The sun filtered through the dusty windows of Ivan's small curiosity shop. Each ray illuminated shelves filled with eclectic items: ancient trinkets, strange stones, mysterious scrolls. Ivan carefully arranged the objects, smiling at every customer who walked through the door, even though, in this quiet alley, visitors were few and far between.
His life was simple, ordinary, but comfortable. He knew every corner of the shop, every face of the passersby, every scent of the warm, dusty air rising from the old wood. For Ivan, that was enough. A peaceful routine, far from the world's dramas… until a sharp noise shattered the calm.
A metallic clink, followed by rapid footsteps. The door swung open abruptly, and three masked men appeared. One of them pointed a gun. Another rifled through the shelves, knocking over a few fragile objects in the process.
"Everybody stay still!" shouted the first man.
Ivan felt his heart race. He didn't understand what was happening. He raised his hands, trying to protect the elderly woman who had just entered to admire an ancient scroll.
A trembling hand. A bullet. The world blurred around him. Ivan collapsed to the ground, feeling life slipping away.
Yet, as his mind drifted toward darkness, a strange light caught his eye. A small stone on the counter glimmered faintly, reacting to his blood. His body, lying on the floor, was now merely a spectator of this inexplicable phenomenon.
A gentle, almost living warmth enveloped him. Ivan felt a breath on his skin, like an ancient whisper:
"Silence has chosen you."
The sound of guns, the screams, the chaos of the shop… all vanished. There was only the light. The stone rose into the air, emitting a blinding halo. Ivan felt his body dissolve into an unknown energy, his senses muddling, his mind detaching from everything he had known.
As he closed his eyes, ready to leave his former life behind, a strange certainty settled in: he was not dead. Not really.
And this was only the beginning.