The figure before me—Ashen Crimson—stood silently for a moment, his crimson eyes scanning my ghostly form. Then he spoke, his voice low and distant, like a whisper echoing from the bottom of a well.
"As you already know my name," he began, "let me tell you who I really am."
He turned his back, as if gazing into a past only he could see.
"I was once like you… a human. A man of ambition, intelligence, drive. I had everything—love, power, wealth. Everything people crave. But I was a fool."
His fists clenched at his sides.
"Everyone I cared about died—either because of my stupidity… or by my own hands. I was the villain of my world, a world called Zerawell. I could've chosen differently. I could've protected them. But instead… I chose myself. I chose power. I chose destruction."
He looked at me with empty eyes. "I made a pact with the Fallen Gods to gain strength. To create chaos. And every time I fought the Champion of Zerawell, I lost. Once… twice… eight times. Each defeat only fed my hatred. My desperation."
His voice grew bitter. "So I begged. I begged more Fallen Gods, from other realms. I offered them my soul, my sanity. In return, they gave me power… and slowly, I lost myself. My humanity dissolved. I killed everyone who stood in my way. For revenge. For ego. For power."
He laughed—a broken, hollow sound.
"Even the gods of Zerawell came to stop me. But by then, I had surpassed them. I had reached a stage beyond immortality. Pain, love, sorrow… I couldn't feel anything. Not even guilt. Not even myself."
He raised his hand, staring at his palm like it held the weight of a thousand lives.
"I became unstoppable. And when there was nothing left to fight… I destroyed my world."
The golden light around us dimmed slightly, as if mourning his tale.
"I betrayed everyone who once stood by me. And when the dust settled, I stood alone on a dead planet, cursing the monster I had become."
He looked at me, his voice trembling now—finally human. "I wanted to die. But death… was no longer an option."
He took a slow breath.
"In time, I hunted down the very Fallen Gods who had corrupted me. I absorbed their powers. I surpassed every deity that stood above me. I became something beyond gods."
"You might ask—why? Why would I keep going? Why chase more power?"
He stepped forward, and his eyes locked with mine.
"Because I wanted to change my fate."
He paused.
"I made a deal. With ancient gods from other realms. I would annihilate the evil gods… and in return, they would grant me a chance. One chance—to regress, to return to the beginning, and make it right."
"But when the time came… the regression failed."
He clenched his jaw. "Why? Because my soul was no longer just powerful—it was cursed, fragmented, chaotic… monstrous. My existence was a paradox. Even the gods trembled before it."
He looked away. "With no choice left, they devised a final plan—to find a soul from another world. A pure soul. One powerful enough to carry my burden… to lift the curse. To change the ending I could not."
He looked back at me.
"That soul… is you."
My mind reeled. "Why me?" I asked. "Why should I help you? I've suffered more in my life than you can imagine. I've already lost everything. And to be honest… I don't care anymore. I just want to die in peace."
He chuckled darkly. "Hah. The goddess told me you were a genius… but maybe she chose the wrong man."
His smile twisted. "You ask what's in it for you. I don't know. But what I do know… is that if you refuse—death will not come to you peacefully. I will make sure your afterlife is a pain worse than hell."
I gulped. His aura, even weakened, sent chills crawling down my translucent spine.
But fear wasn't enough to break me.
I was Kai. And I've survived a life worse than death. If this man thought he could threaten me… he was underestimating me.
I stood straighter. "Fine," I said. "But you said you won't return to the past yourself. So why bother? You won't even be able to see those people again—the ones you cared about."
He smiled for the first time—not with cruelty, but with something… softer.
"You wouldn't understand," he said. "Even if I can't see them with these eyes, even if I never hear their voices again… the thought that they can live, that they can be saved—that alone is enough to bring me peace."
I didn't respond. Part of me still thought this was a dream. Or a trap. But something in his words hit me deep.
I looked at him. "How are you so sure I'll succeed? I'm not strong. Not like you."
He chuckled. "Because you don't understand true strength yet. It doesn't come from muscle or magic—it comes from here."
He pointed to his head.
"The goddess searched your memories… and out of quintillions of souls across universes, you were chosen. That's no coincidence."
He raised his hand, and a golden mark glowed in the air. "Besides… I'll be helping you. A fragment of me—my familiar—will be embedded into your soul. It'll act as your guide… a system that leads you on the right path."
Light surged forward, heading toward my chest.
"You won't be alone, Kai. But remember…"
The world around us began to shake. Reality itself fractured.
"…the path ahead is painful. And the burden is heavy. But if anyone can rewrite fate…"
His voice echoed into my fading consciousness.
"…it's you."