In the middle of the Vast Starry Sky...

A powerful soul fragment crossed countless light years and eventually reached its destination—Earth.

Slicing through the atmosphere , the soul fragment made a beeline towards one of the public hospitals, where a young woman of around 22 years was about to give birth.

Unbeknownst to anyone present at that time, the incorporeal soul phased right through her stomach and entered her womb.

After jumping around in joy for a while, the fragment finally settled down, deep inside the unborn child's body.

Just then, from the depths of existence itself, a chime sounded, echoing inside the baby's unconscious mind.

———

[ Ding ! ]

[ Necessary prerequisites met. ]

[ Awakening the Forgotten God's System… ]

[ Awakening complete. ]

— —

[ Initiating fusion of the Forgotten God's soul fragments (Godking soul fragment + mortal soul fragment)… ]

[ Fusion failed. ]

[ Analyzing the cause of failure… ]

[ Cause found : Excessive disparity in strength between both soul fragments. ]

[ Searching for solutions… ]

[ Found : Slow and gradual fusion over time – Probability of success: 99% ]

— —

[ Implementing the solution... ]

[ Estimated time till complete soul fusion occurs – 25 years ]

[ Counting down…
24 years, 365 days 23:59:59
24 years, 365 days 23:59:58
24 years, 365 days 23:59:57
.
.
. ]

— —

[ Note : The system is going into sleep mode temporarily to preserve the remaining energy. ]

———

Exactly 24 years and 364 days later…

"Gasp..."

Galen jolted awake from his sleep feeling a stabbing pain coursing through his chest.

"UGH...."

Fucking hell... It's this again.

Ten agonizing minutes later, the pain finally subsided, leaving him absentmindedly staring at the night sky—through the window—for a while.

Fumbling through the dark, Galen grabbed his phone from the nearby table and with bloodshot eyes, squinted at the screen.

2:00 AM

"SIGHHHHH..."

Letting out a tired sigh, he flopped back on the bed.

It was his mysterious illness acting up again.

Since birth, he would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night feeling excruciating pain in his chest, lasting anywhere between five to fifteen minutes.

At first, it had been rare.

But as he grew up, the frequency of these episodes also kept rising.

During his childhood, thinking that it might have been a medical issue, his adoptive parents brought him to all kinds of hospitals.

But the results were always the same.

He was perfectly fine whether physically or mentally—that's what they were told.

Not wanting to worry his parents further, Galen lied and said that the episodes stopped.

Over the years, he had learned to silently endure the pain without making any noise. So he was easily able to fool them with his empty words.

In the meantime, Galen swore to find a solution himself.

Dedicating himself to his studies, he spent countless sleepless nights and eventually became a respected doctor.

Brimming with hope, he began his medical career.

But reality wasn't so kind.

Even after becoming a doctor and doing all kinds of research in the field for almost a year, he couldn't find a single clue about his ailment.

To make matters worse, the pain has started recurring daily for the past week, tormenting him at night and depriving him of his much needed sleep.

With frustration gnawing at his insides, Galen shut his eyes and tried to get as much sleep as possible.

He still had his work to go to.

Tossing and turning for hours, he finally slept, barely managing two hours of sleep before his alarm woke him up at exactly 7:00 AM.

Dragging himself out of bed, Galen forced his sluggish body into motion.

After freshening up,
he dressed himself into a set of presentable clothes,
had breakfast,
and left for work.

Taking a seat on the subway train, he began mindlessly scrolling through the phone.

That's when he noticed the date.

June 4

"Tomorrow's going to be my birthday, huh..."

"Just great... Yet another year of torment in this miserable life."

A mirthless laugh escaped his lips as he closed his eyes and began reminiscing about his life.

***

Galen Vaelthorn—A young man of 24 years—at the prime of his life.

With somewhat short black hair, and light golden eyes, he could be considered quite handsome—if his hair didn't cover half his face.

Abandoned soon after birth because of poverty, Galen was raised in an orphanage.

At the age of 5, he was adopted by a kind couple who didn't have the fortune of birthing their own child.

As he grew up, they showered him with unconditional love, filling the void in his heart left behind by his birth parents.

For Galen, being with those two was the happiest time of his life, even with the unknown illness plaguing him.

But happiness never lasts.

As a result of an accident, he lost both his father and mother last year, and fell into a depressed state.

Even before that, Galen had always been a quiet boy in school. A typical introvert you might say.

Those occasional friends he had, just for the sake of it, had only lasted till his graduation.

As for having a girlfriend, Galen hadn't even thought about it.

If there was anything he was ever grateful for in his bland school life, that would be meeting his goddess — Rhea Everlight.

As a teacher, she was the perfect example of grace and kindness shaped into a beautiful woman.

Just remembering her smile alone, had always soothed Galen's pained heart, even if only a little.

As he had to focus on his college studies after the graduation and the following research, he had little time to find her again.

"It's been years already...
Since I last saw that smile."

With that final thought lingering, he eventually arrived at his workplace.

*

Six hours later...

Finished with his shift, Galen grabbed a quick lunch at the cafeteria and headed out.

On his way back, he suddenly stopped at an intersection.

Instead of going back home, he suddenly changed his direction and went to the local cemetery.

Standing in front of his parents' graves, Galen felt a giant lump forming in his throat.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself.

Crouching down, he began meticulously cleaning their resting place.

When he was finally finished, his gaze inadvertently landed on the words carved into their tombstones.

Here lies the Mother and Father of the Brightest Soul in the world.

read the Epitaph, causing the tears that he had been holding back since arriving to start streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably.

When he found them at the hospital, that was the last thing his parents had asked of him before closing their eyes forever.

Saddened beyond words, Galen knelt with a lowered head, letting his tears soak the soil beside their graves.

Finally, when his eyes didn't have anymore tears to shed, he wiped his face with his sleeves and sat down on muddy ground.

Then, he started talking...
about his life so far,
his struggles,
his exhaustion,
his unanswered questions,
everything.

As he kept talking, minutes turned into hours.

Only when the night had fallen completely did Galen finally rise from his seated position, and leave the place with a somewhat lighter heart.

On his way back home, he ordered a simple takeout dinner and almost as an after thought, added a small piece of cake.

*

At 11:59 PM, inside Galen's apartment,

Galen took out the small cake and lit a single candle on it.

Closing his eyes, he wished for his parents' souls to find comfort in the heavens, and asked for their blessings before leaning in to blow.

Just then, as the clock ticked forward, and reached 12:00 AM...

A sudden, violent pain surged through his entire body.

Within a second, unable to tolerate the agony, his mind went blank and he lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, the quietly burning candle flared upward for a brief moment before extinguishing itself, yet no one was there to witness that bizarre sight.