Called

On a quiet night, the wind blew hard, blowing the remains of food along the deserted road. The sound of the train alarm signaling the arrival of the next train was the only rhythm that broke the silence. The night air was so cold, piercing that it made anyone who crossed the road feel goosebumps.

In the middle of the cold night, a man walked slowly. His face looked tired, his eyes were dull, showing how tired and sleepy he was. He seemed indifferent to his surroundings, nor was he affected by the cold night air. His steps continued to sway under the sparkling light of the street lights.

Upon arriving at the intersection, the man stopped in front of a red light. Even though the road was quiet, he remained standing there, waiting for the light to turn yellow for pedestrians. In his hand, a cigarette was almost burnt out. He took another drag, slowly, before throwing the cigarette butt into the air.

His head was raised, his eyes looking at the moon hanging majestically in the sky. His eyes were full of longing, as if looking for an answer from the sparkling moonlight that ended that cold night.

He felt tired of his work. The tasks that kept piling up seemed endless, like waves that came without a break. Working at a technology company required him to report progress every day, with no tolerance for mistakes or delays.

However, his bad luck did not stop there. He had a really annoying boss—a figure who spent more time scolding his subordinates than giving useful directions. Almost everyone in the office hated him. Moreover, in the midst of their jokes, the urge to punch the boss in the face or, more extreme, drown him in the sea often arose.

On the quiet street that night, the man sighed while sighing. Every now and then, he glanced around, just to make sure how quiet the road he was walking on was. Then, for no apparent reason, he laughed. A small laugh that started out like a murmur, then turned louder, filling the silence of the night.

If someone saw him, they might think the man had lost his mind. However, for himself, the laughter was a way to relieve pressure—a brief refuge from the burden that continued to press on him.

"Hufft…" The man took a deep breath, trying to banish the fatigue from his head, even though he knew it would only relieve him temporarily.

"I just want to sleep… lie on my soft mattress," the man muttered while stretching his stiff neck.

His thoughts drifted to tomorrow's work. Unknowingly, he had been standing for quite some time in front of a traffic light that never changed.

"Why isn't this light changing? Is there a problem?" he muttered in an annoyed tone.

Frustration began to take over him. He really wanted to go home immediately, to get rid of the increasingly pressing headache.

The night wind blew again, sweeping through the quiet streets. At first it was soft, but slowly turned strong, hitting the man's body with piercing cold.

"Damn… it's so cold tonight. What's going on?" he grumbled while rubbing his hands together.

"Is it going to rain soon?" he thought while trying to rekindle the cigarette in his hand. But before he could smoke it, something unexpected happened.

A black hole appeared beneath his feet. In a matter of seconds, the previously solid ground disappeared, and his body plunged into the darkness.

"Ahh…! Where am I? Why am I falling?! What the heck is happening?!" he screamed in panic. He waved his hands, trying to grab something, anything that could save him, but there was nothing he could reach.

With his body spinning uncontrollably, he looked up and saw the hole he had fallen into getting smaller, leaving only a faint light that was slowly disappearing.

"Did I fall into a tunnel? Why am I so unlucky tonight?" he muttered as he shed tears. "Mom… I don't even have a partner…"

Suddenly, from behind his body, a bright light appeared. He turned around, staring at the light with a look full of hope and fear. His body shuddered, his instincts telling him that something big was waiting ahead.

"Is this… the end of my life?" he asked softly. He closed his eyes, preparing to accept whatever was going to happen.

However, just before he reached the bottom, a mysterious force stopped his body. He stopped, hanging in the air.

"What's happening?" he thought as he slowly opened his eyes. He saw himself floating, his body felt light, as if gravity no longer applied. Below him stretched the dark sky, filled with lights that sparkled like stars.

"I… am floating in the sky?" he whispered, filled with wonder and fear.

"Hey… look, someone fell again this time," a woman's voice sounded soft but a little joking.

The man immediately turned his head, his eyes searching for the direction of the voice. Not long after, a woman stepped towards him. He was stunned—the woman was walking in the sky, as if gravity had no effect on her.

