Chapter 2: The Void of Nothingness

Kaelan felt… nothing. Not cold, not warmth. Not even the weight of his own body. Just an endless, white void.

Wait… am I dead?

The realization hit him like a truck–not that it mattered, considering an airplane had already done that job. "No way. No freaking way." His voice echoed strangely, as if the void was absorbing his words. "Did I really die like that?"

He threw his hands up, though he couldn't even see them. "Of course I did! What else would happen to the unluckiest bastard on the planet?! How the hell does an airplane crash directly into my apartment?! That's, like, a one-in-a-billion chance!"

No response. No universe winking at him with an answer.

Kaelan groaned. "Man, if I knew I was gonna die this young, I wouldn't have bothered paying my rent."

It was a strange thing, realizing you were dead. His mind kept trying to panic, but what was there to panic about? He couldn't see anything. Couldn't smell anything. Couldn't feel anything. He was just… existing.

This sucks.

He sighed, forcing himself to calm down. His life hadn't exactly been great. Constant misfortune. No family. No real attachments.

At least now he'd never step in dog poop again. Silver linings, I guess. Still, what now? Was this… it?

His thoughts drifted, and boredom quickly settled in. He tried walking, just for something to do, but there was no floor, no walls, no direction. Just white. So he did the only thing he could–hummed a tune. It was Bon Jovi's It's My Life.

"It's my life, it's now or never–"

Then he paused.

Chuckled.

"Well, Bon Jovi, it's kinda ironic, huh? I'm dead forever." He shook his head, muttering, "At least I finished Naruto–" Then his eyes widened. "WAIT, NO–I NEVER WATCHED SHIPPUDEN!"

A new kind of existential crisis hit. "Oh, come on!" That train of thought led to another painful realization.

"One Piece…" His voice trembled. "I never saw the ending. I died right after Zoro's badass moment in Thriller Bark!"

The void remained silent, uncaring of his suffering. Kaelan groaned, rubbing his face (or at least, he felt like he was). "Man, what can I even do here?"

He had no phone, his Blackberry phone he was so hard collecting the money for. No TV. Nothing to pass the time. So, he did what any sane person would do in a situation like this–he lost his damn mind.

He tried everything to occupy himself.

He sang every song he could remember. He recited entire movie scripts. He even tried to act out famous movie scenes, pretending he was some dramatic Hollywood star stranded in limbo.

At one point, he attempted Jackie Chan's drunken master moves, stumbling around the nothingness, laughing to himself.

And still, time stretched endlessly. He had no idea how long he'd been here. Days? Weeks? Years? He just kept going. Because that's all he knew how to do. He'd survived an unlucky life with grit and persistence. And if this was what he had to deal with now? Then so be it.

He'd get through this too.

Kaelan was mid-song–"Now, this looks like a job for me. So, everybody, just follow me. 'Cause we need a little controversy. 'Cause it feels so empty without me–"

Then he felt something. A presence. His breath hitched. For the first time in this endless void, something changed. Then, as if it had noticed him, it started moving toward him.

"…The hell?"

The void had been completely silent before, but now, there was a strange pull. A feeling of being dragged. Kaelan turned around–though he wasn't sure what direction was which–but something dark was forming. A swirling, abyssal black hole.

"Oh, that's probably not good."

It rushed toward him at an unnatural speed, an inescapable force dragging him into its core.

"OH SHI–!"

The pull was instantaneous. It swallowed him whole. Kaelan knew he was still in some kind of void, but this one was different. It felt heavier. And then–

For the first time in who knows how long–

He saw something. A massive being, sitting cross-legged, flipping through what looked like… a book? Kaelan felt his soul shrink. The being was incomprehensible–too big, too radiant, too… otherworldly. He had no idea how he was even processing its form. So naturally, he did the first thing that came to mind.

He screamed.

And then–

The divine being screamed back. A horrific, ear-piercing, soul-shaking screech that shattered Kaelan's entire existence in an instant. It felt like his very essence was being shredded apart, as if reality itself had glitched around him. The agony lasted a fraction of a second, but it was the longest fraction of a second in history. Then the being stopped.

And in a majestic, godly voice, it spoke:

"…Oh my. You scared me."

