Reality returned in fragments.
Aiden opened his eyes to an empty sky, lit by moonlight from… two moons?
He rubbed his eyes—twice. The moons stayed.
"Is this… the afterlife?" he muttered, pushing himself upright. Cold, damp grass pressed against his hands. Soil clung to his fingers. Around him stretched a vast grassland.
The man had said he'd grant his wish… but this wasn't what he'd asked for.
"Is he just a really bad wish-master?" Aiden said. "I definitely asked to cease existing."
He stood, trembling, but managed a weak laugh. It helped. Once steady, he explored.
Aside from the moons, nothing seemed strange—until he remembered: his city had no grasslands.
"The moons are a dead giveaway I'm not in that world," he muttered, sitting. "Did he mishear me and send me somewhere else?"
It was absurd—but believable. His life had unraveled enough to make demons feel plausible.
For now, he accepted it: he had been transported.
And for now, he wanted to see what this world held.
Memories clung to him like drowning hands—Nail, mangled. His mother's teeth. Ronnie's freckled face.
"Instead of fearing this is a different world," he whispered, "I sure hope it is."
He rose again, this time with purpose, and walked into the unknown.
★★★
He walked for hours. Nothing changed. The grasslands stretched on, hill after hill.
"Middle of nowhere?" he muttered. "This can't go on forever."
Determined, he marched faster, rested longer, but didn't stop.
His stomach growled. He believed the end held some reward—until it didn't.
Aiden stared.
"You have to be kidding me."
The grass ended—replaced by ash and hot, humid air. The grasslands had been a haven.
But Aiden was never meant for havens.
"I came this far… might as well see the end," he muttered, descending the hill. "Feels like it'll be a desert."
More walking.
He was wrong.
No desert.
Just nothing.
The land ended—and so did everything else. The world's edge.
He threw a rock. It vanished into the void. The black edge stretched endlessly.
"The end of the world," he whispered. "Time to be wise and turn back. I hope I never see this again."
★★★
The grasslands returned, and with them, joy. The edge explained everything—why nothing lived.
"Did that man send me here to suffer?" he laughed. "As if there wasn't enough of that already. I'd still choose this, old man!" he shouted. "And… I'm losing it."
Hours passed. Hunger gnawed. He talked aloud to break the silence.
Eventually, Aiden fell to his knees.
"A flower!" he cried. "I was right! Farther from the edge, more life!"
He hadn't expected to be moved by a flower. But it had been a rough few days.
More flowers. Then plants. Then water. He drank—tasteless, but lifesaving.
As he washed in a pond, he saw it: a red-eyed rabbit with muscular legs.
Aiden blinked.
His stomach growled.
He sprinted.
The rabbit bolted, a blur across the grass.
"I refuse to let my dinner escape!" Aiden shouted, chasing.
The rabbit stayed ahead. It was the only white thing in the field—easy to track, impossible to catch.
Aiden gave everything. His body failed.
He collapsed.
Then—weight on his back.
The rabbit.
"Uh," Aiden muttered, "Hello?"
It stared, then let out a strange cry.
Aiden tried to move—but it was heavy.
Another cry echoed.
He understood.
It was calling others.
He shoved upward. The rabbit leapt away.
Then—swarms. Dozens of rabbits charged toward him.
Aiden ran.
They chased.
Roles reversed.
One leapt onto him.
He fell.
They piled on.
Clawed at him.
No bites—just weight.
He choked. Crawled. Failed.
Air thinned. Vision blurred.
Then—a sound tore through the sky.
The rabbits scattered.
Aiden gasped like a drowning man.
Once steady, he saw a figure nearby.
A man, rifle raised.
The rabbits stood behind him—obedient.
"Who the fuck are you?" the man asked. "And what are you doing in this forsaken place?"
Aiden didn't answer. He studied the man—forties, mottled beard, hunting gear.
The rifle pointed at Aiden.
"Answer, or become food for my rabbits."
"If I knew where I was, I'd gladly leave," Aiden said, hands raised. "I just woke up here."
"You an outworlder?"
"A what?"
"Someone from another world," the man said, eyeing Aiden's clothes. "You look the part."
"Is that a thing here?"
"Not common, but it happens. Outworlders usually show up near the edge."
"I've seen the edge," Aiden muttered. "Is it really the end?"
"You've been there? That's reckless," the man spat. "Come. Let's get you to my place."
"I was taught not to follow armed strangers," Aiden said.
"Your call," the man shrugged. "But the rabbits are the least of your problems. Nothing pleasant lives on the edge."
Aiden believed him. If he meant harm, he could've done worse already.
The rabbits parted for them. Aiden followed.
They walked for two hours—Aiden barely able to.
The man gave him dried meat.
Eventually, they arrived.
Fields of crops, rabbits tending them.
A wooden house at the center.
The man set down his rifle and led Aiden inside.
The house was a mess—hides, tools, old food.
"Don't mind the mess. I don't get visitors," the man said, offering soup.
Aiden devoured two bowls, then collapsed on the couch.
"Never seen a man so starved," the man said, sharpening a blade. "Where are you from?"
"As you said—another world."
"Well, I'll be damned. An outworlder in my house."
He leaned in. "Let me ask you something."
"Go ahead," Aiden said.
"Does your world have outworlders too?" The man's eyes lit up—hope.
"My world doesn't even know other worlds exist," Aiden admitted. The hope vanished.
"I see," the man nodded. "Rest. I'll guide you to the nearest city when you're ready."
"What was that question about? And why live on the edge?"
The man stared at the floor.
"I'm looking for someone," he said. "My brother. He believed the edge wasn't real. One day he fell—and never came back."
"And you're still looking?"
"My rabbits are. I just wait, hoping they find him. But they never do."
Aiden didn't know what to say.
"I just hope he's safe—somewhere out there."
Then, the world spun. His vision blurred. A holographic window appeared.
★ [You have received a new wish!] ★
Aiden blinked.
He rubbed his eyes.
But the window was still there. It was small the size of a palm, with words engraved on it. He could see through the window, and it moved with vision.
The man noticed Aiden shaking his head.
"You alright?"
"I am," Aiden said. "Are there other things about your world that I don't know? Like… wish masters or demons?"
"What an odd question to ask," the man chewed on the answer with a smile. "Here on the edge, we don't have that. But the closer you get, the more bizarre things appear. They make sense, but not to me."
"Bizarre things? Like what?" Aiden questioned.
"Magic, monsters, or demons—anything really. I've never heard of wish-masters though," the man said. "This world is full of oddities, but you'll get used to them."
Aiden was silent.
Because he was experiencing such an oddity now.
★ [You have received a new wish!] ★
However, he didn't dare to reveal this strange window to the man.
"You look a little pale. Rest here and adjust. I need to feed the rabbits now," the man said before jumping from his chair.
Before Aiden had time to call for him, the man left. Aiden sighed because he didn't get his name. But right now, he had more important things to understand.
"A new wish?" Aiden muttered. "What is it?"
As if answering him, a new window appeared.
[…]
Then, familiar words began appearing on the screen.
★ [The Wishbound System] ★
[Status]
[Desire Meters]
[Wish Log]
[Exchange]
The five rows appeared instantly.
Aiden looked at it in silence.
"Is this what crazy people feel like?" Aiden muttered. "I can't understand anything anymore."
Instead of attempting anything, Aiden stared in silence at the five rows of flickering lights. In the end, he sighed and began exploring them.
Aiden thought about opening his Status.
More rows appeared.
Instead of gaining clarity, he was eve more confused.