The world was grey.
Every day, it was the same:
Wake up. Go to work. Eat cheap instant noodles. Sleep alone.
Kieran—nineteen years old, orphan, no girlfriend, no friends, no future—had stopped dreaming a long time ago.
The only warmth he knew came from the flickering screen of his cracked phone and the rare kindness of old neighbors.
Otherwise, he was just a drifting shadow in a noisy, uncaring city.
Then came the night everything ended.
He was returning from a late shift, tired and barely awake, crossing a dimly lit street.
He never saw the truck speeding toward him, its horn blaring too late.
Screech. Crash. Silence.
His world went dark.
---
Chapter 2: The White Space
---
There was no pain.
No noise.
No weight.
Only emptiness.
Kieran floated in the void, confused, detached, his memories slipping away like water through broken fingers.
Just as he thought he would fade completely, a voice echoed around him:
"Oi! Kid! You dead or what?"
Kieran blinked—or at least, he thought he did.
Before him stood a casually dressed man with messy silver hair and a wicked grin.
"Took you long enough."
"Who... are you?" Kieran croaked.
The man gave a mock bow.
"Name's Elior. God, Boss, Big Cheese—take your pick."
Kieran stared blankly.
This had to be a dream, right?
Elior smirked.
"No dream, kid. Welcome to the afterlife. Congrats on being spectacularly average!"
Kieran flinched.
"But lucky for you... I'm in need of someone just average enough to do a very important job."
---
Chapter 3: A Mischievous God
---
Kieran listened, stunned, as Elior explained:
The worlds he governed—Ran (the Human World) and Solvia (the Second World)—were under siege.
Dimensional Gates were opening everywhere. Monsters, beasts, demons—all spilling through, hungering for conquest.
"Your job?" Elior grinned. "Get strong. Kick ass. Build armies. Save the world. Easy, right?"
Kieran frowned. "Why me? I'm nobody."
"Exactly." Elior winked. "Nobody notices a nobody... until it's too late."
A glowing contract floated between them.
"Sign this, and I'll give you a few gifts:
A personal System.
A domain seed.
Access to the God Shop.
A few other surprises."
Kieran hesitated.
"Fine print: You work for me. Maybe once, maybe forever. Who knows?"
Kieran laughed weakly and signed.
"Good boy," Elior said, ruffling his hair like a naughty older brother.
"Now, off you go! Try not to die too fast, alright?"
---
Chapter 4: A New Life Begins
---
Pain.
Heat.
A strange wetness.
Kieran—no, not Kieran anymore—struggled, suffocating.
Then a slap, a cry, a rush of air.
He screamed his first breath into a new world.
Through blurry newborn eyes, he saw figures:
A smiling woman with soft brown hair—his mother.
A tall, strong man with laughing eyes—his father.
Cheers echoed around him.
A gentle voice whispered:
"Welcome to the world, my son..."
His new name floated into his soul: Caelan.
(Temporary placeholder — aacha naam baad me change kar sakte!)
In the distance, unknown to everyone, a small shimmering light embedded itself inside his tiny heart:
System 17.
Still sleeping...
Still waiting...
---
Chapter 5: The First Cry, The First Connection
---
The days blurred into one another.
Sleeping. Crying. Eating. More crying.
Caelan—once Kieran—began to adjust. His new body, his new senses, his new family.
He wasn't alone anymore.
He had a mother who kissed his forehead, a father who laughed while tossing him gently in the air, and a warm house full of light.
And deep inside him, something stirred.
At night, when he stared at the stars from his crib, he sometimes heard a soft voice:
"Yo... wake up, little guy... your big bro 17 is waiting..."
And once, just once, a small blue screen flickered briefly above his tiny hand.
> [System Activation: Pending... Baby Level: 0]
And Caelan smiled in his sleep.
---