Shop of the Dead: Shattered Souls - Chapter 18: The Conference

After losing his life in... an unfortunate incident, Ezra is rejected from the summoning by the First Light. He is instead banished from existence. There he meets a being, that claims to have been dreaming since before existence.He agrees to serve this Eldritch entity if he can let him live again. Ezra's soul is then stuck into the body of a young priest, Priest Izikel Vau-Leotard.In this new world, where gods exist and they bless their believers with Divine energy to perform miracles, Izikel is forced to navigate his new life, while serving a Chaos god.In his new life, Izikel vow to live the life of a hero, but what can he do when it seems like Fate itself scoffed at his words.This is Izikel's reality, one he barely has a grasp of, but one he is definitely going to conquer at all cost.CONTENT WARNING:This novel contains themes of suicide, cannibalism, and extreme brutality, along with other dark and potentially distressing topics. Reader discretion is advised..

Behind the calm smile lies a heart riddled with scars.Beneath the weight of fate burns an unyielding gaze.A body trapped in the abyss of despair—if it reaches out, can it grasp the light called hope?A soul locked upon the rack of destiny—if it prays sincerely, can it embrace the future called redemption?

A sound, deep and unearthly, cracked across the sky — like the world itself had been struck with a sledgehammer. The stars flickered, then vanished behind creeping waves of ash and violet light. A fracture spread across the heavens, jagged and violent.And from that wound in the sky... they fell.Shapes. Twisted. Wrong. Crawling, jerking — no longer human.But inside a secluded estate tucked behind electronic gates and manicured hedges, the world still slept.Ryan stirred beneath the sheets, tangled in warmth. Jane Blackwood lay beside him, her breath calm and even. For a fleeting moment, the illusion held.Then—Bang! Bang! Bang!“Ryan!” Maggi’s voice, sharp with panic. A second slam, louder. “Open the door! Now!”Ryan groaned, still half-dreaming. “What the hell’s going on…”He slid out of bed, eyes heavy, limbs slow. When he opened the door, Eleanor nearly collapsed into him. Her hands were streaked with blood, her eyes wild.“They’re here,” she whispered. “The sky cracked open. Something came through. People are changing. Dying. Tearing each other apart—Ryan, this isn’t a dream. This is real. It’s happening.”He turned, pulse hammering. “Get dressed. We’re leaving.”Outside, the world had ended.And the dead had begun to rise.He reached for his clothes, yanking on a shirt. But just as he stepped toward the hallway. The ceiling of the household collapses on their bodies and they died instantly but the pendant given to him by his mother started flickering and next second, In the world unlike Earth, Ryan instantly opens eyes with a gasp and when he sees himself in the mirror. He got reincarnated in another world.Disclaimer : This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Thank you !.