Johan drifted weightlessly in a vast, endless space. Blue light stretched in every direction, soft and shimmering like the surface of a boundless ocean. There was no sky, no ground—only emptiness.
His body floated as if suspended in water, though there was no breath, no air, no pain. Only silence.
"Huh? Am I… finally dead?" His voice trembled, swallowed instantly by the endless blue. "Is this the place where people arrive after dying? There is nothing here…"
The silence cracked.
Ding.
Words boomed from the air itself, deep and resonant, as though the very space vibrated.
[ WELCOME, JOHAN NAVRAAN. ]
[ YOU'VE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE GREATER GOOD. ]
Johan's eyes widened. His heartbeat quickened even though he wasn't sure if he still had a heart. The vastness pressed down on him, and for the first time since he leapt, fear crawled back into his chest.
"W-Who are you?" His voice echoed weakly into the endless blue, his words trembling like ripples in a still pond.
The silence lingered—thick, heavy, waiting—before the blue around him began to pulse with light.
Johan's body floated, small and fragile against the infinite expanse.
Then the voice returned, deeper this time, echoing like thunder rolling across an ocean.
[ NO NEED TO BE AFRAID. ]
[ I WON'T HARM YOU. ]
The sound vibrated through his very bones. Johan clenched his fists, trying to steady his breath—even though he wasn't sure he was breathing at all.
"R-Really? But you didn't answer my question. Who are you?" His voice trembled, scattering like ripples across the blue void.
A pause. The glow brightened, then dimmed again, as if the voice were breathing.
[ I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT NOW. ]
[ YOU'LL EVENTUALLY KNOW IN THE FUTURE AS YOU BECOME STRONGER. ]
Johan's eyes flicked around the void, searching for a shape, a face, anything. His voice cracked with disbelief.
"What do you mean by become strong? I'm already dead though."
The blue trembled, like a giant heartbeat pulsing all around him. The voice rolled over him once more, calm but immense.
[ AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD? ]
The words sank into him like stones into deep water, making his pulse—if he still had one—skip.
His eyes darted wildly across the endless blue, his body trembling as if he could shake himself awake.
"Huh? I jumped from the 7th floor of the building. There is no way I'll be alive. And if I was really alive, why would I be in this place where people come after dying?"
His words echoed, swallowed by the glowing void. The silence pressed down for a heartbeat before the voice returned, slow and steady, like the deep toll of a bell.
[ Did you see anyone other than you here? ]
Johan blinked. "Huh? T-That—"
The voice rolled over him again, patient and absolute.
[ So, you didn't see anyone. ]
[ If it was a place where people come after dying… ]
[ It would've been full of people. ]
Johan's mouth fell open slightly. He floated there, stunned, the words burrowing into his thoughts.
"Now that you said it… it makes sense." His brows drew together, and for the first time since arriving, his expression shifted from fear to contemplation. He tilted his head, making a thoughtful face as the blue light pulsed softly around him.
The voice returned, deeper, its tone reverberating through the void.
[ Now answer my questions. ]
Another flicker of light swirled around Johan's body.
[ Do you want to become stronger? ]
Johan's eyes widened. "Stronger… you say…"
For a moment, the void dissolved into memories.
—His small body crumpled in the school washroom.
—Logan's kicks, the laughter echoing in his ears.
—His mother's smile and cares.
A lump rose in his throat. He clenched his fists, looking into the endless blue. His voice came out quieter, almost trembling:
"Am I really alive now?"
The voice resonated again.
[ Yes, you are. ]
[ So, what's your answer? ]
Johan's breathing steadied. His face hardened, eyes burning with a flicker of something new—resolve.
"Yes," he said slowly, the word echoing louder in the void. "I want to become stronger. I want to become stronger than everyone."
SHUUUUNG!
A deep, resonant sound rolled through the space as a glowing blue panel appeared before him, symbols and lines of text scrolling across it like liquid light.
[ The player has given the approval. ]
[ Binding the Limitless System with the player. ]
Light poured from his chest, spreading outward like waves.
[ Binding completion: 10%… ]
[ 25%… ]
[ 50%… ]
[ 75%… ]
[ 100%… ]
BZZZZHHHH! The space vibrated with a thunder-like sound as the panel brightened to blinding white.
[ System has been bound to the player successfully. ]
The glow dimmed, leaving Johan floating, the panel before him shimmering like a portal to destiny.
The glowing panel shimmered once more before fading into the endless blue. Then, the voice descended again, firm yet almost… gentle.
[ Please make good use of the power you get in the future. ]
[ It's time for you to go now. ]
Suddenly, a blinding fwoooosh of light began to gather, swirling like a storm, each flash cracking across the void like lightning.
Johan flinched, shielding his eyes. "W-Wait! You didn't tell me how will I be able to get stronger!"
The light grew harsher, its pulse quickening. BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The voice lingered one last time, carried on the tremor of the glowing space.
[ You'll know that eventually… after you wake up. ]
[ Good luck then. ]
[ Johan Navraan. ]
SHHHHUUUUUUNG!
The flash exploded, swallowing everything in white until only darkness remained.
…
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Johan's eyelids twitched. Slowly, painfully, he opened them. The blinding glow of hospital lights flooded his vision. His body felt heavy, but warm sheets pressed against his skin.
He was lying on a hospital bed.
"…I-I'm alive?" Johan whispered, his voice hoarse, the rhythmic beep-beep of the heart monitor echoing in the sterile silence around him.