A boy jolts awake, his eyes wide as he yells, "Fight on, humanity! I love you all—stay safe, and win your lives back!" But as he looks around, his voice fades in confusion. This isn't a battlefield; it's his familiar room, filled with old posters and childhood memories. He hears voices—a warm, familiar call from his mother and a cheerful laugh from his little sister. Shock overwhelms him. "What the hell is going on? How... why am I back in time to before the apocalypse?"
Still sitting on his bed, he hears a Ding! Sound then he watches a screen suddenly appear before him. But before he can process it, there's a knock, and his door opens. A young girl enters, her face one he could never forget, bright and full of life. She smiles, "Big brother, mom's calling you to come downstairs."
Michael stares in disbelief, then jumps from his bed, rushing to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Little Jenny, I've missed you so much," he whispers, his voice thick with emotion. Memories flood him—of the day, five years into the future, when their settlement was ambushed. Despite his best efforts, only he and the other heroes survived the onslaught. The loss of his sister and mother had left a scar he could never heal, no matter how many monsters he defeated in revenge.
But now, here she was, alive and well. Right then, Michael made a silent vow: in this life, he would protect his mother and sister with everything he had. He would never let what happened before happen again.
Little Jenny giggles, amused by her brother's sudden affection. "Big brother, you're being silly! We just saw each other yesterday. How could you miss me already?"
Michael patted his sister on the head, giving her a big smile. "Alright, alright, I obey my little Jenny. Let Mom know to give me five minutes—I'll be downstairs soon."
Jennifer nodded, giggling happily; it had been a while since her brother had shown her such affection. "Okay, but don't take too long—you know how Mom gets!" She then dashed downstairs, calling out, "Mom! Big brother is awake! He said to give him five minutes!"
A loud voice came from downstairs, their mother's unmistakable tone carrying through the house. "Jennifer, stop yelling! Why couldn't you have just told me when you came down? Anyway, come eat your breakfast! And Michael, don't take too long!"
Sitting down in his desk chair, Michael finally took a moment to focus on the strange screen hovering in front of him. It had been there since he awoke, and he could now read the message:
When you stood against the Abyssal God, refusing to surrender even as all seemed lost, you gave humanity a fighting chance. It was then I knew you were the one. Through our bond, I granted your last wish, sending you back in time—but only to a few days before the Apocalypse System's arrival. The merging of worlds has already begun, though the system itself won't appear for a week. Over the next days, relics and powers from my creators' civilization will begin to surface, waiting to be claimed by those with the will to stand against the coming darkness.>
After reading the message, Michael was overwhelmed. The system could reverse time? And it was crafted by a civilization destroyed by the Abyss? These revelations left him stunned but profoundly grateful. Knowing the system had chosen him as its host filled him with a renewed sense of purpose.
Determined to make the most of this second chance, Michael began to strategize. He knew he needed as much power as possible to increase his potential to an unfathomable level. Gathering these relics and powers from across the globe seemed essential, but there was a significant hurdle: at only sixteen, with an overprotective mother, he'd need a way to travel without her interference. So, he asked, "System, I need to reach places like New York, Kansas, Michigan, Egypt, Indonesia, North Korea, Russia, the U.K., Germany, and the Amazon rainforest. Is there any way to do so without alerting my mom?"
A notification sounded, and the system's screen popped up:
The system began detailing the locations that he had chosen and their remarkable relics and bloodlines:<
New York (Central Park, Manhattan): The Solomon's Mind and Wisdom Bloodline, granting telepathy, telekinesis, and intelligence enhanced by millennia of knowledge, memory, and processing speed.
Kansas (near your grandmother's farm): The Solar and Light Manipulation Bloodline, which absorbs sunlight to boost equally all attributes—strength, durability, speed, agility, senses, charisma, luck, mana capacity, intelligence, and wisdom—though the enhancements remain within peak human limits, if a human obtains this bloodline.
Detroit, Michigan: The Chaos and Spatial Manipulation Bloodline, enabling spatial control and a "chaos body," making you immune to spatial distortion or harm.
Cairo, Egypt: The Heavenly Golden Ra's Physique Bloodline, offering infinite potential with powers over creation, life, death, energy, matter, and weather manipulation, as well as compatibility with all bloodlines, maximizing their potential.
