between life and death

Floating quietly in empty space, stars aligned.

“…It’s like it’s showing me something. Not the future, not the past— but the present.”

A sweep of confusion struck Hazzle as he drifted back and forth, wandering through a space empty of anything to see, uncertain of what lay beyond.

He tried to move, to stand, yet remained in the same place as gravity pulled him in every direction at once.

“What is happening…? I feel like I’m floating beyond reality and time.

But I feel empty."

“Left out. Abandoned. Hidden from others—

as if I was replaced.”

“…Abandoned.”

He exhaled in disappointment, curling in on himself as he floated downward, drowning in the miserable life he once lived.

“This is too silent… too calming. I wish I could stay here whenever I need to—just to escape.

Wait… escape? What am I even running away from again?”

“You were running from school again!”

That voice felt familiar.

“…That sounds like—”

“Hazzle! Get your butt out here!"

“…Mom?”

“Don’t you dare leave me and your siblings like this! I worked day and night—not to see you end up like this! Wake up, damn it!”

So… someone did care.

“Don’t worry,” Hazzle whispered, reaching out toward the vision of his mother before him.

“I’ll come back. I promise—once I wake up, I’ll do

my best this time…”

“Your time is over.”

Space shifted.

The scene lifted as the vast ocean of stars shattered before Hazzle’s eyes, crumbling into dust.

“Time’s up—human.”

“W–Wait… huh? Where am I?”

“And who are you?"

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself.” She smiled lazily. “I’m Reiya, your cultivating assistant from the Department of Finding Demons in Other Dimensions for Extermination—FD²E for short.”

“…Assistant? Demon slaying?”

“Where the hell is this place? What country are

we in?"

“This isn’t a country,” Reiya replied calmly.

“This is a safe haven for those chosen to serve the Creator himself.”

“…Wait. So I’m dead?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences. Welcome to HQ, where we decide whether you’re going to hell or to where everyone wants to go—heaven, of course.”

“…Umm. Give me a second.”

“I’m actually dead?!”

“Oh yes, you are—oh.” She paused. “Let me remove that lingering sentiment from your journey.”

“There we go. Now open your eyes.”

Hazzle slowly open his eyelids.

Before him stood a girl in a white dress, her blonde hair neatly tied behind her back. She held a pen and a planner, ready to write names—deciding who ascended and who fell—while yawning lazily.

“…This place is kinda peaceful—”

“AAAAAH—LET ME OUT!”

A demon burst from a broken dimensional rift beside Reiya.

“…Okay. I take it back.”

“That was hell,” Reiya said flatly. “Hmm. Well, bingo. Guess you’re a smart one.”

“Now let’s see where you belong.”

She scanned her list—checking the sections for hell and heaven.

“…Found it. Neither.”

“Huh?”

“Looks like you’ve been given one more chance to live.”

“How lucky.”

“But here’s the strange part,” she continued, narrowing her eyes.

“According to this list… you’ve already lived three times. In different timelines. Different worlds.”

“…What?”

“How would I even know that?” Hazzle snapped, kicking the floor in frustration.

“…Wait.”

Reiya froze.

“Cancel the interview.”

“There’s one more thing I need to check.”

“…The list.”

Another list existed.

Three lives in a row…

How is that even possible?

“…Past incarnations?”

Hazzle swallowed.

“…Just who was I?”

A space raptured making a gate opened, space tearing apart as Reiya stepped through.

“Here we go—the List!”

She raised a thick book, its cover marked Living Legends and Missions.

“Alright… where do we start?"

“Letter H… A, B, C, D, F, G—H.”

“Oh, there we go."

She flipped through the pages and stopped.

“Page eight.”

“Hmmm… interesting.” Reiya leaned closer, scanning the text.

“It says here that you’ve been assigned a special mission.”

Hazzle blinked. “A… mission?”

“Yes.” She nodded slowly.

“No eternal life in heaven shall be granted to you if you fail to fulfill your main promise.”

“…A promise?”

“It says here you’re required not only to fulfill a promise… but also a grand mission.”

Reiya blinked. “…Huh?”

She leaned closer to the page.

“A mission involving the extermination of every demon, regardless of their category—wait… what?”

She stopped reading, frowning. “I— I can’t read the next part.”

“Hold on… hold on.”

Reiya hurriedly pulled out her glasses, taking a small cloth from the case. She rubbed the lenses clean, then quickly put them on.

“…Okay. That’s definitely clearer now.”

She swallowed and continued.

“As the second user of life under the Authority of Energy, you shall be granted permission to wield any type of energy…”

Her eyes widened.

“…and you will be given access to travel across different dimensions.”

Reiya slowly lifted her head.

Hazzle stood up, staring at her with a serious expression.

“…Do I really have to do this again?”

Reiya suddenly gasped. “Wait— you remember?!”

She pointed at him in shock.

Hazzle froze mid-step, his body stiffening before he slowly tipped over and collapsed.

“Eh—he passed out?!”

Reiya stared, completely baffled.

