For a long, cold second, Omen thought that he had died.
The warmth of Rebekah's hand that had been resting on his own was gone. The creak of the old bed, the low buzz of the lights, everything had vanished.
The boy couldn't even feel the weight of his own body anymore. No breath, no heartbeat, no sound.
Only emptiness.
It felt as though he had been dropped into a world where touch, sound, and existence itself had been taken away.
Omen wanted to scream, but even his voice refused to answer. Panic coursed through him. He had lived all his life without sight, but this…this was different. This was nothingness.
Just as sudden, a blinding flash of light burst before him.
It was so strong, so sharp, that his body reacted on instinct.
He flinched backward, hands rising to shield his eyes, yes, his eyes.
Pain shot through them, hot and throbbing, like someone had stabbed a spear of fire right into his skull.
He gasped, stumbling.
The sound of his own breathing filled the boy's ears again. He felt the floor beneath his naked feet, smooth and solid.
For the first time in his life, Omen could feel that he was standing.
He didn't understand it.
He shouldn't have been able to stand. He hadn't moved his legs in years. Yet, there he was, on his feet, trembling, his body reacting as if it had always known how to stand,
And before him, a glowing blue screen floated in mid-air, its letters bright and alive:
[Welcome To The Eclipse]
Omen's mouth fell open. The glowing text, the light, it looked totally unlike than what he had imagined it to ever be.
For a second, his brain refused to believe what his eyes were showing him.
He took a step forward, movements still stiff and shaky.
The letters seemed to float, their glow reflecting off what looked like invisible glass.
[Welcome To The Eclipse]
He read the words again, slowly, his voice cracking mid-sentence.
"I…I can read it," Omen whispered. His trembling hand rose, reaching out toward the light but it passed right through the letters, the warmth of the glow kissing his skin.
Tears began to well up.
For seventeen years, the world had been nothing but sound and touch for him, Rebekah's soft voice, the wind brushing his skin, the smell of rain.
The boy had always imagined what light looked like. He used to picture it as warmth, like the feeling Rebekah used to feel whenever she was happy.
Omen's knees gave out, and he fell to the ground, hands holding his face.
"I can see…" he whispered, breathless. Then louder, choking on his tears, "I can finally see!"
The sobs came uncontrollably. Warm tears streamed down his cheeks as he laughed and cried at the same time.
His voice echoed in the dark, empty room around him as his black eyes reflected the blue screen in front of him.
Every emotion he had buried deep for years, the pain, the loneliness, the wish to be normal, all of it broke free.
Omen had never seen what Rebekah looked like. He had never seen a sunrise or his own reflection.
Yet here he was, looking at something, anything, for the first time in his life.
Omen wiped his eyes roughly, trying to steady his breathing.
Slowly, he looked down.
His hands, he could see them.
Thin fingers, pale skin, veins faintly visible under the soft blue glow.
He lifted one, staring at the way it moved when he willed it to. His body looked fragile yet strangely strong.
He noticed what he was wearing, a simple black lower and a loose blue robe that hung open slightly at his chest.
The robe shimmered faintly, like woven silk, though he didn't remember ever owning anything like this.
His heart only moved faster and faster at the sheer shock of all this.
It didn't make sense.
The boy shouldn't have been able to move like this. He shouldn't have been able to see or stand. Was this really the game? Or had he somehow crossed into another world entirely?
The blue light from the screen reflected faintly in his eyes, highlighting their deep grey shade hidden inside the black, the same eyes that had once seen nothing.
He took a deep breath and stood again, this time steadier. His legs wobbled at first, but they held him as he took a step forward.
Then another.
Then another.
Omen laughed softly, a sound full of disbelief.
"I'm walking…" he whispered, half smiling through his tears. "I'm walking."
He tried to jump, clumsy and awkward but the feeling of leaving the ground and landing again made his heart soar.
The air shifted when he moved. The faint echo of his footsteps followed.
He spun around slowly, looking at the room.
It was empty. Just black, endless walls fading into nothing.
The only thing visible was that hovering screen of blue light. But to Omen, that was enough. It was more beauty than he had ever imagined.
He took another shaky breath and his voice trembled when he spoke, "If this is what the world looks like…thenI've been missing everything."
Then, another faint line of text appeared on the screen, glowing brighter now:
[Game Initialising…]
.
.
.
[…7 minutes to go…]
(Please Confirm Your Player Profile)
Omen's tears slowed down as he stared at it, confusion mixing with wonder.
He took a cautious step closer. "Player profile?" It was only then that the boy realised he had entered the game without even Rebekah fully explaining even fully explaining it.
Omen smiled wryly as more and more lines appeared, scrolling one after another, like the world itself was listening to him.
(Enter Name)
The boy hesitated.
His throat tightened.
For years, his name had been a curse, a reminder of pity, weakness, and the fact that he was abandoned by his own Clan, his own family.
But here…here it felt new.
His fingers hovered in front of the light. "Do I… type?" he muttered.
As if the system understood him, faint symbols appeared below the words and a glowing keyboard of light formed itself in front of him.
Omen smiled, shaky and uncertain, and touched one of the keys.
It responded instantly, rippling softly under his fingertips. The feeling wasn't physical, but somehow his mind felt it, like a whisper of touch inside his brain.
"O-M-E-N," he whispered, pressing each letter slowly.
The name appeared across the screen.
[OMEN]
He stepped back, staring at it, tears drying on his cheeks.
It looked powerful and sharp, almost unholy against the translucent blue background.
A deep hum filled the air again, low and smooth, almost like a heartbeat pulsing through the floor.
[Profile Confirmed]
[Welcome, Omen.]
[Synchronising Consciousness…]
The blue light flared brighter, wrapping around him. He blinked, eyes wide, as small particles of light began to rise from the ground, like fireflies waking from their sleep.
They swirled around his feet, climbing slowly upward, forming thin lines of glowing patterns on his robe and arms.
Omen raised his hand, letting the light dance between his fingers.
He smiled faintly, his voice a soft whisper lost in the glow as he realised that he was missing that girl who cared for him the most.
"Rebekah…if only you could see this."
The light pulsed once, then twice. His body began to dissolve into the glow as the system prepared to take him deeper.
For the first time in his life, Omen didn't feel weak or broken.
He felt alive.
And as the room around him faded into pure light, a final message appeared across the screen:
[Initialization Complete.]
.
.
.
[Teleporting to the next round…]
***