And then, a blinding, intense white light completely engulfed him, making it impossible to see anything. For a moment, everything around him spun as if the very world had lost its axis. Paradoxically, despite all that brightness, his vision went black.
"Am I being isekai'd?"
"But… I wasn't hit by Truck-kun, I didn't jump off a building, and I'm not even with my gang..."
"What's going on? Why is this happening? Am I dying?"
"Not now, please... not now!"
His thoughts raced faster than he had ever experienced — but even that wasn't enough to help him make sense of what was happening. At the same speed as his thoughts, his body began to disintegrate into thin air. Not a single hair, not even his clothes, were left behind.
Moments later, a young woman around 22 years old opened the door, glancing from side to side in confusion.
— "Arth, where are you?" she called, scanning the surroundings for her boyfriend. But she saw no one.
— "Get back inside, Mieko. Those pickpockets must be pulling pranks again!" shouted Huroto Wasabi, Arthur's father-in-law.
— "Alright, Dad. Arthur should be here any minute," Mieko replied, heading back inside.
She was a beautiful young woman, with long black hair and deep green eyes that resembled an ancient forest — vibrant, intense, as if they absorbed all light around them. She stood about 1.65 meters tall, with a curvy yet athletic body from working out regularly with Arthur. Her figure was well-balanced, with curves in all the right places.
The Wasabi family had moved from the East five years earlier due to Huroto's job. It took them a while to adapt to the new culture, but now they were true locals. The family consisted of three members: Mieko, her father Huroto, and her mother Isabella, who wasn't of Asian descent.
Two years ago, Mieko fell in love with Arthur. Only they knew the reasons behind their passionate connection — one that soon grew into love. They were on the verge of taking the next big step in their relationship — a step Mieko had no idea would be suddenly postponed.
Meanwhile, Isabella walked out of the kitchen as she saw her daughter come back in.
— "Sweetheart, let Arthur know he's having dinner with us tonight."
— "He's not here yet," Mieko replied.
— "The only good thing that boy had was his punctuality, and now not even that. What a disappointment. How could I let my daughter date a guy like that?" Huroto complained with frustration.
— "Dad, you know Arthur is a good person. And I like him," Mieko said, pretending to be offended.
— "Stop being such a tsundere and criticizing my son-in-law. We all know you like him too. Weren't you even buying a katana so the two of them could train together?" Isabella teased, making her husband look away, embarrassed.
— "I'm buying it because I need someone to spar with — and the boy's good as a punching bag. And who said I like him, hmph," grumbled Huroto, but no one was convinced.
— "Tsundere."
— "Tsundere."
Mother and daughter said in unison.
— "I told you that boy was a bad influence. You learned all those vulgar terms from him," Huroto tried to change the subject to preserve what little pride he had left.
— "Anyway, let's wait for him for dinner," Isabella concluded.
While they waited, the three sat in front of the TV to watch the local news.
Meanwhile, in an unidentified place, a young man lay on a pristine white floor, as if it had never been touched before. That young man was none other than Arthur.
Suddenly, his eyes opened. All he could see was white — and some colorful lights in the distance.
Startled, Arthur's eyes widened as he realized he was no longer in the same place. Worse yet: he couldn't remember how he ended up there.
— "Where am I? How did I get here? I was on my way to Mieko's house… but… argh…" — he murmured, trying to piece together the fragments of his memory, when a sharp headache and wave of nausea struck.
He vomited everything he had eaten before leaving home. But slowly, his mind began to clear. Little by little, his memories returned, and he began to regain his mental balance.
— "That's right! I was at the door, I rang the bell, and suddenly, everything went white, then black, and now… what!?"
He stopped talking to himself as his senses fully activated. Cold sweat dripped down his back. Every hair on his body stood on end. He turned his head toward the overwhelming presence that was suffocating him.
And then… he saw it.
His eyes widened in awe at the supernatural sight before him. In his entire life, he had never witnessed anything like it. A man — or something beyond that — with white hair, seated on a throne that radiated a terrifying aura.
It felt as though he were in the presence of a god.
Even if he had never experienced divinity, he instinctively knew this was exactly how it must feel.
— "You took too long to look this way. I suppose the body of an ordinary human can't handle teleportation without suffering the aftereffects," said the enthroned man, the second part more like a side comment.
The voice boomed like thunder. Every word struck Arthur with a force that echoed in his ears and shook his mortal body. Yet the being remained indifferent — cold and relentless.
— "Arthur Silva. Twenty-five years, fifteen days, and nineteen hours. American. Single. Second son of Anderson and Mikaelly Silva. Boyfriend of Mieko Wasabi. Graduated in Business Administration on July 17, 2024. And…" — he continued listing details of Arthur's life, even those Arthur himself preferred to forget — or didn't even know.
— "After a meticulous search for a suitable candidate — which, by your concept of time, took only a few seconds — I chose you to become the hope of humanity and planet Earth."
— "Who are you? How do you know so much about me? What is this place?" — Arthur fired off questions, stunned.
— "I will answer all your questions. But first… you must learn the truth about the universe — and what is about to happen."