-Deleted Novel-

I blinked, staring at the figure before me, my mind struggling to catch up. The words they spoke echoed in my head, but they didn't quite make sense. "You're not dreaming," the figure had said, and for some reason, that sounded absurdly far-fetched. I mean, come on—this was clearly a dream. Right?

"Oh wow, is this like one of those stories where the MC is summoned to another world to save it?" I muttered, rubbing my temples. "Haha, man, I've been reading a lot of isekai stories lately, to the point that I'm even lucid dreaming about them! That's gotta be it. This is just me having one of those really vivid dreams."

The figure didn't respond immediately, just stared at me with its shifting, shimmering form. It was both humanoid and not—impossible to describe, like a mirage caught in the midst of transformation. My head ached from trying to process anything that was happening.

"Let me make this clear," the figure finally spoke, its voice soft but firm, bypassing my ears and settling directly into my mind. "You are not dreaming. You have passed the preliminary trial. A select few can even reach this stage. You are now competing to become the god of a godless world."

I blinked again, my stomach somersaulting. "Competing to become a god? What are you talking about?" I couldn't quite wrap my mind around it. A god? In a world without one? Everything about this felt wrong, like an awful joke I was too tired to laugh at. There was no way this was happening. "This has to be a joke."

The figure didn't flinch, didn't even seem to notice my confusion. It continued. "You will be tested. Only one may succeed. The rest will fade from memory, their existence erased as if they had never been."

And then it hit me. The finality of it. This wasn't some game. This wasn't just a vivid dream. I had no control over it. I felt a cold sweat break out across my forehead, and I began to feel dizzy as if the ground beneath me could give way at any moment. My breath hitched. "Wait—wait, hold on. I need to... I need to understand this." I stammered, my thoughts racing in chaotic circles.

"You may ask three questions," the figure offered.

I didn't waste time. The logical part of my mind, the part that had gotten me through years of programming and robotics, tried to take over. I needed answers—real answers. "What happens if I fail?" I blurted out first.

"Those who fail forget. Everything. The trial, the world, even this conversation. It will be as though you never existed here."

I could feel my heart skip a beat. "What? So, I won't remember any of this? I—" I felt my voice crack, and I couldn't finish the thought. It felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and if I took a step forward, I'd fall into nothingness.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Why must I do this? And... why is this happening?"

The figure's form shifted slightly. I couldn't read its face—it didn't have one—but I could almost feel its gaze upon me. "The world you are competing for is Cronis. It is a world without a god. Its current god has perished, and the world teeters on the edge of collapse. Without a god, Cronis cannot last for long. Earth is the closest world with sentient life capable of ascension, and you have been chosen to help. You are here to save Cronis before it falls apart."

"Wait," I muttered, trying to make sense of all this. "You're saying... Cronis is broken? And I'm supposed to fix it?"

"Yes."

My stomach churned. This was insane. No. This was impossible. "And what happens to my life?" I finally asked. "What happens to... me?"

The figure didn't hesitate. "You will cease to exist. As if you never were."

I swallowed hard, the weight of the words pressing down on me. So much for everything I had known. The life I had, everything... would disappear. Just like that. My chest tightened, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But I couldn't do anything. All I could do was stand there, frozen.

The figure's tone softened, if only slightly. "The choice is yours, Subra Fitz. Will you accept this trial, or will you allow Cronis to fade, lost to time?"

I didn't know what to say. I just stood there, staring, trying to come to terms with the impossibility of it all. But then, just as I thought I might collapse, the figure lifted a hand and opened a swirling portal behind me.

"This is the first trial," the figure said, its voice clear and firm. "Step through. Your journey begins now."

I stared at the portal, my heart pounding in my chest. "I'm not ready for this," I whispered to myself. But something inside of me told me that there was no turning back. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, this was happening.

I walked through the portal to find...