December 31, 2024
Vashora City.
The top floor of the Aswin hospital. In a room with a beautiful view of the city and its beach.
Maya, a young woman in her mid-twenties is lying on the bed. The ventilation equipment, the feeding tube, and the IV are barely keeping her alive. A set of equipment is monitoring her vitals. Her beautiful face is covered with bruises made with a blunt object.
Her lips are crushed, her nose broken, skull fractured.
There are a hundred other injuries that are no less than those all over her body, covered carefully underneath her sheets.
Beside her bed, Ayaan sat down. A young man. Not particularly handsome, 25 years of age. He held her hand gently as if he is afraid that she will break. If it is even possible to break more than she already has.
His eyes are empty, even though he is looking at her, it appears like he is looking into an empty space. The tear stains on his face are the only indication that there might be some emotions hidden behind his frozen heart.
He is thinking about the past. A past that felt so distant, even though it was just a few days ago. He is remembered the last time he saw his sister's face. He saw it through a computer screen. Right before he was getting started from his base to come back home.
Within one week, everything changed.
When he came back from his base, he found himself dragged away by the police. He was greeted by the cold bodies of his dead parents, then he was told about his sister's condition.
Bones broken, spine crushed, skull fractured.
The sight of her lying helplessly on the hospital bed made him feel emotions that he never knew he had.
He almost heard his heart shatter, tears streamed down and never seemed to stop. In this one week many things happened, or rather, many things didn't happen.
The police couldn't find any perpetrator and they claimed this was a road rage incident. The doctor said that his sister showed no signs of getting up. They declared that even her living like this if one could call it that, is through her sheer will to live.
For some reason, his fiancée who he came back to marry decided that it was a great time to break off the engagement.
His parents gone, his home empty, his sister worse off than dead… all things reverted the world back to what it was supposed to be. A cold, grey place. A place devoid of any beauty or anything worth cherishing.
That's what he used to see it as before his sister was born. And that's what it turned back to now that she is like this. She is what made him feel like the world is worth existing.
He caressed her head gently and thought of the words the doctor said.
"Mr. Ayaan. I know it is a difficult time. But I think it is better that you be prepared to make the hard call. There is nothing or no one in this world that could bring her back. For the rest of her life. Or what's left of her, she will need this life support to barely survive.
And we don't know how long she can keep up like this.
Any given moment could be her last."
Even though the doctor didn't mention it, he is telling him to be prepared to pull the plug.
"If nothing in this world can save you. If no one in this world can bring you back to me. If this world cannot accommodate your life and existence, then Maya… what's the point of its existence?
You told me that this world is beautiful. You forced me to accept it.
But why does it feel so fucking unbearable."
He bit his tongue and said.
"I am sorry, I know you don't like it when I curse."
As he said he looked at her hand. Hoping that she would pinch him like she usually does, whenever he cursed.
*BANG* *CRACKLE*
The sound of fireworks invaded the silence of the room. The old year is gone and a new year has come.
"Answer me, Maya. What is the point of all this if you are not there to see it? What should I do now?"
As he muttered to himself, he suddenly felt chills down his spine. There was an eerie stillness in the surroundings as if the time has stopped.
"I know one thing that you could do."
He heard a voice, very familiar, but with a tinge of unfamiliarity. He looked ahead.
On the other side of the bed, stood a young man. With a very familiar face. Ayaan felt like he was looking in the mirror. Albeit a distorted and deformed one that made his crew cut look like long hair, his tanned skin a bit fair and bright, his cold lifeless eyes with divine brilliance poured into them and his usual black attire as white as the bright moon.
A man who looked exactly like him, but a lot different.
A man whose voice is exactly the same as him, but with a lot of life and joy.
Ayaan gazed deeply into the man's eyes.
"Wow, I thought you would be more surprised."
Ayaan wasn't. His eyes are just as cold and hollow as before. At a very young age, he learned that surprise is a useless emotion. Unless you are subjecting others to it. It is of no use.
Rather, in this situation, instead of being surprised, Ayaan became vigilant and observant. Some of the useful traits a man could have in this situation.
