_Chapter Begins_
William looked at Evelion with a dark expression on his pale face.
"Can you explain what that means exactly?"
His voice was sharp and passive-aggressive — which was ironic, considering he was talking to someone who could erase him from existence with a single thought.
Still, William felt confident Evelion wouldn't do that. From what he'd seen, Evelion had a polite but joyless personality.
Of course, William didn't buy for a second that this was his real personality, but Evelion seemed determined to maintain that fake politeness for whatever reason.
William was fine with it — it meant Evelion wouldn't erase him from existence… at least for now.
Evelion sighed deeply, placing a hand on his forehead.
"Gods, I hate that I'm always short on time when it comes to explaining things like this."
William's lip twitched.
"So he's on limited time?" he muttered under his breath, barely containing a curse.
"Well, there goes my ticket to limitless knowledge."
He shook his head and asked, "Can you at least explain what you can before you have to leave?"
Evelion gave a weak smile and nodded.
"Where do I even begin…"
He exhaled again and looked straight at William, all humor gone from his eyes. His voice took on a quiet, distant tone — one that felt less like a man speaking and more like the universe itself remembering something it wished it could forget.
"Every soul is bound by the chains of fate — unseen, unbroken, and ever-tightening. Only the gods and the pillars that uphold creation stand beyond their reach,that is what keeps order in the cosmos.But greed… human greed knows no bounds."
There was a slight pause of hesitation before he continued.
"And so it was foretold: in a time long shadowed and in a place of pure chaos, an angel who had fallen from grace and a sinner who had escaped damnation would seek to shatter their chains."
There was another pause,but this time it didn't seem to be out of hesitation.
"Yet the chains of fate would not break without a price… and when they did, both the fallen angel and sinner got devoured by the very destiny they sought to defy."
A heavy silence followed.
Evelion forced a strained smile.
"That's the prophecy I managed to find after searching for it for so long."
And to William's dismay, Evelion began to fade away.
"So I say this to you again, William…"
Evelion was now barely visible — only his glowing golden eyes remained, flickering like dying candles.
"I warn you… of fate."
Then he vanished, leaving William alone in the deafening silence.
"What… what does that even mean?!"
William grabbed his head, barely resisting the urge to rip out his hair.
There were just… too many questions.
The deeper he dove into this madness, the more confusing everything became.
"A fallen angel? A sinner from hell? The chains of fate?"
Did Evelion really think he — a normal person — could solve all of this with nothing but a vague prophecy?
William let out a frustrated scoff.
"That bastard knew he was short on time but still wasted it on small talk!"
He was fuming — but he forced himself to calm down for two reasons.
First, he needed to process the information Evelion had given him.
And second — without composure, he couldn't keep his mind straight. Without a straight mind, he couldn't control his imagination.
And since this place was a world built by his imagination, losing control could be catastrophic — maybe not for his body, but for his mind… or even his soul.
"So… there really are gods," he muttered.
That was the first thing he noted from the prophecy.
Gods existed — or at least, had existed.
There was no reason to think they were dead… but no proof they were alive either.
For now, he'd assume they still existed.
"Except for the gods and the pillars that govern the universe, huh?"
So the gods and the pillars were beyond fate's control.
Interesting.
Before he could analyze further, the room around him began to distort.
"What the hell is going on now?"
He shut his eyes, then opened them again.
"Oh, I get it… my judgment is here."
And with that, everything went black.
William ceased to exist — no body, no mind, no thought.
He was nothing.
Yet somehow, still something.
He didn't know how long he remained in that state, but he knew it wasn't eternity — because eventually, awareness returned.
His judgment passed in the span of a blink, yet that blink contained everything.
He saw every good deed he had ever done… and every cruel one.
Every joy he brought, every pain he caused.
It was dizzying — overwhelming.
It felt both instantaneous and eternal.
Then, suddenly, he was there.
His judgment had ended, and he was being summoned to his final resting place.
Just like before, his body began to form from nothing — a skeleton first, then veins wrapping around the bone, followed by muscles and organs. Finally, skin and every last detail sealed his new form.
It felt… nice to be alive.
He thought that for only a second before the feeling vanished — replaced by a grim realization.
Because when he looked around…
He knew exactly where he was.
Hell.
He had expected it, but the sight still shook him.
This wasn't the Hell he'd imagined.
"What is this place?"
William stood still, staring at the alien landscape surrounding him.
He had expected Hell to be fire, ash, screams — something fitting the stories.
Instead, what he saw was an endless expanse of shattered crystals.
_Chapter Ends_