in the mirror, he sighed and said, "Good morning in advance, Francis Noctis."
After that, he stepped away from the mirror and went to the bedroom door. Pressing the doorknob, he opened it and stepped into the hallway outside.
Opposite Francis's room, separated by a small space, was another door, and when he saw it, a flash of sadness crossed his eyes before he looked away, turning left and walking to the end of the hallway, where the bathroom was located.
Upon entering the bathroom, he turned on the lights and took the opportunity to relieve himself. Then he washed his hands and, after that, took a handful of cold water from the tap and splashed it on his face.
Feeling the thermal shock hit him, Francis felt the residual drowsiness dissipate, and then repeated the process, splashing cold water on his face two more times, until he felt satisfied enough.
Once that was done, he dried himself with a towel, turned off the lights, and left the bathroom.
Upon entering the hallway again, Francis noticed that the living room—which was visible through an entrance at the end of the hallway—was bathed in a warm light that seeped in through the balcony, which Francis could identify as coming from the twilight of sunrise.
It's such a beautiful light. He thought, staring at that glow for a few moments.
That was, in fact, a pure light, a majestic light.
A light that spills over the earth, illuminating even the deepest abysses of the hearts of the world and the hearts of man.
A light where there was no sadness, worries, or anxieties.
Where even darkness was assimilated and converted.
And seeing that light trying to infiltrate that dark corridor, Francis heard, though not with his ears, he heard with his heart, his soul.
"Come." That's what he heard.
It was the light calling him.
He also wanted the light, so he walked, step by step, to the end of the hallway, entering the living room and bathing himself in some of that light. But that wasn't all, there was still more light coming from outside the balcony.
He turned right in the living room and walked calmly, passing the sofa, television, video game console, and coffee table, until he reached the balcony doors, which were closed.
Light spilled through the foggy glass of the doors, but even so, a little of the outside environment was visible to Francis's eyes.
He wasted no time, unlocking the doors and opening them at once. The next things Francis felt were the cool, refreshing breeze of dawn touching his skin and the warm sensation of the morning light covering his upper body.
He stepped onto the balcony, glancing at the various flower pots scattered around the place—which Francis took care of in his mother's absence—and then took a few steps forward, reaching the balcony railing and resting his arms on it, able to glimpse the landscape of dawn twilight covering the city.
Francis lived on the ninth floor of a building within a condominium complex, and fortunately, both the position of the building itself and the floor on which he lived contributed significantly to the view Francis had of his city from his balcony.
And there it was, reflected in his eyes, the landscape of his city—Liam—with low buildings in modern Gothic architecture, quiet streets, and the few passersby who started their day even earlier than the sun itself.
Half of the landscape was shining with the sunlight coming over the horizon, and the other half was still covered by the darkness of the night that was slowly dissipating, but still occupied half of the sky.
Francis then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the scent of flowers and the fresh early morning air clear his mind, then he exhaled slowly, letting the air flow out of his lungs.
He opened his eyes again, admired the landscape for a few more moments, and finally said, "Even with the sun and the night competing for the Earth, the world is still beautiful."
...
In Millem, capital of the Kingdom of Eadengard. In an office at the headquarters of the Crystalis Unit.
A middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat was sitting in a chair.
In front of him was a desk—his personal desk—on which there was mainly a stack of documents, a computer, a small envelope, and a black briefcase.
Across the table, this time standing, was a woman. She was a young adult with fair skin, brown eyes, long wavy red hair, and a beautiful face with soft features marked by freckles that enhanced her feminine beauty.
She wore a formal black women's suit that fit her slender body well.
The young woman had her eyes fixed on the black briefcase on the table, while she seemed to be thinking deeply.
"Did you understand everything?" the man asked. "Or do you need me to explain something again?"
The man's voice seemed to snap her out of her stupor, as her eyes turned to him.
"Oh, no, you don't need to, I understood everything. It's just that..."
"Just that...?" He didn't want to pressure her, but he needed to know what she was thinking.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice betraying her concerns.
He was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Although it seems crazy, it's our best option."
"Best option...?"
The man nodded with a calm but firm expression.
"But I understand if you don't want to do this, I can still think of another..." The man began to say when he was interrupted by the woman.
"No!" She said with determination, placing her hand on her chest. "I'll do it."
The man seemed surprised by the sudden change, and a slight smile formed on his lips.
"I'm glad you've decided that, but now I must ask, are you sure?"
The woman thought for a moment before replying, "I am. Even though you can't tell me what's really going on, even though I really want to understand why all this is happening, I know there's a good reason for what you're doing. You wouldn't break the rules if it weren't for a good reason."
The man nodded, his expression softening for a moment.
"You're right. I can't tell you what's going on, not yet, but I promise that when the time is right, you'll understand everything. I need you to trust me." He said with a serious expression, but there was a warm look in his eyes.
"I trust you. Besides, I know you would never let anything happen to me." She said with a slight smile and a proud posture.
The man's lips curved into a smile again. A smile that radiated pride, gratitude, and affection, but hid something more complex behind it.
"You're right." He said gently, getting up from his chair and standing.
Then the man picked up the briefcase and handed it to the woman.
Holding the briefcase, the woman began to examine what she had in her hands.
At first glance, it was just an ordinary medium-sized briefcase. Its design could be considered vintage, its finish was resistant to touch, and its color was matte, which meant that little light was reflected on it.
The handle was also black, the same shade as the finish, and curiously, there were no locks on the briefcase as there normally would be. On the contrary, the surface of the briefcase was completely clean, except that just below the handle, on the lower half of the briefcase, there was a strange small hole, as if something needed to be connected to it.
It was designed not to attract attention, and it's heavier than it looks... thought the woman, examining the briefcase.
"You know what to do, right?" the man asked.
"Yes." She nodded resolutely.
"Very well." His expression softened as he reached across the table and picked up the small envelope. "Don't forget this."
He handed the envelope to the woman, who took it with her free hand.
"Inside this envelope is the key to open the briefcase, so take good care of it."
The woman pressed the envelope with her fingertips, feeling the texture of the object inside. Just by touch—without seeing it directly—she could identify a metallic object with a cylindrical tip, which made her immediately understand that this key would fit into the strange hole in the briefcase.
"I'll take good care of it," she said, carefully placing the envelope in her pocket.
At that moment, the woman thought that the instructions were over, and when she was about to say goodbye to the man...
"Just one more thing," he said, extending his hand to her in a gesture of greeting.
The woman watched the gesture with a flash of curiosity as she extended her free hand to grasp the man's, sealing the handshake.
"See you on the other side," the man said calmly, as if sealing a pact with her.
The woman nodded, and after saying goodbye, she turned and walked toward the office door. A single thought permeated her mind as she left that room.
The other side... she reflected.
And when the door finally closed, leaving the man alone in his office, his body was able to relax as he sat down in his chair once more.
His gentle expression from before was now replaced by a complicated expression as he stared at the door the woman had just walked through.
He rested his elbows on the desk, clasped his hands together, and rested his chin on them. As the seconds passed, the man's gaze became more and more penetrating, to the point of piercing the soul of anyone who was present to witness it.
Meanwhile, he thought deeply.
Imagining, reflecting, calculating.
When the man finally seemed to reach an important conclusion in his mind, his voice broke the silence of the office.
He declared, "Let the games begin."