Sometimes wishes came true in the most unexpected way. Zane had his in the most painful way possible. And he doubted anyone could top how his wish came true. It wasn’t like he woke up early in the morning and decided to save someone from getting run over, which inadvertently led him to something else . . . entirely.

So before we get to that part, this was how Zane’s Friday morning started. The door behind him close as he twisted his key on the knob. Locking it tight. He walked away down the corridor, heading to the elevator. But he stopped midway. His eyes glanced back at the door of his apartment as he questioned whether he locked it or not. It was the usual routine of his quick little forgetfulness in the morning. And it didn’t take long for him to travel back down and checked whether it was locked or not. After making sure for the second time, he made a mental note not to turn back after reaching the elevator.

Zane safely escaped his apartment building without turning back for the third time. Usually, he would have second thoughts while going down the elevator, but seeing the clock close to nine, he opted in believing in fate. Not like he didn’t lock the door already, but that’s what happened when a person has a severe case of short-term forgetfulness. It wasn’t to the extent of memory loss, but he was halfway there already.

He took the metro downtown. The MRT station was bustling as usual with people from all walks of life converging at the major public transport of Singapore. The locals were quick on their feet as compared to the few tourists who were among the crowd who ambled in their steps, taking their leisure time. At times, Zane envied them. He didn’t remember when was the last time he had a vacation as he was always buried in work, from nine to five, six days a week. It was hell if he could say it simply. And he bet the majority of the crowd in the station shared the same sentiment.

Yet today of all day seemed different. A train that was supposed to go on after a few minutes was still there stuck on the rail. Glancing at the clock hanging above his head, the next train was about to arrive any second now. But the murmuring huge crowd drew his interest. He slipped through the gap and peaked in between the heads. He was too far to see anything. But the people in front of him were already taking pictures and by chance, he saw the thing they captured on their phone.

Zane frowned. He saw the image of a bloody corpse caught on camera. Then the whispers started to hum in his ears.

“Poor girl, she’s just a student.”

“I think it’s suicide.”

“Shit, can’t she pick a better time? I’m already late for work here.”

…

Different people had different thoughts. Some had empathy while most were annoyed by their schedules being pushed back. The constant cursing that lingered in Zane’s ears made him distance himself from the crowd. Even if he was late, mocking the death of a person was crossing the line for him. He found himself a seat and took a breather from all the negativity of the people these days. It was understandable to an extent. These days people were chasing after money as their life depended on it. It was the modern way of living right now and without money, you’re nothing. Not to forget the increasing tax only made it worse for those middle-class people like Zane here, and he barely reached the threshold.

With the MRT out of commission, Zane took the alternative. After taking a Grab; the Singaporean equivalent of Uber, he arrived right in the nick of time. He didn’t have time to crane up over the generic-looking building in Ansong Road as he bolted through the main entrance. His feet rushed up the stairs and after the fifth staircase, he reached his office floor. Walking through the staircase door, he acted like it he wasn’t in a rush. Yet the drenched back and the flaring nostrils were the big giveaways. Peeking left and right, he sneaked his way into the office and found his cubicle among the fifteen that crammed tightly in this small office. It was a standard office where you could see everywhere like in the series The Office; the floor was covered with gray industrial carpet, the walls decorated with faded motivational posters, and at some corners of the office had potted plants with browning leaves.

He worked as a Software Developer along with the rest of his fourteen compatriots. It wasn’t the ground-breaking app invention as he was only fixing bugs and updating codes for another company’s app. He was an outsource for other companies, doing the menial task while others profit. Well, he couldn’t really complain much as the pay was pretty good in relation to his working hours. And his office mates were pretty good people. There was no Karen or Kyle as the people here did what needed to be done. However, there would always be a ‘but’.

“You’re late,” said a woman. A pair of cold eyes stared down from above his cubicle wall. It was too good to be true as they always said, there was no such thing as a happy working place. Since there was no Karen among the flock, then here it was, the Mama Karen, the manager of this whole department.

“Sorry, Boss. Not going to do that again,” Zane said, smiling awkwardly.

