Elric found himself in a white room that seemed to go on forever. There were no walls or ceiling or floor to mark the space, a bright white emptiness that felt like it was made of light and nothingness.
He was the only person in this room.
He looked around. Thought, where am I? This place looks a bit like where I was before I got sent into that narrative. The place where I got the rules and my role.
Elric looked around feeling confused.
Suddenly lights started to appear in the room. These lights were all colors like orange and red and green and blue and brown. They floated around at speeds some moving really fast and some not moving at all.
Elric stared at the sight shaking his head. He did not understand what was going on. Honestly he just wanted to lie and rest or do something that did not need thinking. He was really tired.
He stopped looking at the moving lights. Focused on the ones that were not moving. There were three colors that were not moving. Orange and brown and black. They just stayed still like they were asleep. Elric felt like there was something about them like he could hear a faint sound or feel something breathing. He did not know why. He thought they might be useful.
He could not see what they really were their too bright glow. Since he did not have any information he decided to pick one. He chose the orange one.
Soon as he picked it all the lights disappeared. Elric was still confused about what happened.. Before he could think more the light in his hand started to shake like it was waking up.
The bright orange glow slowly went away. Elric saw a strange cockroach. It looked really weird with a body and a shiny shell that seemed to be many colors at the same time. It had thin legs that moved a bit like it was breathing. Its body had lines and patterns that shimmered a bit like it was not a normal insect but something made of ideas.
For some reason Elric felt like the cockroach was asking him for something. He did not know what. He just held it in his hand.
Should I eat it?... He was not that hungry. In the narrative he never felt hungry maybe because the place did not let him feel hunger.. Now that he was out he was starting to feel it again. Luckily the thought went away quickly. He was hungry. Not enough to eat the cockroach.
So what now? Was he just going to wait? He was about to look around when he saw a strange black smoke rising up.
The smoke did not move like smoke it curled up in spirals like a dark mist with its own weight and purpose. The air around it got cold. The silence was replaced by a heavy feeling like something was coming towards him slowly.
Elric did not know what the smoke was. He felt scared as soon as he saw it. His heart started to beat
Before he knew it his fear turned into dread.
A being appeared in front of him a being he would never forget. 'Death'. Death had killed people in a cruel way using their own intestines to strangle them.
Death, the one who host the narrative appeared in a form. It had skin like a frozen corpse sharp features with no warmth and eyes that shone with coldness. Its nose was high. Its smile was thin and mocking. Its body was really tall with black hair falling down its back like a shadow. Its dark robe moved without wind like darkness itself was following it.
Death looked at Elric with contempt. "I did not think you would finish the narrative quickly even if it was just level one difficulty."
Death stepped closer to Elric each step feeling heavy on Elrics heart.
Elric shook violently his legs trembling, his body frozen in fear.
"Do not be afraid Death is everywhere " Death said casually. "Put the idea of goodness into yourself. Place it properly. Hurry up I have things to do."
Elric looked down at what he was holding. The cockroach. At first he thought of eating it. It seemed this was what Death meant by the idea of goodness.
This thing, a cockroach? Elric thought,. He did not question Death.
He had lost his courage unlike when he faced the village chief. Who would not be scared of a being like Death? It was like an ant in front of an elephant.
He tried to control his fear. Did what Death told him to do. As he brought the cockroach closer to himself it gave out a light and went into his body.
At that moment an image of a grid appeared in his mind. Another part of his mind showed how big the thing he inserted was. It took up three slots.
What does this mean? What is this grid? What am I supposed to do?
Forget it Elric thought. If he did not act quickly Death might get angry. He might die. So he put the three-slot piece in the middle row.
As soon as he thought that it fit into the grid like a puzzle piece.
When he opened his eyes Death was standing in front of him less than a meter away.
Elric wanted to step but he knew he was nothing before a being like Death.
He wanted to ask about the cockroach about the idea of goodness about the grid about everything. He knew Death would not answer, and he was too afraid to ask.
"Very good " Death said coldly. "You are a good plaything."
Death stepped back. A bright white light appeared. Whiter and brighter than the room.
"That is your exit you have finished the narrative " Death said.
Elric felt relieved and quickly walked towards the light.. Before he could leave Death spoke again.
"Do you want to stay and watch the death vote? Or Leave now? The highest scorer does not have to participate."
Normally Elric would want to stay and watch to understand what was going on.
Death was there and Elric was scared.
He was eighteen had just finished school and was about to start university. He wanted to have fun drink for the first time enjoy life after studying hard.
Now he had risked his life gone through a deadly trial in just a few days. Everything had happened fast it felt like a dream. He just wanted to sleep and wake up to see his good life again.
Now he had to risk his life again? No if he had a choice he would not participate.
Deaths face did not change.
"If you do not want to, fine.. Since you got the highest score you can choose the map. What do you want?"
Images appeared around him. The white room changed into different places. Beaches, mountains, fields, cities. Before going back to white.
"Do not worry it is like changing a characters skin in a game. No real effect, something for playthings like you to remember."
Elric did not hesitate. "The sea I want a beach, a sandy beach."
In an instant the white room changed into what he wanted.
A bright and vivid sea stretched before him with water that shimmered under the sunlight. The horizon blended seamlessly with the ocean and gentle waves rolled onto a golden shore. The sand was fine and pristine. A warm breeze carried the faint scent of salt.
Death pointed at the exit without a word.
Elric stood frozen staring at the scene. For a moment he forgot that Death was there. Memories of his childhood surfaced. Only briefly.
He snapped back, to reality. Ran out.
As Elric stepped through colors swirled around him. He felt dizzy like the world was spinning out of control. His body felt like it was floating being pulled through a tunnel of colors. Orange blue, green purple. All mixed together. The sounds around him became a hum. Darkness and light flashed across his eyes until everything slowly faded away like he was being pulled back into the real world.
Elric slowly opened his eyes and forced his tired body to sit up. He looked around. He was back in the place he was before he entered the narrative. There was no one around. He was probably the one to finish it. Since he got the score he did not have to take part in something called an death vote. Just the name made him feel uneasy.
He sat down even though he had just stood up. His legs were. His body was tense. Before when he faced Death there were people around him and they were not as close. It did not feel as scary as it did now when Death felt like it was next to him.
Elric looked around. Started to think about what happened. This was something he always did. From the time he was kidnapped in the world or the things that happened in the peaceful village narrative. He did not want to think about the kidnapping so he tried to focus on things.
At first he thought everyone just fell asleep and entered the narrative. But now it seemed different. It looked like they were taken there and then sent back. Elric turned to look at the stone. He thought that touching it would start the narrative and pull in everyone around him.
He did not want to look closely but the body of the man who died at the beginning still looked fresh. The smell was still in the air. He did not want to get close but he wanted to confirm his theory so he walked towards it. Just like he thought. The body was still warm. It looked like it had just happened.
This told Elric something. The reason he was not hungry in the narrative was probably because time moved slower there than, in the demon realm.
The only thing he felt was tired. To stop people from finishing it too easily in narrative.
Elric was hungry. He was sleepy. He wanted to rest. He wanted to go to the human world. He thought about Noah. That person. When he got out of there he would make him pay the price.
Mom, Dad. I missed them so much.
So this was it. This was the price of being born.