Balikpapan, Indonesia: The Divine Lightning and Thunder Bloodline, allowing near-light-speed movement, lightning manipulation, and immunity to lightning, using it instead to amplify your strength.
Pyongyang, North Korea: The Energy Nullification and AOE Mind Control Bloodline, nullifying all energy attacks and granting control over any creatures within a 10-mile radius that have lesser intelligence.
Yakutsk, Russia: The Frozen Divine Bloodline, providing instant freezing to absolute zero and immunity from attacks above this temperature.
Berlin, Germany: The Gravity Manipulation Bloodline, enabling flight and control over gravitational fields around you as close as micrometers from your skin or big enough to cover stars, making you immune to gravitational forces of planets, stars, or even black holes.
London, England: The Chrono's Temporal Bloodline, giving absolute control over time, allowing aging or regression of targets and limited time travel.
Winchester, England: The Divine Holy Sword Excalibur—an indestructible blade of godlike power. With a single swing, it can kill most evil beings, effortlessly destroying any law, armor, or shield that stands in its path.
Amazon Rainforest: The Tree of Life Seed, which, when consumed, merges with the soul to grant infinite vitality, bestowing immortality and self-regeneration—even from total disintegration. This seed allows its bearer to heal others and restore vitality, no matter the severity of their injuries.>
Each relic and bloodline were more powerful than the last, and all of them including the sword—had belonged to individuals with dark intentions. Some sought to enslave, murder, or abuse others, while others, driven by cowardice, aligned themselves with the Abyssal demons, slaughtering countless innocents in the process. Among these relics was the fabled Excalibur sword. The one who first claimed it fought fiercely, slaying numerous dragons in a show of strength, but soon vanished from the battlefield, leaving humanity vulnerable. His disappearance led to countless more deaths, and his selfish retreat haunted those who still struggled to survive.
When Excalibur first emerged, it sparked a savage conflict; hundreds of thousands clashed and died, desperate to wield its unmatched power. Eventually, a supposed hero rose above the chaos, claiming the sword after killing thousands of others. But this "hero" then disappeared, concealing the sword's existence and refusing to aid humanity again.
Michael now knew exactly why he had to find and claim the sword before anyone else even learned of its reappearance. With the system's guidance, his resolve only grew stronger. He would not let humanity be betrayed again.
After getting dressed, I combed my hair and took a look in the mirror. I was still taken aback by the young face staring back at me—a tall, handsome boy with bright blue eyes and dirty blond hair. Then, I headed downstairs. When I arrived, I saw my beautiful mother, who became a widow when my father died shortly after my sister's fourth birthday. It was a tragic accident—a drunk driver collided with my dad, sending him crashing into a tree at 45 miles per hour. The impact killed him instantly. I was ten years old when he passed. With the life insurance and the lawsuit, my mom didn't need to work; instead, she devoted herself to being a loving mother to us, which she did wonderfully. Yet, I could tell her grief for my dad never faded. Even now, while cooking, she hummed his favorite song, one he used to sing—though not always well—just to make her smile.
I walked up to my mom and hugged her tightly. She looked at me, surprised at first, but as she saw the tears slipping down my face, her expression softened with worry. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked. "Are you feeling, okay? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Her voice was full of concern.
I managed to respond, "No, Mom, I'm fine. I just… I felt like it's been years since I last saw you."
Just then, my little sister giggled and said, "Mom, big brother hugged me too and said he missed me, but we just saw him yesterday! Is big brother, okay? Maybe we can go to the doctor, and I can skip school today." She gave a mischievous grin, clearly trying to use my moment to her advantage. I shot her a look, and she quickly buried her face in her food, trying not to giggle any louder.
Seeing her so cheerful made me feel warm inside. I thought to myself, my hug must have really cheered her up. Then I turned back to my mom and explained, "Mom, I'm fine. I just had a strange dream. It felt like it had been years since I last saw you and Jenny—that's why I hugged you both."
She smiled and nodded. "Alright, Michael. Now go sit with your sister; I just put your breakfast on the table." I gave her a nod, took my seat, and began eating. Across from me, Jenny made funny faces, trying to get me to laugh, but I just smiled and patted her head. She grinned back and quickly finished her breakfast.
When it was time to leave, I got ready to walk to school. My mom usually took Jenny to her school, which was a little further away, so we said our goodbyes, and I headed out the door, feeling more determined than ever.