Chapter 1 THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

June 9th, 2021

Austin, 30 and unmarried, worked as a pharmacist at one of the country's top hospitals. On his way to work, a deafening, thunder-like sound shattered the morning air, making his heart race. In an instant, everything around him plunged into darkness. Emptiness and silence swallowed him.

"So dark. What happened? Did I go blind?" he wondered aloud.

As he strained to see, a tiny light flickered in the distance. That faint glow pierced the void, bringing an unexpected sense of relief to his trembling soul. "A light! At least I'm not blind," he thought. "Okay, calm down. Think, don't panic. I was just walking on the sidewalk to work when everything went dark and silent. I'm not dreaming, but this doesn't make sense. How could everything disappear so quickly? This is bizarre... That light... Is it safe? Should I approach it?"

After weighing the pros and cons, Austin decided to approach the tiny light. However, he soon discovered he couldn't move at all. He tried several times, but to no avail-he was completely helpless. To his shock, he realized he had no physical body.

"What the hell is happening? Am I hallucinating?" he exclaimed.

He had only seen this kind of situation in some fantasy stories, but never would he imagine he would encounter it himself. Despite his confusion, he wasn't scared. In fact, he felt a spark of excitement. As a fantasy aficionado, he was open-minded about bizarre phenomena. He knew that anyone else in his situation would likely freak out, but not him.

Excitement aside, Austin knew he needed to figure out what was happening and how to escape this predicament. He tried to approach the light again but made no progress. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.

"I don't have a physical body, but I'm conscious. Maybe I can control my mind," he murmured to himself.

Without hesitation, Austin focused on controlling his mind, imagining himself slowly approaching the source of the light.

"It actually worked! The light is getting closer!" he exclaimed, thrilled that his idea had worked.

An hour passed, and Austin finally reached the source of the light. It was a translucent, fist-sized orb, glowing like a light bulb and illuminating the surrounding darkness. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a familiar scene playing inside the crystal ball. "Wait, that's me!" he gasped.