Year 2050
Monday, 5:30 AM.
30 minutes before the incident.
A suburban city in Southeast Asia.
The shrill beeping of an alarm clock echoed through a dimly lit room. Jin stirred in his bed, groaning as he blindly reached out to silence it.
Click.
Reluctantly, he opened his weary eyes. At the age of 25, Jin prided himself on his discipline, and though his body protested, he forced himself to sit up. He shuffled to the glass door leading to his balcony, drawing aside the curtains to let in the soft light of dawn. The morning ritual brought him solace—standing there, sipping hot coffee as the sun crept over the horizon.
His smartwatch vibrated: 05:45.
"Oops, time to go," he muttered to himself.
After a quick routine—brushing his teeth, washing his face, and getting dressed—Jin hurried downstairs to his parked bike. The engine roared to life as he made his way to pick up his girlfriend, a short ride away.
05:59 AM.
The morning sky was breathtaking, a canvas of blue with streaks of golden sunlight. Jin, ever the observer, marveled at the beauty above.
But then he froze.
"What... is that?"
The clouds moved unnaturally, rippling toward him in a straight line as though swept by an invisible force. His amazement turned to alarm as he noticed the disturbance on the ground—trees swayed violently beneath the advancing wave. Ahead, vehicles and motorcycles collided in chaos as the wave reached them.
Jin's awe turned to terror. "What the...?"
Before he could react, the ripple engulfed him. A strange sensation coursed through his body, like warm electricity flowing through his veins. It was oddly soothing, yet overwhelming. And then, everything went black.
Jin's head throbbed as he stirred. His thoughts were sluggish.
"Am I dead?"
Pain pulsed through his limbs, but beneath it was a peculiar sense of vitality. Faint voices began to filter into his awareness, growing louder. Slowly, Jin forced his eyes open, his vision blurry and his body heavy.
"Jin? Are you awake? Jin, my love?"
The familiar voice pulled him further from the haze. His blurry surroundings coalesced into the tear-streaked face of his girlfriend.
"Oh my God, thank you!" she sobbed, clutching his hand.
"W-where... am I?" Jin croaked.
"You're in the hospital," she said, her voice trembling with relief.
Jin glanced around. The room was overcrowded, with patients lined up in the hallway, their loved ones gathered at their sides.
"You collapsed in the street," she explained. "They brought you here with others. Some were in accidents... others didn't make it."
Jin frowned, trying to piece it together. "What exactly happened?"
"It was... some kind of phenomenon. You were unconscious for half a day."
"What?! Half a day?!" Jin exclaimed, sitting up with her help.
Around him, other patients were waking, their groans and murmurs blending into a cacophony. A surge of noise filled the hallway as people realized the simultaneous recoveries.
"What was that shockwave?" Jin wondered aloud, rubbing his temple.
His girlfriend leaned closer, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What happened out there?"
The news was everywhere: a global catastrophe. Masses of people—nearly 60% of the population—had fallen unconscious simultaneously. The resulting chaos had crippled the world: traffic accidents, planes falling from the sky, entire systems grinding to a halt as vital personnel succumbed to the mysterious event.
And now, as the world began to awaken, the questions only multiplied.
"What the hell was that?" Jin whispered, the weight of the unknown pressing on him.
-
A sudden burst of sound from a nearby television cut through the commotion in the hallway. The news broadcast echoed through the crowded hospital, and the murmurs of the newly awakened and their anxious families fell into silence. All eyes and ears turned toward the screen, desperate for answers.
"Could this be an alien attack?" someone whispered, a trace of panic in their voice.
"Or a war? Maybe some rogue group with advanced weapons?" another speculated.
As tension thickened, a collective gasp rippled through the awakened patients.
"What is this…?"
The confused exclamations from the patients alarmed their families and friends, who exchanged bewildered looks.
"What are you talking about?" Jin's girlfriend asked, her voice rising with concern as she noticed his bewildered expression.
Jin's brow furrowed, and he raised his hands, gesturing as though interacting with something invisible just in front of his face. "You don't see this?"
"See what?" Her voice grew sharper, both confused and worried. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"This!" Jin repeated, waving his hands as though operating a floating screen.
She stared at him, her face a mix of irritation and fear. "Huh? There's nothing there!"
The unease in the room grew as similar scenes unfolded around them. Patients described strange visions while their loved ones looked on in increasing alarm. Jin's girlfriend glanced around, her anxiety spiking as she realized everyone seemed to be experiencing the same phenomenon.
"Oh my God," she thought, dread sinking in. "Are their minds… affected?"
The relatives' growing panic echoed her fears, their voices blending into a cacophony of calls for help.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
But the hospital was overwhelmed. With so many patients exhibiting the same strange symptoms, no single doctor could respond to the flood of cries.
-
Suddenly, the TV news anchor's voice boomed again, cutting through the noise like a blade.
"We interrupt with breaking news…"
The hall fell silent once more as the anchor's words sent shockwaves through the listeners.
"Reports are flooding in from across the globe. All victims of the mass unconsciousness appear to be experiencing the same phenomenon: the spontaneous ability to see and interact with an augmented reality interface—without the use of any external hardware."
The room erupted.
"A what now?!"
"This has to be some kind of joke!"
"Was that shockwave a government experiment?!"
Theories and accusations flew as confusion and fear took hold. Speculation ranged from secret military projects to alien invasions, with every possibility seeming as absurd as the next.
Jin, still staring at the somewhat familiar invisible interface in front of him, reached out cautiously, his fingers brushing against something unseen but tangible. He couldn't believe it, but the floating UI reminded him of something straight out of a video game he was playing, the "World of Fantasy".
"What the hell is going on…?" he muttered, his voice barely audible over the chaos.
Jin's girlfriend could no longer contain her emotions. Tears streamed down her face as she clung tightly to him, her sobs muffled against his shoulder. "What's happening to him?" she thought, her heart breaking with worry. "Please let him be okay…" Around her, the hospital hall was filled with similar scenes—families weeping, holding their loved ones, and grappling with the inexplicable. The air was thick with despair, a mirror of the chaos likely unfolding worldwide.
Minutes later, a hospital-wide announcement crackled through the speakers. It was a directive relayed from global governments, aiming to ease the turmoil. The message carried two key points:
There were no immediate physical abnormalities detected in the patients.
All affected individuals were advised to return home, stay safe, and prepare by stocking up on essential supplies.
The subtle urgency of the last instruction ignited fresh waves of anxiety. Across cities, panic spread like wildfire. Supermarkets were overrun, shelves emptied by desperate people trying to safeguard their futures against an unclear but ominous threat.
But unknown to the public, the governments of the world were withholding an even more terrifying revelation—one they feared would plunge humanity into outright chaos.