How could she walk in the sky? the man thought.

However, his amazement did not stop there. The woman was so captivating. Her hair was golden, gleaming softly under the light that came from who knows where. Her face was pure white, with red lips that looked contrasting. Her body was tall, proportional with perfect curves. Her long legs looked like they were not standing on anything.

"Is she… an angel? Could she have come to pick me up to heaven… or hell?" the man muttered to himself.

The woman was fully aware of the question mark from the man in front of her. She smiled slightly, then chuckled, as if remembering something funny.

"You must be surprised to see me walking in the sky, right?" with a chuckle.

The man could only nod, his expression serious and confused. But before she could say anything, another voice broke the moment.

"Lilia, you shouldn't get too close to strangers!" The voice came from the other direction.

A handsome young man with an athletic body ran up to her. He had an air of confidence that made him look charming. To the man who had fallen earlier, this young man seemed like a much more perfect figure than he was—a togetherness that made him feel small.

"Alex, why do you keep following me? Don't you have anyone else to keep an eye on?" Lilia said in an annoyed tone, looking at Alex who was now standing next to her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Alex replied in a soft tone. "We don't even know where we are right now, or why we're all gathered here."

Lilia opened her mouth slightly, folding her arms across her chest. "Hmm! You're really annoying," she said.

Without warning, she turned around and touched the head of the man who was still sitting on the floor with the tip of her index finger.

The man suddenly felt off balance, as if he was falling from exhaustion.

"Damn… this woman is really dangerous," he thought, trying to control his body that felt like it was floating.

But instead of continuing to fall, his entire body hit a hard but invisible surface. He gasped, then felt the floor beneath him.

"Is this… the floor?" he muttered. His hand touched a cold surface that felt like ceramic, but there was something different—the texture was so smooth, it was almost unreal.

He looked up, seeing Lilia and Alex standing in front of him. Lilia seemed to smile a little, while Alex just calmed his head.

"What exactly happened in this place?" the man thought, confused and curious at the same time.

"Hey… by the way, what's your name?" Lilia asked, extending her hand with a friendly smile.

The man looked up, staring at Lilia's outstretched hand. Without thinking, he shook it casually, without showing any intention.

"Thank you," he said.

"My name is Eldric Varen. You can call me Eldric," he continued with a light smile.

However, the warm atmosphere suddenly changed when Alex, who was standing not far behind Lilia, stepped forward. His eyes were full of evil satisfaction. He stood in front of Lilia, raising one hand as if forming a barrier.

"You better step back. I don't know who you are, but if you mess around here…" Alex stared at Eldric sharply, his tone full of warning.

Eldric frowned. He had no ill intentions toward Lilia. Although Lilia was indeed beautiful, he only wanted to get to know her—nothing more. In his mind, once this situation was over, they would probably never see each other again.

Lilia, who had witnessed Alex's protectiveness, looked annoyed. She sighed, then pushed Alex aside.

"Alex, you're overreacting!" she said in a stern tone.

Alex remained calm, though he looked displeased. "Lilia, you should be careful of strangers, especially in strange situations like this," he said, his voice soft yet firm.

Lilia ignored the warning, while Alex stared at Eldric with a wary expression, as if to tell him he should stay away.

Eldric felt unnecessarily tense. He didn't want to make the situation worse. Although he wasn't afraid of Alex—he had learned the basics of fighting in his spare time—he had no reason to start a conflict.

Calmly, Eldric flicked the hem of his shirt and said to Lilia, "It seems like my presence is only making things more tense. Thank you for the introduction."

He then slowly stepped back, making room, and began to walk away, turning his attention to the other people around him.

Lilia stared at Eldric's retreating back with guilt. Then, she turned to Alex, looking at him with an angry expression.

"Alex, you're too much!" she said sharply before turning to leave.

Seeing Lilia leave, Alex could only sigh. "Lilia, wait!" he called as he chased after her, his steps following like a chicken following behind.