Forsaken Soul in a World Rewritten

"D-Did I just die?"

"Sigh... to think I died before I could punch that pig bastard's face!"

This was one of Ariase's last thoughts after a wave of golden energy tore through him.

...

Just moments earlier, his day had been as miserable as any in the past year.

He was dragging himself home after yet another meeting that felt less like a professional discussion and more like an hour-long public execution.

For starters, Ariase had been proud of his work.

At just 26, he became a team leader at one of the highest-paying IT companies in Cebu.

His promotion came just a year and a half into his tenure—a testament to his diligence and skill.

Back then, he'd been mentored by a competent and fair manager who saw his potential.

Ariase had risen quickly, earning respect not only for his technical prowess but also for his leadership.

But all of that changed.

The new manager had come out of nowhere—a backdoor hire with questionable qualifications.

And for some reason, he had a grudge against Ariase and Jhonas.

Jealousy. That's what it boiled down to.

The previous manager, the one who had nurtured Ariase and his colleague Jhonas, had seen something in them.

Something that this new bastard could only interpret as favoritism, marking them as a rival in pursuing Dona, the previous popular manager.

Worse, rumors had spread that Ariase and Jhonas's promotions were thanks to their looks rather than their competence, further fueling the manager's insecurity over his appearance.

From day one, he made it his mission to break them.

Weekly meetings turned into public shaming sessions.

No matter how well the team performed, it was never good enough.

Every success was dismissed, every mistake magnified.

A single bad week became an endless year of insults, passive-aggressive remarks, and deliberate sabotage.

Ariase gritted his teeth through it all.

He had responsibilities, bills to pay, hobbies to fund, and a team that relied on him.

Jhonas was in the same sinking ship, but they endured together, somehow managing to keep their team afloat in a sea of hostility.

But today, something inside him had snapped.

As he left the office, the bastard's voice echoed in his ears, berating him for something so trivial he couldn't even remember it anymore.

He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, the urge to march back and break that smug face barely contained.

Instead, he took a deep breath, his usual routine kicking in.

Go home. Change clothes. Hit the gym.

It was the only thing keeping him sane these days—a way to channel the frustration and anger that threatened to consume him.

But just as he stepped onto the sidewalk, something strange happened.

A golden light, vivid and pulsating, appeared on the horizon.

At first, he thought it was the setting sun casting an unusual glow.

But the light grew brighter, more intense, and then—

It moved.

A wave of golden energy surged toward him, fast and unstoppable.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered, his brows furrowed in confusion.

He glanced around, expecting others to react, to scream, to panic.

But nobody panicked.

No, it was more than that.

Nobody even saw the incoming wave of light.

But, twenty meters away, he clearly saw a group of pedestrians standing frozen mid-step, as if someone had hit the pause button on their lives.

A car stalled in the middle of the intersection, its driver's head turned in eerie stillness.

Time had stopped for them.

Ariase felt it in his gut—something was wrong—very wrong.

Or maybe it was just the searing anger clouding his senses, making him high and see things.

With curses spilling through his thoughts like a broken dam, he turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction.

"I just had a hard day, and now this?! T-This shitty world!" he fumed, his breath ragged as he sprinted.

Driven by a mix of panic and anger, he could only continue to run, his feet pounding against the street.

The golden light that had appeared earlier was now upon him, growing brighter and brighter.

He didn't know what it was, and he didn't care—he just wanted to get away if possible.

But before he could even think of an escape, the golden light arrived in a matter of seconds.

A wave of heat and golden light washed over him in an instant, its brilliance so overwhelming that he instinctively shut his eyes.

Sweat poured down his face, soaking his forehead.

His chest heaved as he slowly opened his eyes again, half-expecting to see himself obliterated.

But he was still alive sadly.

"W-Was that just a hallucination?!" he muttered, wiping at his damp brow.

"I... must be too stressed from wo—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

The world around him was frozen in eerie stillness.

People who had been walking moments ago now stood like statues, their faces frozen in mid-expression.

Even a cyclist in the distance hung suspended, wheels no longer spinning.

The air itself seemed frozen.

No wind brushed his skin, no sound carried.

His legs buckled, and he fell to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

His breath hitched as he looked up, desperate for an answer, for some sense of normalcy.

But the blue sky was gone.

It vanished.

In its place stretched an infinite white void, a vastness so empty it swallowed everything.

His chest tightened, and tears pricked his eyes.

"I-Is this the end of the world?!" he gasped, his voice cracking.

"I haven't even had the chance to repent my sins! Why now?! God, please, forg—"

Before he could finish his last plea for forgiveness, a searing pain tore through him.

It wasn't an external force strangling him but something from deep within.

It hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

His body felt as though it were being split apart, piece by agonizing piece.

The pain was sharp and all-encompassing, as if his very existence was being sliced in half.

Like his very soul was being extracted out of him, every fiber of his existence wrenched apart.

He wanted to scream, but the agony robbed him of his voice.

The world around him faded, and so did he.

...

When he became aware again, it was… no longer the same.

He couldn't open his eyes because he had none.

He couldn't move because he had no body.

And yet, he was there.

No arms to lift, no legs to stand, yet he could see.

He could only 'feel' his surroundings.

And see without seeing, exist without forming.

A soul—the being he had become.

Even, the pain from before was gone, as swift and brutal as it had been.

In its place was a profound stillness, a quiet calm that left him disoriented.

And then he saw it.

A white flame-like wisp beside him.

No, not just one flame—thousands, millions, maybe even more.

Wisps of light floated all around him, stretching into infinity.

Arranged endlessly in every direction, creating a sea of ethereal light, filling the space with a serene beauty that took his breath away—if he 'had' any to give.

Ariase's thoughts stumbled over themselves.

His voice, now untethered by a body, echoed in the space only he could hear.

"D-Did I just die?"

He sighed, the weight of realization settling over him like a heavy blanket.

"To think I died before I could punch that pig bastard's face…"

But as he took in his new surroundings, his annoyance faded, replaced by awe.

A beautiful, mystical garden stretched before him.

Two colossal trees with mystical fruits stood at opposite ends of the space, their presence commanding and serene.

One radiated life, warmth, and light, its golden leaves shimmering with a divine glow.

The other exuded wisdom, calm, and peace, its silvery branches adorned with a soft, celestial luminescence.

All around him, countless creatures roamed—a kaleidoscope of life—both familiar and fantastical.

Some were small and adorable, others majestic and strange.

Ariase couldn't help but feel awed by the sight.

His thoughts softened as he gazed at the scene.

"T-This place... it's so similar to that story... then, is this Eden?"

"So, I-I'm in heaven... right? Thank God... praise the Lord."

"I really, really thought I was going to hell..."

"I guess following my mother's instruction not to drink or smoke was really worth it."

He chuckled to himself, the sound a strange comfort.

His mind, usually weighed down by anger and frustration, now felt light and calm.

He could even forgive his boss right now, after knowing such good news.

An overwhelming gratitude filled him, and with it, an apologetic sincerity.

"I'm really, really sorry, God," he thought, his guilt bubbling to the surface.

"For all the sins I've done… I'm really sorry. I promise with all my heart I'll become a good angel."

For a moment, he forgot the strangeness of his death, forgot the golden light, forgot the frozen world.

He didn't care how or why he'd ended up here.

Deep down, a part of him had always longed for this.

Though he loved living, he didn't fear death.

If anything, he'd wanted it—for one simple reason.

To see his parents again.