Hours Before the End of the World: 14

Valerie sat down on her couch, glancing at the clock as the sun dipped below the horizon. After what seemed like eternity the office door burst open with a loud bang! as her patient stood in the doorway.

"Has being late become part of the therapy now?" Valerie asked, not bothering to look at James.

"We're all gonna die!" James shouted as he collapsed onto the couch in front of her.

Valerie's gaze rapidly shifted to James. He was drenched in sweat, his tangled red hair sticking to his forehead.

Had he been running all the way here? Valerie thought, trying to make sense of the unusual situation.

James frantic eyes flew throughout the room, searching for someone—or something—that wasn't there.

"What happened?" Valerie asked, her tone calm as she worked to appear composed under the strange circumstances.

"We made a huge mistake... and now... it might be the end..." James stopped, then stood up, unable to stay still. "Nobody believes me! I contacted the police, the Association! But everyone ignores me! We're all gonna die!" James voice grew louder, barely holding together as he stood.

"James… sit down, let's talk about it, wha—" Valerie's words were cut off by James.

"There's no need to talk! Just use your goddamn blessing already!" James shouted, his finger pointed at Valerie.

A 'blessing.' is an innate ability possessed by every human being, allowing them to perform feats beyond normal limits. Valerie's blessing let her discern truth from lies—so long as she deeply understood the person she was reading.

Valerie glanced at James for a brief moment, questions circling in her mind.

Was he under some kind of influence? Mind control had happened before. Or was this tied to his work? That was why he was here in the first place.

James had never been like this. Erratic, perhaps. But this level of fear? Something had clearly gone horribly wrong.

Seeing the fragile state of James's mind, Valerie paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and decided to use her blessing.

If she misused it—if she read someone she didn't understand—her mind could spiral into chaos. But she had been working with James for nearly a year now. She knew the kind of person he was.

Didn't she?

Hours Before the End of the World: 8

James pressed the power button on the coffee machine, but instead of the familiar hum of brewing coffee, he was greeted only by a harsh metallic sound.

"It broke... again," James muttered, his voice tinged with desperation as he watched a small spark fizzle from the top of the machine.

As his thoughts drifted to what to do with the broken coffee maker, a sudden sound at the door made him tense.

"If this bastard has come to waste my time again, I swear I'll…"

He grumbled to himself, expecting his coworker to be there, ready to waste his time again. But when James opened the door, he found only an empty hallway. Instead, a small letter lay on the floor.

James picked it up. The parchment felt ancient, like something torn straight from medieval history. Bold, capital letters were scrawled across the front:

-James JR-

-******************-

Your Time Has Come-

Everything That We Needed Is Ready-

I Hope You Took Your Time To Say Goodbye To The Ones You Loved-

Charon Is Finally Operational-

It's Time To Finally End This Failure-

I Will Be Waiting For You When You Wake Up-

"Is this a joke? A death threat?" James wondered as he finished reading the letter. Despite his confusion, there was no mistaking it—it was addressed to him, with his name written clearly on the front.

James stepped back inside, shutting the door. He held the letter to the light, examining its texture, the ink, anything that could explain what the hell this was.

Maybe I misread it.

Then, he noticed something strange.

The shutters were open—yet outside, there was only pitch black.

His breath hitched.

It was supposed to be morning. He had woken up just minutes ago, ready to prepare for work.

"James… the time has come."

A voice. Soft, feminine.

Behind him.

He spun, heart pounding. He lived alone.

His vision blurred. His eyelids grew heavier.

I… know that voice…

I know that voice..

A glowing blue window materialized before his eyes, right where the voice had come from.

"This thing is…"

"why…" 

"here?" 

He whispered.

It wasn't the first time he had seen something like this. Various game-like interfaces existed to assist those with complex or incomprehensible blessings. But he had never needed one.

So why was it here? Why now?

His legs buckled.

"Does this have something to do with the letter...?"

"Why is everything happening so fast...?"

His body collapsed.

His vision went dark.

[Good Night James]

Hours Before the End of the World: 7

Hours Before the End of the World: 6

Hours Before the End of the World: 5

Hours Before the End of the World: 4

Hours Before the End of the World: 3

Hours Before the End of the World: 2

Hours Before the End of the World: 1

HUMANITY HAS COLLAPSED

[Time Passed = **]

[Location = Xenteria]

[A Trace Of Mana Was Found!]

[Following…]

[Following..]

[Following…]

[A Body Was Found!]

[Current Soul: **** 'James' Adler]

[Target Soul: Terry ]

[>Merge Or >Swap]

What? Where I am?

Hello?

It's dark here.

What is that? Merge or swap?

Souls? James and Terry. Who are they? Wait..

Current soul… I Am James?

I don't want to swap.. I don't think so, at least. 

I want to merge!

[Merging Souls: Combining stats = 0 + 0 = 0]

[New Total Power = 0]

I see…

[Current Body Is Unusable: Cause = ********]

[Using Skill: Regeneration]

[Mana Not Sufficient]

[Item Detected: Small Mana Necklace: Capacity = 15]

[Using Item + Using Skill: Regeneration]

A sudden light pierced through the darkness, as James opened his eyes—

Or what was left of them.

What is this place? he thought, his gaze drifting over the small grey cell.

Before more questions could form, he looked down. Bones. His body was nothing but bones. And yet, he could move, see, think.

How is this possible?

How am I able to see? To move? Not every bone is touching, yet they're still attached.

He flexed his fingers. His skeletal frame obeyed him perfectly, despite the impossibility of it all. He should be terrified. But strangely, he felt… calm.

No pulse. No breath. No heartbeat.

And yet, he was alive.

Despite his unusual situation, a decision formed in his mind.

Whatever is happening, I can't stay here.

Using a loose brick as leverage, he pulled himself to his feet. His body balanced without effort, as if he had never needed muscles to begin with.

A surprising feat for a pile of bones, he thought.

There was no door obstructing his path—strange, given how much the place resembled a prison. The only distinguishing feature was a small, barred window, through which a frail light trickled in. It was set too high for him to glimpse the outside world.

With a final step, he passed through the doorway into an obscure hallway. No sources of light remained to guide him. As he stood there, deciding which direction to take, a sudden movement to the right caught his attention.

James exhaled—a habit he no longer needed.

In the darkness, he noticed a creature—its fur blending with the grey bricks, making it almost invisible. It wasn't imposing, but its presence was unmistakable.

The little creature turned its black eyes toward James, as if it had only just noticed the skeleton walking through. Without hesitation, it scurried closer to James feet. As it approached, James finally got a good look at the small animal.

A... rat? James thought. He had expected something much more menacing. But, he reasoned, it wasn't that bad, all things considered.

But the little grey rat wasn't the end of the surprises. On its back, barely noticeable, was a weak glow emanating from a small crystal. James opened his skeletal palm, hoping to catch the rat and get a closer look at the glowing crystal. But as soon as he moved, the small grey animal darted away.

With few options left, James chose to follow the small rat, hoping it would lead him through the darkness.