In between worlds

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As Gideon's world faded to black, he felt an odd sense of weightlessness. He felt empty as he drowned in the overwhelming void. It wasn't long before faint whispers began to pierce the silence.

"Gideon…"

The voice was faint yet familiar, warm and soothing. He recognized it instantly. It was his mother's voice.

"Mom?" Gideon muttered, his voice trembling. His eyes shot open to find himself standing in a serene, glowing field. The sky above shimmered with hues of gold and lavender, and the air smelled faintly of lilacs, his mother's favorite flower.

He turned around, and there she was—his mother. She looked younger, radiant, and at peace. Her soft smile made him crumble to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to… I didn't want to…" Gideon's voice broke as he tried to explain.

"Hush, my boy," she said, kneeling beside him and pulling him into a warm embrace. "I know you didn't mean it. I never blamed you. How could I? You're my son, my precious child."

Her forgiveness hit him harder than any of the pain he had endured. He sobbed into her shoulder, his guilt pouring out like a broken dam. "I killed you… I took everything from you and Emelia. I'm a monster."

She pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. "You are not a monster, Gideon. What happened wasn't your fault. You were a victim, just like me. But you gave up too soon. Emelia needs you."

Gideon shook his head. "How can I go back? I've ruined everything."

His mother smiled, her eyes glistening. "Life is full of second chances, my dear. The question is, w-will you t-t-take it?" her voice began to crack as her image glitched like she was a hologram.

"Mom?" Gideon called out to his mom as he sniffed. He was starting to get confused.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

****************

I looked with confusion as my mom's image glitched, her face saddened as if she noticed something. Sensing my worry, she caressed my chin. Her glowing skin didn't escape me as she began fading into tiny particles.

"Mom, what's wrong, are you ok?" I asked fear evident in my tone. I didn't want to loose her a second time, she sent me a nod accompanying a warm smile as her reply.

The type that mother's always give their child to reassure them there's no trouble when there is big trouble. I panicked as more of her figure became transparent I held her tightly, never wishing to let go again, then I heard it, a loud throaty chuckle that sounded as if mocking my situation. It was loud enough to vibrate the whole world.

Cracks began to appear in the world and on my mother.

"We'll see again Gideon, please survive." She said, desperately begging me. I didn't understand what was going on, I hadn't had the time yo process anything when larger cracks appeared on the world and on my mom.

"Tsk, tsk. I agree to play their silly game and what do I get? A pitiful human on his knees. I hope this gets fun" The same voice said. I could hear the laugh in his voice, it made my blood boil for some reason.

Immediately after the voice mocked me, the world, along with my mom shattered into white particles, unveiling another world beneath the other.

I found myself afloat in a setting that resembles space, I could see the millions of galaxies surrounding me. I was floating in-between worlds.

"At least I got a male," It said. I looked for the voice but I couldn't see it, sensing that I'm searching for it, the voice responded.

"In a hurry to find me are we?" as I turned something, was already standing in front of me. The distance between our faces was a strand of my hair and I was on low cut—my heart skipped, "Now you see me what are you going to do you weak human." He said.

"What did you do to my mom." I could care less for any other thing except my mom.

"You're my pawn, your mom knows that and she was trying to take you away from me, and I got bored by your drama, so I stepped in."

A humanoid being that speaks human language and is made of black smoke. Just where in the world am I? And most importantly...

"Where is my mom now?" I asked trying my best to keep my tone down.

"Good question. You see," He said and swings his his index finger, three wrapped gift boxes appeared with different colors –red, green, yellow, he looked at me with a grin. "She's in that gift box, the red one" he said pointing at it.

"You see," he continued, "you're going to play a game for me, and once you win, you won't only get your mom back, you'd also get two more interesting gifts." I kept silent trying to balance the influx of emotions and also understand what the hell was going on in the shortest amount of time possible.

"I know your angry, confused, and probably sad, but hey this could be a game changer for you." You would get your mom back, get to go back to your world and the time before everything turned bad with your knowledge and the third one? I would save that for later." He said. I thought for a moment and I only had one question.

"Where is my mom? Don't make me ask twice." Yup, I didn't have time to entertain the nonsense he was spouting. He could be stalling for time for all I know. I'm sure I'm in the spirit world, of course I don't know how things work but his eyes I have seen them a lot, and in the human world, the are known as scammers.

"You're a tough nut to crack aren't you? Ok then, let's do it the hard way." He said and before I knew it, he gave me a head flick, his hand passed through my forehead, so I didn't feel it for a second and just raised my eyebrow thinking that I had had enough of the clown's joke.

"It's gonna hurt." He said as he snapped his fingers and immediately, it felt as if someone picked up the earth and slammed it in my forehead and I swear it's not an exaggeration.

"Arghhhhhhh!" I moaned in pain, it was too much to handle, it was literal brain overload. After what felt like eternity, the pain began to reduce. When I regained some of my strengths I glared at it.

"You bastard god, sending that amount of information down my brain." I barked

"You can't blame me, you were being stubborn and I only have little time to spare." This smokey brute is a god, no, not a god, something even higher than a god. Important information about him are hazzy but I got the gist of everything. In that few minutes, I saw everything concerning my reason for being here in his point of view.

He's from a realm called"OMNI" It's a realm for beings that are far stronger than gods. Those powerful beings became so bored that they started to bet on weaker beings. They first set stages for gods to fight–ragnarok, but when the ALPHA being found out, he barned it, when they complained he permitted them to create a game and allowed contact with humans, dead humans who agree to the game.

So they created a fantasy world called VILE made contracts with dead humans after giving them offers that pleased them. They would all fight to survive the RUIN of a world. The survivors fight till there's only one player left he takes a gem and gets to get the three gift boxes.

The failed humans began accumulating and forming the world's population, some wiped off of their memory only the top five to survive were left with their memories .

There are fifty of these beings with the right to participate in the game, the rest making bet on their winners and assisting them.

The competition started five years ago and will end in ten more years, that's when the RUIN will happen. He was meant to find a human and register the person as a player but he was lazying around without the intention of participating, until he saw me and something about my mom and I amused him.

He had never used his right to play the game but now... I'm going to be his first player... For mom, but first I have to understand some things.

"I have a question."

"Ask away" he replied happily seeing that I'm interested.

"What happens if I die before the RUIN?" I wanted to know.

"Ah... you see, naturally you're already dead so if you die again in the fantasy world, you'd really die, except you manage to get your hands on "REVIVE" a skill that can resurrect the player three times." A skill that powerful is broken.

"That's not the only cheat skill that will help you escape death, but that's the only one that can revive you. Getting it is hard and other players are probably going after it already." he added.

'Well, thanks for the update ' I thought half annoyed.

"For my last two questions, do I get a system and why me?"

"Of course you get a system, that's the fun of it... although this system might be a bit different, hehehe, ehem! Why you? Nothing, it's just a coincidence, I actually forgot that I was about to register until now which is almost too late and I happen to stumble upon you, a human with a tragic backstory and a fresh ghost." His nonchalance in tone annoyed me, I was at least hoping to hear some hint of expectation in his words, but I'll bite.

Sensing my disappointment he gave a throaty chuckled then his expression turned serious.

"You think too highly of yourself kid, you're nothing to me. It could have been anyone. It just so happens that it was time I take action and you're the lucky player."

"So how do we start?"

"Wouldn't you like a tutorial?" He answered my question with a question.

"What tutorial?" I asked

""You'll see,"

~tuk~ He snapped his fingers and before I could respond, a bright light engulfed the my view.