The city is quiet in a way that feels unnatural . Streetlights dim. Water moves below, unseen but present.
The wind howls. Leo stands on the edge of a towering bridge, the city lights a blurry, indifferent spectacle below. He takes a deep, shaky breath.
Not shaking . Not crying.
Just… empty.
Fifteen years . In a world that gave nothing but the grind of poverty and the hollow echo of unmet hopes, a terrible farce was played out. The metropolis stretched down below, a galaxy of uncaring lights, each a far-off sun he would never be able to reach. He was standing on the edge of his own demise rather than a bridge. Against his shaking hands, the cold metal of the railing was a familiar, sharp comfort.
Sam is his younger brother. An innocent lighthouse, a delicate butterfly in the face of their life's storm. Leo's carefully crafted apathy was only weakly held in place by the thought of Sam's laugh, a sound so pure it could shatter it.
How could he protect Sam, how could he give him a future that wasn't painted in the drab hues of their present, when he himself was drowning?
The screech of tires was a violation of the night's mournful symphony. A silhouette detached itself from the shadows of an impossibly sleek black car, a figure clad in an obsidian suit that seemed to absorb the very light around it. "Leo". The name, spoken in the man's deep, resonant voice, was a low hum that vibrated with an unspoken power. He didn't approach with haste, but with the deliberate, inexorable pull of gravity.
Footsteps echo behind him.
Slow. Measured. Intentional.
He doesn't turn.
The Voice
"Timing is inefficient."
The voice is calm. Not concerned. Not surprised.
He glances back.
A man in black stands beneath the streetlight—perfectly still, like he's always been there.
The First Exchange
"Go away."
The boy's voice is dry.
The man tilts his head slightly.
"If you proceed, your brother's trajectory worsens."
Silence.
That gets his attention.
The Hook
"…what?"
The man steps forward, just enough for his face to be visible—but not enough to feel human.
"No speculation. Projection."
He pulls out a thin file.
"Your brother fails his exams within two years.Financial instability follows.Probability of long-term decline: 78%."
The boy's grip tightens on the railing.
The Offer
The man closes the file.
"I am not here to stop you."
A pause.
"I am here to offer a transaction."
Terms of the Deal
"Your current life ends tonight."
The boy's eyes narrow.
The man continues:
"In exchange, your brother receives… a corrected future."
"Education. Opportunity. Stability."
"Guaranteed."
The Price
"And me?"
The man looks at him—not with pity, but evaluation.
"You become an asset."
"Your identity will be erased."
"Your choices will no longer be your own."
A beat.
"You will not live for yourself again."
A smirk.
"I never did."
The Decision
The city feels distant now.
Only two things exist:
His brother.And the man.
"Proof."
The boy's voice is steady.
The man hands him a photograph.
His brother.Smiling.Standing in a place he has never been before.
A future that shouldn't exist.
The Shift
"…what do I have to do?"
The man's expression doesn't change.
"Step away from the edge."
A pause.
"Everything else… will be taken from you."
The boy looks down one last time.
Then steps back.
"Good," the man says.
"Welcome to Project : VOID"