Chapter 1:
"You have been admitted into Candlelight Mythology School!"
A loud, enthusiastic voice filled the room. The professor, an older man with a wide grin, stood behind his desk, holding a thick stack of papers. Any normal student would have been ecstatic at the announcement. This was one of the most prestigious academies in the region, a place where myths and legends were studied, and where the best student were molded into greatness.
Yet, the boy sitting at his front was anything but thrilled.
Jayden—tall, blonde, and expressionless—stood motionless, his brown eyes devoid of any excitement. He wasn't calm, nor was he nervous. He was just… blank. His gaze rested on the professor as if he were staring at a flickering lightbulb—acknowledging it but not particularly caring for it.
The professor's smile wavered slightly.
"Oh… Are you done?" Jayden finally spoke, his voice monotone and uninterested.
The professor frowned. "No, you need to go through formalities first—"
Before he could finish, Jayden's phone buzzed in his pocket. His eyes flickered down. A notification flashed across his screen:
[New Episode of Naruto Shippuden is out!]
For the first time that day, Jayden showed emotion—a slight twitch in his brow. Without waiting for another word, he grabbed the admission form, crumpled it slightly, and turned around.
The professor's face twisted in irritation. "Hey, I'm not done yet ,Come back here"
Jayden ignored him.
He had priorities.
Jayden—known by some as J.A.D.E.—was nineteen, a young adult with no friends, no family, and no attachments to this world. The only person who ever spoke to him without disdain was his landlady, an elderly woman who occasionally gave him extra food when she noticed he hadn't eaten all day.
But Jayden didn't mind the solitude.
People called him cursed. They whispered behind his back. "That emotionless freak." "He's not normal." "I heard misfortune follows him."
None of it mattered. The only thing that brought him comfort, that made life bearable, was anime.
He lived for it.
The way characters in those worlds fought for their beliefs, how they struggled, cried, and stood up again—it was the only thing that made him feel something. While others chased friendships, dreams, and love, he only chased one thing: the next episode.
Night fell, and Jayden sprinted across the street, his hood pulled over his head as he made his way home.
Then
BOOM!
An explosion thundered through the air, shaking the ground beneath him. His breath hitched as a blinding flash of fire erupted from a nearby building. The sky turned orange with flames licking at the dark clouds.
Jayden stopped.
A crowd had already gathered in front of the Two storey building. People murmured, pulling out their phones, recording, staring in shock. Yet no one moved. No one dared to step forward.
Jayden turned away. Not my problem.
Then
A scream.
A child's voice.
Jayden's heart skipped a beat. He whipped around. Through the raging fire, he saw tiny hands pressed against the cracked window.
There are kids inside.
His body moved before his mind could catch up. He ran.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" someone shouted.
Ignoring them, Jayden sprinted into the inferno, pushing through the shattered entrance. Smoke choked his lungs as the suffocating heat pressed against his skin. The fire danced wildly, consuming everything in sight, but he didn't stop.
Find them. Save them.
One by one, he found the children scared, coughing, barely able to move. Lifting them in his arms, he guided them out. Again. And again.
The pain in his legs. The burning sensation on his skin. None of it mattered.
He just kept going.
A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips. The irony wasn't lost on him—his own life had been meaningless, yet here he was, playing the hero.
But it wasn't about him. It was about them.
The building groaned, its foundation trembling. Cracks slithered up the walls, chunks of debris crashing to the floor.
Jayden found the last child—a small boy curled in the corner, sobbing.
He lunged forward, grabbing the boy and hauling him over his shoulder. "Come on, kid—"
The ceiling above them split.
Shit.
Jayden's instincts took over. With every ounce of strength left in his body, he sprinted toward the window. His muscles screamed in agony. The floor crumbled beneath his feet.
At the last moment, he threw the boy forward—out of the window—toward the safety of the crowd below.
The child landed in waiting arms. The people gasped. The kid was safe.
Jayden let out a breath of relief.
And then—
BOOM.
The entire building collapsed.
A crushing weight slammed down on him. His ribs cracked. His vision blurred. An unbearable wave of pain crashed through his body.
His breathing slowed.
Everything around him turned dark.
His fingers twitched as he reached for something—anything—but there was only emptiness.
And in his final moments, only one thought echoed in his mind.
"...I never got to watch the episode."
A bitter smile formed on his bloodied lips.
So, this is how it ends.
His heartbeat slowed.
His mind faded into endless darkness
And the last thing he heard before the darkness took him was the sound of the flames consuming everything.