Kaelan just stood there, traumatized, mouth open but no words coming out.

What…

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

The divine being–this towering, radiant entity–stood there, clearly flustered. It wasn't the all-knowing, all-powerful figure Kaelan would have expected. Instead, it looked like an intern scrambling to collect notes, fumbling with papers, muttering under its breath as if it had forgotten something important.

Kaelan just… stared. Blankly.

The divine being hastily grabbed a clipboard, cleared its throat (or whatever divine beings do), and suddenly stood taller. Its voice boomed with manufactured authority:

"Welcome, Saint Marcellus! And of course, thank you for saving the world!"

Kaelan blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Huh?

Before he could process that, the divine being chuckled. "No need to be speechless, Saint! Your dedication shows! The world is full of cheer and laughter because of you!"

Kaelan raised a hand. "Uh, I don't thi–"

"You are an inspiration!" The being cut him off, voice filled with dramatic reverence. "Honestly, the higher-ups are so thrilled with your journey! Your adventures! Your sacrifices! Oh, the stories they tell of you! The legends–"

Kaelan squinted. "What."

The divine being paused mid-ramble.

Then, as if remembering something, it muttered, "Oh, wait. You're… a little early." It flipped through the clipboard. "I thought the higher-ups wanted to give you more time before–" "What the hell are you talking about?" Kaelan shouted.

The divine being finally stopped, blinking down at him. "Why so tense, Saint?" Kaelan rubbed his temples. "I'm not Saint Marcellus."

Silence.

The divine being frowned. "What?" "You heard me. I'm not Saint Marcellus."

The being froze, staring at him as if he had just committed the greatest crime imaginable. Then, in a slow, deliberate motion, it raised a glowing hand, waved it over Kaelan, and suddenly–

A floating screen materialized.

Kaelan's eyes widened. It was like a holographic display, showing a completely different man–Saint Marcellus–standing on a grand parade float, waving to a massive crowd as flowers rained down upon him.

The divine being visibly paled. "Oh… you're really not Saint Marcellus." Kaelan threw his hands up. "NO SHIT."

The being rapidly flipped through its clipboard, scanning the information. "Let's see… Saint Marcellus… currently alive, well, and celebrating his victory parade in the world below." It frowned deeper. Then–

It finally looked back at the clipboard.

"…Kaelan Wynn." Kaelan nodded. "Yes. That's me."

"…A Terra inhabitant…" Another nod. "Earth, but same thing."

The divine being squinted. "Wait. Something doesn't add up." Then, in a slow, cautious voice, it asked:

"…How do you seem so mature for someone who died at five years of age?"

Kaelan stared.

"…What?"

The divine being turned the clipboard around, pointing at the screen. "According to your fate, you were supposed to die at five years old."

Kaelan's mind short-circuited. "Excuse me?!"

The divine intern–because Kaelan was now convinced this guy was an intern–tilted its head. "You should have passed away at five years old. But you…" It scrolled through Kaelan's entire lifespan, squinting. "You died at twenty-three?"

Kaelan folded his arms. "Yeah, it's young, but it's not five." The divine being looked shook. "How?" Kaelan shrugged. "I dunno, dude. I just… lived." The divine being wasn't convinced. "Hold still." Before Kaelan could react, the being placed a finger on his forehead.

A surge of energy pulsed through him–like a scan, peeling apart his very existence. It was as if his entire life was being replayed in mere seconds.

Then–

The divine being gasped.

"Oh my." Kaelan blinked. "What?" "Your life was… full of misfortune." Kaelan sighed. "Yeah, I kinda noticed." "No, no, you don't understand." The divine being's glowing eyes flickered with genuine shock. "After the day you were supposed to die, you began to absorb all misfortune around you."

Kaelan tilted his head. "…What?"

"Every disaster, every tiny accident, every stroke of bad luck that should have affected others–" The divine being motioned toward him. "–it all funneled into you instead." Kaelan frowned. "…Are you saying I was some kind of walking bad luck magnet?"

The divine being nodded. "More than that." It looked genuinely horrified. "You unknowingly absorbed the misfortune of an entire area–possibly an entire city."

Kaelan blinked.

Then blinked again.

"…Huh."

