Sometimes, I get the thoughts of changing the world to become a more peaceful and quiet place that housed not only the happiness of the people but also nature itself.
Discrimination by age, race and gender are everywhere in this planet called Earth. I was taught manners to respect the old. But why should I? Why is it that if I defend myself from an older person's lecture, I get either physical or verbal violence? They just don't want to be wronged by someone younger.
Many people seem to do good deeds only when someone is looking and it's quite funny, even I do it so that their impression of me improves even if just a little. We're probably just making others think we're such splendid people. I often used to think that「if you have done something good in your life, that deed will come back to you in full.」
But what now? After all the good deeds I have done, why is this happening?
As I thought all these, the actual situation I was in was very severe. I have to make the right choice. Right now, in front of me...
The person who has given birth to me and raised me, my mother...
Is about to get hit by a truck.
- One hour ago -
「Yukio! Wake up and eat breakfast! It's your first day of college so make sure you won't be late!」
That was my mother calling me from below my room's floor. We lived in a proper and modest house two stories high.
I'm quite a slothful person you see, and because I'm as lazy as a giant panda... I often wished I had the power to do anything or atleast the power to teleport myself. Like this.
「Teleportation!」
Ofcourse, nothing happened...
I get my hopes up almost every week that I somehow awakened to some strange power but ofcourse and quite obviously, I don't.
You're probably thinking I'm crazy but I'm not, it's normal to dream big, right? Why do magic not exist anyway! Aaaaaagh!!
Bang! Bang!
「Uh oh. Coming!」
My mother impatiently knocks on the door of my room whenever I'm taking too long to get up after she called me.
And so, I got up before I get my ass beaten at age 19. Fortunately, I've warned her not to barge into my room because... You know, I'm a man in his teens and you know what we do when we're alone.
I quickly got up and stretched my arms.
Then after a whole minute of staring at the ceiling imagining myself graduating college with my mother crying tears of joy, I finally came back to my senses after being slapped on the right cheek by that very person called my mother.
「I said... Get up.」
But I am up!
Ofcourse I couldn't tell that to the person herself or else I would have two swollen cheeks from two powerful blows from this monsterous witch namely my mom.
And so...
I walked out of the room following my mother. Passing by my cabinet filled to the brim with my messily tucked clothes then to the corridors leading down the stairs.
And now I'm in the kitchen eating breakfast which was one cup worth of rice, three sausages and one cooked chicken egg.
I turned on the Television while eating since it's a natural thing to do while enjoying my meal. Almost immediately after it was turned on, a man's voice came out from the speakers of the TV.
[ Yesterday night, around 7 o' clock. At the mountain regions of Philippines, Italy, Germany, Thailand and Japan. A strange phenomenon has occured in the skies. In each country there were atleast 1 to 3 cracks in mid air that seems to lead in another space. We call these things dimensional cracks. Currently they are unaccessible due to the crack's miniscule size that even the cameras of modern technology cannot fit in. Although, some experts have taken a look at these cracks personally... Mr. Kurosaki, if you please?... ]
Woooaah seriously? A crack in the skies?!
Isn't that almost like Solo Leveling! Things will get pretty interesting soon and I'm looking forward to it! Don't disappoint me now, monsters from another dimension!
The reporter who was sitting on his chair relaxedly in the studio office cleared his throat as the screen behind him showing the global map instantly switched to a camera's point of view. A middle-aged man with a baron mustache was in front of that camera and behind him was.....
[ Yes?- Is this on? Oh it is. Uh, well... ]
Getting impatient from this uncle's time wasting, I frowned with a smile on my face. And ofcourse that looks weird.
Come on, you can do it ojiisan!
[ As you can see folks, this is the crack. With a width of 14 meters and 17 in height. The size of the fissures from the dimensional cracks are at most only 2 centimetres. Humanity has never encountered such a strange event as peculiar and interesting as this one! I'm very sure that the media is very curious what it looks like inside the Dimensional Crack and this is how it looks like.... ]
The ojiisan or rather Mr. Kurosaki bent his body as if kneeling. Showing his underwear in the gaps of his jeans as he bent in the camera's line of sight.
Roughly after 4 minutes and 34 seconds, he finally finished his drawing. Yes, 4 minutes and 34 seconds of his underwear being revealed for the whole nation to see.
And he placed the drawing in a bond paper at the front of the camera.
Wow
Despite being so clumsy, this guy has talent afterall. His drawing was top class and what was drawn there was.....
Hell?
[ The fissure is proof that there are parallel worlds existing with ours. I am telling the truth. The world beyond this Dimensional Crack resembles that of our impression to hell. A wasteland full of inferno and disaster as far as the eye could see. ]
Too bad it's not another world with beautiful elves and demi-humans like dwarves where swords and magic also exist. I can imagine the normies being scared out of their wits by now. Thinking we'll be invaded by aliens or something. As for my mother.
