I opened my eyes. Dim light seeped through the curtain slits, casting pale streaks across the ceiling. It took me a few seconds to recognize where I was, but the emptiness in my chest remained as clear as the dull ache in my temple.

Thoughts flooded into my mind like a silent but icy stream. What day is today? What did I do yesterday? There was something important I needed to remember, but it kept slipping away, like sand between my fingers. Thoughts piled on top of each other, without order, without escape.

I thought about the words left unsaid, the decisions I failed to make, the familiar faces gradually fading from my memory. I thought about time—the thing that flows endlessly, leaving people lost and regretful. I thought about myself, about what I was becoming, and whether everything had already veered off course.

No, I knew exactly what I had to do now.

Sorry, Rachel. We can’t walk this path together anymore.

I stood up straight, my gaze sharp like a blade just drawn from its sheath. No hesitation, no doubt—only the road ahead and my determined steps. The chaotic questions in my mind no longer lingered. Instead, they became clear, precise commands that cut through all uncertainty like a sword slicing through air.

Every option had been considered, every possibility calculated. Now, there was no room for fear or regret. When I decide, it means everything is set in stone—no escape, no turning back. My hands clenched, not out of tension, but control. Control over myself. Control over the outcome.

I stepped forward without looking back. Those who hesitate remain stagnant. But I—I only move forward, seeking the destiny that belongs to me.

Jumping out of the attic window, I wasn’t wandering aimlessly.

Syx, how far must I train before I can freely change my form? I asked.

—Spirit Form Third Cycle, abbreviated as SOUL-3.

—Understood. Syx, locate a hidden place with a high concentration of essence.

—Scanning... South, 423km… Follow the route for the fastest travel time.

—Got it. Thanks, Syx!

The bus slowly came to a halt before me, its doors opening with a dry hiss. I glanced inside, scanning the passengers before offering an innocent smile upon spotting an elderly woman rummaging through her old handbag for a ticket.

I stepped on board quietly, just another ordinary passenger. When the conductor turned to check tickets, I swiftly moved closer to the old woman, lowering my voice naturally:

"I'm with my grandmother."

The woman hesitated for a moment but then simply nodded, unaware. Her frail hands presented the ticket, and the conductor didn’t bother to verify further.

I smiled, bowed slightly in gratitude like a well-mannered grandson, then quickly found a seat by the window.

The wind slipped through the cracks, carrying a slight chill. I leaned back, exhaling in relief. A free ride. A small trick. No harm done—just a bit of street smarts I had mastered in my past life as José. Then I closed my eyes, letting the bus’s gentle rocking take me farther… at no cost.

The bus took me to its final stop.

Stepping off, I froze, eyes wide, almost unable to believe what lay before me.

The city blazed like a galaxy descended to Earth, with towering skyscrapers adorned in neon lights. The roads weren’t just streets—they hovered in midair, packed with silent, gliding vehicles like phantoms of light slipping past one another.

Massive digital billboards stretched across buildings, displaying images so vivid they seemed almost tangible. The air was filled with unfamiliar sounds—a soft, electronic hum mixed with human voices, mechanical tones, and advertisements echoing from all directions.

I reached out, touching a glowing panel embedded in the sidewalk. Instantly, it shifted, displaying a full map of the city, providing step-by-step guidance as if it could read my thoughts. I took a step back, heart pounding.

This wasn’t the world I once knew.

This was something entirely different from the scrapyard I came from or Uncle Den’s neighborhood—a dazzling, vibrant future, yet one shrouded in mystery.

Amidst the sea of lights and the hurried passersby, I suddenly realized something: I was just another lost soul in this new age.

This was Pasar—the second city of humanity.

A city of the future, where the lights never go out and skyscrapers gleam like diamonds in the night. Here, technology and humans intertwine, roads hover above the ground, and digital advertisements shift with the city's every breath. But behind the brilliance lurks darkness—secrets, conspiracies, and nameless souls struggling to carve a place in the ever-moving tide of progress.

Having undergone a soul purification, I—Sandoc—no longer feel despair or resentment toward the word fate. Instead, I have awakened to its truth.

It is fate that led me here. Everything I do, everything I think, is fate guiding me. If I grow stronger with the power given by the god who created me, and if fate is the path that god has laid out for me, then under that god’s name, do not blame me—blame the one who designed this fate.

I have known despair, drowning in the deepest abyss of my own existence, with no escape, no one waiting for me.

I have burned myself—not just with fire, but with reckless choices, blind rage, and scars etched into my soul that no one can see.

I have felt happiness, fleeting as it was, like a flickering light in the storm. There were days I laughed, days I believed this world still had a place for me.

I have died—not in the way people think, but in the way a soul decays, consumed by time, withering dreams, and hopes that fade like candle flames in the wind.

Yet, I am still here. Still existing. And perhaps, still waiting for something.

With Syx, everything will soon become clear. I am sure of it.

A cold night breeze swept through the streets, but I paid it no mind.

I had more important things to do—finding a place to sleep and, more importantly, making someone give it to me without having to beg.

I chose my target carefully—a woman standing at her doorstep, hesitating before her lock, looking like she had just finished a long day. The exhaustion in her eyes was a good sign—tired people are less guarded.

I approached, ensuring I looked just ragged enough, just weak enough to evoke sympathy without arousing suspicion. My voice trembled slightly, not from the cold, but because I knew it would soften her heart.

"Excuse me… I have nowhere to go tonight."

I paused, just long enough for her to picture a lost child wandering the city alone in the cold.

"I don’t want to be a bother… just a small corner to rest would be enough."

She blinked, studying me, assessing. I knew what she would ask next—whether I had any family. I had to cut her off before she could voice it.

I lowered my head, gripping the edge of my shirt lightly, as if revealing a painful truth.

"I tried going home… but they don’t want me anymore."

She sighed. Skeptical, yet conflicted.

I couldn’t give her time to think too much.

I shivered slightly, casting a brief glance at the warm doorway behind her—a silent reminder.

Finally, she stepped aside and opened the door wider.

"Come in. But just for tonight."

I smiled faintly, not too much to reveal triumph, just enough to show gratitude.

Stepping inside, I felt warmth wash over me.

A place to sleep was secured.

And if necessary… perhaps I could make it last longer than just one night.