(~1,044 words)
Darkness had always felt strangely comforting to Evander. Maybe because his life on Earth had never offered anything brighter. Twenty years old and already worn down like an old man—his back ached, his eyes stung from staring at screens twelve hours a day, and his soul felt like it had been
chewed up and spit out by corporate machinery.
He sat at his desk long after his shift ended, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like dying insects. His coworkers had gone home hours ago, but he remained, staring blankly at the meaningless spreadsheet in front
of him.
'If I die right now… I wouldn't mind,' he thought calmly.
'Maybe I'll wake up somewhere better. Like those fanfics. A fantasy world, Adventure. Purpose. Anything but this.'
He closed his eyes.
The next moment, everything turned white.
Not light- white. Endless. Weightless. Empty.
"Where—?"
A soft swirling sound echoed around him. Wisps of pearlescent smoke coiled together, forming a vaguely humanoid silhouette.
"Greetings," the smoke said. Its voice was gentle but layered, as if a thousand people spoke in harmony.
"You are a lucky soul."
"Lucky?" Evander snorted. "I died sitting in a chair."
"That was your wish, was it not?" the entity asked. "A quiet end. A new world."
Evander froze. "You… heard that?"
"I hear all desires whispered at the edge of despair,"
it replied. "I am a cosmic granter of wishes. Occasionally, I choose a soul toreceive a chance at rebirth. This time… it is you."
Evander blinked. "Why me?"
"A whim." The smoke shrugged. "The universe is vast. Meaning is optional."
Before he could respond, a great golden wheel materialized beside him, enormous and shimmering with hundreds of worlds. Some he recognized from fiction; others looked like madness given shape.
"This," the entity said, "determines the world you will be reborn into."
"And the second wheel?" Evander asked as another appeared—this one showing characters, silhouettes, faces from countless universes.
"That is your template. Two spins. Two characters.Their potentials will merge into your soul.
"Wait. Hold on—""
"Spin."
The wheel began to turn before he could touch it. Faster. Faster. Golden sparks flew like fragments of stars.
It slowed.
One world's name lit up.
SHADOW SLAVE UNIVERSE
Evander's blood ran cold. "…You're sending me there?"
"That is the result," the entity replied. "It is a perilous world. Thus, I shall grant you talent as compensation."
Evander swallowed. He knew the lore. He knew how lethal that universe was. But… something stirred inside him. A spark of excitement.
"I'm screwed," he muttered.
"Now, the second wheel."
It spun twice—two sharp clicks of fate.
The first stop:
MONKEY D. GARP — One Piece
The second:
GUN PARK — Lookism
The entity's voice echoed with amusement. "Ah. Two monsters of physical might."
Evander took a shaky breath. "With both… I might reach Saint-level if I'm lucky. But nowhere near a Supreme…"
"That depends," the cosmic being said, leaning close. "On your First Nightmare. Your performance will shape your talents and potential.
But worry not—survival will be rewarded. And I shall grant you a small boon for
entering such a cruel world."
Evander felt heat bloom in his chest.
"What boon?"
"Fate shall not hinder you in your beginning."
Before he could ask what that meant, the world turned inside-out.
Everything vanished.
He woke up in a filthy alley, body small, weak, unfamiliar. Cold rain fell on his face. His hands—tiny. Barely the size of a
ten-year-old child.
He staggered to his feet, touching his reflection in a broken window.
A scrawny boy with messy black hair and sharp black eyes stared back at him.
'Holy crap… I really transmigrated.'
Then another thought hit him:
'…I look like I might die if someone breathes on me.'
He emerged onto a broken street—rusted metal shacks, flickering neon signs, the stink of rot and poverty.
The slums of the outskirts.
Now ten years old, with no money, no food, and only a fraction of Gun and Garp's personalities whispering in his bones.
Gun's cold confidence and intimidating calmness.
Garp's ridiculous love for fighting and justice.
Mixed inside a starving child.
'Well… at least I won't be bored.'
Months passed. Then years.
Evander survived the slums through grit, fists, and an increasingly concerning tendency to challenge anyone who looked strong.
He helped people too—old women carrying water, scared kids running from debt collectors, workers who got cornered in dark alleys.
He didn't know whether that kindness came from him… or Garp.
Maybe both.
But eight-year-old thugs quickly learned that picking on others was dangerous when Evander was nearby.
One cold evening, Evander walked home carrying a cracked bowl filled with cheap synthpaste. Barely food—but edible.
He heard sobbing.
In an alley, three older kids cornered a tiny boy—frail, messy black hair, mismatched clothes. They ripped a food packet from his
trembling hands.
"Please… give it back…" the boy whispered.
The thugs laughed.
Evander's eyebrow twitched.
He stepped in. "Drop it."
The tallest boy sneered. "Who the hell are you?"
Evander smiled calmly—Gun's smile. The kind that made people feel hunted.
"I said," he repeated, stepping closer, "drop it."
The fight was over in seconds. One punch. One kick. One throw. Three bodies on the ground whimpering in pain.
Evander picked up the stolen synthpaste and crouched in front of the child.
"You okay?"
The boy stared at him with wide, frightened eyes.
"…Why did you help me?" the kid asked softly.
Evander blinked. "Why not? You needed help."
"Whats your name?"
The boy hesitated. "…My name is Sunny."
Evander froze.
Sunny.
The cursed boy. The protagonist. The future Slave of Fate.
The child he just saved was the one who would someday carry the weight of a broken world.
Evander sat back on his heels, stunned.
Evander "How old are you"
Sunny "i think im eight"
'Holy… I saved Sunny. If he's eight. That means I'm two years older.'
Sunny looked up. "Um… thank you."
Evander forced himself to smile. "No problem."
Sunny's eyes lingered on him, quietly curious—as if seeing a rare kindness in the slums for the first time.
Evander stood. "Come on. I'll walk you home."
Sunny followed him cautiously.
'So this is how it begins…' Evander thought.
The universe had changed.
And so had fate.