For a moment, my mind failed to register what I had just heard.
Fable? Fate?
These were words deeply rooted in fiction, concepts so far from reality—yet at the same time, they felt strangely familiar. Where had I heard them before?
"Did you hear that? I'm not the only one hearing voices in my head, right?" Angelica muttered beside me, but I barely listened. I was too busy frantically scrolling through my smartphone like I'd lost my mind.
Impossible. It couldn't be... it's simply impossible!
The terms ringing in my ears were ones I had only encountered in a novel. It had to be my imagination. But if I had paid attention to what Angelica said, I would have realized this wasn't just a figment of my mind.
My heart pounded as I opened a live feed of Hongdae and checked the current situation. Multiple voices poured into my ears.
"What's going on?"
"Did you hear that just now?"
"So I wasn't the only one who heard it."
"Is this a prank?"
It was December 31, 2023, the last day of the year. Hongdae was teeming with people celebrating the holiday. But there was another reason I was fixated on the live feed. In the novel Song of Nightmares, Hongdae was the center stage for the announcement.
If what was happening wasn't an illusion or a prank, then that person would be arriving soon.
Just as I feared, something blurred into view, as if the world itself were glitching. Hovering in the air was a tiny girl—no larger than a forearm. Four pairs of delicate wings fluttered behind her black dress, and her dark-pink hair floated gently around her.
It's exactly as written..
"What is that? A pixie?" Angelica was also glued to her phone. I barely noticed. My mind was racing, filled with uncontrollable thoughts.
Why? Why? Why is this happening?!
Reality and fiction were overlapping. This had to be a lie. A sick joke.
There was no way this could be real. The girl floating before the camera was undeniably a fairy—a being destined to bring the start of all stories and lead thousands to their deaths.
Maybe it was because I was the only reader of the novel, I already knew what will happen next.
[A#@!&... A#@!&]
The fairy's voice echoed, loud and clear, but the words were incomprehensible. Confusion spread like wildfire.
"What the hell is that?"
"Is this a prank from the government?"
Mutters spread around the crowd. The pixie's expression turned annoyed. She tried again, and this time, I heard the proper pronunciation of Korean.
[Finally, this is much better. Although there was a slight delay, It seems the world language has finally settled into this world.]
"Hey, what are you doing now?"
[Hmm?]
"What's going on? Are you filming? Is this some kind of prank? Whatever it is, you're interrupting the bell-ringing ceremony,"
A bold young man in the crowd called out. His face was hidden from the camera, but I knew exactly who he was.
He was going to be used to set an example.
[Filming? Prank? It's not either of those. Wait, don't tell me you guys don't know about the Fables?]
"Fables? What's that? You mean a short story?"
[Tch! Tch! This is such a hassle… Now I have to explain everything. Why didn't the administrators handle this? How irritating.]
"What the hell are you talking about?"
[Anyways, since it has come to this. Everyone gather around, I have something very important to say.]
"This brat, did you hear what I said? Go away!"
The bold actor approached the fairy and tried to grab her from the air.
It always starts with the young man who defies the will of a higher being.
[Tck.]
The pixie made an irritated sound.
It happened right then and there.
Splat!
Without warning, the young man's head exploded like a balloon. Blood and gore splattered across the crowd.
The people nearby screamed in terror.
"Kyaaah!"
"Murder!"
"Run away!"
[Who gave you the right to touch me? You moron. You motherfucking...]
Even though the young actor was already dead, the pixie continued to curse at him.
[Huh? Hey now, why are the rest of you running away? Stop running!]
Nobody was listening. They were busy running around, trying to get away.
It was a poor decision. This only made the pixie even more annoyed. She ground her teeth and shouted.
[STOP... RUNNING!!]
One by one, those who fled had their heads burst open, their bodies collapsing like marionettes with cut strings. The numbers of people gradually reduced one by one. It was nothing but a one-sided massacre.
Angelica made a gulp besides me. I ignored her and continued watching.
[If anyone dares to run or try and touch me, I will blow their brains out, you hear me? Now shut up and listen!]
More than half of the people in Hongdae had already died. Multiple headless bodies were laying on the bloodied floor. The remaining survivors stood in place as if they were statues while shaking in fear.
[You there! The gloomy man with the camera! This is going live, right?]
"Ah!... Y-Yes."
[Good. This will make things much easier.]
The pixie cleared her throat and began to speak again.
