Ch 2: Raven's New Destiny

It was a Saturday evening and Axel as usual, was munching on a packet of doritos as he researched further about the book he had read. Turns out there was also a webnovel version as well. He was skeptical about the online version so he decided to check it out.

"Hmmm, looks like there are a few plot differences in the online version. Might as well check it out!"

As he was reading in a trance, suddenly there was a sharp cracking sound from outside his bedroom... He was smart enough to stay locked in his room and not wander outside to check out the noise...House burglaries had become common in his neighborhood but Axel never even imagined it happening in his own house.

He tried to breathe in and breathe out, but, sharp sweat came pouring down his temples. And before he could do anything, two men in black suits and covered faces barged in, breaking the door in a loud crash. Words were stuck in Axel's throat, and when he noticed the gun in the intruders' hands, he realized his end had come. He walked backwards slowly, not uttering a sound. The tension in the atmosphere was dense. One of the men came forward and aimed the gun towards him, leaving the young boy in an emotional mess. He realized that they were not only burglars, but murderers as well.

He couldn't escape, couldn't run, couldn't scream. He didn't realize that his fingertip slowly touched the ENTER key on his keyboard but all he wanted to do was run away and disappear from the world.

And then there was a loud 'boom'. With that, Axel felt a sharp pain on his chest as blood trickled down rapidly.

"Ah, finally I c-can be free...I can be h-happy and safe!" he thought to himself as his head started spinning. His breath slowed down. And his vision became blurry. But before closing his eyes, he felt someone embracing him, he saw a figure before his eyes who looked just like his mother. "Mom?" You've finally arrived? "𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯..."- he choked on his tears.

Finally everything became black and he shut his eyes forever.

Axel slowly opened his eyes. He felt a sharp pain piercing his eyes as he saw the light of the sun. "Heaven?", he asked himself, but as he slowly captured the entire view of this space, he was left dumstruck.

It was a small, old fashioned room with vintage aesthetics. Small walls surrounded him in three sides. The bed was rather unpleasant because the mattress was very hard and thick. "What the holy potatoes?!" He questioned himself in utter disbelief. Axel remembered very well, how his death was like, painful and alone in his dark bedroom where his chest had formed a hole. He tried to check his chest but there was nothing...No blood and absolutely no mark.

Was he dreaming? He was lost in his thoughts. He also noticed how the shape of his hands changed and so did his skin colour. "Is this...a second chance?" As the thought flashed through his mind, he felt nauseous and...scared.

He tried to stand up, but his limbs felt numb. Still maintaining his composure, he slowly and forcefully made his way infront of a nearby mirror beside the tarnished bed.

When he stood there, his reflection haunted him. This was not him! This was not possible! How was this possible?! He started choking on his own words. He was left utterly...speechless.