Her glare turned fiercer. Miss Lim wasn’t the type to let things off without giving her own brand of punishment. The type that was well-hated by the whole office. Every eye turned away from Zane as everyone pitied him. She was the clear definition of a mean bitch, throwing papers and files for even the slightest blunder. Zane reckoned the terrible anger management of hers stemmed from the constant failures of her blind dates.

She was close to thirty-five and for a woman in Singapore, the need to get married was making her anxious with each passing day. She wasn’t that bad looking and over those oversized clothes she wore, Zane could see a nice figure. But he bet a nice figure wasn’t enough to sidestep that resting bitch face she had along with that disagreeable personality.

“Come with me,” she said. Leaving first before Zane could even put out a word.

Shaking his head, Zane followed her to her Den of Bitter Spinster. And as Zane thought, he had an earful from the maddening witch. Her screams went straight through the thin walls of her office as every co-worker of Zane could hear his misfortune. Every one of them prayed earnestly for Zane to come out unscathed. Yet the face Zane had when leaving the room was the face of another unpaid overtime. And the rest knew it at first glance. As if they recognized that look even from a mile away.

“Hang in there, bud.”

“I’ll cover for you the next time, Zane.”

“You want some coffee and donuts for the evening? I’ll get your favorites.”

…

His colleagues poured some words of encouragement and Zane could only smile. All fifteen of them went through a lot over the course of three years. Since all of them began working at the same time in this new department. Their first year was splendid, but when their first manager got promoted then came Miss Lim. Since then it was all for one and one for all. They shared the same boat and they would get through the hardships together.

By nightfall, the office was empty except for one person. Zane checked his phone and it was 8:30 p.m. His eyes were barely open and the monotonous clicking of his keyboard within the silence of the office only made him even drowsier. The sudden growl of his stomach made his eyes wide open. It seemed the wanton noodle and dim sum he ate for lunch had done their part and now he sought for a replacement. Peeking at Miss Witch’s office, the lights were off and it was a sign that he could go home early.

Zane packed his things, shut down his computer, and tidied up his desk a bit. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and headed for the door. Zane left the lights on in case the hot-tempered manager decided to pop out through that office door. He didn’t know whether Miss Lim had left or not, but he wasn’t going to stay and find out.

He tiptoed through the gray carpet and found himself right at the main door. Slowly he pulled the glass door, hoping it wouldn’t make a sound.

“Zane?” the inquiring voice belonged to Miss Lim made him turn. His eyes found his manager, standing a few meters away. She was disheveled with her clothes unkempt and her hair was a mess. The almost empty bottle in her hand was a sign she had been drinking for a while now. And who knows how many bottles she had finished back in her office room.

“Um, hi boss,” he said. His left feet were already sliding through the gap between the glass door. He was readied to slip out at any second now.

“Are you leaving?” her mumbling voice barely registered to Zane’s ears. Her head was down with her face covered by her hair. She came closer to Zane with staggering steps, swaying left and right like one of those walkers from the Walking Dead. Then her sudden scream made Zane jump on his feet. “You’re like the rest of those men!” she yelled.

Zane’s jaw fell. Speechless was the only thing he could do. If sobered Miss Lim was already a headache, he didn’t want to imagine how worse it would be if she was drunk.

“Why?!” she shouted and fell to her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks as now came the crying part.

“Yup, I’m definitely not going to deal with that,” Zane said. He took his chance and ran out. Deep down, he prayed the alcohol would mess up her brain and made her forget everything that happened tonight. If not, tomorrow would be another hellish day for him.

He arrived at the metro station with a sandwich in his hand. Along the way, he paid a short trip down to the convenience store and grabbed himself a sandwich and a bottle of coke. It wasn’t enough to fill his empty stomach, but enough to keep it from growling.

He found himself a seat on the bench, waiting for his train. Looking around, the station barely had any people. It was so different compared to this morning where it was jam-packed like a can of sardine. Well, if he got out of work at five, he would have met with another hectic scene of people rushing back home. But it seemed going back late did have its perk.

‘Hmm?’ At the corner of his eye, something caught his interest. A woman dressed in a common office attire was standing way too close to the edge of the platform. Her body was swaying back and forth like reeds blown by the wind. And it worried Zane. He would have said something to her, but in these days he knew well what it meant by the phrase; mind your own business. Letting out a light sigh, he turned his head to the other side, finishing off what was left of his sandwich.

