A boy with pale skin, white hair, and the most beautiful lilac eyes you could imagine was walking home with that quiet smile you wear when things finally go right.
He had just passed the entrance exam for his dream school — the one he'd been preparing for these past few months.
Finally, everything was going right.
On the way, he ran into an old friend he hadn't seen in forever.
They bumped into each other, started talking, and before they knew it, they had found out they were going to the same school.
The boy's heart got all warm.
He'd always felt something special for her — maybe now was his chance to get close for real.
Even more excited, he kept walking home.
But as soon as he reached the gate, something felt off.
The family car wasn't in the garage.
And the front door... was wide open.
His smile disappeared.
Step by step, slow and cautious, he walked inside.
"Mom? Dad?" he called.
Nothing.
He closed the door behind him, took off his shoes, and headed to the living room.
The TV was on, but just showing static.
He looked around, tense.
The balcony door was open. He went over, peeked outside — but nothing weird.
He shut it, took a deep breath.
Then went up to his room.
But the second he turned the handle and pushed the door...
His body froze.
Cold. A shiver.
Something was wrong.
Before he could even move, a presence appeared — and a blade went straight through his chest.
Five people were just chilling by a lake, in a place that made no sense at all.
Colossal buildings floated in mid-air like time had stopped. Chunks of land, boats, statues, even cars — all hanging still in the sky.
Some were so massive you couldn't tell where they began or ended.
Weird-ass creatures roamed the skies.
Some swam through the air like it was water, others walked on invisible floors.
They came in every shape and size — from as tiny as an ant to bigger than whole galaxies.
It was daytime, but there was no sun. No light source anywhere.
Light was just… there.
Jack sat under a beach umbrella in a chair, watching it all with dead eyes.
He looked like a crow — black fur, feathered arms, a bird's head with a curved beak and eyes that saw too much.
Despite that, his posture was human. Beast and guy mashed together.
He had that weird vibe — half serious, half clown.
By now, that floating mess didn't faze him anymore.
Floating in the lake was Edwin, chillin' on an inflatable float.
It was cold and warm at the same time — but Edwin didn't mind. He was vibing.
His whole body was made of wood. His face was long, and instead of eyes, six glowing orbs lit up his head like lanterns in the dark.
He was tall, skinny, with arms that reached past his knees and fingers like twisted branches.
Total nightmare fuel — the kind of thing you'd see in a horror story.
But ironically, Edwin was the most laid-back dude ever.
As long as he wasn't in constant danger, he could live inside one of those flying monsters and still laugh about it.
Zoe sat by the lake, munching on a weird apple in an even weirder way.
She looked kinda normal... except for her pitch-black owl eyes.
And the way she moved? Like an owl trapped in a girl's body. Jerky, head tilting, always staring like she was studying everything.
She hadn't really adapted to that place yet — and the fear of being alone was always on her back.
That's why she stuck to Vênus like a little sister clinging to her big sis.
Her personality was pure chaos: curious, playful, and impossible to predict.
Vênus stood next to her, eyeing the giant sky monsters like she was about to go full hunter mode.
She licked her lips, tail swaying, hungry eyes locked.
Vênus was literally a cat. She could switch between full cat form and a humanoid one.
Right now, she was in cat mode: dark fur, yellow eyes, and a smug face that said "I'm up to something."
When she was with Zoe, she was all fun and games.
But with others, she tried to look responsible — key word: tried.
She couldn't hide her jokes for shit. Her tail always betrayed her, wagging like crazy whenever she held back a laugh.
They were chillin'. Like it was just another Tuesday. Madness all around — and they didn't care.
But just when things seemed calm, then the sky cracked open — loud as shattering glass.
Everyone jumped and looked up.
Something fell from the crack. They couldn't tell what it was yet, but Jack jumped to his feet and shouted:
"IT'S A PERSON!"
Vênus shifted into her humanoid form instantly.
"What do we do?!"
No one even doubted him. If Jack said it, it was true.
Still floating, Edwin had an idea — but just as he tried to get up, he slipped off the float.
Flailing, he yelled:
"SOMEONE HELP ME! I CAN'T SWIM!"
But no one heard him.
The rest of the group scrambled.
"How long until he falls?!" Vênus asked, tense.
Jack answered, cold:
"He's gone."
"He's what?" Zoe whispered.
"DAMN IT! ISN'T THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?!" Vênus shouted.
"I... I got nothin'," Jack muttered. "Where's Edwin?"
That's when a horrible creature burst out of the lake.
Zoe and Vênus let out a scream and jumped back.
Jack instantly got ready to fight.
But the creature rose up calmly and spoke with a familiar voice:
"Hold on, I got a plan."
It was Edwin. Covered in algae.
The group quickly packed up their things, shoving everything into a bottomless suitcase, and rushed toward the spot where the person was about to fall.
When they got there, Edwin opened the suitcase, shoved his arms inside, and pulled out a giant floatie. He placed it right where he thought the person would land.
Zoe said, "Where did you get that thing??"
Edwin replied, "I was chillin' at the Blood Beach when this showed up in the Purgatory… it was love at first sight."
Jack looked up, frowning. "Guys, the floatie isn't under th—"
Before Jack could finish his sentence, the person crashed down from the sky and hit the ground. But instead of splattering, the ground acted like rubber — the body sunk in, then slowly bounced back up to the surface.
Everyone went silent for a few seconds.
Zoe said, "Was that supposed to happen?"
Edwin shrugged. "No idea... all I know is that was sick."
The group got closer to the fallen person. It was a boy — pale skin, hair white as snow.
When he opened his eyes, the left one was lilac — calm, kinda off — and the right was completely white, with a glowing multicolor "X" in the center.
They all took a step back, a little confused.
The boy sat up slowly and, before panic could even settle, he asked:
"Where... am I? And who are you guys?"
The group then decided to introduce themselves — everyone was really excited.
"My name is Ja—"
Before Jack could finish saying his name, Zoe jumped in and introduced herself instead.
"My name ith XZoe," said Zoe, with her cute voice and lisp.
"Now me, I'm Ja—"
Once again, before Jack could say his name, he was interrupted — this time by Vênus.
"I'M VÊNUS!" she said with a smug, superior tone.
Jack stayed silent.
"My name is Edwin, I made the mi—"
Now it was Jack's turn for revenge, cutting Edwin off — even though he had nothing to do with it.
"You can call me Ja—"
And just like that, as if the universe itself were against Jack, the sound of a snap echoed across the entire Purgatory… and everything went dark.