“…Wait. Is passing out even possible in this

division? What the—”

“Hey, Sir Hazzle… are you there? It’s already been twenty minutes since you arrived, and he hasn’t

even—”

“Oh? Is this the new Guardian I’ve been hearing about?”

Reiya straightened and stood up immediately, bowing gently.

“Hello, Sir Rapite.”

“Hello there, Reiya,” Rapite replied calmly.

“Rapite!”

A small rift tore open about ten meters away. A girl holding a small knife rushed out energetically.

“Jeez! Why’d you stop playing with me? We were just getting to the good part of the game!” Lady Erica complained loudly.

“We’ll continue later, I promise,” Rapite said in a gentle tone.

“Umm… okay,” Erica replied, then tilted her head.

“But who’s that guy over there?”

“Oh, him?” Reiya spoke up. “You may not believe it, but he’s our new recruit.”

“…A new recruit?”

Erica’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Oh—oh! What powers does he have? I’ve always wanted to be a senior someday! Hehehehehe!”

“…Where am I…?”

Hazzle suddenly woke up, confused, staring down at the transparent flooring beneath him.

“Wait… I’m still here?”

“Hello there, new recruit!”

Erica suddenly rushed right up to Hazzle’s face, startling him.

“HEY—!”

Hazzle jumped back in shock, nearly tripping as he stumbled closer to Reiya.

“Who’s that?” he whispered.

“Oh, her?” Reiya replied casually. “She’s going to be your senior—despite her height.”

cough cough

“I heard that!” Erica pouted.

“Okay, okay,” Rapite interrupted smoothly. “Lady Erica, how about a snack party in the HQ dining area?”

“…Oh?” Erica’s mood instantly changed. “Good, good! What a wonderful plan, rite!"

He turned toward Hazzle.

“Sir Hazzle, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be heading out now. Apologies for not properly introducing ourselves.”

“U-Um… it’s alright,” Hazzle replied, scratching his head in confusion. “Don’t worry about it… eheh.”

And just like that, they were gone—leaving Hazzle standing there, still trying to make sense of where he was.

A sharp clicking sound rang near his ears.

[Log-in complete.]

“—Huh?” Hazzle flinched. “What was that? Who said that?!”

“Oh, that must be the interface,” Reiya replied casually. “Since you’re officially our new recruit now.”

She yawned mid-sentence, stretching her arms.

“I know you’re already carrying a heavy load of information, but yes—what you’re seeing is basically a GUI. An interface menu.”

“A… game interface?” Hazzle muttered.

“Yes and no,” Reiya corrected. “You can see missions and guidance through it, but don’t misunderstand.

There are no levels, no stat points, no power scaling like in the shows you watch.”

She glanced at him sideways.

“This isn’t a game. The interface is just a guide for your missions. Everyone here has the same one—including me.”

She paused, then added bluntly, “So don’t get overconfident and think you’re special. Even I’m just a Guardian.”

[System compromised. Shall I initiate Code Block: Mission 0 Status?]

“…Oh,” Hazzle swallowed hard.

“Ohhh, okay…” His voice wavered as he nodded nervously. “Initiate.”

Reiya flicked her finger lazily.

“Okay, go ahead.”

[Loading sequence initiated.]

10%… 50%… 100%.

Loading complete.

Mission Progress: 0%.

“Of course it’s zero,” Hazzle muttered.

“…So, Reiya,” he asked hesitantly, “what do I do after this?”

“Well,” she replied, “since you won’t be revived anymore, you’re actually alive now. You logged into the system properly.”

She tilted her head. “Don’t you feel it?”

“…Warm,” Hazzle said after a pause. “Yeah. I do.”

“Right?” Reiya smiled faintly, then yawned again.

“This place is between heaven, earth, and hell. We aren’t exactly human anymore—but we still have human hearts.”

She shrugged. “That still counts, doesn’t it?”

“…Yeah,” Hazzle nodded slowly. “I think you’re right.”

“Good.” She turned around. “Okay then set that off aside i'll guide you to your room.”

“—Wait, I get a room?!”

“Of course. Every Guardian does.”

She began walking, then casually added, “Oh, and to make things clearer—there are twelve Guardians in total.”

“Twelve?”

“You’ve met three so far. Including you, that leaves eight more.”

She glanced back. "Ahhh and one tip: don’t pick a fight with anyone who has pitch-gray hair in the hallways.”

“…Why?”

“If you see them, just ignore them,” she said flatly. “Otherwise, they'll force you to fight.”

“…Who is they?”

“You’ll find out,” Reiya replied. “Let’s just call them Rugged Floor Matt for now.”

“…Rugged floor—what?”

Reiya suddenly sped up.

“Hey—wait!” Hazzle hurried after her. “Slow down!”

Her footsteps echoed ahead as HQ stretched endlessly before them.

Reiya suddenly stopped walking.

They stood before a wooden door, its surface worn smooth by time. The hallway around them no longer resembled a sterile HQ—it looked more like a vintage mansion, layered with aged wood and brick walls, faintly lit by warm lantern light.

“…Here we are,” Reiya said faintly.

She let out a long breath, shoulders sagging as if all her energy had drained at once.

