As the bullets pierced his chest, Peccata Leo's life force began to ebb away. He felt his vision blur, his hearing fade, and his body crumple to the ground. The sounds of chaos—the screams of students, the heavy boots of raiders, and the crack of gunfire—faded into a muffled hum.
In that fleeting moment, a spark of defiance ignited within him.
"How can this be my end?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I've lived but a fraction of my life. The dreams I've yet to chase, the battles I've yet to fight... it can't end like this."
His breath caught in his throat as darkness swallowed his senses.
But just as the void closed around him, a strange sensation enveloped his dying spirit. The noise of the school raid vanished. No pain. No fear. Just weightlessness.
The world around him dissolved, replaced by an eerie, ethereal landscape. A swirling mist cloaked the air, thick and otherworldly. Shadows danced in slow motion, bending and stretching like wisps of smoke. Peccata Leo's spirit hovered, lost but strangely aware.
Before him stood two enigmatic figures, their faces shrouded in grey mist, bodies outlined by glimmering energy.
"You have lived a life unfulfilled," they declared in unison, their voices like the rustling of dry leaves and cracking ice. "Do you desire another chance, a new path to tread?"
Peccata Leo's gaze locked onto the mysterious duo. With a resolute determination, he raised his head, and a single word escaped his lips:
"Yes."
The figures regarded him with an unnerving intensity. "But before we grant you this gift, you must understand the terms," they cautioned. "Your old life will be gone, erased from existence. All that will remain is the oath you swear to us now."
Peccata Leo's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "What oath?"
"You must vow never to use the power we bestow upon you for evil purposes," they replied. Their tone was stern, absolute. "If you break this oath, your life force will be slowly drained, and you will suffer a fate far more agonizing than the one you've just escaped."
A wicked glint flickered in Peccata Leo's eyes. He tilted his head, calculating. "What if I do?"
The figures did not flinch. "Then you will die a more painful death than this."
The confidence slipped from his face. He looked away, silent. Fear clawed at his chest, but so did curiosity. Destiny. Purpose.
After a long pause, he nodded. "I won't use it for evil."
The figures gave a slight bow. "Then let it be so. You shall be returned to the land of the living, and you will be granted the power to shape your own destiny."
As they spoke, the ethereal realm around him began to distort, like water spiraling down a drain. Light and shadow collapsed into a tunnel of spinning colors. A pull dragged him inward—hard and fast.
Then—
Reality snapped back.
Peccata Leo gasped, stumbling forward as if waking from a nightmare. He was standing in the middle of a wide metallic road. Towering skyscrapers of gleaming steel and glass curved upward into the sky. Some floated mid-air, anchored by nothing but glowing force fields. Hover-cars zoomed by overhead, leaving behind neon trails. Massive drones patrolled the airspace, their scanning beams sweeping across the ground.
The scent of ozone and synthetic perfumes filled his lungs. Screens flashed news updates in languages he didn't recognize. Holograms danced above storefronts.
But before Leo could take it in, screaming voices broke the illusion.
"Run! Run! It's coming again!"
A crowd fled in terror, parting like waves around Leo. He turned toward the commotion—and froze.
A massive giant, three stories tall, stomped down the avenue. Its body was made of stone and molten metal, glowing with inner heat. Its eyes burned like red coals.
"This isn't the 20th century... What is a giant doing here?" Leo muttered.
A loud boom shattered the sky. A group of humans—Fighters—soared overhead, each wearing advanced battle suits. Their bodies glowed with colored energy trails: red, blue, gold, violet. Some hurled fireballs. Others unleashed sonic waves or laser beams.
The battle erupted midair. The giant roared, swinging a molten fist. A Fighter was knocked out of the sky but caught mid-fall by a partner. Explosions rocked the street. Civilians scattered.
Leo stood rooted in place, eyes wide.
The giant stumbled, hit by a concentrated beam of light. Fighters swarmed, finishing the beast with synchronized blasts. The ground shook as the monster fell, its body erupting into dust and glowing embers.
Cheers rang out. The crowd roared with approval.
One of the Fighters flew down, hovering above the wreckage. A cocky grin on his face, he waved at the crowd. Another landed beside the giant's remains, effortlessly lifting a boulder-sized chunk with one hand.
Leo's jaw dropped. "What kind of technology is this...?"
The first Fighter landed beside him, scanning Leo's tattered clothes and dazed expression. "Hey, you okay? You look like you just got out of cryosleep."
Leo blinked. "Where... am I?"
The Fighter chuckled. "You're in New Eden, buddy. It's the year 2178."
Leo's heart skipped. "Twenty...seventy-eight? What happened to my old life?"
He looked to the sky, confused, afraid, and overwhelmed. But somewhere deep inside—beneath the panic, past the shock—burned the flicker of something else.
Hope.
The world had changed.
And so had he.