From afar, lights from an incoming train drew his curiosity. He stretched his neck and watched as the train came. His eyes then glanced at the LED notification board above him. “Not my train,” Zane said. He continued eating his sandwich, throwing the last bit into his mouth.

By chance, his eyes wandered back to the office lady, who was still standing at the edge of the platform. His eyes went wide and immediately he rushed. “Stop!” he shouted, frantic over what he was seeing. The office lady was edging herself closer to the platform as if preparing to throw her own body.

He raced against the incoming train, hoping he reached her first. By the nick of time, the tip of his fingers grabbed the blazer of the woman, and by force, he pulled her back. He watched as the woman fell on the floor, screaming with her eyes bawling. She was saved. And yet, the momentum of his sudden sprint made him trip over a small crack on the floor.

Everything happened so fast and he couldn’t stop. Gravity took over his entire body, and he fell. The far metal railing was now becoming closer as the light to his right side got brighter like the sun. He heard a loud screech of braking coming from his right, but it was all too late.

 

* * *

 

“Where am I?” the pure white ceiling that seemed boundless greeted Zane’s eyes. In a flash, he propped his body up and glanced left to right. There was nothing but whiteness like the white of a cloud. Even the floor was white, too white that not even a speck of dust or a smudge of dirt could be seen. Looking at himself, he was still in his office clothes with his bag slung right on his back. “Is this heaven?” he asked as he remembered those last seconds before he was here.

“Unfortunately not,” answered an almost robotic voice. It was neither man nor woman as if it was a mix between two. From the blinding of whiteness, a few shades of colors emerged.

“What the…” Zane was lost for words as he couldn’t really describe the being he was seeing. A dozen pairs of wings in a variety of colors came from the back of a golden sphere with numerous runes and letters engraved on its golden sheen. It floated closer to Zane with its wings remaining motionless.

Zane gulped a mouthful and asked. “Sir, where am I?” the politeness came naturally to him as if it was the obvious.

“A place between two firmaments,” it answered.

“So am I alive or . . .” His lips fell silent. Not having the guts to utter the D-word. Well, who wouldn’t? He was still twenty-nine and too young to die, but he knew death didn’t work like that.

“Ease your mind, Zane, son of Daniel,” it said. “The Reaper is still far from paying you a visit.”

Relief hit him as though the words of this ball of wings were more trustworthy than any words he had ever heard from a human. It was strange, but he felt calm listening to its words.

“But forgive me for saying this, your life on earth cannot be continued,” it said.

Despite the soothing element of its voice, Zane felt being punched right at the gut. He knew it was impossible to survive a hit by a speeding train, and he doubted his body was still intact. Nonetheless, at least the ball of wings ensured that he still lived through another way. He hoped it wasn’t as a ghost since it would be kinda sucked.

“Worry not, Zane, a ghost you shall not be,” it said as if it just read through his mind.

“Wait, did you just . . . Huh, never mind,” Zane said. Caring less about the ability of this winged sphere to read his mind. He was partially dead so reading his mind wasn’t exactly what he called impossible. “So, what is it going to be? Am I staying here or . . .”

“You will be sent to a new world different from the universe you once inhabited,” it said. “A new world where the laws are different, and the logic you have can hardly use to comprehend.”

“Sounds interesting. So am I turning back to a baby or am I going like this?” he asked.

“You’ll go as you are,” it answered. If it had a face it probably would have been smiling. “And for your praiseworthy deed of saving a precious life, it would be rude of me not to reward you.” Four feathers of different colors plucked themselves from its wings and floated towards Zane.

“Fear not as these are abilities that will help you in your new world,” it said. One by one the feathers vanished into Zane’s body and slowly his body started to become transparent.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Zane couldn’t hide his nervousness, fearing he might vanish into nothingness. “Is this supposed to happen, or the feathers have gone bad or something.”

“Calm your nerves, Zane. It's just the necessary process of sending you away,” it said.

Gradually, he was losing his senses from his sight to his touch. As the darkness in his vision narrowed down the voice of the winged sphere echoed subtly in his ears.

“For your new life, I wish you live to the fullest,” it said. But as the darkness slowly succumbed his vision, he barely heard a commotion between two similar voices.

