"Help! Help! Someone, please help us!"
The desperate cries of a woman rang out, her voice hoarse and raw with terror. Yet her pleas were swallowed by the chaos surrounding her. The air reeked of burning debris, and the crackling roar of flames devoured all other sounds.
The world was unraveling. Towering skyscrapers that once reached for the heavens burned like colossal pyres, their structures groaning before collapsing into the ashen streets below. Smoke billowed upward in dense columns, choking the sun and painting the sky a sickly gray. Iconic landmarks were reduced to rubble—the Eiffel Tower lay shattered, its once-proud steel frame twisted into grotesque shapes, while the Burj Khalifa's towering glory had crumbled into a jagged ruin, its debris scattered across the sand.
In every direction, panic reigned supreme. Streets once bustling with life were filled with chaos as people ran, screamed, and sobbed. The cacophony of terror was punctuated by the wailing of children and the sharp cracks of collapsing buildings. Families clutched at one another, their faces masks of horror as they fled through the devastation.
From above, the source of humanity's terror pulsed ominously: vast, glowing portals, swirling with energy that defied understanding. Each was a maelstrom of color, flickering between hues of blue, green, and violet. The portals hovered over the most populous cities—Tokyo, New York, Lagos, São Paulo—casting an otherworldly light over the ruins below. From their shimmering depths emanated sounds that sent chills down the spines of all who heard them: guttural roars, mechanical whines, and whispers that seemed to slither directly into the mind.
Nations were crumbling under the weight of this apocalypse. Governments scrambled to respond, issuing emergency broadcasts, deploying troops, and setting up shelters, but nothing could stem the tide of chaos. In Southeast Asia, the portals wreaked havoc, their presence triggering tsunamis and earthquakes that leveled entire cities. Across Europe and Africa, the story was the same—millions displaced, their homes destroyed in an instant.
In one crowded square, a priest stood on the steps of a crumbling cathedral, his tattered robes flapping in the wind. His voice, hoarse but fervent, carried over the cries of the frightened.
"The end is upon us!" he shouted, raising his arms to the heavens. "Repent, for this is the judgment foretold in the Scriptures! The seals are broken, and the hour of reckoning is here!"
Around him, survivors paid little heed, their minds consumed by their own desperation. A young mother clutched her sobbing child to her chest as she stumbled through the rubble. An elderly couple hobbled past, their faces streaked with soot and tears. The priest's cries of repentance were drowned out as a skyscraper behind him groaned and began to collapse. He turned to face the falling structure, his face illuminated by the flames.
"Repent," he whispered one last time before the building came crashing down, burying him beneath its weight.
---
As the portals multiplied, so too did the paranoia and fear among nations. In hastily convened global meetings, accusations flew like sparks from a fire.
"These portals are not natural phenomena!" the Russian president declared, his voice thick with suspicion. "They are weapons, designed by our enemies to destroy us!"
"Perhaps it is your own government's doing," an American general retorted, his tone icy. "How else do you explain the appearance of these… anomalies in regions critical to the global economy?"
In a desperate attempt to assert dominance, the United States launched a nuclear missile at a portal hovering over Beijing. The portal absorbed the explosion without so much as a flicker, but the political fallout was immediate. Within hours, retaliatory strikes were underway, plunging the world into a geopolitical freefall.
Cities already ravaged by the portals now burned anew under the onslaught of nuclear fire. Millions were caught in the crossfire as nations turned on one another, each blaming the other for the catastrophe. The destruction was apocalyptic, and humanity teetered on the brink of extinction.
---
In the midst of the chaos, as flames consumed the earth and nations collapsed, a sudden and unnatural silence fell. The screams of the dying, the roar of the fires, even the howling wind—all ceased in an instant.
Then, a voice spoke. Deep, calm, and authoritative, it seemed to emanate from the very fabric of existence, bypassing the ears and echoing directly within the minds of every living soul.
"Fear not, mortal creatures, for you have been chosen for a greater purpose."
The voice carried a weight that was impossible to ignore. Some dropped to their knees in awe, while others clutched their heads, their faces contorted with pain.
"This encounter may seem strange to you, but know that it is a life-changing opportunity for your race. Many of you shall be granted a system to participate in the Paradox World Experience. This system will bestow upon you enhanced strength, speed, and heightened senses. Most importantly, it will grant you the ability to level up."
As the voice spoke, blue screens began to materialize in front of select individuals across the globe.
[SYSTEM INITIATION SUCCESS!]
[SYSTEM INITIATION SUCCESS!]
In a small alley, a teenage boy stared at the screen before him, his hands trembling. "What… what is this?" he whispered.
In a war-torn battlefield, a soldier covered in dust and blood read the glowing text with grim determination. "A system?" he muttered. "If this is what it takes to protect my people… so be it."
But for every chosen individual, there were thousands left untouched. These unchosen souls stared at the glowing screens with envy, fear, and despair.
"Why them?" a woman sobbed, clutching at the air as if trying to summon her own system screen. "Why not me?"
The overseer's voice continued, indifferent to the suffering below.
"Rejoice, for this is your chance to rise above mortality. Embrace the Paradox World Experience, and prove your worth to the cosmos."
And just as suddenly as it had begun, the voice vanished, leaving the world in a fractured silence once more.
---
The portals remained, their ominous glow casting long shadows over the broken cities. Those granted the system were thrust into a new reality, their screens displaying unfamiliar terms:
[STRENGTH: 5]
[SPEED: 4]
[SKILL TREE UNLOCKED]
Some embraced their newfound power, eager to explore its potential. Others recoiled, fearing the unknown.
For the unchosen, the Day of the Calling marked the beginning of an uncertain and terrifying future. Stripped of agency, they were left to navigate a shattered world, powerless to resist the changes unfolding around them.
But for Erwin—a man overlooked by fate—the Calling was something far more sinister.
It was the day his life became a paradox.