In the year 2022, the "End of the Old World" occurred. The most horrific event in human history. It came without warning and destroyed a multitude of people's lives. Although some were feeling the thrill of the amusement park, the coziness of their homes, or the exhaustion of their jobs, it didn't matter in the end. It affected you in some way, shape or form. If you ask each survivor what happened on that day, they will say it all started when they noticed an unusual event in the sky.
I still remember that day like it was yesterdayâŚ
****
"Hey Isaac, how did you manage to get good grades when all I see you do is goof off at home..." I stood in front of a doorway, crossing my arms as I stared at my brother. Isaac, who graduated just yesterday from his last year of high school, was playing video games in his room. He has short ebony hair and a slender physique that reminds me of a boy who only dines on junk food whenever he pleases. It's a good thing I know how to cook or else he would've looked like the Slenderman- except a lot shorter. He's five foot ten, but sometimes he wishes he was taller.
"Just pay attention to the important bits and it'll somehow work out. Also, do you need anything, Laila, since you rarely talk to me this late?" Isaac asked, his voice strained while keeping his focus on grinding mobs. My brother was sitting in his office chair, his right thumb rapidly tapping the four shapes as he squirmed around in his seat.
"I need you to go to the store down the street. We've run out of rice since this morning, and I need some to cook for tomorrow."
"And I have to do it because?" he said curiously, his attention still on the monitor. Isaac's character on the screen summoned two black wolves, and a deep growl rumbled through the air as they emerged to help him with the wave of mobs. There was a big red globe on the left-hand corner of the screen, and half of it was missing. Is that circle highlighting how much health he has?
"I'm busy studying for my university classes. The exams are tomorrow," I said, getting a little annoyed at him dragging this on.
"Just take a quick break from studying and get to the store yourself. I'm sure you'll ace the tests, anyway. You're smart, aren't you?"
"Why can't you do something as simple as this for your big sister? If you don't do this simple favor for me, then I won't cook for you." I scoffed, entering deeper into his room.
It was a small abode. There wasn't much leftover space since Isaac's bed, desk, and drawers take up most of the area. On his desk was a black console that had the number four on the side. A banner hung over his bed, the scene on it depicting a powerful warrior driving his steel sword into the head of a snarling red dragon. As I stared at the banner, I saw Isaac pause his game in the corner of my eye. He stood up from his chair and stretched his limbs.
"You think you can make me leave my precious games by bribing me with food? I hate to admit it, but you're right..."
I smiled as I rummaged through my hoodie pockets. "Here's the money you need. You can also get whatever you want from the store as long as it isn't expensive."
Isaac narrowed his eyes, glancing at the money in my hands. "Look at you giving me extra for myself. It's kind of weird. I don't owe you anything if you don't get the change, right?"
"You know what? I change my mind," I scowled. "Since you want nothing, just give the extra money ba-"
He snatched the money from my hands and was gone in a flash, leaving me standing in stunned silence.
"Too late, I'm already heading out!"
With a loud bang, the front door was shut, pursued by the sound of a bike's wheels squeaking, and the sound growing more distant.
"I don't know why, but that kind of pisses me off..."
A deep sigh escaped from my mouth. I headed out of his room and walked toward the kitchen. In one cabinet on the far right, I took a granola bar out of the wrapper and looked around the house while silently eating. The smell of bleach permeated the house, indicating its spotless cleanliness, free of dirt and grime. Isaac and I do chores around the house, since we both hate living in dirty places.The smell of unwashed clothes and the sight of unemptied plates on the ground is enough to make us gag! It would remind us of our past living conditions. A place where cereal was our frequent meal during hard timesâŚ
Ah. That's right. I forgot to ask him to get milk, too. Hmm... Nah, it shouldn't matter. We don't need milk right now. Also, what am I going to do about our financial situation... The rent deadline is coming up.
After finishing my light snack, I threw away the wrapper and started making my way back to my room to finish studying, when I noticed a soft, orange glow emanating from a window.
