The first thing J noticed when the light faded was that he wasn't dead. That fact alone felt like a minor miracle.
The second thing was that he was lying face-first on very clean, very cold stone.
He groaned and pushed himself up, cheek sticking briefly to polished marble before peeling off. He blinked until his eyes adjusted, then whistled low.
"Well. If this is the afterlife, the janitors are doing overtime."
He was sprawled in the middle of a vast circular plaza, the ground made of smooth white stone etched with faintly glowing runes. The air hummed with energy, not quite sound, not quite silence. Above stretched a sky the color of liquid silver, rippling endlessly. No sun. No stars. Just silver.
And all around him were people.
Hundreds, maybe thousands. Sprawled, sobbing, shouting. Ordinary people in street clothes, work uniforms, pajamas. Old and young, men and women,kids. A crying teenager hugged his backpack like a shield. An old man yelled for his wife. Someone nearby was still in their bathrobe.
Chaos, raw and panick was setting in.
J rubbed his messy hair back, sat up cross-legged, and muttered to himself, "Not Kansas. No Toto. No Wi-Fi. Zero out of ten vacation package."
The words came out easy, automatic. He felt his throat tighten anyway.
A scream split the air. A woman clutched at her chest and shrieked, "Where's my husband? He was right beside me! Where is he?!"
Another voice shouted, "My daughter....she was....she...." His voice broke into sobs.
J's crooked grin slotted itself into place like armor.
He climbed to his feet, dusted his jeans, and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Alright, everyone! Calm down! Welcome to this year's hottest game show: 'Who Wants to Die First?' Big prizes, small chance of survival, tell your friends!"
A few nervous laughs bubbled up. Most people glared at him. A man spat, "Shut up, you idiot!"
J bowed deeply. "Thank you, thank you. Tip your comedian before the monsters eat him."
He stood again and scanned the crowd. That's when he spotted her.
A girl crouched beside a little boy, who was hiccupping sobs. She had black hair tied in a short tail and soft, anxious eyes that seemed to feel the boy's pain. She whispered something, gentle, steady, and the boy clung to her arm like it was a lifeline.
J grinned wider. "Wow, emotional support human. Ten out of ten, would recommend."
She looked up, startled. Their eyes met. She hesitated, then said softly, "Maya. Maya Chen."
J gave a little flourish of a bow. "J. Just J. Congratulations, you've officially met the plaza clown."
Her lips quirked despite the chaos. "Plaza clown, huh?"
"Job title, unpaid internship," J said solemnly. "Perks include free sarcasm and terrible timing."
Before Maya could answer, another voice cut in.
"Hey! Form up!"
The voice was sharp, commanding. J turned to see a broad-shouldered man in his thirties, cropped hair, posture rigid. His T-shirt was streaked with blood at the sleeve, but he stood solid, his jaw set.
"Don't panic," the man barked. "We don't know what this place is, but panicking won't help." He pointed at a cluster of teens trying to run toward the edge of the plaza. "Stay here. Stick together."
A few people listened. More ignored him.
The man's eyes landed on J, who was leaning against a glowing rune circle with his hands in his pockets, grinning.
"You," the man said sharply. "Cut the crap. People are terrified. Jokes won't save them."
J gave him a lazy salute. "Oh, I disagree. Panic spreads faster than the flu, but laughter's the vaccine. I'm basically your field medic."
The man glared. "Name."
"J," he said cheerfully.
"J what?"
"Just J. Easy to spell, easy to shout when you need saving."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Ex-soldier. Erik Vaughn. Remember it. You stay out of my way."
"Noted, Sarge," J said, grinning wider.
Then another voice cracked through the crowd.
"This is wrong!"
A wiry young man with oily hair was pacing in tight circles, muttering too fast. His eyes darted everywhere, hands trembling. "This is some experiment. They took us. They took us and...and...and we're gonna die here. I want to go back. I WANT TO GO BACK!"
J strolled closer, tilting his head. "Hey, buddy, relax. Whats your name?"
The man blinked, sweat dripping down his temple. "Ravi."
"Good. Nice to meet you, Ravi." J clapped his hands once, grinning at the crowd. "Big applause for Ravi's mental breakdown, folks. Five stars, very dramatic."
A few survivors barked nervous laughter. Most stared at him like he'd lost it.
Ravi snapped, "You think this is funny?!"
"Yes," J said. Then shrugged. "And no. Depends on your definition of 'funny.'"
Ravi looked ready to lunge, but the air shifted.
The runes beneath their feet blazed to life.
Every sound,every scream, sob, cut off like a switch had been thrown.The silver sky pulsed once. The air grew heavy, pressing down on their chests.
Then the voice came. Cold. Vast. Final.
"You have been chosen. This is Atherion. Each soul must undergo a Soul Trial. Pass, and you may live. Fail, and you are forgotten."
Gasps and whimpers spread across. A woman fell to her knees, praying desperately. Others grabbed at strangers, clutching them tight.
J tilted his head. "Wow. Straight to the motivational speech. Guess they skipped the PowerPoint."
Erik growled, "Shut your mouth, J."
"Why? Afraid the big voice will put me in detention?" J spread his arms. "Come on, Sarge, live a little."
Before Erik could snap back, glowing circles flared under each person's feet. The runes pulsed like heartbeats.
A man screamed, "No...wait...." before vanishing into light. Another clutched his wife as both disappeared. One by one, people blinked out, swallowed by glowing rings.
Maya gasped, hugging herself as her circle lit. She looked at J once, uncertain, before vanishing.
Ravi shrieked as light swallowed him.
Erik went without a word, jaw tight.
And then J's circle blazed bright.
He sighed, spread his arms, and gave a crooked smile to no one in particular. "Well, folks, beam me up. Worst Uber ride ever."
The light took him.Darkness closed in.And in the silence, a whisper brushed against his ear.
"Your Trial begins now."
End