January 1st, 2049
"I swear, everyone felt the same thing at that exact moment..."
BA-DUMP
"It was like my heart and brain had switched places..."
BA-DUMP
"Holding a wine glass in my right hand, I took my first sip, my excited eyes locked on my mother."
BA-DUMP"
Everyone was already eagerly waiting for this moment..."
BA-DUMP
"Life has a way of messing things up, doesn't it? Of course, everything had to go wrong on the day I took my first drink and got accepted into university."
BA-DUMP
"At that moment, sitting directly across from me was my mother. To her left was my father, then my oldest sister Mary, and to her right was my youngest cousin Emily. The table was rectangular, made for ten. Two people sat alone—my uncle Jack beside Mary, and across from him, his wife, Aunt Beatrix."
BA-DUMP
"To my left sat Anton, my older cousin, and across from Emily. To my right was Jacob, a distant cousin but more of a brother to me than anyone else. Beside him sat Kait.
"BA-DUMP"
Behind my mom, a massive TV hung on the wall. My dad had won it with a small jackpot at the casino. It didn't really fit the living room, but no one complained because of its size."
BA-DUMP
"The TV was playing a news channel. Even at low volume, everyone at the table could hear it clearly. Including me. But instead of enjoying the moment, I found myself staring at the screen behind my mom."
[UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE RESEARCH FACILITY]
"I read the subtitle."
BA-DUMP
A man with a red cap was arguing passionately with the reporter.
[2044 PEACE AMBASSADOR JOHN KARSTINE SPEAKS TO OUR MICROPHONE]
"It was as if his words were echoing directly in my mind. No subtitles needed."
[We're all going to die because of these fools! They must stop these experiments immediately! We can't keep damaging the world's ecosystem!]
"I thought John Karstine was just stirring people up like always. I was so wrong."
BA-DUMP
"I had heard about the experiments. The UN had built a massive research facility on one of the world's largest plains because of a strange signal detected on radar. They refused to reveal what they were working on. Today's press conference was supposed to end the mystery, but instead, it only fueled more conspiracy theories."
BA-DUMP
"Today is my birthday—January 1st, 2049. Sounds like a futuristic date from some far-fetched sci-fi story, right? Well, it's not. No flying cars, no asteroid mining. Just the same shitty world. And me? I studied my ass off for three years to get into a dentistry program I didn't even want. I even took a whole year off to study. Worst part? I got in."
BA-DUMP
"It was supposed to be a happy day. My birthday. My first drink. University acceptance."
BA-DUMP
"But the moment that made my heart sink and filled me with a fear so deep I nearly pissed myself... was when Billy Clarkson showed up on the screen."
BA-DUMP
[WE NOW TURN OUR CAMERAS TO BILLY CLARKSON]
"Only Billy Clarkson and the facility behind him were visible on screen."
BA-DUMP
[TODAY, I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE A NEW DISCOVERY!WE'VE FOUND AN ENERGY SOURCE! SOMETHING WE MIGHT EVEN CALL INFINITE!WITH THIS, NO DREAM WILL REMAIN A DREAM—EVERYTHING WILL BE POSSIBLE!ALL OF HUMANITY'S PROBLEMS—TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE, HUNGER, CLIMATE CHANGE—THEY'LL ALL BE SOLVED!ONCE WE FULLY CONTROL THIS ENERGY, WE'LL SHARE IT—NOT JUST WITH THE UN, BUT WITH THE ENTIRE WORLD!WE ARE ENTERING A NEW ERA! LEY ENERGY WILL CARRY HUMANITY INTO THE FUTURE!]
BA-DUMP
BA-DUMP
"That moment... when Billy smiled... something strange happened. Voices echoed in our minds. We didn't know the language, but we understood it. We couldn't make sense of the words, but we could see and hear them clearly."
[ATTENTION, CITIZENS OF THE MORTALIS WORLD. EARTH HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO LEY ENERGY.THE ETERNUM PROTOCOL IS NOW ACTIVE.THE ETERNUM SYSTEM IS AVAILABLE TO ALL.SURVIVE.]
BA-DUMP
BA-DUMP
BA-DUMP
"That's when I knew we were fucked. All those taxes, all that effort... for this?"
BA-DUMP
"Billy froze on TV. My eyes turned to my mother—she was frozen too. Everyone was. We all had questions, but no time for answers. Then I saw the facility explode in a burst of blue flame. Like a volcano, it erupted outward. Billy's eyes widened in horror. Blue flames poured from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Cameras captured everything."
BA-DUMP
"He dived into the crowd and began killing with a single swipe. After a few kills, he paused... and began eating the corpses. Then he moved on to the next."
BA-DUMP
"I felt it. The Ley energy. Not in people... not in the air. From the ground. I saw it enter my mother. My father. Uncle Jack. Even little Emily."
BA-DUMP
"All nine of my family members at the table suddenly had blue light pouring from every orifice. Like fire. They were in excruciating pain."
BA-DUMP
"That's when I knew I was going to die... by the hands of my own family, at a dinner table.The 'Last Supper' replica mom bought four years ago hung right behind me. How poetic."
BA-DUMP
"With my wine glass still to my lips, I sat frozen. I thought I'd fight... but death doesn't give you time to be brave."
ba-dump
"Especially not when you're unlucky... or lucky. Depends on how you see it."
"They didn't attack me. Not at first. The blue light charging inside them built and built..."
BA-DUMP
"I thought maybe I could run. We didn't live in a crowded neighborhood. If I moved fast, I could escape."
BA-DUMP
"But it was all a fantasy. The moment I stood, they exploded. Like mini grenades."
BOOM
"Nine family members exploding was enough to blow up the room and launch me straight through the ceiling into my second-floor bedroom. Still don't know how I broke through the floorboards..."
BA-DUMP
"But hey, at least I didn't get eaten. Just a shitty death. Like getting hit crossing the street. Or shot while sipping coffee at home."
ba-dump
"I landed by my bed. Right in front of Emilia Andrea's half-naked poster.I swear... I smiled through my shredded face."
ba-dump
"Ah, Emilia... I never thought I'd die without seeing you..."
ba-du-ba-
"Anyway... I think I died..."
…
..
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