Kae… 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 truot that it mattered, sidering an airpne had already dohat job. "No way. No freaking way." His voice echoed strangely, as if the void was abs his words. "Did I really die like that?"

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

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

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

  It was a strahing, realizing you were dead. His mirying 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, f himself to calm down. His life hadly bee. stant misfortune. No family. No real attats.

  At least now he'd ep in dog poop again. Silver linings, I guess. Still, what now? Was this… it?

  His thoughts drifted, and boredom quickly settled iried walking, just for something to do, but there was no floor, no walls, no dire. Just white. So he did the only thing he could–hummed a tu 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, e 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, ung of his suffering. Kaen groaned, rubbing his face (or at least, he felt like he was). "Man, what I even do here?"

  He had no phone, his Bckberry phone he was so hard colleg 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 ses, pretending he was some dramatic Hollywood star stranded in limbo.

  At one point, he attempted Jackie 's drunken master moves, stumbling around the nothingness, ughing 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.

  Kaen was mid-song–"Now, this looks like a job for me. So, everybody, just follow me. 'Cause we need a little troversy. '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 ged. Then, as if it had noticed him, it started moving toward him.

  "…The hell?"

  The void had been pletely silent before, but now, there was a strange pull. A feeling of being dragged. Kaen turned around–though he wasn't sure what dire was which–but something dark was f. A swirling, abyssal bck 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. Kaen 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? Kae his soul shrink. The being was inprehensible–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-pierg, soul-shaking screech that shattered Kaeire existen an instant. It felt like his very essence was being shredded apart, as if reality itself had glitched around him. The agony sted a fra of a sed, but it was the lo fra of a sed in history. Then the being stopped.

  And in a majestic, godly voice, it spoke:

  "…Oh my. You scared me."

  Kaen just stood there, traumatized, mouth open but no words ing out.

  What…

  WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

  The divine being–this t, radiay–stood there, clearly flustered. It wasn't the all-knowing, all-powerful figure Kaen would have expected. Instead, it looked like an intern scrambling to colleotes, fumbling with papers, muttering us breath as if it had fotten something important.

  Kaen just… stared. Bnkly.

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

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

  Kaen blinked.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Huh?

  Before he could process that, the divine being chuckled. "o be speechless, Saint! Your dedication shows! The world is full of cheer and ughter because of you!"

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

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

  Kaen 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 wao give you more time before–" "What the hell are you talking about?" Kaen shouted.

  The divine being finally stopped, blinking down at him. "Why so tense, Saint?" Kaen 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 itted the greatest crime imagihen, in a slow, deliberate motion, it raised a glowing hand, waved it over Kaen, and suddenly–

  A floating s materialized.

  Kaen's eyes widened. It was like a holographic dispy, showing a pletely 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." Kaen threw his hands up. "NO SHIT."

  The being rapidly flipped through its clipboard, sing 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.

  "…Kaen Wynn." Kaen 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?"

  Kaen stared.

  "…What?"

  The divine being turhe clipboard around, pointing at the s. "Acc to your fate, you were supposed to die at five years old."

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

  The diviern–because Kaen was now vihis guy was an iilted its head. "You should have passed away at five years old. But you…" It scrolled through Kaeire lifespan, squinting. "You died at twenty-three?"

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

  A surge of energy pulsed through him–like a s, peeling apart his very existe was as if his entire life was being repyed in mere seds.

  Then–

  The divine being gasped.

  "Oh my." Kaen blinked. "What?" "Your life was… full of misfortune." Kaen sighed. "Yeah, I kinda noticed." "No, no, you don't uand." 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."

  Kaen tilted his head. "…What?"

  "Every disaster, every tiny act, every stroke of bad lubsp;that should have affected others–" The divine being motiooward him. "–it all funneled into you instead." Kaen frowned. "…Are you saying I was some kind of walking bad luck mag?"

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

  Kaen blinked.

  Then blinked again.

  "…Huh."

  The divine being looked at him with something close to pity. "How did you even live like this?" Kaen 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 existe looked like it had no idea how to respond. A soft hum vibrated through the void.

  Then–cp.

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

  Kaen hadn't thought it ossible 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 Kaen'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." Kaen raised a brow. "Your what?"

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

  "Father?"

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

  Kaen folded his arms, waiting.

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

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

  Cecil smirked. "You cat quick."

  Then, with an almost practibsp;ease, he began to expin.

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

  "The work?" Kaeioned.

  Ceodded. "The higher-ups? They don't bother with details. They just sit bad call the shots. Lods–like myself–are the ohat make things happen."

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

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

  Kaen crossed his arms. "And your task right now… is reinating Saint Marcellus?"

  Cecil gave a mog flourish. "Bingo."

  "…Why?"

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

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

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

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

  "…That's messed up."

  Cecil shrugged. "That's how things work up here." Kaen 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." Kaen frowned. "What about me?" "You weren't supposed to be here."

  Silence.

  Kaen's hands ched slightly. "So what, was my death a mistake?" Cecil tapped the clipboard. "ly. You were already living on borrowed time. Acc to the records, you were meant to die at five. Your survival beyond that? A total fluke."

  Kaen 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' reinatioime? Who knows." He sighed. "But this is the first time I've actually been able to talk about it with someone else."

  Kaen blinked. "Wait, so… you just wanted someoo vent to?"

  Cecil smirked. "What I say? ic bureaucracy is exhausting."

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

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