According to most modern philosophers, we're in an era of moral nihilism, where there are no universally agreed-upon moral truths or rules dictating human behaviour. Concepts like right and wrong are seen as arbitrary and don't reflect any inherent truths about the world; instead, they're just opinions about everyday situations.

However, if that were true, Lux would find it exceedingly difficult to accept that his death served no meaningful purpose.

Many would assume that sacrificing oneself to save another is inherently noble, often attributing the title of an honourable, self-sacrificing hero to such individuals. Yet, most fail to consider the perspective of the person in question and rarely question whether they truly believed their death held any noble purpose.

If sacrificing oneself to save another person is considered virtuous, does that imply that dying in any other ordinary circumstance lacks virtue? Consider someone surrounded by their family and loved ones, cultivated through a century of hardship. Could anyone genuinely label that person as lacking virtue simply because their death lacked grandeur?

If this were true, it calls into question the very essence of virtue. Is it merely an arbitrary concept we adopt to impart moral significance to our lives and deaths? Is virtue a fabrication we tell ourselves to inject meaning into our existence, or does our pursuit of virtue give our lives meaning?

These were the questions Luxford Davis grappled with as he confronted the unsettling notion of his demise, brought about by a most accidental circumstance.

Initially, as Lux found himself in this abyssal, empty void he could only vaguely call home, the realization that he had ceased to be a mere smear on the road struck him. The abrupt transition from imminent peril to instant nothingness would leave most feeling nauseated or disoriented, and Lux was no exception.

After what seemed like mere minutes, or perhaps only seconds, spent attempting to steady his thoughts amidst the surreal events, Lux couldn't shake his curiosity about the sudden displacement. Under normal circumstances, finding oneself in the modern-day equivalent of a cosmic void would hardly evoke any calm notion. Yet, within the confines of his new abode, Lux discovered a curious inability to summon any intense emotions beyond soothing tranquillity.

Questions about his identity and how he ended up there flooded Lux's mind next, but after realizing how absurd it was to ponder such things, he abruptly halted.

He was Luxford Davis, a generally decent individual who sought meaning in a world often devoid of it. Lux wasn't known for his bravery or strength; most would barely notice him in a crowd. Nevertheless, despite life's mundanity, Lux found himself embodying a person of virtue. While he couldn't claim to have helped every homeless person on the street, he made earnest efforts to be a decent human being, albeit with varying degrees of success.

Lux had always adhered to his late mother's wisdom: "A little kindness wouldn't hurt anybody." However, he now began to question if perhaps her words were not to be taken so literally, as his kindness had led to his demise.

It had begun as a seemingly ordinary day. The weather was fair, with a brief morning rain soon yielding to radiant sunshine. Lux found himself surprisingly punctual for his college class, much to the astonishment of his teachers, and even had his work shift cancelled due to unexpected building repairs. Despite these favourable omens, the day took a sharp turn upon his return home.

Under normal circumstances, Lux would never have found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, due to the deceptive charm of what appeared to be a good day, his luck swiftly dissipated.

The man, roughly Lux's age, appeared lost in his distraction with a cellphone, oblivious to his perilous position in the middle of the road. While most would chalk it up to bad luck, Lux couldn't help but attribute it to the man's preoccupation.

The encounter unfolded in an instant. With a moving vehicle on a collision course, Lux, propelled by a sudden surge of bravery, attempted to push the man to safety. However, while the event itself was brief, the ensuing pain was anything but.

Although Lux had rescued the man, it was painfully evident that he had failed to save himself, evident from the severe injuries he sustained.

To merely describe the pain as intense would be an understatement; it would diminish the sheer, unbearable agony that ensued as a consequence of his actions. The pain transcended any normal threshold a person could endure both physically and emotionally. It was a sensation so intense and overwhelming that it consumed every aspect of Lux's being. Physically, it made him feel like a relentless, searing agony permeated every nerve and muscle, rendering movement or even thought excruciating.

Lux grasped that the pain he endured was extraordinary in every sense. Despite the severity of the collision that had resulted in his fatal injuries, it shouldn't have felt as if his very soul were being torn from his body and cast into an endless abyss. Yet, inexplicably, that's precisely what had occurred.

Even in this very moment, where time seemed to blur into an indistinguishable haze of days, months, years, or perhaps even centuries, Lux couldn't discern whether what had transpired was merely a figment of his imagination, conjured by the insatiable pain he had endured, or something beyond the realm of ordinary experience.

Was he now traversing the afterlife, with all human accounts of existence beyond death proving both incomplete and inaccurate? Could it be that he dwelled in a realm devoid of the utopian paradise or perpetual torment depicted in religious texts, yet retaining his conscious mind? If Lux were capable, he might have wept at the thought of potentially finding himself in a permanent new home within this void. However, an unyielding serenity pervaded his mind, stifling despair and nurturing a flicker of hope instead.

If he had endured this interminable wait only to emerge unscathed, then surely there must be a reward awaiting him in the end.

Even if modern-day philosophers were correct in their assertions of a world bereft of colour and moral significance, Lux found himself in a position distinct from most others. For that, he could at least entertain the notion that his previous virtuous actions in life had led to this outcome.

Even if it were nought but a delusion, Lux clung to it nonetheless, believing fervently in the existence of a benevolent force that rewarded goodness. Whether this entity took the form of an arbitrary deity from some pantheon or a cosmic being capable of bestowing mercy upon a noble fool, Lux held onto the hope that something awaited him if only he waited long enough.
 

 And long enough he had waited, as a shift within the void began to stir.

'I accept!', Lux hastily replied, desperate to find any way in which could finally enable him to join the living once again.

Lux found himself rendered utterly speechless, a state even more profound than he initially was: Grand Galactic Cosmos Fortuity Extravaganza? A system to call his own? Free rolls and traits to choose from? It was all too much to comprehend.