"What is that light?" I mumbled out loud. "I don't hear any cars driving down the street. The sun also set just an hour ago."
A couple of seconds after I asked these questions, my phone suddenly rang. Taking it out of my pocket, I realize it's an emergency alert. When I peeked at the notification, my heart instantly sunk.
What? Did I hear that correctly? If it is supposedly massive, then it's probably some kind of comet which is extremely rare.
"I should probably turn on the news just to be kept up-to-dateâŚ"
I dashed towards the tv, my heart pounding as I pressed the power button. As I switched to any available news channel, I was greeted with a live feed of the earth's atmosphere, along with the sight of the middle-aged man with graying hair, whose brow was glistening with sweat. He had a pair of rectangular spectacles perched on his face, with his bloodshot eyes peeking out from behind them.
If it's not a threat, then why are they acting as if it could lead to a dangerous situation? Isn't one country enough to deal with the comet? Not to mention the Earth's atmosphere will most likely do its job and tear it apart. Something isn't adding up.
As if on command, the house vibrated and quaked, rattling the windows.. The light that was shining on the window earlier grew brighter.
"Was that an earthquake?! This is my first time experiencing one! I should probably stay indoors in the meanti-"
Wait a minute. I feel like I'm forgetting an important detail⌠Oh, that's right! Isaac went to the store!
I rushed out of the house; the door slamming shut behind me, my mind clouded with worry for my brother. While running, I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye that made me abruptly halt. When I looked up at the night sky, there stood an unfathomable occurrence. I was speechless, standing there with my mouth wide open for what seemed like forever, taking in the spectacular sight of what looked like another planet in the sky. An overwhelming feeling of dread filled me as I glanced up at the massive oddity above me, my legs trembling.
"This can't be real⌠How is that possible?!"
First off, how is an entire planet able to be this close to another with no repercussions? Shouldn't there be disasters occurring right now? Second, how did no one notice it coming close to earth? I saw no one mentioning anything related to a planet somehow making its way here.
"I should stop asking myself questions and try to find Isaac! He still isn't back yet from the store."
"What do you mean, sis? I was here the whole time while you were gawking at the sky."
As soon as I heard his voice, I whipped my head around to find him standing there, his brow furrowed with worry. The bike was parked in front of the house with a bag of rice in the carrier.
Isaac trudged to my side and peered at the sight in the sky. "I saw the alert on my phone and came rushing home. When I got here, I saw you looking up at the sky and wondered why you had a stupid look on your face. To think we can witness something unbelievable like this in our lifetime."
Isaac was taking this situation lightly, as if it has nothing to do with him.
"Why aren't you freaking out at the sight of a visible planet in the sky?"
"Well, it's not really doing anything to us now. Besides, I'm thinking about what's on that planet and how it appeared in this solar system. It being in near proximity defies the law of physics. Kinda cool to think about."
So, I'm not the only one who thinks it's weird how it appeared out of nowhere. It is almost like it appeared from...
"Magic," I unknowingly whispered under my breath.
"You think so too?"
"As stupid as it sounds, yes," I sighed. "It could probably be something entirely different, but it's more likely that it's magic..."
"I hope it comes true. Being able to cast spells and all that sounds fun!"
"Are you sure about that?"
We both felt a chill, and our heads whipped around to the sound of the unknown voice. We were taken aback when we saw a figure standing on our roof, wearing a robe that shimmered in the moonlight and a mask with intricate designs. Peering into its eyes, it was like looking at a television with a broken antenna, with the fuzzy static shifting and moving.
"Who the hell are you?" I cautiously asked.
The unknown being's eyes darted around the area, not wanting to meet mine. A tinge of anger was slowly rising. Did he just ignore me? First, he shows up on our roof uninvited, and now doesn't acknowledge my presence!
"Hey, you! I asked you a ques-"
Without warning, the mysterious figure instantly disappeared from the rooftop. When I turned my head, the masked man was floating a few meters above Isaac's head.
"Isaac, watch out! He's above you!"
