Balls?

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

A vast, endless void stretched before Okjin, scattered with specks of light like stars frozen in time.

A weightless sensation churned his stomach, and for a brief, hopeful moment, he wondered if this was just a really weird dream—until he looked ahead.

Floating before him were two... balls.

That was the only way he could describe them.

One was a small, radiant sphere, pulsating with brilliant white light. The other was a shifting mass of pure shadow, writhing like a living void.

He blinked. His sleep-deprived brain, fried from too many all-nighters and too much caffeine, supplied a truly unfortunate thought.

' They really just put their whole celestial balls in front of me, huh.'

A snort nearly escaped him, but the sheer weight of the situation locked it in his throat. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to be careful.

These weren't just floating objects. They were something more—something powerful.

Before he could say anything, a voice echoed through the space, resonating not in his ears, but in the very core of his being.

"No, you are not dreaming, child."

Oh. Oh, that was unsettling.

Then, a second voice, smoother but no less commanding, joined in.

"You have died."

Okjin's mind stalled. "Hah?"

"Your body could no longer sustain itself. A slow, inevitable demise brought upon by your own negligence."

There was no emotion in their words, but he swore he could hear the faintest trace of amusement.

Wait. Hold on.

' Was this a fancy way of telling him he died from lack of sleep??'

"I'm sorry—I died because I pulled too many all-nighters reading web novels?" His voice cracked. "That's it? That's how I go?"

Silence.

"Oh my god, this is so embarrassing." Okjin groaned, dragging his hands down his face. 

'I didn't even get hit by a truck! No heroic sacrifice, no tragic accident—just me being a dumbass with no sleep schedule! I knew my habits were bad, but I didn't think they'd be fatal.'

He was spiraling. He was having a crisis. His death wasn't even dramatic—it was stupid.

After a few moments of self-loathing, another realization struck.

"Wait. If I'm dead, shouldn't I be in, like, an afterlife? Or a void of nothingness? What even is this place?"

The two beings pulsed, their energies flickering slightly.

"This is the space between."

"The place where souls linger before they pass on."

Okjin exhaled sharply. "So you're telling me I'm in the celestial waiting room of death?"

"Not quite. You are here because we have chosen to bring you here."

Okay. Weird. "And why would you do that?"

The sphere of light flared slightly, while the shadow curled inward before expanding again.

"Because we have need of you."

The light hummed in agreement.

"You have read the prophecy of our world, have you not? You know of the empire, the shadows, the destruction of the balance?"

Okjin narrowed his eyes in confusion, silent for a moment.

"You mean the novel?"

He paused, then realization struck. His gaze flickered between them, his voice rising.

"Wait. No way."

"Don't tell me—are you guys the twin gods from that story?"

Okjin had only skimmed the world's history in a few scattered chapters. There had been a temple—two statues—dedicated to the empire's gods. He had barely paid attention to that part.

And now, they were talking to him.

The golden light flickered, unreadable.

"We wish to set things right. Restore the balance of that world. But we cannot interfere directly."

The silver shadow shifted closer, its voice almost coaxing.

"That's where you come in."

…Oh no.

They went on to explain.

They needed a soul—one that both knew the future and was strong enough to withstand their divinity. Other souls had tried before him, but most incinerated the moment they entered this space.

Okjin? He was different.

His body had been doomed long ago, supposed to give out much sooner.

But his soul's sheer willpower had kept it running long enough to finish reading the web novel.

The gods sounded impressed.

Okjin, meanwhile, was not.

"So you're telling me," he said slowly, "that my soul is built different because I was too stubborn to die before finishing a book?"

"Correct."

He buried his face in his hands. 'This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.'

Still, one question gnawed at him.

"Why are both of you here? Why do you both want to save this world? In the novel, it sounded like you— pointing to the Light God — wanted to protect humanity, but you—shifting his finger towards the Dark God — wanted the destruction of the Empire. What changed?"

A pause. Then—

The dark god's voice softened.

"... We are acting in accordance with the star's wishes. He alone could wield the full power of both our blessings. He, our one and only star."

The light god continued. "He was our last celestial gift, born from magic itself. And yet… his fate was cruel."

The shadow trembled, in anger or sadness, Okjin wasn't sure.

"He still cares for this world, despite all it has done to him."

The light pulsed. "And so, we ask this of you."

Okjin tensed. "You want me to rewrite the ending.."

"Yes," the dark god confirmed. "For his sake."

Okjin exhaled sharply.

This was too much. Too insane.

For a long moment, he just stared at them. Then, slowly, he raised a finger and pointed.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to hit you with a solid 'no' on that one, chief."

The light pulsed. The shadow rippled.

"You refuse?"

"Uh, yeah? I just died from reading too much. What part of that makes you think I'm hero material?"

He crossed his arms. "Besides, why should I risk my nonexistent soul for some world I'm not even from?"

…

Silence. Then, as if conspiring, the gods whispered in unison:

"Because we will let you reincarnate as the one they call the Jade Mage."

Okjin's brain short-circuited.

"…what?"

"You wish to know the truth, do you not?"

…

damn it.

Damn it.

They got him.

He had spent hours obsessing over the novel's ending, tearing apart its inconsistencies, convinced the story read like a lie. If he reincarnated as Lirien, he could unravel it firsthand. He could know.

"…You're really gonna dangle that in front of me, huh?"

The twin beings did not answer. They didn't need to.

Okjin groaned. He hated how tempting this was.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll do it."

The void churned. The world shifted. Light and shadow coiled around him, pulling him down as their voices echoed in his mind.

"Go forth, child. Take on the name of our star."

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

His mind caught up to the words, but the pull of the void had already begun to drag him downwards.

Their star.

The only one who carried both of their gifts.

He would be taking on the name of their star.

Oh.

Oh, no.

OH, HELL NO.

"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE, WHO'S YOUR STA—?!"

The void swallowed his voice.

And then, he was falling.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．