"Silence." The eerie voice reverberated through everyone's ears. The entire world stopped all actions, uncertain of what had just occurred.
The murmurs from chats suddenly evolved to screams, and the honks of cars began to fill the atmosphere. Asher, who was only 16 at the time stood amidst the chaos in the streets.
"What... what's going on here?" He questioned himself with an indescribable look on his face. The only thing he could think of was to run.
He took to his heels, his feet pounding on the tarred streets as he stumbled on a few speed bumps. The entirety of pedestrians ran like flies, vehicle users zoomed through the streets while a few locked themselves up in their houses.
There was only one word to describe the strange event—chaos.
Suddenly, a spine-chilling sensation overcame Asher. He tried moving, but his feet seemed stuck to the floor as if gripped in fear.
Before him stood a mighty figure, cloaked in a long dark robe and holding a staff with an orb at its pinnacle, flickering like a dying flame.
The figure itself was an enlarged skeleton, its ribs spanning cities and its head piercing the sky just by view.
Asher's fate was determined—only death was ahead. Tears rolled down his eyes as the memories of his parents flooded his mind.
"I couldn't even return these snacks I bought for them," he thought, lowering his head, overwhelmed by the fearful figure.
Screams echoed on the streets with more energy than they did before. Asher was confused and tilted his head to the side. He was circled by individuals all stunned and facing the massive skeleton.
"Can they see him?" He asked himself although the answer was obvious. They occasionally screamed, a few collapsed and those in their houses simply shut their windows.
"Gate Open." The voice echoed again with a more subtle tone yet scarier.
Everyone burst into screams, forcing their legs to move from the floor, but they didn't. It was almost as if they were glued to the floor just to behold the impending doom.
The entire world began shifting between reality and a space-like scenery. It was a dark space devoid of any objects except the humans and the oddly enormous skeleton.
As people panicked, a faint aurora lit up the sky, providing light in the void. Asher looked down and he could move, although there wasn't any ground to be stepped on. It was all empty space including the floor beneath him, yet he and everyone else could somehow walk on it.
Once the others regained their mobility, they ran even further, screaming as if they were being tortured.
"No, don't run." The voice echoed again, but this time as if it was amused. It sounded like the voice of a man, cruel and ominous.
"I've brought you all here for a reason. There's no place to run," he spoke, his amusement evident through his voice. He chuckled slightly and then burst into laughter.
"I mean, look around. It's all a dark void with no structures, no homes. No matter what you do, I'll still get you," he paused, building suspense in the atmosphere.
"This is my domain, everyone in the entire world is here. I would love to trap you here for my amusement but I'm afraid there's something I fancy even more."
His cruelty was put on full display with his statement. Asher was too bewildered to think, shook to his core. He was completely gripped in fear, and by the expression of others, the same could be said for them.
"The entire world?... So mum and dad are here?" The thought made him joyous, even though the feeling was overwhelmed by fear. He turned around, lifting his foot.
"If I run in the direction of my home, I should find them." As his foot hit the ground, the world changed. It returned to normal but still seemed somewhat different.
"Here feels too silent," Asher stared as he scrutinized his environment.
"Now, don't go looking for your parents. Those old timers will remain in the void. Besides, this was my initial intention," the voice came again.
Asher was surprised and disheartened, his fear beginning to flee. It was only a few moments later that he realized something groundbreaking; only young people had returned.
'Why bring only teenagers back?' The sad reality gnawed at him. He wouldn't see his parents for the time being, but what was the goal?
"Yes, my goal is simple. To train you all from lowly commoners to God's like me. Only the strong deserve to love in this world while failures will be disposed of," the voice returned as if answering Asher's thoughts.
"A god? Don't make me laugh," someone stated, amused. He smiled continuously and began chuckling as if taunting the voice.
A loud crackling sound echoed and static electricity filled the air. Following that was a strong gust of wind, strong enough to move humans with low grip.
"Don't test me," the voice replied with the slightest bit of emotion. His monotonous response was frightening, to say the least, and its depth was enough to startle a grown man.
A bolt of lightning hit the ground, barely missing the boy who had made the statement. He fell to his knees, scared as a barrage of lightning flashes commenced him.
The inhumane act commanded respect amongst everyone, their heads all facing the floor in an attempt to escape the cruel reality.
Blue text swayed around in the air and settled before everyone's eyes, forging a message:
[ Starting Objective: Achieve godhood ]
'Is he being serious?' Asher thought, his eyes widening out of surprise. 'Is that even possible? If so, how can we achieve it?'
"Yes, I'm being serious and as to how godhood is achieved, that will be answered on its own. Telling you now won't be fun, will it?" The voice chuckled again, leaving everyone confused.
Everyone looked up at the sky as it slowly turned to the color of fresh blood; thick dark red.
"Now... the apocalypse has officially begun!"