Chapter 1: Dice in the Dark
Dirgantara thought he was just asleep.
Until he wasn’t.
He opened his eyes into a world coated in shadows—not pitch black, but murky, like twilight filtered through smoke. The air was thick. Cold. It pressed against his lungs like unseen hands, squeezing tight. Every breath felt like swallowing tar.
Then he saw him.
Or it.
A man—at least in shape—but with the head of a rabbit. Not a cartoonish bunny, no. Its fur was pristine white, but the eyes... the eyes were a deep, glowing crimson. Long ears twitched in rhythm with some invisible beat. It wore a sharp red tuxedo, tailored to perfection, like it had just stepped out of a cursed fashion magazine.
Dirga couldn’t move. He wanted to scream. His body wouldn’t obey.
The creature extended a hand and placed something in his palm—a single six-sided die, smooth and heavy.
"Play," the voice said.
It wasn’t spoken aloud. The word echoed inside Dirga’s head, like a whisper burrowing into his skull. It slithered down his spine, into his soul.
"I know what you want. Win, and everything you desire will come true. Lose... and I get your soul."