"Shadow is but a Reflection of Light we fail to embrace, and Vice is the Absence of Virtues we neglect to nurture."


    ***


    "Hmm... That hits the spot."


    Eximed a young boy with jet-ck hair and pale skin, seated in the corner of a fancy restaurant, enthusiastically chugging down a ss of Coke.


    In front of him sat an enticing sight – a partially devoured hamburger apanied by a handful of golden fries. The presentation was so appealing that onlookers couldn''t help but salivate at just a nce.


    The hamburger, being made from fresh ingredients, featured real lettuce, tomato slices, and onions nestled between two soft buns – Not the synthetic shit made in theb to give the same taste but the real vegetables grown from either soil or hydroponics!


    "Wow! This is the best food I have ever eaten."


    Levi dered with a wide grin, savoring every bite. The sweet, sour, and salty notes of the burger almost brought him to tears. Thebination of the crunchy texture, juicy patty, and soft, sturdy buns,plemented by the delectable cheese, made it an unforgettable experience. It was Levi''s first time tasting a hamburger, and he was already captivated by its exquisite vor.


    Suddenly, the watch in his hand vibrated, disrupting Levi''s joyous moment.


    "" THE BLISS PORTAL WILL OPEN IN 30 MINUTES,"" the message disyed, causing Levi to frown.


    "Dammit! I can''t even enjoy my meal in peace!"


    Levi exploded with anger, drawing the attention of fellow diners. They stared at him with a range of expressions – some with disgust, others with pity, and a few seemingly nauseated by his mere presence.


    However, the onlookers'' reactions weren''t entirely unjustified.


    Because, unlike the sparkling watch he was wearing, Levi, with his deathly paleplexion and scrawny build, resembled a skeletal figure.


    His bones were nearly visible, giving him the appearance of a research skeleton illustrating every detail of the human body. To add to his unappealing image, he wore torn clothes – a too-short ck pant and an oversized, barely hanging gray shirt.


    He looked like a beggar through and through.


    Hell! Even beggars might be considered more presentable than him.


    Nevertheless, oblivious to the gazes, Levi continued enjoying his meal, asionally cursing with a frown or letting out little moans of satisfaction.


    "That was great!" Finally, after thoroughly relishing his feast, Levi looked down at his empty te. Not a single crumb of the bun remained, but there was a bit of sauce that had spilled out.


    Levi stared at the sauce drop for a second and, a momentter, picked up the te and cleanly licked it.


    "Ughh-! Don''t look that way."


    Of course, this earned him a few more cold gazes, with parents hurriedly shielding their children from his sight.


    Oblivious to their reactions, Levi, having already paid for the hamburger along with the Coke – a purchase that had depleted all his remaining ''wealth'' – got up from his chair.


    He casually checked the bottle for any remaining drops of Coke before leaving nonchntly.


    ""THE BLISS PORTAL WILL OPEN IN 28 MINUTES,"" the watch vibrated again.


    "I aming, damn it!"


    Screaming at the watch, Levi walked out of the fancy restaurant, making his way toward a massive structure visible in the distance.


    It was a huge and towering structure, reaching almost 100 feet in height – the spire!


    As Levi approached the structure, what came into view was a barricade extending almost 200 meters around it.


    Surrounding the spire was a circr, dome-like structure, giving the impression that the spire had pierced through the dome itself.


    Without wasting another nce at the structure, as if he had seen it a hundred times before, Levi continued, dragging his scrawny body towards the dome structure.


    A soldier stationed at the dome noticed Levi and frowned with disdain.


    "Hey, boy, don''t you know this area is restricted? Scram before I make you do so."


    Levi looked at the soldier without any interest, then turned around, noticing the barricade reinforced with metal alloys behind the soldier. The soldier himself was d in heavy armor and held a powerful rifle that Levi had absolutely no knowledge of.


    "Hey, I''m talking to you!" Annoyed, the soldier said, observing Levi, who was looking around without answering him.


    Levi cleared his throat, the aftertaste of the hamburger still lingering in his mouth.


    "I am here to enter the Bliss portal."


    The soldier''s expression suddenly shifted from irritation to a somewhat concerned demeanor.


    "What? How old are you, boy? Are you sure you want to enter the portal?"


    The soldier''s question wasn''t unfounded. Levi, with his malnourished body, appeared no older than 13 or 14, whereas to Enter the Bliss Portal one has to be around the age of 16 to 20. Nevertheless, Levi shrugged in response and showed his sparkling watch to him.


    "I am eighteen, and yes, I do want to enter the portal, why else would you think I bought this expensive shit?"


    Once again, the soldier''s expression changed, this time from concern to pity.


    "...Wait here, I''ll contact someone." ncing at Levi from top to bottom one more time, the soldier busied himself with hismunication device.


    "Need support, a new aspirant to enter the Bliss Portal. Send immediate support to the southern block. I repeat..."


    Levi, with nothing to do, just stood there, waiting for the soldier toplete his task.


    ''Maybe I should have bought another hamburger instead of the Coke; I am still hungry...''


    ***


    Over a few decades ago, humanity experienced drastic advancements in technology and space exploration and these changes opened new paths unknown to mankind.


    Being the curious creatures they are, and with hopes of saving the dying Earth suffering from resource depletion, humans began to explore these unknownnds.


    It was there that they discovered the treasures of the otherworld—artifacts and magical items that defied all scientific knowledge. But along with these treasures, humans also encountered dangerous and vicious monsters capable of tearing them apart with a flick of their fingers.


    However, humans were persistent. The treasures of the otherworld were too enticing to ignore. They struggled against the odds and tirelessly fought the monsters.


    Finally, they found a way to survive - To make a contract with the Gods!


    The gods of the unknownnds bestowed extraordinary powers upon humans in exchange for the promise of extinguishing all the monsters from theirnd. These powers granted incredible abilities to humans, who discovered that they could be even stronger by killing the monsters and offering them to their respective gods.


    And thus began the era of ''Sanctuaries''—gatherings of people serving the same god.


    For an average person, being chosen by the Gods was a great blessing as being a follower of the god means that they could enjoy special privileges and could lead a perfect lifestyle.


    But not everyone was so fortunate as the gods themselves chose their followers through divine messages, especially preferring the young over the aged.


    Most humans could not even catch the eye of a god, prompting them to seek ways to pique the gods'' interest.


    One extreme way was by throwing themselves into the dangers of the otherworld and proving that they could ovee the challenges. By doing that those yet to be chosen hoped for a chance to make a contract with the gods.


    To ensure this, children were taught survival andbat from an early age in school, increasing their chances of getting a contract. The wealthy people even hired private tutors and experienced explorers to teach their children, further enhancing their chances of being selected by the gods.


    But Levi didn''t have that luxury. He was just an orphan who roamed the slums, spending most of his time scavenging for food and without the opportunity to attend a public school.


    Even the citizenship-watch that he recently bought had cost him two years of hard work in government factories.


    "All that work, and here we go."


    He had endured all that suffering and worked his ass off to get an opportunity to enter the unknownnds—or the ''Paradise'' as humans called it— All in the hopes of catching the eye of a god.


    But will he be able to do that? Will his desperate gambit really bear any fruit?


    ---***---


    Lore Snippet 01 - Bliss Portal


    A portal made from the divine power of the gods which had the ability to instantly teleport anything that enters one side to the other. It is said that the ''Paradise'' is located on the other side of a ck hole, and the only way to enter the''Paradise'' is through the Bliss Portal. But is that really the case?