The divine being looked at him with something close to pity. "How did you even live like this?" Kaelan thought about it for a moment. Then, with a small, tired smirk, he simply said:

"Keep on keepin' on, I guess."

The divine being just stared. For the first time in its existence, it looked like it had no idea how to respond. A soft hum vibrated through the void.

Then–clap.

They brought their hands together, and suddenly, everything stilled.

Kaelan hadn't thought it was possible for the void to feel more frozen than before–but it did. The air (if there even was air) seemed to tighten, like it had stopped flowing. Even Kaelan's own thoughts felt slightly muted.

His eyes narrowed. "What… are you doing?" The divine being exhaled, looking mildly exhausted. "Stopping my domain's momentum." Kaelan raised a brow. "Your what?"

They waved a hand dismissively. "The higher-ups are still focused on Saint Marcellus. What I did just now ensures that even if they casually glance over, they won't notice anything odd here. Though…" they tilted their head. "Father will."

"Father?"

Divine being shrugged. "Don't worry. He won't care." Kaelan ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "Okay. I need an explanation." They smiled. "I was about to give you one." They stretched their arms lazily. "And thanks to my little trick, we have all the time we need."

Kaelan folded his arms, waiting.

They placed a hand on their chest and gave an exaggerated bow. "Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Cecil, a lower-class god."

Kaelan gave a slow nod. "Right. Lower-class god. That's a thing, apparently."

Cecil smirked. "You catch on quick."

Then, with an almost practiced ease, he began to explain.

"There are different classes of gods," Cecil said. "The higher-ups, the middle ones, and then gods like me–who do the actual work."

"The work?" Kaelan questioned.

Cecil nodded. "The higher-ups? They don't bother with details. They just sit back and call the shots. Lower gods–like myself–are the ones that make things happen."

Kaelan tilted his head. "You mean… you guys do all the heavy lifting while they sit on their asses?"

Cecil snorted. "Exactly." Kaelan whistled. "Man, even after life has bad management." Cecil grinned. "You have no idea." Then, he got a little more serious. "When we lower-class gods are assigned a task–like I am now–we get enhanced power from the domain we're managing."

Kaelan crossed his arms. "And your task right now… is reincarnating Saint Marcellus?"

Cecil gave a mocking flourish. "Bingo."

"…Why?"

Cecil rolled his shoulders, his expression turning neutral. "Well, the official reason? He did great things. He's a hero, an inspiration. The world practically worships him."

Kaelan stared. "And the real reason?" Cecil sighed. "It's entertainment." Kaelan blinked. "Excuse me?"

Cecil leaned in slightly. "The higher-ups enjoy these kinds of stories. Great heroes reincarnating into new lives with new challenges. It's fun for them. They eat it up like a damn reality show." He scoffed. "I actually feel kinda bad for Saint Marcellus. He probably doesn't even realize it."

Kaelan's stomach twisted slightly. The divine realm was watching lives unfold like a TV drama?

"…That's messed up."

Cecil shrugged. "That's how things work up here." Kaelan exhaled. "Okay, fine. I get that. But then–why the hell did you stop your 'domain momentum' just now?"

Cecil's expression turned more serious. "Because of you." Kaelan frowned. "What about me?" "You weren't supposed to be here."

Silence.

Kaelan's hands clenched slightly. "So what, was my death a mistake?" Cecil tapped the clipboard. "Not exactly. You were already living on borrowed time. According to the records, you were meant to die at five. Your survival beyond that? A total fluke."

Kaelan rubbed his temples. "Okay. Sure. Whatever. But why are you telling me all this?"

Cecil gave him a tired smile. "Because this job is never-ending. The higher-ups always give us new demands. Right now, I just happen to be handling Saint Marcellus' reincarnation. Next time? Who knows." He sighed. "But this is the first time I've actually been able to talk about it with someone else."

Kaelan blinked. "Wait, so… you just wanted someone to vent to?"

Cecil smirked. "What can I say? Cosmic bureaucracy is exhausting."

Kaelan let out a long, slow sigh. "Alright. Fine. Whatever. But what am I supposed to do now?" He gestured around. "I can't be here forever."

Cecil hummed. "That's a good question." Then, he gave Kaelan a mischievous look. "…How do you feel about bending the rules?"