✦ Chapter 3 – The Choice of Life ✦
As Cha Velora's whispered confession still lingered in the air, time stopped once again. The world froze—her soft expression, the hospital walls, even the slow rhythm of the heart monitor—all fading into a silver void.
Before me stood the Lord. His eyes were galaxies; his voice thunder and calm combined.
"Makoto Taro. Your time has come. Have you chosen?"
I steadied my breath. "I… choose the third," I whispered. "I will serve You as Your messenger in this life."
A faint smile crossed the Lord's ageless face. "Very well. But you know, nothing in the multiverse comes without cost."
"I understand," I said. "What must I offer?"
The Lord extended a hand. Planets and stars swirled in his palm, a miniature universe.
"Your choice binds you to Me. As My messenger, you will gain My system, My tasks, and My power—but for a price. For three months, I will take a part of your joy. You will feel its absence, but it will return."
"In exchange, you and I will be bound—host and system. Your current life will continue, but you will also receive tasks. Complete them faithfully over the next thirty years. At the end, you will come to the Ranking Place, where all hosts stand in line. There you may claim your reward."
I swallowed hard. "Reward?"
"A wish. Anything you desire. The stronger you become, the greater your wish may be."
The Lord's eyes glimmered.
"The ranking will determine your standing among all messengers. You will be challenged by others. You will fight, you will endure, and you will take responsibility for everything you choose. Your score will be measured by my commanders—the Lieutenants of the Dimensional World. Only then will your gift be given."
My heart pounded. The weight of thirty years of tasks… of fighting unknown foes… of bearing a system that demanded not only strength but sacrifice.
But in that silver void, I remembered Cha Velora's smile. Her voice. Her promise.
"I accept," I said firmly.
The Lord nodded, and his voice became a whisper that filled my soul.
"Then rise, Makoto Taro. The System awakens within you. The path begins now."
Light enveloped me, and the hospital came back into focus. But I was no longer the same.