“That was tiring…”

She pointed lazily at the door.

“This will be your room. Wanna do the honors?”

Hazzle hesitated.

“…I will.”

He reached for the doorknob.

“—Wait.”

Reiya stopped him.

“Umm… before you enter,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck, “there’s something I forgot to explain.”

Hazzle turned to face her.

“Earlier, when I said you died…” She paused.

“…That wasn’t entirely true.”

“…Huh?”

“You’re not dead,” Reiya continued calmly. “Not

anymore. Now that you’re one of us, your soul is completely alive.”

She met his eyes.

“And because your soul is alive, your real body—the one back on Earth—is still alive too.”

Hazzle froze.

“…What?”

“As soon as you were logged into the system,” she explained, “your body was automatically revived.”

She raised a finger before he could interrupt.

“But—your soul hasn’t returned to it yet.”

“…Then what am I right now?”

Reiya glanced at him from head to toe.

“What you’re seeing is a projection,” she said.

“A form shaped by how you perceive yourself.”

She smiled faintly.

“And the good news? You still see yourself as whole.”

Hazzle slowly looked down at his hands.

“…So this body…”

“Is your soul’s image,” Reiya confirmed.

“But once you enter that room—”

She gestured toward the door.

“—you’ll wake up back in your original world.”

Hazzle’s breath hitched.

“…I’ll wake up?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“In your real body. Fully alive.”

She added casually,

“And don’t panic—you won’t lose access to this place.”

“…I won’t?”

“You now hold authority over dimensional travel,” Reiya said.

“Coming here with your physical body will be normal for you.”

She smirked lightly.

“I mean, this place is already another dimension anyway—so it checks out.”

She tilted her head.

“So,” Reiya asked gently,

“any more questions before you go back?”

Hazzle stood there in silence.

Dead—but not dead.

Chosen—but still human.

Given another chance to live a normal life…

somehow.

His chest tightened.

“…No,” he said quietly.

“I think… I understand.”

His hand closed around the doorknob.

For the first time since everything began—

Hazzle felt hope.

He reached for the doorknob and turned it.

At that moment, a mysterious figure passed by the hallway—a being with gray hair. For a brief second, their eyes met. The figure continued walking slowly, disappearing down the corridor, leaving Hazzle with an uneasy feeling.

He opened the door.

The room was quiet.

Sunlight streamed in through an open window, a soft ray of light illuminating the interior.

The curtains swayed gently, moving against the wind, revealing a view of green vegetation outside.

Hazzle stepped inside and looked around.

“…This place seems normal.”

He walked closer to the window, his gaze shifting to the bed beside it.

“I thought I’d see something more than this,” he muttered, “considering everything that’s been happening.”

“But wait… shouldn’t I be back in my original body by now?” Hazzle muttered.

“So where will I be transfe—”

Pain struck.

“Ugh—!”

His legs gave out.

Time slowed.

The ground beneath his feet vanished as liquid formed below him, spreading endlessly. His body slipped, sinking as the surface swallowed him whole. His vision dimmed, fading darker with every second as the cold wrapped around him.

Then—nothing.

Hazzle’s POV

My body feels cold.

Numb.

I can’t feel pain anymore.

(Was all of that just a glimpse of false hope before I truly died)

"Will I really be revived… or was it all a lie?"

"I don’t trust any of this."

"It’s unfair—how the world treats me."

…Mom.

…Dad.

I miss you both.

I’m sorry if I failed as your son.

I’m truly sorry.

The darkness deepened.

And Hazzle lost consciousness.

[Now exiting Dimension 0.]

[Soul synchronization in progress…]

[Locating original vessel…]

[Link established.]

[Returning consciousness to physical body.]

[Reintegration: 12%… 47%… 100%.]

A sound of creaking wheels echoed through the darkness, slow and uneven.

Hazzle’s mind spun. Huh…? What’s that spinning sound…?

Bump!

“Ugh—!” He tried to cry out, but his voice barely carried.

Wait—did I just move? Where am I?

He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t move.

Everything pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating, as if the darkness itself had weight.

What’s happening…?

A distant voice suddenly cut through the silence, clinical and detached.

“This won’t do, doc. Send him to the morgue to be cleaned.”

Hazzle’s chest tightened. Wait—wait! Hey, hey—what the hell are you saying?!

He struggled against his own body, but it refused to respond.

“Aughhh—someone help… Mom!”

Move… body… move…! His mind screamed, though his limbs remained useless.

Panic clawed through him. Is it already time for the morgue? Was I even confirmed dead? Did the doctor tell my parents…?

How many days has it been since that incident…?

“The patient has been dead for three days now, doc,” the voice continued, matter-of-fact.

Three days…?

Hazzle’s thoughts raced. Then why was I still on standby in Room 4?

“The parents requested it—just in case. There were still faint signs of a pulse,” another voice explained.

A shiver ran through him. But since they’re short on rooms now… they decided to pull me off life support…

“…Hmmm. No wonder.”

The thought barely formed before the darkness pressed closer.

The wheels creaked again.

No—wait… I’m still here…

Can’t you hear me…?

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