For a moment, Leo could only stare.
The endless clouds beneath his feet. The night sky stretching infinitely above him. And the stranger standing calmly in front of him as if nothing about this situation was unusual.
Then panic struck.
"What the hell is happening?!" Leo shouted, his voice echoing across the empty sky. "How am I floating? Where is my room? What is this place?!"
He looked down again at the clouds and quickly looked away, his heart racing.
To his surprise, the young man in front of him suddenly began panicking as well.
"H-hey! Wait!" the stranger stuttered, raising his hands nervously. "Calm down! I'm not a ghost, okay?!"
Leo blinked, momentarily confused by the stranger's reaction.
"You're… not a ghost?" Leo asked cautiously.
"No!" the young man said quickly. "Why would I be a ghost?"
Leo took a step back.
"Then who are you? And how are you flying? And more importantly—" he pointed around them, "—how am I standing in the middle of the clouds?!"
The stranger scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Right… those are fair questions."
He took a deep breath before speaking.
"My name is Ayzer," he said. "And you're Leo… right?"
Leo frowned.
"Or…" Ayzer continued hesitantly, "did I accidentally bring the wrong person?"
Leo stared at him.
"No," he replied slowly. "You brought the right guy."
He crossed his arms.
"But you still didn't answer my question. How are we flying?"
Ayzer sighed.
"Okay, okay. I'll explain everything," he said. "But first, you need to calm down. If you keep panicking like this, you won't be able to understand what I'm about to tell you."
Leo hesitated.
The situation was absurd, but shouting wasn't helping either. Slowly, he took a deep breath.
Then another.
After a few minutes, his heartbeat began to settle.
About five minutes later, Ayzer spoke again.
"Alright," he said. "Let me ask you something first."
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"What do you know about the world?"
Leo stared at him in disbelief.
"That's your question?" he asked.
Ayzer nodded.
Leo thought for a moment.
"Until a few minutes ago," Leo said slowly, "I believed I had a clear understanding of the world. But ever since I started flying in the sky… I honestly have no idea anymore."
Ayzer smiled slightly.
"At least you're aware of that," he said. "That already makes things easier."
Leo frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Ayzer looked up at the stars above them.
"Let me tell you the truth about the world," he began.
"You know about the Milky Way Galaxy, right?"
"Of course," Leo replied.
"Well," Ayzer continued calmly, "the Milky Way is not just a random collection of stars and planets. It is a creation—a territory ruled by a being known as the Creator God."
Leo's expression hardened.
"The Creator God is a powerful entity who oversees everything in this galaxy. Every living being exists within a set of fundamental rules established by him."
Ayzer gestured toward the world below.
"For example, tigers hunt and eat meat. They become the kings of the jungle. Ants remain small and follow their instincts. Humans evolve and develop intelligence, building civilizations and technologies."
Leo listened carefully.
"These patterns," Ayzer continued, "are not random. They are part of the rules of creation."
He paused.
"But there is… a glitch in that creation."
Ayzer turned and looked directly at Leo.
"And that glitch… is you."
Leo blinked.
"What?"
Ayzer's words echoed in his mind.
"You're saying…" Leo said slowly, "that every being in the entire Milky Way galaxy follows predetermined rules?"
Ayzer shook his head.
"No. I'm not saying everyone is a puppet."
Leo frowned.
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying the fundamental limits of every being are predetermined."
Ayzer continued explaining.
"Insects remain small. Humans cannot live beyond a certain age. Physical laws, biological limits, the natural order of things—those are the rules that define existence."
He paused again.
"But you…"
Ayzer looked at Leo carefully.
"You exist outside those rules."
Leo's mind struggled to process the statement.
"So you're saying…" Leo said slowly, "that I'm an exception?"
"Yes," Ayzer replied.
Leo frowned again.
"Then how do you know that? And if this Creator God controls the galaxy… why doesn't he know about this 'glitch'?"
Ayzer's expression became serious.
"Because the Creator God is not omnipotent."
Leo froze.
"He can make mistakes," Ayzer continued. "And you are one of those mistakes."
Leo stared at him in shock.
Ayzer pointed toward the distant stars.
"You see those galaxies out there? The universe contains countless of them. Each group of galaxies is ruled by the descendants of the Universe Lord."
Leo's mind raced.
"The Universe Lord grants each of his offspring certain powers," Ayzer explained. "With those powers, they create galaxies and rule over them however they wish."
Leo swallowed.
"And the Milky Way…?"
"Is ruled by one of those descendants," Ayzer said.
Then he placed a hand on his chest.
"And I am Ayzer, a descendant of Apollo, from the Andromeda Galaxy."
Leo's eyes widened.
"My bloodline possesses the power of divination—the ability to perceive irregularities in existence."
Ayzer pointed directly at Leo.
"And that's how I found you."
Silence filled the sky.
Leo's mind exploded with questions.
If everything Ayzer said was true…
Did that mean everyone in his galaxy lived within invisible limits?
Was that why he had always felt different from others?
Was that why his thinking never aligned with society?
Did it mean he was never meant to follow the same path as everyone else?
Leo stared into the endless stars above him.
For the first time in his life, the world he thought he understood had completely shattered.
And in its place, an entirely new reality had begun to unfold.