The Sovereign’s Audit: Leveling to Slay the Heavens

Jack stood in the middle of the office. His boss, Mr. Miller, was holding a small cardboard box. He dropped it on the desk.

​"Pack your things, Jack," Mr. Miller said. He did not look up from his phone. "We are letting you go."

​Jack felt his heart drop, his fingers were shaking. "Sir, please. I have worked here for six years."

​He finally looked at Jack. His eyes were cold. "We found a mistake. Someone has to take the fall for it."

​"But I didn't do anything wrong!" Jack’s voice went high and thin. He hated how weak he sounded. He had spent his whole life sounding like this. "I can fix it. Just give me the weekend. I will stay here and fix every line."

"No," Miller said. He picked up a trash can from the corner. He turned it over and dumped the contents into Jack’s box. "Get out before I call security."

​Jack looked at the mess in his box. He thought about his life. He grew up in a house where he was always told to be quiet. He went to a school where he was the boy everyone pushed around. He was thirty-five years old, and he had spent every single day bowing his head to people who didn't even know his name.

​"Please," Jack whispered one last time. "I have nowhere else to go."

​"Not my problem," Miller said.

​

Jack picked up the heavy box. He walked out of the office. He could feel everyone watching him. He could hear them whispering. He walked to the bus stop and sat down, he didn't cry. He was too empty for tears.

​When he reached his apartment building, he saw two men standing by the stairs. They were wearing dark jackets. Jack knew them. He owed them money for a debt he could never pay off.

​"Where is our money, Jack?" the bigger man asked.

​"I just lost my job," Jack said. He tried to walk past them, but the man grabbed his arm. The box fell to the ground. His things spilled across the dirty floor.

​"That sounds like a you problem," the man said. He punched Jack in the stomach.

​Jack fell to his knees. He couldn't breathe. The second man kicked him in the ribs. Jack rolled onto his side.

​"Friday," the man said, leaning down. He smelled like cheap cigarettes. "If the money isn't ready, we are going to do much worse. Do you understand?"

​Jack just nodded. He stayed on the floor for a long time after they left. He looked at the trash from the office mixed with the dirt from the hallway. It was a perfect picture of his life. Everything was a mess. Everything was at zero.

​He got up and left the box there. He didn't need those things anymore. He ran to the train station. The air was cold, but he didn't feel it. He walked onto the platform and stood at the very edge.

​The ground began to shake. A deep roar came from the tunnel. Jack looked at the bright lights of the train as they came closer.

​"I’m done," Jack said to the empty air.

​As the train rushed at him, Jack closed his eyes and jumped.

​The sound of the train vanished. The wind stopped moving. Jack opened his eyes, expecting to feel pain, but there was nothing. He was standing in a white space. It went on forever in every direction. There was no sun, but everything was bright.

​A few feet away, a tall figure appeared. It was made of light that shifted and moved.

​"Who are you?" Jack asked. He looked around. "Where is the train? Did I miss?"

​"I am the Creator," the light said. The voice was deep and filled the whole space. "You would call me God."

​Jack stared at the light. He didn't feel afraid. He just felt annoyed. "A god? Are you kidding me? This is a joke. I’m dying, and my brain is making up a story to keep me from panicking. You are just a dream."

​"I am real, Jack," the light said. "I saved you. I pulled you away from the tracks because I have a use for you."

​"A use for me?" Jack started to laugh. It was a loud, angry sound. "Nobody has a use for me. Where were you when I needed a god, huh? If you’re a god, you should know that I’m a failure.l and I hate you because you are not real. Put me back. Let the train hit me."

​"You are ungrateful," the light said. The white space grew brighter. "I am giving you a second chance at life."

​"I don't want a second chance!" Jack screamed. He stepped toward the light. He was shaking with rage. "Do you know how hard it was to jump? Do you know how long I had to think about it? I finally found a way out, and you ruined it! You’re not a god. You’re just another boss trying to tell me what to do. I’m calling you Being X, because you’re just a thing I want to ignore."

​

"You will not ignore me," Being X said. The voice was like thunder. It made Jack’s ears hurt. "You think life is a burden? I will show you what a burden really is. I will put you in a place where you cannot run. You will learn to pray to me. You will beg for my mercy."

​"I will never pray to you!" Jack yelled. He shook his fist at the light. "I would rather stay dead than live for you! Let me go!"

​"It is too late," Being X said. "The deal is made. Go and live, Jack. See if you can handle the world I have chosen for you."

​"Wait!" Jack shouted. "No! Put me back!"

​The white light exploded. Jack felt like he was being pulled apart. Everything went black.

​He woke up. It was very dark. The air was cold and smelled like old dust. He tried to move his arms, but he hit wood on both sides. He tried to sit up, but his head hit a heavy board just inches above his face.

​He was in a box.

​Jack panicked. He pushed against the lid with both hands. It was very heavy. He felt a sharp pain in his neck. He reached up and touched his skin. There was a thick, rough line that went all the way around his throat. It felt like a scar from a knife.

​"What is this?" he whispered. His voice sounded different. It was younger and smoother.

​Suddenly, a blue screen appeared in the air. It was glowing in the dark.

​[System Initializing...]

[Host: Killian]

[Status: Soul Merged]****

​Jack stared at the words. "Killian? Who is Killian?"

​"Being X!" Jack yelled. His voice echoed off the cold walls. "You bastard! I know you can hear me! Bring me back! I don't want to be here!"