I turned my head to look from behind. My mother was there washing the dishes intently and didn't look like she was listening. My mom is the type who don't believe such things. Naturally.
After finishing breakfast, I quickly took a bath and wore new clothes. Ofcourse as impressive, fashionable and stylish as possible to leave a good impression to my schoolmates in my first day of college. I even used my mom's lipstick.
And so,
We departed on a journey.
To my school that is, and my mother to her workplace.
「Oh my, what a coincidence. Going out to work now, Mrs. Katakana?」
The moment I opened our house's door for us to leave the house like how a gentleman would. The obaachan who lived next door was coincidentally in front of our house's doorstep.
「Yes we are. What are you doing in front of our house, Miss. Nakano?」
I looked at the old granny suspiciously. I noticed she was holding a wallet clutched tightly in her right fist.
「I was wondering around you see and I couldn't help but walk to your front door by coincidence. You know, old age.」
I can tell in her frail, pale and wrinkly skin that she just swallowed her saliva there. How can she be standing in our doorstep by coincidence? Just tell us your motive old woman.
「Well, since you're about to go out now. Can you do me a favor and return this to my son? He forgot to bring it with him while going off to work.」
My mom accepted her request since she and that obaachan's son worked in the same street anyway which was precisely only one building apart. My mother now had to find that person and return to him his wallet.
- Present Time -
So that's what happened. My mom bumped into a person from the huge crowd while going to work and dropped the wallet she was tasked to deliver. Painfully landing on her side and dropping the wallet in the road.
It went from bad to worst
She came to pick it up while the street lights were in the Red which meant Stop. This was a good chance to retrieve the wallet.
Vroom!
Or so I thought.
From my mother's right side was a truck rushing to her at a tremendous speed.
What the hell is the driver doing!? Can't you see it says Red?! Are you drunk you bastard?!
Taking a proper glance at the driver, it looks like I'm wrong.
Theres no driver?!
Fuck, fuck, fuck! I need to save her quick!
I tried to move, but my legs were trembling and didn't budge at all when I ordered it to take even one step.
I can't move! My legs are frozen in place!
Knowing I'm hopeless and can't save my mother, it all sounds so pathetic... Please move.
Finally, it moved. Now run!
I poured strength into my legs and ran as fast as I can to mother's direction but the truck was simply too fast and would reach it's target 3 seconds before I do.
32 meters...
25 meters...
17 meters...
6 meters...
...
Huh?...
Why don't I hear anything?
I didn't open my eyes. Mainly because I don't want to see my own mom's corpse overrun by a truck.
「You should.」
What? Who's voice is that?
I suddenly heard a voice directly from my mind. It was a cold and low voice but I heard it. I slowly opened my eyes to see if it was someone outside. The silence is creeping me out too anyway.
Wha...?
What is this?
No matter how you look at this. Everything had halted in it's tracks. The truck that was about to ram my mom had also stopped 5 meters in distance from her. Along with everything else. It seems...
「Time has stopped.」
It's that cold voice again that sounded as thought it came directly from my brain.
Oh man... Did I... Did I just stop time?
My heart skipped a beat as I felt power rushing through my hands.
「No, I did.」
(Or not.)
I know, I know I'm just joking!
Wait... You can hear me?
「I can tell you weren't joking though and yes.」
How do I react to this?
Ah, that's right!
「Please save my mom!」
I shouted with all my might. My voice echoed across the whole city and it didn't seem like anyone heard me since they were all dead in their tracks anyway. Literally.
「Okay. But in one condition.」
He answered casually to my request as thought I just asked him to run a simple errand. A condition? What could the condition be? Handing my soul to the devil?
「That's one strange way to put it. Frankly speaking, I will agree to save your mother. If, you agree to save the world I am tasked to rule over.」
Oooooohh!!!
So you're one of those Gods in isekai!
I'm feeling pumped up!
「Yeah. So will you agree or not?」
What if this is a scam... He might take my soul when I agree and won't save my mother.
「What would I even do to someone's soul?」
How should I know! I'm not the god here!
「Will you agree, or not. Theres no turning back and no refunds.」
Okay! Fine! I'll go save your world.
Swallowing my saliva and having no other choice, I accepted his offer.
「Then it's a deal.」
Flick!
I heard the sound of water dripping and then all my senses seem to have blacked out except my perception of coldness because I feel like I'm freezing right now.
My eyes are open, but I couldn't see anything except pitch darkness. And when I tried to speak, no voice was heard. On top of having no sound, there was even no smell at all.
In the depths of darkness that I was plunged in, a pillar of light appeared and made it's way to me from this endless void. Swallowing me whole.