Shawn didn't wake up in any familiar place.
There was no transition.
No warning.
His consciousness was simply hurled into another world all at once, as if someone had thrown him off a cliff into an unknown ocean.
The first thing he noticed was that he had no body.
He couldn't speak.
He couldn't touch anything.
He could only watch.
It was like being a ghost.
'Where am I?' Shawn thought, trying to make sense of what was happening.
In front of him stood a man.
He was young, about twenty-five, with short dark hair. His eyes were gray and weary. He wore a black military uniform with silver buttons.
The man walked along a cobblestone street.
Around him, the world felt cold.
Industrial.
Huge chimneys spewed black smoke into the sky.
Steam trains rumbled along elevated rails.
Soldiers patrolled every corner, firearms in hand.
'This doesn't look like a medieval world,' Shawn thought, watching everything in confusion.
The man kept walking until he reached a square.
A crowd had gathered.
Soldiers stood in formation.
And in front of them, against a brick wall, was a group of people.
There were adults, young people, and children.
One of them couldn't have been more than ten years old.
An officer gave the order.
"Take aim!"
The soldiers raised their weapons.
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bodies dropped to the ground.
One after another.
Without exception.
Shawn felt something twist inside him.
'No…' he thought, wanting to look away.
But he couldn't.
He had no eyelids to close.
No head to turn.
He could only watch.
The man in the black uniform watched the execution without expression.
Then he turned and walked away.
◇◆◇
Time passed.
Shawn didn't know how much.
Days compressed into seconds.
Weeks into minutes.
Months into hours.
It was like watching a movie on fast-forward.
Shawn witnessed more executions.
Some in public squares.
Others in dark alleys.
Some by firing squad.
Others by hanging.
Every single one was the execution of mages.
And the man was always there.
Always watching.
Always silent.
'Why am I seeing this?' Shawn thought, feeling the anguish grow.
But then he noticed something.
One night, the man slipped through the dark streets.
He reached an abandoned alley.
And there, waiting for him, was a hooded figure.
"Did you bring the information?" the figure asked in a deep voice.
The man nodded.
He pulled a folded paper from his pocket and handed it over.
"Tomorrow's patrol routes," the man said. "And the names of the mages they're planning to arrest."
The figure took the paper.
Then pulled out a pouch of coins and handed it to the man.
"Good work," the figure said. "Thanks to you, some will be able to escape."
The man took the money without a word.
Then he turned and vanished into the darkness.
'He's a double agent,' Shawn thought, finally understanding.
The man worked for the kingdom.
But secretly, he sold information to the mages.
Not for ideals.
Not for justice.
For money.
◇◆◇
More time passed.
The man rose higher and higher within that kingdom.
First a private.
Then sergeant.
Then lieutenant.
And finally, leader of an entire squad.
With rank came money.
A lot of money.
The man began to live a comfortable life.
He threw parties with his subordinates.
They drank.
They laughed.
And the man shared part of his earnings with them.
"To the captain!" his men shouted, raising their glasses.
"To the captain!"
The man smiled.
But his eyes remained the same.
Gray.
Weary.
Empty.
◇◆◇
One night, the man was walking the streets after one of his parties.
He was slightly drunk.
His steps were clumsy.
And then he saw him.
A child.
Sitting in an alley.
Alone.
Dirty.
Shivering from the cold.
The man stopped.
He looked at the child for a few seconds.
Then he pulled some coins from his pocket and dropped them in front of him.
"Buy something to eat," the man said.
The child looked up at him with huge eyes.
"T-thank you, sir," he stammered.
The man didn't reply.
He simply kept walking.
But from that night on, something changed.
The man began seeking out those children.
The orphans.
The abandoned.
The ones who weren't mages and whom no one protected.
He gave them money.
He gave them food.
Sometimes he found them shelter.
And then, Shawn heard the man's thoughts.
'If everything goes well,' the man thought as he walked the streets, 'I'll be able to leave this life behind.'
'I'll be able to build something better.'
'A place where those kids can live in peace.'
'An orphanage.'
'Yes, that's what I'll do.'
'I just need a little more money.'
'Just a little more time.'
◇◆◇
Time kept passing.
And then came the meeting.
The man was summoned to a secret gathering.
In an abandoned basement, far from the kingdom's patrols.
When he arrived, several hooded figures were waiting for him.
But one stood out.
She was small.
Much smaller than the others.
When she removed her hood, the man caught his breath.
It was a girl.
She had long red hair.
Red eyes that glowed in the darkness.
And a presence that commanded authority despite her childlike appearance.
The girl looked at the man with a neutral expression.
"You're the one who's been passing us information," the girl said in a cold voice.
The man nodded.
"Yes, my lady."
The girl studied him for a few seconds.
"I have a deal for you," she said at last.
The man listened carefully.
"I want you to create internal chaos within the kingdom," the girl explained. "Sabotage. Distractions. Delayed orders—I want you to cause general confusion."
She paused.
"We're going to stage a coup," she continued. "And I need the kingdom to be weak when we do it."
The man frowned.
"And what do I get out of it?" he asked.
The girl smiled.
It was a cold smile.
"A reward large enough that you'll never have to live like a pawn again," she replied. "Enough that you'll never have to hide again."
The man thought it over for a few seconds.
He looked at the girl.
"I accept," he said.
◇◆◇
Everything accelerated after that.
Sabotage in the barracks.
Orders arriving late.
Supplies disappearing.
Confusion in the ranks.
And finally, the coup.
The mages attacked.
The kingdom fell.
The new regime took hold.
And then…
The man was captured.
By the very mages he had helped.
They dragged him through the streets.
They brought him before the girl with red eyes.
She sat on an improvised throne.
Her expression was the same as always.
Cold.
Neutral.
Emotionless.
"My lady," the man said, kneeling before her. "What is this? We had a deal."
The girl looked at him without blinking.
"Execute him," she ordered.
There was no speech.
No explanation.
Just a cold command.
The guards lifted the man.
They dragged him outside.
"Wait!" the man shouted, struggling against the guards. "We had a deal! You promised me a reward!"
The girl didn't respond.
She simply watched as they took him away.
Shawn watched it all, powerless to do anything.
The man was executed that same night.
Shawn witnessed his death.
He couldn't look away.
And then, everything froze.
The world stopped completely.
The colors faded.
The sound vanished.
Only silence remained.
And then, something appeared in front of him.
The Bible.
It floated in the void, glowing with a soft light.
It opened slowly.
The pages turned on their own.
And then golden letters appeared.
[The woman you helped is someone who promised refuge knowing she would deliver death.]
[She offered words as payment, and collected loyalty with lies.]
[She didn't betray once. She betrayed so many times she stopped remembering the names.]
[And yet, you extended your hand. You saved her without knowing the weight of what she carried.]