Isaac, hearing the urgency in my voice, sprints towards me and notices the 'thing' levitating. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"That is so cool! Magic does exist! I want to do that!"
I groaned in exasperation at my brother's idiocy. "Isaac, for the love of God, please shut up and take this seriously."
The person in front of us had vanished from the roof and was now hovering mysteriously in the air. My gut is telling me we can neither run nor hide. If we were to fight this guy, we would one hundred percent lose, as if he was squashing an ant.
"Why is someone or something like you here? You seem to be otherworldly."
The unknown being finally acknowledged me and sneered. "My, aren't you a sharp one?"
Look at this guy. Even though I'm scared out of my wits now, I don't like the way he's gazing at us. I probably feel more annoyed than afraid.
"To answer your question, I'm bored."
Huh?
The guy, who was still hovering in the air, turned to face us. "You mortals with such a tiny lifespan wouldn't be able to understand. When you live as long as I do, you would do anything for a speck of entertainment."
What is this weirdo blabbering about? Mortals? Entertainment?
"The only reason I'm here speaking to you lower lifeforms is that the boy looks excited in this situation, which I found odd. When you witness what will happen to this world, I wonder if you will still think of this as fun. That is, if you survive the Conversion. Oh... the look on everybody's faces will be delightful to savor."
"Wait a minute. What will happen to earth? Also, what's the Conversion?" Isaac opened his mouth first, asking the same questions I was thinking in my head. That feeling of dread I felt earlier was speeding up at a faster rate. My heart was thumping like a beating drum as the seconds ticked by. It was the same feeling as when a person was awaiting their fateful death.
"Why should I ruin the surprise for you? After all, you said this was going to be fun. I hope you don't renounce your statement from earlier."
The figure abruptly raised their head to the night sky and let out a sinister chuckle. As it stood there gazing in wonder, I looked to see what had caught his eye and the answer immediately clicked into place. The light that was shining on my window earlier seems to come from the planet above. Am I going crazy or is the light getting brighter?
"It is time for the Conversion to begin. I shall take my leave. I hope you humans will provide me with ample entertainment."
Right as it finished its sentence, they vanished without a whisper, leaving nothing but a chill in the air.
"I didn't mishear him, right? I'm pretty sure he said Conversion. That does not sound pleasant at all. What do you think he meant by that, Laila?"
"âŚ"
Conversion... That masked guy said something would happen to this world and we would witness it firsthand, but that's IF we survive this Conversion. It also mentioned transfigurations. If my gut is right, then Conversion and Transfiguration would mean...
I grabbed Isaac by his shoulders. "Isaac, we need to head inside now! Being outside is dangerous! If not, we will di-"
The light shining down on us from the planet above was so intense, I had to shade my eyes when I looked up. Moments later, a glowing holographic screen appears in front of my face.
[Conversion and Transfiguration will now begin.]
Without thinking about what the message meant, I grabbed Isaac's arm and raced toward our house. During our desperate run, a blinding light shone from the mysterious planet, quickly engulfing the sky. In the nick of time, before the light could reach us, I slammed the door shut.
"Oh my god... So, this is the reason why I felt uneasiness," I uttered weakly, my breathing growing ragged. I felt the door lock in place, and right then I heard Isaac's scream, sharp and high-pitched. He was writhing in agony, clutching his head and screaming in pain.
"Agh! My head..!"
I ran toward my brother, fear gripping my heart. "Isaac are you oka-"
I was interrupted mid-sentence when a sharp pain began to throb in my head. My voice joined in with the chorus of shrill screams emanating from the unbearable pain. My vision grew hazy as Isaac's figure appeared to ripple in the air, like looking through a foggy glass. Isaac let out a moan of pain before his body went limp and he slumped over the floor.
"I..saac..."
I tried to grab his hand, but the sharp pain that came over me was too much to bear- like a silver-back gorilla had just clobbered my skull. My vision grew dark and my body drooped like my brother's, and I was plopped on the unforgiving marble tile.
[Conversion complete. Welcome to a new beginning.]