IN JODIFLE PLANET

Chapter 1

"Darkness in darkness, hypocrisy, and betrayal. Where is justice? Where is equality? But what good are they anyway as we march towards our demise? Yet who am I to say such things? I am only a person with my head in the lion's mouth like everyone else". The more I contemplate these words, the more I realize that I was deluded by vanity and extreme weakness. At one point, I thought I was the best and the smartest without a doubt, but eventually, I became disillusioned. And to add insult to injury, those words deepened my wounds, and I realized that I am nothing but a victim. If not for that experience, I would have continued to live in this delusion.

It was a rainy day, where the rain fell heavily. I woke up feeling extremely sluggish and proceeded to do my usual boring routine tasks. After that, I headed to the café, but as I was crossing the street, I noticed people's faces changing. They were shouting at me from afar, "Hurry up, you idiot! Run, or you'll meet your death!" I turned to my right and saw a car coming towards me. Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn't followed the cursed instructions, which were to look right and left before crossing. But what was the use of my memory? I felt my body go numb with peace, but despite that, I didn't want to die. I tried to run, but my arms and legs barely moved in slow, sluggish movements. Forgive me, my sister, I have failed to fulfill your wish. It seems I am trapped in an eternal injustice.

After a moment of contemplating the darkness, I heard someone talking to themselves. I still remember what they said, "I hate this task now. Why am I always punished with searching the sewers? If this continues, I'll lose my job and my sense of smell." Wait a moment, what's that thing thrown over there? Damn it.

They are the wretched again," he paused for a moment, then said, "Hey, wake up, you! I was surprised. He was addressing me, but what amazed me was my sense of my body. I thought I was dead. But why did he call me wretched? To be honest, he wasn't lying, but to say it directly to someone is harsh. I opened my eyes and wished I hadn't. It's hard to describe what I saw, but I'll try to paint a picture for you. He was a tall man with a strong build and a handsome face that exuded confidence. After a moment, I noticed the place where I was. It was a little dirty, but it wasn't the sewers I knew. He looked at me and said, "What's your name?" I answered, "I don't know. I'm an orphan, but they call me Atchahin." He looked at me and said, "You don't deserve that name. If you're worthy, I'll call you Burden." I was scared of this person, and that was natural. I was in an unknown place and didn't know its people, laws, and customs. After a moment, he shouted in my face, "Follow me, Burden. We're waiting for you for a test that's divided into two parts. You have to pass it to be accepted into our world.