[My name is Aurora and I was sent here to oversee the scenarios. Your world has been chosen to participate in the Fables. There are 100 billion worlds and more which are currently in the same boot as you.]
Alternative worlds?
The fact that other dimensions apart from us existed was unbelievable. But no one could refute it. After all, the situation with the fairy appearance was already beyond comprehension.
[The rules are simple. You will be given tasks to complete. If you succeed, you will given substantial rewards and if you don't, there will be consequences.]
The fairy continued speaking.
[There are hundred storylines in total and the theme of each mission may differ. Sometimes defense, sometimes survival and sometimes you may even need to conquer other worlds.]
"So it's basically a survival game with a predetermined set of rules?" Someone from the crowd asked.
[That's correct. Oh, raise your hand when you want to ask questions. Otherwise, I will blow your heads.]
The man gulped. Was she using this chance to spread her dominance over the crowd. Aurora continued.
[But with each Fable you pass, the challenges will increasingly become more difficult. Some of you might even die before you reach the 10th Fable.]
"Wait..."
Someone raised up his hand. It seems someone has finally noticed.
[Yes. You may speak.]
"Can we choose not to participate?"
It was expected. There was no sane person that would want to participate in a death game where they might not even survive. However...
[Pfft! Did you think you have a choice?]
"Wh-What?"
[Once this world was chosen to participate in the Nightmare Trial, you all have no other choice than participate or you will die. Not even I can help you?]
Despair was etched on people's faces as they realized the grave situation. They were being forced to fight.
"Wait, so we are being forced to fight?"
"That's not fair."
"What did we do to deserve this?"
"Why did this have to happen on my birthday?"
The place started getting noisy. It was natural reaction. If you are suddenly told you were being forced to fight then you would have the same reaction.
[Now, now, I know you must feel cheated. I mean, I can understand where you are coming from. You were living your normal mundane lives and then you were suddenly thrown in a survival game. But if it helps you feel better. The people in Korea are not the only ones participating but the people over the world.]
The pixie flashed out a very cruel smile. At this moment, nobody thought this girl was a cute fairy. Instead they thought of her as a demon from the deepest depths of hell.
Yes, that was right. That was the true nature of the Lackey all right.
[Now then... Let's get started, shall we?]
Suddenly, the figure of the pixie gradually became blurry.
A moment later, a message rang out.
[Wolrd channel has been opened.]
[The constellations have entered the chatroom.]
[The spectating function has been enabled.]
[Sponsorship has been enabled.]
A transparent window flashed before everyone's eyes including me.
[The First Fable has been generated.]
+
[First Fable – Will of Survival]
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear conditions: Survive by killing a living being.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 500 coins
Failure: Death
+
[Good luck, everyone. Put up a good performance and try not to die miserably. The gods are watching.]
"Hey wait, what does this mean?!"
"Don't disappear now!"
The people became even more noisy that they did not notice the strange phenomena occurring before them.
'It's starting."
The moment that would plunge this world into nothing but tragedies.
Zzzzzt—!
A loud noise rang from the receiver.
It was so loud that I had to temporarily cover my ears. It was the same for Angelica and she screamed. But it would be worse for the people in Hongdae.
[The surroundings is being filled with dark ether.]
[The dead below will be influenced by the dark ether.]
[The dead below are being corrupted by the darkness.]
[The dead will rise and become demonic people.]
Kkk—gukuk—
Crack! Kkk—
The ground split apart, and never-seen-before creatures emerged from the depths. Hideous monsters with rotten flesh and a foul stench.
"Guuuuahhhh—!"
"Gyaaaa—"
The creatures started marching and the people were filled with panic.
"Monsters!"
"Zom-Zombies... it's fucking zombies!"
Creatures that could only be found in friction were chasing down the people and chased terror in Hongdae.
The zombies pounced on the fleeing citizens and ate at their flesh. Fathers, Mothers, Children. It was a indiscriminate slaughter. Suddenly, Hongdae became a bloodbath.
With a loud scream, the live feed came to an end. It looks like the cameraman was killed.
BOOOOM!
With a massive roar, the hospital building shook. That sound, it came outside the window.
Slowly, I walked towards the window and Angelica followed behind me. Once we reached the window, we could only watch the scene outside unfold.
The terror has reached even here. Screams, Cries, Death and Despair. As the last reader, this was a world only I knew. A world of pain and tragedies.