The world was ending.
Ash fell from the sky like snow, covering the scorched earth in a thick, suffocating blanket. Cities that once stood tall were reduced to rubble, their towering skyscrapers twisted and broken like the bones of some ancient, fallen giant. The ground beneath Aiden Hoshino's feet cracked and shifted, fiery rivers of molten lava cutting through what remained of civilization.
Aiden stood at the edge of a crumbling cliff, sword in hand, his body drenched in blood and sweat. His arms trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The demon lord, Morcath, loomed before him, towering over the dying world with a cruel, satisfied grin stretched across his monstrous face.
"Do you truly think you can stand against fate, Aiden?" Morcath's voice was deep, reverberating through the air like thunder. His fiery eyes bore into Aiden, mocking him with every word. "You were always too weak. Always too late."
Aiden tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, Astra, the only weapon capable of cutting through the demon lord's dark magic. His body screamed in protest, every muscle aching from the countless battles he had fought just to reach this point. But it wasn't enough. He was alone. The last human left in a world that had already fallen to ruin.
The corpses of his comrades lay scattered around him. Friends he had fought alongside for years. People who had entrusted him with their lives. And now, they were gone, all because he had failed. Again.
"Damn it!" Aiden cursed, his voice hoarse. He glared at Morcath, the rage boiling inside him, mixing with the crushing despair of his impending defeat. "I can still—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Morcath lunged. A massive, clawed hand struck like lightning, slamming into Aiden's chest. The impact sent him flying backward, the air knocked from his lungs as he crashed into the ground with a sickening crack.
Aiden's vision blurred, the world around him dimming. His sword slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground out of reach. He tried to move, to push himself up, but his body refused to listen. He was done.
This is how it ends, isn't it? he thought bitterly. The last human, slain by a demon. How pathetic.
As his vision faded to black, a soft, mechanical chime echoed in his mind. A system notification—a sound he hadn't heard in days. His fading consciousness latched onto it, desperate for anything that might give him one last chance.
[SYSTEM REBOOT INITIATED.]
What? Aiden's eyes widened in shock. The System? Now?
Another chime followed, this one louder, more distinct.
[Congratulations, User Aiden Hoshino. You have been selected for the World-Reset Protocol.]
World-Reset… Protocol?
He barely had time to process the words before everything went black.
The sound of birdsong woke him.
Aiden's eyes snapped open, his heart pounding in his chest. He blinked, confused, as his gaze darted around the room. A… room? He was lying in a bed. Not on the burning ground of the apocalypse, but in a small, cluttered dorm room. His dorm room.
What the hell is this?
Aiden shot up, the bedsheets falling off of him as he stumbled out of bed. His hand automatically reached for the bedside table, gripping his phone. He glanced at the screen, his pulse quickening when he saw the date displayed in bold letters.
September 5, 2024.
He stared at the date, his mind racing. It wasn't possible. September 5th… that was five years ago. Five years before the Cataclysm.
I'm… back? The thought crashed over him, impossible but undeniable. His body felt different, not weak from exhaustion like in his last moments, but healthy, alive. He rushed to the mirror hanging on the wall and stared at his reflection. The face staring back at him was young, not the scarred, hardened warrior he had become over years of fighting demons and monsters.
I'm back. Before it all started.
Aiden's head spun as he tried to make sense of it. Then, another chime sounded, clearer now, sharp in the quiet of the room. His System Interface blinked into existence, a translucent screen only he could see, just like before.
[World-Reset Protocol Activated.]
Objective: Prevent the Collapse of Humanity.
Mission One: Survive the Awakening – Time Limit: 7 Days.
Special Condition: Only You Can See the System Until the Awakening.
His breath hitched. Seven days. He had seven days before the first portal opened, unleashing the monsters that would wipe out civilization. Seven days before the Cataclysm that would start the end of the world.
Aiden stumbled back, collapsing into the chair by his desk. The System was real. This was real.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He had been given a second chance. A chance to change everything. This time, he could stop the Cataclysm before it happened. He could save his friends, save humanity. But… would it be the same? Could he follow the same path he did in the last timeline?
No, he thought. It won't be the same. This time, I'll win.
But there was one thing gnawing at the back of his mind. The System had brought him back, but something felt… different. He could feel it, lurking in the edges of his awareness. A limit he hadn't had before.
[User Regressed to Level 1: All Previous Skills Sealed Until Unlocked.]
The words appeared in front of him like a punch to the gut. Level 1. His powers, his skills, everything he had gained over the years was gone. He was starting from scratch. Again.
"Damn it," Aiden muttered under his breath. "Of course, it wouldn't be that easy."
Still, he wasn't completely helpless. He remembered where the key dungeons and monster lairs would appear. He knew which abilities to unlock, which paths to avoid. This time, he had the advantage of knowledge.
His phone buzzed in his hand, shaking him from his thoughts. He glanced down at the screen. A name flashed across it.
Mira.
Aiden's heart skipped a beat. Mira Akiyama, his childhood friend. One of the few survivors in the last timeline. She had been by his side through every battle, every loss. But this time, she didn't know. She didn't know about the monsters, the System, or the war they were about to fight.
He answered the call, his voice tight. "Mira?"
Her voice on the other end was shaky, filled with a fear he hadn't heard in years. "Aiden… something's wrong. I… I had a dream. No, a nightmare. There were monsters, and everything was burning. It felt so real. Am I going crazy?"
Aiden's blood ran cold. Mira had never had visions before. Not in the last timeline. Why was she seeing them now?
"You're not crazy," Aiden whispered, his grip tightening on the phone. "Listen to me, Mira. We need to meet. There's something I need to tell you."