Ed couldn't feel his body.
No heartbeat. No limbs. No breath. No sight.
Yet somehow, he could still sense the world around him — as if he were floating in an empty space. It was peaceful. Weightless. He smiled faintly.
"Is this what dying feels like?" he whispered to himself. "How... mysterious."
He drifted — flying, floating, or maybe just existing — in a sensation too strange to describe. Then, a powerful force began pulling him eastward, toward the place where his broken body lay in the darkest part of the street.
The pull grew stronger.
A light appeared.
"Am I... being reincarnated?" he wondered.
The blurry light sharpened. He saw a massive circular table with eight uniquely designed chairs, each one crafted for a specific, unknown figure. Above them stood a throne — far more intricate than the rest.
Someone sat on it.
Ed couldn't see the figure's face, but he could hear them speaking. He focused all his senses, trying to listen — but he felt nothing.
He gave up.
Then, the figure laughed — a deep, thunderous laugh that shook Ed's spirit and filled him with dread.
"What a disgusting species," the voice echoed. "Given a sliver of power, and now they act like gods."
Ed's thoughts raced. "What is this person talking about?"
Suddenly, another force yanked him away — this time into a strange lab filled with glowing code and magical circles. The voice returned, darker than before.
"What is this so-called almighty power? A system? A tool to help them grow stronger?" "I am ————. I will reveal your species for what it truly is! HUAHAHAHAHA!"
Before Ed could react, he was pulled again — this time into an ancient house. An old man sat cross-legged, speaking to a young man with white hair. The elder held a strange box, forged from the hardest material in the universe.
"Protect this relic," the old man said. "It holds the power to break the bind we're connected to the ————"
Before the final word could be spoken, a force stronger than all the others ripped Ed away.
He flew past stars, galaxies, entire universes — until he reached a place so dark that no light could pass through.
It wasn't evil. It wasn't righteous. It was... beyond both.
Ed floated in the void. In the center, a strange orb pulsed, drawing him closer. As he neared it, the orb shot into his chest — too fast to see.
Suddenly, he felt everything.
Blood. Mana. Heartbeat. Limbs.
Light approached from his vision. As it cleared, the first thing he saw was... a trash can.
"Trash can?" he muttered.
His heart thumped normally again.
"I'm... alive. Thank you... for giving me another chance."
Tears welled in his eyes.
His body felt stronger — healthier than before. He dismissed the strange visions as hallucinations, too surreal to be real.
He cleaned himself off and walked toward his apartment. But as he reached the door, a woman stood there, glaring.
"What are you doing at my apartment?" she snapped.
"This is my apartment," Ed replied, confused. "Where else am I supposed to go — the trash?"
The woman scoffed.
"What do you mean your apartment? I've lived here since 2033. I've never seen you before."
"2033?" Ed blinked. "It's only 2030... What do you mean 2033?"
The woman pulled out her phone and shoved it in his face.
"See the date, you thief."
Ed stared at the screen and sees year 2035.
His face went pale.
"Five years have passed..." he whispered to himself.