“. . . Can’t . . .”

“. . . Must . . .”

Then everything faded.

 

* * *

 

Zane opened his eyes to the same thing as before as the white ceiling welcomed him. It got him thinking. Did the transfer was a failure? Yet amidst his deep thought, a rhythmic beeping noise kept tickling his eardrums. It was so familiar like he was back in a hospital during his childhood days.

The realization made him turn and he saw it. A frown appeared as it didn’t make any sense to him. He looked around, noticing the bland aesthetic of a typical hospital ward. The smell of antiseptic wafted through his nose and his sight found the IV line poking through his skin. It felt surreal as he thought he should be somewhere else and not here. The thought it was all a dream crossed his mind, but the bigger question was, how in the hell did he survive through a train?

The door to his private room opened, and a nurse in their iconic whites entered with her observational board in hand. “Good morning, Mr—” she stopped her usual courteous greeting. The moment she looked up from her board, she saw a comatose man looking at her straight in the eye. The board dropped and her jaw was left hanging. Zane waved his hand with an awkward smile and the nurse quickly ran out, shouting for a doctor.

What came next was an extensive physical examination from the doctor as they checked everything from top to bottom. They even went out and sent Zane for a bunch of scans at the radiology department, and those weren’t cheap. Thank goodness that company of his provided good coverage for medical insurance. If it didn’t, he would rather die than come here.

“Good news, you’re fine Mr. Zane. Really fine,” the doctor said. “I found nothing at fault with your results, so I think you might be able to be discharged later this evening.” For once in the doctor’s life, he flashed a genuine smile.

The doctor and nurses were about to leave, but Zane stopped them. “Wait, how I did survive the train? And in one piece?” he asked.

The doctor came closer and stood beside the bed. His hands were resting in his white robe pockets as one of them came out and adjusted his glasses at his nose bridge. “This might sound shocking to you, but from the reports we’ve got from the police and also from the MRT company, they told us the train never hit you.”

“What?” Zane frowned.

“It’s hard to believe, but you got lucky. They told us from the video footage, the train managed to stop an inch from . . . Basically killing you,” the doctor said.

Zane was lost for words. Silence was the only thing that came out of his mouth. Then a question arose. “But why I’m here?” he asked.

“Well, you fell unconscious and they brought you here. We did some checking and thought you would be fine. But to tell you the truth, you had been sleeping for four whole days,” said the doctor, breaking another revelation to Zane. “It might be because of the mental shock when facing a near-death experience overloading your brain. So we diagnosed you’re in a coma.”

There was too much for Zane to process at the moment. Too many new things knocking at his brain, scrambling his thought process on what was actually real. The doctor and nurses left him to be with the guarantee of being discharged later this evening. And he didn’t even need to worry about the hospital bill as the company behind the MRT stations took the responsibility of paying them in the name of honoring the ‘hero’. Not like he was one. But it might be a PR move to lessen the criticism towards them over the incident.

In the meantime, Zane questioned the experience he had been through. ‘Was that all a dream?’ thought Zane. He was grateful for being alive, yet the idea of living in another world in another universe was like a fairy tale coming through. And truthfully, he wouldn’t mind giving a go at such a chance.

Alas, he chuckled at those thoughts. “That was a good dream,” he said. “A really wishful dream. But it would have been better if it was a sexy big boob angel than a golden ball with wings.”

Smiling, he leaned back on the bed and rested his head on the pillow. Everything was back to normal and the only thing that bugged him was how he was going to explain his four days of missing work to that annoying Miss Lim. And he doubted saving a damsel in distress would be believable, not to her of course.

“Eh?” but something caught him off guard. Out of nowhere, it emerged, and no, it was not a big boob angel.

[. . . . . .]

[100%]

[Synchronization Complete]

[Status]
[Zane][Lv.1]
[Class: None]
[HP: 10/10]
[MP: 0/0]
[Strength: 5]
[Vitality: 5]
[Agility: 6]
[Arcane Power: 0]
[Perception: 7]
[Available Points: 5]

[Trait]
[Enhanced Drop Rate]
[Multi-Class]

[Unique Skill]
[Warp][Lv.1]

[General Skill]
[Hi-Analysis][Lv.1]