"You are way too composed. I wonder if it is a good thing or a bad thing." As the man muttered, all of a sudden, Ayaan sprang up from his chair.
He leaped over Maya like a tiger leaping over the bushes to bite on its prey. His hand extended and aimed towards the man's neck. He didn't ask any questions. How he came, why he came, what he wants, everything will be answered once he is pinned down.
As for both of them being similar in appearance. That is of little consequence.
The man, for some reason, didn't appear surprised at all. Instead, he showed an expression of intrigue.
Ayaan, just when he thought his hand could grip the man's neck, it went right through it.
Ayaan as a whole went through the man's body as if it was not even there.
The man turned around and looked at Ayaan with a smile.
"Now that your little stunt is over. Can we talk?"
Ayaan's frown deepened. He felt it. He felt going through the person. As if he was a ghost. His mind is running at its highest speed. He is trying to think of a way out. Now the other party is between him and Maya.
He needs to create distance between them before anything else.
As he was thinking, all of a sudden, he realized something.
The beeping sound that was there before, and the sound of fireworks and celebrations of the new year, all of them are gone.
Even the drop of IV drip has frozen in the spot. Maya… she is not breathing either. For the first time in a long while, Ayaan showed a hint of surprise.
The feeling of the time freezing over, it is not just because of the man's presence. Its because the time really froze.
He looked at the man with a shocked face.
"Now, that's the expression I am familiar with.
Shall we talk?"
Ayaan stayed silent.
"I heard your question. About what you should do now and what is the point of all this? I also understand that you lost your sense of purpose with your sister like this.
So, I came to you with a proposal. That gives you a purpose and a mission."
Ayaan still didn't speak.
"Alright, an introvert, I take it.
Ayaan, I am here to deliver you spectacular news. The world as you know it, is going to end exactly one year from now.
January 1 2026 will be the end of humanity. The Virelia, the planet that you live in will face a never before seen cataclysm and destroy every living being of this planet and your world will come to an end."
Ayaan still didn't show a reaction.
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Did you not hear me? The world will end."
"And?" Ayaan finally spoke and that is what he said.
"But you have a chance to stop it."
"I don't care."
Ayaan stood up from his spot.
The man is stunned.
"Don't… care?"
He didn't know how to react.
"Did you not hear me? The world will be destroyed. All the humans killed; the planet will no longer be the same."
"Did you not hear me? I said I don't care."
"But… you… the world…"
He didn't know how to move forward. This is not how the script should go. He should give the grand news and the other party should ask why, what, and how it will happen. Then when he told them they had a chance, they should ask how they could help.
That's how it should go.
Why is it off the track with this guy? He doesn't know. The man scratched his head and looked at Ayaan before looking at Maya on the bed.
He suddenly had an idea.
As soon as he showed his expression, he felt a chill down his spine. The ethereal man who is like a ghost feels like he will die.
*SWOOSH*
Ayaan swung his fist from the back. It went through the man. He stepped back and raised his hands.
"Alright, alright, alright. I am harmless, okay. I am not here to harm you."
Ayaan stood between him and the bed. His eyes are as sharp as daggers. The man felt like he could carve his heart out with just that gaze.
"Okay, I understand that you don't care about the world. But you seem to care about her."
Ayaan clenched his fist.
"So, what if I told you, saving the world can help you save her."
The second time Ayaan showed a shocked expression.
"What did you just say?" He asked, hoping that he didn't mishear.
"Take up my mission and save the world. You will then be able to save her. By save, I mean, you can have her in the best condition she could possibly be in. She can walk again, smile again, and live again like she never experienced this tragedy.
So, what do you say, are you interested now?"
"What should I do?" Ayaan asked directly. He is ready. Ready to do anything to make her come back.
The man smirked.
'Finally, things are going the way they should.'
"I am your manager by the way. You can call me Ark. And I will be responsible for helping you throughout this experience. You won't be seeing me too much, but I am going to communicate with you whenever necessary."
Ayaan just nodded in response.
"Alright, Ayaan.
As I said before, the world is in danger. And in one year a cataclysmic event will happen.
