The Voice in the Void

Chapter 1: The Voice in the Void

When Ren opened his eyes, he expected the harsh white light of a hospital room.

Maybe the sound of a heart monitor. Maybe the worried faces of his friends.

But what greeted him was… nothing.

An endless, pitch-black void stretched in every direction — so vast it made his mind ache just to comprehend it.

There was no up or down, no ground beneath his feet, no air to breathe.

Just silence. Absolute silence.

“...What the—?”

Ren tried to move, but nothing happened. He couldn’t feel his body. Not even his heartbeat.

Am I… dead?

Before the panic could set in, a soft, melodic voice echoed directly inside his head.

“Good day, sir. Congratulations — you have been chosen.”

Ren froze.

“W–Who’s there!?”

“Please don’t be alarmed. From all the souls selected for this divine task, you have been chosen by the god of your world.”

“Selected…? God…? What are you talking about?”

“As you can see, you are now between two universes — a dimensional space far beyond mortal comprehension. Logic, physics, science… none of them exist here. It is an empty realm, waiting to be shaped.”

Ren blinked — or at least, he thought he did. He still couldn’t feel his eyelids.

“This has to be a dream,” he muttered. “Maybe I passed out while reading again…”

“It’s not a dream, Ren,” the voice said gently, almost amused.

“You are no longer in your previous world. I am your virtual assistant — created to guide you in this realm.”

“Virtual assistant?” Ren frowned. “Like… some kind of AI?”

“You could say that,” the voice replied. “But I am far more advanced than any artificial intelligence from your old world.”

Ren’s confusion deepened. “If this isn’t a dream, then where’s my body?”

“You currently have no physical or spiritual form,” she explained. “Right now, you exist only as pure consciousness.”

Ren went silent. The words hit him harder than he expected.

No body…? No spirit…? Then what am I even supposed to be?

“You are a creator,” the voice said softly.

“And your ability… is the ultimate one. You possess the power of pure imagination — the ability to create anything you can conceive.”

Ren’s eyes widened — or would have, if he had eyes.

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “A power like that should have a catch, right? Some kind of weakness?”

“There is none,” the voice answered.

“Across every universe and every plane of existence, no being has found a single flaw in this ability.”

Ren fell silent again.

No flaw… no limit… no weakness.

It almost sounded like a setup from one of those fantasy web novels he used to binge.

Except this time, he was the protagonist.

He let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. “So… I can do anything?”

“Yes. And your first task, Ren… is to create a new universe. You will become its God of Creation.”

For a long moment, there was only silence.

Then, Ren smiled.

All those years reading stories about reincarnation, gods, and worlds built from nothing…

And now, he finally had the chance to write his own.

“Fine then,” he said.

“If this is real… let’s make something truly amazing.”