Second Chance

Free-falling into the void, Akira was squeezed tight by the chill grasp of darkness, devouring everything in its path.

His mind spun, slamming against him like unceasing surf.

Memories of his parents-their laughter, their warmth-blazed across his mind, only to be wrenched aside by the ghastly, of their suffering.

A chasm of grief, as if it would swallow him up completely, was opening in his chest the weight of his failure crushed him.

Akira:

"This worthless life… I didn't enjoy any of it."

"Not a single moment."

"I've done nothing to avenge my parents-the very reason for my existence…"

One tear managed to leak out onto his cheek and trace a warm path downward, but even that was empty in the chasm that enveloped him.

"Why… Why didn't I awake powers too?"

"Why did the god didn't give me the chance to awakened powers"

"If i had awakened even as an E-Rank maybe something would have been different"

"Why did they betray me?"

"You were the only people I had put my trust in since i lost everything."

The words replayed in his head, each syllable heavier in his heart.

"All I wanted was another chance."

Despair washed over his mind, and the feeling of falling started to numb.

Instead, a weird cold seized the air, and for that instant, a flutter of light tore through endless darkness-brilliant, a flash of white lightning across the void like a blade.

It was alive-an entity, a figure garbed in light and in shadow; an overwhelming presence which seemed almost to tug at Akira's very soul.

Unknown Entity voice boomed, low and rich, and echoed through the void:

"Do you want to live, brat?"

Akira's heart stopped a beat his eyes flew open, and he went rigid in sheer surprise.

The voice… it felt familiar, and yet foreign.

"Who was this?"

"What was this?

Akira-strained, voice no greater than a whisper as his heart raced:

"Wh-who are you?

The entity laughed, the sound full of a sinister amusement that sent shivers down Akira's spine.

Unknown Entity tone heavy with amusement, almost teasing-

"Does that really matter?"

It leaned closer, its eyes—if they could even be called eyes—seeming to pierce through him, stripping him bare.

"The real question is, do you want to live?"

"To fulfill your goals and not be burdened by regrets?"

"Answer me."

The words cut through the fog of despair in Akira's mind, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he was still.

The words carved through the fog of despair, igniting something deep within Akira.Images surged through his mind his father's final moments his mother's condition, Eri's betrayal, the treachery of Mia and Entoa.

Rage bubbled to the surface, burning hotter than any sorrow.

Akira clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together. His voice, trembling but growing steadier, broke through the silence:

"If I can survive… if I can take my revenge… I don't care how!"

"Help me."

"Help me live."

A moment of silence passed, as the implication of his words hung in the air, until the entity's stare seemed to pierce into him deeper than he could understand.

Then it smiled-a dark, knowing smile, insidious and yet impossibly soothing.

Unknown Entity-smirking, thick satisfaction in voice:

"Good."

"Then let it be thus."

"Embrace the darkness, boy."

"Let it fuel you."

"Let it be your guide."

"And know that we are one now."

As the figure started to dissolve, Akira could feel its power surge, filling every fiber of his being.

It was as if fire had been channeled into his veins, burning him from the inside out.

Yet, for some reason, the pain felt energizing.

Freeing even, was the truth that the darkness which had swallowed him was now his strength.

Unknown Entity: [Its voice now a whisper, reverberating in Akira's mind]

"Finally… I am free."

The wound in Akira stomach began to heal immediately, and his body picked up the pace with a rapidity and intensity that would leave him gasping in amazement.

There was no more sharp pain, such as that which had once consumed him there was instead an overwhelming feeling of power. His body contracted and the raw energy coursed through him, sending electricity through every muscle, every nerve, and every inch of his being.

Akira a primal roar escaped his lips, his voice trembling with raw energy, almost too much to be contained:

"A second chance!"

But at this height of transformation, the incomprehensible force of the power overwhelmed him.

The body still could not hold it, and the consciousness began to fade away.

Legs buckled, and he fell, the body limp against the cold, unforgiving end of the hole.

Unknown Entity (its voice soft and firm, echoing deep in his soul):

"Sleep now, brat."

"When you wake, your path will start."

"...And mine too."

His soul's final whispered breath was drowned out as the darkness consumed him whole.

Yet amidst that nothingness, something within Akira stirred.

The entity that was now fully inside Akira had irrevocably altered the course of his life.

Gone was the man who had willingly handed himself over to the dark depths of despair.

A new chapter in his life was about to begin-one that would rewrite his destiny.