In this one year, you need to complete a series of quests. Upon completing these quests your world will be prepared and ready to endure and survive the cataclysm. And in return, you get to fulfill one wish. Any wish of your desire that is equivalent to your contributions.
You can ask for unlimited wealth, immortality,y or even the resurrection of the dead. So, obviously, you can also restore your sister's health.
In one year, you have to do what I tell you to do and you can have your sister back."
Ayaan's fist tightened and so did his heart.
One wish. That one wish and he is ready to pay any price.
Looking at his determined expression, Ark nodded.
'That's how it's supposed to be.'
"Now, let's go into the details.
You are one of the one hundred candidates chosen for this mission. All one hundred of you are essential to save the world.
You will face ten stages of calamities. Each stage contains ten different quests. These calamities appear on your planet to weaken your population. They aim to destroy your people in terms of morale, strength, and will.
They will be relentless.
Whenever a quest begins, the time will stop just like it did now... The world around you will change as per the quest requirements and it will change back once the quest is done.
You have to fight and kill the creatures within the given quest time based on the quest conditions. If you fail to do so, you will incur a penalty.
Every tenth quest will also be special. They are what we call the Boss quests. You will need to kill that boss at all costs.
If you fail to do so within the quest time, not only will you die, but the threat of the boss will materialize in the form of a natural calamity and impact this world.
With each quest you clear, you will become stronger. Until you face the last and the hundredth quest. Try to maximize your opportunity and grow stronger. Once you finish that hundredth quest, then you will be free from your duty.
The rest of the world can survive on its own and you can see your sister come back to life."
Ark paused, hoping that Ayaan would ask some questions. But he just stood there like a pole.
'This guy has as much personality as a chunk of stone. This would be fucking boring'
Ark cursed to himself and continued.
*SNAP*
With a snap of his fingers, a holographic screen appeared in front of Ayaan.
"I am going to help you through this.
This is your system screen through which you can track your progress.
Ayaan looked at the screen.
==============================
SYSTEM INTERFACE
==============================
Name: Ayaan Rakshit
Level: 0
Class: None
Title: None
==============================
STATS
==============================
Strength (STR): 13
Agility (AGI): 16
Endurance (END): 20
Intelligence (INT): 35
Perception (SEN): 50
Available Stat Points: 0
==============================
HEALTH & MANA
==============================
HP (Health Points): 100
MP (Mana Points): 0
==============================
EXP PROGRESS
==============================
EXP: 0 / 100
[□□□□□□□□□□□□] 0%
==============================
PHYSICAL STATUS
==============================
Fatigue: 10
==============================
SKILLS
==============================
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: None
==============================
UPCOMING QUEST
==============================
Tutorial
==============================
INVENTORY
==============================
Slots: 0/10
- Empty
==============================
"You got some decent stats for Level 0. After our conversation is done. You will go through the tutorial.
The system will give you the instructions on how the tutorial will proceed. It will also provide instructions to you going forward.
And finally, I have one thing to say to you."
Ark paused and Ayaan looked at him.
"Never settle for the minimum. There is always something hidden. Whether that is the past that you don't know or the future that you will encounter. Always dig deeper and you will be rewarded with the things that you deserve."
Ayaan's gaze turned sharper. He had a feeling that Ark is hinting at something and that something might be more than just this mission.
"See you around. Ayaan."
*SNAP*
Ark disappeared.
Ayaan's system screen changed.
Instead of his stat screen, a quest screen appeared.
==============================
QUEST SCREEN
==============================
Name: Ayaan Rakshit
Level: 0
==============================
ACTIVE QUEST
==============================
Tutorial Quest
Objective: Survive for 30 minutes
Reward:
- Level Up (+1)
- All Stats +2
==============================
COMPLETED QUESTS
==============================
None
==============================
FAILED QUESTS
==============================
None
==============================
As soon as he finished reading, a timer appeared below.
Tutorial Commences in 00:00:05
00:00:04
00:00:03
00:00:02
00:00:01
00:00:00
TUTORIAL BEGINS
"See you soon Maya."
Ayaan said to Maya as he felt a flash.