1 Prologue (Part 1)

[POV AQUILES VIRIDIUM]

Due to having a master's degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering, Aquiles was tasked as the leader in building the building. Now, he was leading a group of 5 workers through the guts of the concrete and steel structure, showing every detail of the building taking shape and explaining how the future floors that were still under construction would be.

As the group of 5 followed him with attentive looks and noting what he asked, Aquiles pointed to a wall and began to explain that there they would put two glass walls to give more natural light to the apartment. While Aquiles explained, the afternoon sun peeked through the still glassless walls, casting beams of light that illuminated part of the apartment and projected the shadows of Aquiles and his group onto the rough surfaces of the concrete walls.

The hours passed quickly until Aquiles finished meticulously explaining the entire project, then he began to lead the group towards the exit of the building. And it was at that moment, as the group left the building talking among themselves about who would bear which part of the project, that the discussions were abruptly interrupted by a sharp squeak of metal coming from the top of the building.

Upon hearing the noise, Aquiles and the other 5 raised their heads to see, and as they turned their heads up, Aquiles saw a steel beam wrapped in a piece of concrete falling towards his group. Instinctively, Aquiles' first action was to push the group with all his strength, throwing them backwards and causing them to fall on top of each other.

Unfortunately for him, this was his last move, as the steel beam wrapped in concrete fell like a bullet and collided with Aquiles' body, making a loud impact noise and crushing him completely against the ground in a bloody pulp of bones, flesh, blood, organs, and guts.

The impact was so brutal and fast that Aquiles didn't even realize he had died. Fortunately for the rest of the group, the steel beam only hit Aquiles and then toppled to the opposite side of where they were lying. Thanks to this, the rest of the group survived, and none of them were injured. When the initial shock passed and they saw the bloody pulp that Aquiles had become, they soon began to scream in terror and fear.

In the next instant after his death, Aquiles slowly reopened his eyes and, as he blinked to adjust to the excessive brightness, suddenly his eyes widened in surprise as he looked around the room. "What place is this? Where am I?" Aquiles mentally questioned himself as he looked around and realized he was in the center of a huge room that seemed to have no end.

The room Aquiles was in was completely white and well-lit. When he looked down, he found it strange to see that his feet seemed to touch the white floor of the room, but at the same time, he didn't feel the sensation of his feet pressing against the ground. Unable to understand what was happening, bewilderment took over Aquiles, echoing in his trembling voice that broke the silence of the place with a question: "W-Wait, where am I? What happened?"

A humanoid silhouette made entirely of light emerged in front of him from absolute nothingness. The figure made of light was outlined by a divine glow that caused a transcendent sensation of awe in Aquiles as soon as he saw the being. Its features were indistinct, but the voice echoing was clear and undisturbed. "You have died!" Affirmed the figure made of light, pronouncing the reality with absolute indifference.

"I am dead? It cannot be, I cannot be dead!" Aquiles proclaimed with fierce determination as he shook his head slightly in denial and took a few steps back, his words echoing in the vacuum of that place as he refused to accept his own death.

"See for yourself." The humanoid of light spoke, and then snapped its fingers.

After the being snapped its fingers, Aquiles, who was still struggling with the unacceptable notion of his own death, felt an irresistible force begin to intertwine with his soul, pulling him into a detached view of his own life. It was as if he were a distant spectator, observing the unfolding tragedy. Every tiny detail of his vision was sharp and cruelly real, unfolding before his eyes like scenes in a 3D movie.

Aquiles watched the fateful moment when the steel beam detached from the building and plunged toward him, also saw his own expression of surprise, saw himself pushing the group following him, saw the last glimmer of his eyes as he tried to get out of the path of the steel and concrete beam, and finally, saw the swift collision and the subsequent silence that engulfed the scene and, seconds later, the screams of terror and the crying of his colleagues. Aquiles witnessed his own death from an external perspective, as a spectator.

The undeniable terror of reality finally settled in Aquiles' mind, his unyielding denials gave way and bent under the overwhelming weight of truth. Aquiles' voice trembled with fear as he formulated the question he feared: "S-so... so I am really dead?"

"Exactly." The humanoid made entirely of light confirmed. At the same time his voice echoed through Aquiles' ears, an energy was also emitted by the being of light, and when this energy entered Aquiles' body, it made him feel a sense of peace and, at the same time, indifference to what had happened. It was a strange and contradictory sensation.

Aquiles had no wife and children, but he had family, and so he asked: "But what about my mother? My father? My sister?" His expression seemed concerned, and his tone became increasingly erratic as he thought about his family, about what would happen when they found out he was dead.

"Don't worry, they will be fine. Of course, they will mourn your death for a few weeks, but they will move on, your parents will still live for about 20 years before they die. Your sister will marry, have 2 children, and will live with her husband until she's 98, then her husband will die and she'll pass away 2 years later, from old age. Your family will have a good life." The being of light reassured Aquiles with its words as the energy emitted by it increased and wrapped around Aquiles' body like a blanket of tranquility and peace.

"And how do you know this?" Inquired Aquiles with a slightly irritated expression, knowing that his life had ended was a shock, but thinking about his family made him feel even worse.

"Because I have seen it." Affirmed the being of light with indifference. "I used my powers to glimpse into the future, and I know that's what will happen." Its words were laden with a calming energy that, as they entered Aquiles' ears, began to soothe the whirlwind of emotions within him.

"There's no going back, is there?" Asked Aquiles in an uncertain tone as he looked at the being of light, which promptly shook its head. "Father, Mother, Elie. It seems this is where we part ways." Said Aquiles as he accepted what had occurred.

Thanks to the calming energy, the initial shock of his death passed, and he stopped thinking about his family, Aquiles finally took a good look at the being of light standing before him, and began to feel a mixture of feelings, ranging from fear, peace, and fascination. "So, if I am dead... You must be God?" Aquiles inquired, his words filled with respect and curiosity.

The silhouette of light nodded in response. "Yes, you can call me God, or as some of my followers call me: The Lord of Light." The being of light confirmed, and Aquiles felt a growing admiration upon seeing the manifestation of divinity that transcended the limits of human understanding.

After a moment of contemplation, Aquiles looked at the seemingly endless white room, and then proceeded with a question: "So, is this room heaven... or perhaps hell?" A hint of apprehension tinged his voice when he uttered the last part of the sentence, uncertainty about the destination after death causing a slight tremor in his words.

But God soon dispelled conventional notions of the afterlife: "There is no heaven or hell, boy. The truth is, when someone's journey ends, their soul enters a state of sleep, devoid of consciousness or dreams, and remains so for eternity!"

Aquiles absorbed this explanation with a mixture of shock and confusion. Everything he believed about the afterlife seemed to crumble before God's words, just like the last thread of hope to reunite with his family in some kind of 'Next World', and this caused a question to escape his lips: "If this is what happens after death, why do I still remember everything? Why am I here?"

God's response was frank and straightforward, devoid of ambiguity or circumlocution: "A world under my dominion is on the brink of death, and I want you to prevent it. However, I will not force you to go. I am giving you a choice: you can go to that world and save it or you can refuse, and I will send you to rest in eternal sleep, along with all the other endless souls."

Aquiles felt a flood of emotions as he absorbed God's words, but the two that dominated him the most were disbelief and fear. Disbelief because of the proposal and fear at the thought of being sent to eternal sleep. But moments later, as he thought about practically ceasing to exist, fear completely overcame his disbelief. "You want me to save an entire world? God, that's impossible, I'm just a man!" Aquiles asserted vehemently, his words reverberating with a slight tone of disbelief.