[Welcome to your second chance.]
The cold, robotic voice still echoed in Elijah's ears as the floating screen in front of him flickered.
He barely had time to process what it said before the world around him dissolved.
"What now?" he muttered, his sarcasm thinly veiling the growing unease in his chest.
The room, his comfortable bed, the cluttered desk it all melted away.
Darkness enveloped him once again, but this time it wasn't the oppressive void of death.
It felt... alive, buzzing with energy.
Then, a voice broke through the silence.
"Elijah Kane."
It wasn't robotic like the system.
It was soft, gentle, yet filled with an unshakable weight.
Elijah spun around or at least he thought he did, as his sense of direction had vanished.
A faint light appeared in the distance, growing brighter until a figure stepped forward.
She was breathtaking.
.Draped in flowing robes of green and gold, her presence radiated power and sorrow.
Her eyes glimmered like emeralds, yet they held an exhaustion that pierced Elijah's chest.
"Who... are you?" he asked cautiously.
"I am Gaia," she replied, her voice carrying the weight of ages. "The spirit of Earth. Its guardian... though not for much longer."
Elijah blinked. "Gaia? Like... the Gaia? Mother Nature? Spirit of the planet? That Gaia?"
A faint smile touched her lips. "Yes, though I am but a fraction of what I once was. Throughout history I have been known to people of different relegion by many names but even my time is ending, Elijah."
He frowned, his instincts to question everything battling against the surreal clarity of her words. "Okay, assuming I believe this and, frankly, I don't know if I have much of a choice why am I here? What's happening?"
Her expression grew somber. "In one month, Earth will merge with a higher plane a realm known as the Endless World. It is vast, chaotic, and ruthless. Empires spanning millennia rise and fall like the tides, and only the strong survive."
Elijah's stomach tightened. "And Earth is just... getting thrown into this chaos?"
Gaia nodded. "Yes. My strength has waned, Elijah. I cannot stop what is coming. But this merge, as terrifying as it is, may be the only reason Earth continues to exist. Without it, your world would have withered and died alongside me."
He took a shaky breath, trying to process her words. "So, this Endless World... it's like some sort of interdimensional melting pot?"
"More like an ocean," she corrected, her voice heavy with sorrow. "Earth will be but a drop in its vastness. To the great empires of that realm, your world is insignificant a speck they may not even notice."
"Great," Elijah said bitterly. "So, we're cannon fodder in a universe that doesn't care we exist. Fantastic news. What am I supposed to do with that?"
"That is why you are here," Gaia said, stepping closer.
Her presence felt warmer now, almost comforting. "Though my power is fading, I have enough strength left to grant Earth a shield. It will protect your people from outside forces for thirty years after the merge."
Elijah frowned. "Thirty years? That's it?"
"I am sorry, Elijah," she said, her voice softening. "It is all I can offer. The shield will give Earth time to adapt, to grow stronger. But eventually, it will fail. And when it does, the Endless World will come for you."
Her words hung heavy in the air.
Elijah opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure of what to say.
Gaia's gaze softened. "I know it is not enough. But it is all I can do."
"Why me?" he asked after a long silence.
"Why not some world leader or, I don't know, a soldier? I'm just a guy who wrote stories and died... poorly, I might add."
Gaia smiled faintly, the first hint of warmth he'd seen in her expression. "Because you understand something they do not. You've built worlds with your mind, faced the complexity of characters, plots, and conflicts. You see possibilities others cannot."
"That's a bit of a stretch," he muttered, crossing his arms.
"Perhaps," she admitted. "But I also had little choice. When the merge happens, you alone will have the ability to leave Earth's shield and venture into the Endless World."
His eyes widened. "What?"
"The system I've given you," she explained, "will allow you to survive beyond the shield, to explore, to learn. You must use it to prepare Earth for what is coming."
Elijah let out a hollow laugh. "So, I'm humanity's errand boy now? Fantastic. No pressure."
"More than an errand boy," she said, her tone serious. "You are their bridge to survival, Elijah. Without you, Earth will crumble."
Her form flickered slightly, the light around her dimming.
"What's happening?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice.
"My time is ending," Gaia said simply. "Soon, I will be no more."
Elijah took a step forward, desperation bubbling in his chest.
"Wait, you're just... leaving? You dump all this on me, and then you're gone? What if I screw it up? What if..."
Gaia raised a hand, silencing him. "You will find everything you need in the system. I cannot guide you further."
"But—"
"Goodbye, Elijah Kane," she interrupted, her voice soft but firm.
"Protect them. And remember, thirty years is both an eternity and the blink of an eye."
The light around her flared one last time, then shattered, scattering into countless tiny sparks.
Elijah reached out, but the sparks drifted away, fading into the void.
And then he was falling again.
Elijah woke with a start, his heart pounding like a drum.
The faint noise of the system buzzed in the back of his mind, a constant reminder of Gaia's words.
"Thirty years," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. "No pressure, right?"
[Mission parameters uploaded,]
The system chimed in, its robotic tone cutting through the silence.
Elijah groaned, rubbing his temples. "Guess I'd better see what this thing can do. Let me first understand what endless world is."