Eli Vale tied the apron around his waist just a little tighter, straightened the shelf of vegetables in front of him, and started rubbing his hands. The morning sunlight filtered through the half clean windows of the market, casting long, soft lines across the dusty wooden floor. People were already milling about vendors shouting prices for bread and cheese, kids running between carts and laughing. Everything was... normal, the kind of day that felt like it had existed a thousand times before.
"Morning, Vale," one of his colleagues called from the next stall, tossing him a loaf of bread. "You hear about that Soul's End thingy?"
Eli shrugged, placing the bread carefully in a basket. "Some people just talk a little too much," he muttered. Not that he didn't sometimes think about it. He'd heard the stories and the whispering rumors, the way grown ups leaned close and whisper about the power that could make any of your wishes real. The "Soul's End" they called it. Everyone had their version of it. Some said it granted glory. Some said it destroyed people who touched it. Eli had no proof either way. Mostly, he figured it was people wanting a story in a world that felt too ordinary.
Nearby, two women laughed about it. "I heard Jonas went missing for a week chasing it," one said. "Came back.. different. Eyes wide, mumbling to himself." "BAHAHAHA, probably just cracked under pressure," the other replied. "Nothing like that exists. I hope."
Eli smirked faintly, placing a basket on the counter in front of a customer. "What are you looking for today?" he asked politely, scanning the items. "Nothing remarkable, just another morning." He said to himself.
Still, a strange pull lingered in his mind. The world often felt ordinary, little too ordinary. Sometimes, though, small oddities slipped through like how a shadow didn't match its owner, or how reflections seemed off for just a fraction of a second. Most people ignored it. Eli did too, mostly. But today, he felt a small wish prick at the back of his mind. I wonder what it would be like if something... impossible happened.
He handed the customer their change and nodded politely. Another minute passed. The chatter of the market continued. Birds hopped along the wires above. The scent of bread mixed with the wet dust from last night's rain. And then it started just barely.
A single light above flickered. Just a twitch, barely noticeable. He looked up. The fluorescent bulb buzzed and hummed, then stabilized.
Flicker number 2, this time from the streetlamp outside. Then another from the neon sign across the way. Eli frowned, glancing at the sun. It... shivered, dimmed slightly, then righted itself. He shook his head. That's... impossible, he thought.
Eight minutes passed. Every flicker he noticed grew more insistent, faster, erratic. Lights everywhere, electronics, the lamps, the distant streetlights, even the sun seemed to twitch and pulse like the world was breathing wrong. And then, when the eighth minute finished, something impossible happened.
Everything that could see went dark.
Not a blink, not a shadow over the eyes just nothing. Eli's vision blanked, leaving the outlines of the market and the people he knew but couldn't see clearly. He dropped the basket with a clatter. Screams. Shouts. Chaos small, contained, but intense. People tripped over carts, stumbled into walls, and the vendors shouted, trying to keep control, but none of it mattered, everyone was already in a panic.
And still, the things that weren't alive, that had no soul, could see. The plants along the stalls moved as if they had purpose. Dust hung in the air, catching faint glimmers that Eli couldn't see. Shadows swirled in ways that didn't make sense. Something, something was out there, it was moving with intent. He couldn't see it. He didn't know what it was, or why.
"Vale... what's happening?" someone shouted. Eli's mind raced. He didn't know. But he felt it... the world was changing.
And just like that, the darkness began to lift. Slowly. Lights stabilized. People could see again. But the market didn't feel normal. Nothing did. That flicker was a warning, the impossible left a taste of fear and awe that Eli couldn't shake.
Something had started. He didn't know what, but it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.