The train rumbled along the tracks, its steady motion blending into the background noise of the city. Ryo Kisaragi sat by the window, phone in hand, staring at the final chapter of a novel that had consumed eight years of his life.
> [You are the last reader of this story. The world ends when you stop reading.]
Ryo exhaled sharply. He had spent thousands of hours on "Apocalypse of the Chosen", a niche web novel that no one else seemed to talk about. It wasn't popular, nor was it well-received in mainstream circles. But for him, it was everything.
Unlike other fantasy novels where the protagonist gained overwhelming power, Apocalypse of the Chosen had a bleak, desperate atmosphere. It was a story about struggle, about surviving when the world itself was collapsing. Kael Draven, the novel's protagonist, wasn't the strongest—he was the smartest. He knew how to manipulate the system, how to turn impossible odds in his favor.
And now, after years of following Kael's journey, it was over.
Ryo stared at the cryptic message again.
> [The world ends when you stop reading.]
Is this some kind of fourth-wall-breaking joke? He sighed and scrolled down, half-expecting an author's note explaining the vague ending.
Instead, a notification popped up.
> Author-nim: [Thank you for reading until the end. You are the only one who has reached this far.]
Ryo frowned. He had followed this novel from the beginning, even when updates were inconsistent, even when the author disappeared for months at a time. He had always assumed there were other readers—at least a few dedicated ones.
But now the author was saying he was the only one?
His fingers moved instinctively.
> Ryo: [What do you mean, "the only one"?]
No response.
Instead, his phone screen flickered.
The text on the final chapter shifted, as if rewriting itself before his eyes.
> "The final reader has been recognized. Initialization process beginning."
A sharp ringing filled his ears. The world around him distorted—for a moment, the train, the passengers, even the dull city lights outside seemed to blur into static.
Then—
> [The Worldline Shift has begun.]
[You are the only one who knows the ending.]
[Survive.]
The train jerked violently, sending passengers tumbling forward. The lights overhead flickered, then exploded, plunging the train into momentary darkness. A split second later, the emergency lights bathed everything in a dim red glow.
Panic spread through the train car.
"What the hell was that?!" someone shouted.
Ryo gripped his seat, his pulse pounding. He turned toward the window—
And froze.
The city skyline was gone.
In its place, a massive rift had torn through the sky, revealing a swirling abyss of darkness and fire. Figures—tall, humanoid things with glowing red eyes—emerged from the rift, descending upon the city like locusts.
Ryo's breath caught in his throat.
He had seen this before.
This was the beginning of Apocalypse of the Chosen.
And he was the only one who knew what came next.
---
To be continued…