I lay on my back, staring blankly at the starry sky, my soul halfway to the afterlife.
I have been enduring this nightmare for the past five hours.
Five. Damn. Hours.
My body ached in ways I didn't know were possible. My muscles screamed, my bones felt like they'd been reassembled wrong, and my brain had officially given up on making sense of this nightmare.
Honestly, it wasn't too bad at the beginning.
After the initial shock of being bombarded by giggling moons, I'd actually started getting the hang of dodging. By the end of the first hour, I was weaving through the starfall like some kind of cosmic acrobat—or at least, that's what I'd thought. Can't blame myself after getting exploded so many times.
Then I noticed Virion's smile.
He took a glance at my progress and said: "Ah... He's getting too much rest time. Let's spice things up."
And then, the real suffering began.
I call it the [Phase 1: The Stairway to (Hell) Heaven].
With a snap of his tail, the flat platform morphed into a spiraling staircase of floating stone tiles—each one crumbling the second I stepped on it.
"Now it's an obstacle course!" Virion cheered, lounging on a floating chair like some kind of deranged game show host.
I barely had time to process before the first star smashed into the stairs above me, sending debris raining down.
I leapt sideways—only for the tile beneath me to dissolve into nothing.
"WAAAGH—!"
Down I went, plummeting into the abyss.
Splat.
Darkness.
Then—
Poof.
I reappeared at the bottom of the stairs, Virion grinning down at me.
"Oops. Try again!"
I died twelve more times before I figured out the trick—the tiles respawned in a pattern. If I timed it right, I could chain jumps without falling.
I spent more than an hour adapting to it, wanting to give up occasionally but everytime, those near death moments flashed before my eyes, so I could only grit my teeth and force myself to continue.
And what do you know, victory was almost in my grasp.
Then-
"JieJie~"
...Shoot.
With another 'deligtful' remark from Virion, the Phase 2 started - this time the stars learned to hunt.
Just as I reached the halfway point, the stars stopped falling randomly.
They paused midair.
Turned.
And locked onto me.
My blood turned to ice.
"Hehe, catch~" Virion sang.
The stars shot toward me like homing missiles.
"OH COME ON—!"
I bolted, the stairs disintegrating beneath me as the stars chased me like rabid puppies. One clipped my shoulder, spinning me midair before I crashed into another tile—which immediately crumbled.
Splat.
Again.
And again.
I lost the count of times I 'died' and exploded.
Finally, both my body and mind gave up,
And now, here I was.
Lying on a not so hard cloud, questioning my life, my body twitching like a crushed bug.
A shadow loomed over me.
"Aw, don't look so down!" Virion hovered above, sipping his juice. "You lasted a whole three minutes at the Finale! You deserve a compliment!"
I groaned, rolling onto my side.
I wanted to curse the psycho snake, but all that came out was a pathetic, garbled groan—like a newborn baby attempting its first words.
"Aba Aba..."
...Damn it.
Virion chuckled, swirling his juice lazily. "No need to thank me~"
No, I wasn't thanking you.
He waved a dismissive tail. "But if you liked it that much... let's start the bonus round - the Finale After Finale!"
"!"
My eyes widened in pure horror.
No.
No no no—
Before I could even twitch, Virion turned to the stars and winked. "You guys know what to do."
The stars giggled in unison—a sound that would have been adorable if it hadn't haunted me for the past five hours.
Then—
WHOOSH.
They all dove straight at me.
I tried to struggle.
I wanted to struggle.
But my body refused to move, completely spent from the torture.
...
…Well. At least my death will be Oscar-worthy.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable explosion.
1 second passed.
2 seconds.
3.
…Huh?
No pain. No explosion. No BOOM?!
Just… tiny, feather-light pokes all over my body.
Cautiously, I cracked one eye open—
And my usually smart brain nearly short-circuited.
The stars weren't exploding.
They were massaging me(?).
Tiny, glittering star-creatures with stubby little limbs rolled across my aching muscles, their warm, soothing glow seeping into my battered body. Some kneaded my shoulders like expert masseuses, others tapped gently at my sore legs, and a few even hugged my arms, their soft light pulsing in a calming rhythm.
"Mmm~ Feels good, right?" Virion smirked, watching as I melted into the cloud beneath me. "They're 'healing' you. Consider it a reward for playing with them."
I wanted to argue. I should have been furious.
But damn it… it did feel good.
My muscles unwound, the pain fading under the stars' gentle ministrations. Even my mind, frayed from near-death experiences, began to relax.
One particularly bold star nuzzled my cheek before plopping onto my forehead like a warm, glowing hat.
…Okay. Maybe the stars weren't all evil.
Virion's grin turned smug. "See? I can be nice."
I gave him the flattest look I could muster.
"…Sometimes," he amended, tail flicking mischievously.
A beat of silence.
My eyelids grew heavy...
The warmth of the stars... their gentle pulsing...
Maybe... just maybe... I could... sleep...
For a few precious seconds... everything was... peaceful...
Then—
"Alright, break's over!" Virion's voice sliced through the haze like a knife. "Time for Phase 4!"
My eyes snapped open.
The stars immediately stopped their massage, bouncing away with cheerful giggles.
"W-Wait—WHAT'S PHASE 4?!" I croaked, my voice still raw from screaming.
Virion's grin widened.
The stars above began moving—floating toward each other, merging, combining—
Until a single, massive star hovered in the sky, its surface twisting into a terrifying, grinning face.
It lurched toward me.
"AAAAAAAAAH—!"
White-hot pain exploded through my body as the supermassive star slammed into me—
—And then—
GASP!
I jolted upright, my scream still lodged in my throat.
My chest heaved, sweat dripping down my face as I took in my surroundings.
The library.
Wooden shelves. The all familiar scent of parchment.
...I was back?
...
"...Was I just... dreaming?"