Silence.Absolute silence. As if time itself had held its breath.But then... something began to move.
At first, it was a tremor, almost imperceptible in the air. The wings of a bird, once frozen mid-flight, shuddered, a subtle motion, as if trying to break free from an invisible prison. The unmoving leaves on the trees began to sway gently, as though the world were awakening from a deep, forced slumber.
And then, from the depths of the Earth, something stirred.
A bluish energy, dense, viscous, alive, began to seep through the planet's entrails. It flowed like ancient blood, infiltrating forgotten veins, rising to the surface, seeping into everything that lived, breathed, and felt.
The bird, now trembling in the sky, was one of the first to succumb. The energy surrounded it like a mist. Its colorful feathers darkened, losing their luster until they became dull, cold, and brittle, like glass on the verge of shattering.
Its wings, once symbols of freedom, were corrupted, bones elongating, twisting, growing at unnatural angles. Its eyes, which once reflected the vastness of the sky, became hollow, deep, as if the very being that inhabited them had been ripped away. It still tried to fly, but the sky no longer recognized it.
The small bird's body took on a new form, claws long as blades, feathers like thorns, and gray skin marked with black veins pulsing with corrupted mana. The creature, once a symbol of peace and lightness, had now become a twisted beast. And it was not alone...
The transformationspread. Common insects, once buzzing carelessly among flowers, now had wings that shimmered like shattered crystals, sharp as razors; their bodies grew in size, taking on grotesque forms.
Deer, once elegant and majestic, staggered under the weight of mutation. Their eyes glowed with a sickly blue light. Cracks covered their bodies, releasing a mist that devoured leaves, grass, and even the soil.
Wolves, now with torn flesh and tripled fangs, walked in silence, hunters of a world that no longer belonged to them.
The world, now devoid of humans, was transforming. A dark stage where nature screamed without a voice, and magical aberrations were born every second.The beginning of a new era had just begun.
Noah's Room
"A-ah… my head…"
I murmured, bringing a hand to my forehead, where a throbbing pain pulsed like my skull was about to split in two. Sweat trickled down my temples like drops of molten metal, and my entire body felt like it weighed tons, as if I'd walked across a world with my bare feet.
With effort, I sat up in bed, still struggling to breathe, my muscles stiff and trembling as if waking from a nightmare that had gone on far too long. My vision was still blurry, but I managed to focus on the mirror in front of me.
That's when I saw myself.
Straight black hair, smooth as silk, fell to the nape of my neck, some strands sticking to my forehead with sweat, forming small waves. The color was as dark as a starless night, an absolute black that absorbed the light around it. And yet, there was a faint gleam to it, something subtle, almost imperceptible, like the hidden presence of a full moon behind clouds.
My eyes... they were different.Still blue, but now there was something more. A deep, intense glow, like the ocean under moonlight. But within that blue, something else pulsed: a red light, faint but alive.It wasn't a reflection. It was as if my own eyes were lighting up from the inside out.
"What... happened to me?" - I whispered, but my voice barely came out. A whisper into nothingness.
That's when I felt it.
At the center of my chest, just above my heart, something burned with a warm, almost comforting heat... almost.
I looked down, and my body froze.There, fused to my skin, was a red stone. It pulsed, alive, glowing in sync with my heartbeat, as if it were responding to each thump.
Around the stone, spread across my chest, were marks... no, tattoos. Etched directly into my skin. They were geometric shapes, fine and precise lines interwoven into an intricate and elegant pattern, traced with mathematical perfection. The designs connected at sharp and soft angles, forming a fluid, almost organic pattern.
These lines converged into a central figure: an incomplete pentagon. At each of its five points, there was a perfectly sculpted space on my skin, small, empty sockets in circular or triangular shapes, as if something was meant to be placed there. But they were empty.
"What the hell is this…?"
I muttered, dazed, slowly running my hand over my chest. The texture was real. I could feel the grooves of the lines drawn into my skin… like a tattoo, but I'd never had a tattoo in my life.
And in the center of it all, there it was. The same red stone. The one that had been in the necklace my mom gave me. Now it was fused to my skin, pulsing gently as if it were part of my own heart.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to breathe deeply. In moments like this, panicking didn't help. I'd read enough light novels, manga, and forums to know that losing control only made things worse. It was better to stay calm. Think and piece the facts together.
"A portal, floating messages… and now this tattoo…"
It all felt like something from another world. Literally. Like in those books where the protagonist is summoned or transported to a new universe and gets a magic system or some bizarre power. But… this was far from fun.
This was real.
The stone still glowed, but its light had softened. It was... stable. Almost serene.
"Silence…"My eyes narrowed."It's too quiet…"
New York, the loudest place on Earth, wasn't making a sound. No horns. No sirens. No footsteps, no chatter, no traffic.
I stood up from the bed with difficulty, my muscles still a bit tense, but functional. I walked to the balcony. Each step made my heart beat faster, not from exertion, but from anticipation. As I pushed aside the curtain and opened the glass door… I froze.
"Gone…"The city was empty. Completely empty. No cars on the streets, no people rushing by, no sound.
New York, the city that never sleeps, now seemed like it would never wake up. I stood there, stunned, staring at the impossible. My brain refused to accept it. It felt like I was trapped in a nightmare, and everything inside me screamed that something wasn't right.
"This has to be a prank… someone's testing me?"
Like a survival game. A bizarre experiment. But none of it made sense. There were no hidden cameras. No laughter, no editing tricks. Reality was wrong.
"Auntie…"The word escaped before I realized, and my eyes widened. My already racing heart skipped a beat. She was the only person I had left. The only one since… since Mom passed.
And what if she was gone too? Taken or... worse?Without thinking twice, I ran. I flung the door open, my bare feet hitting the wooden hallway floor.
"Auntie!"
I shouted, running to her room. On the wall, the digital clock blinked: 09:05. Maybe… maybe she was still there, getting ready. Preparing for work. Maybe…
I reached for the door."Auntie, are you in there?"I waited. Nothing.Knocked again, harder this time."Auntie…?"
I called again, trying not to let the desperation rise in my throat. No answer. No sound. Then a sharp pain, like a cold needle, pierced my chest. A dark thought took shape, a possibility I refused to accept.
"Auntie… I'm coming in, okay?"
Click.
My trembling hand turned the doorknob. The door creaked softly as it opened. What greeted me was silence… and a completely empty room. The bed was still messy, with sheets tossed around and her pajamas lying on top.The breeze from the window lightly swayed the curtain, as if mocking the emptiness.
I looked around carefully, my heart pounding. I went to the bathroom.
"Auntie...?"
I called, even though I knew there would be no reply.Empty.I ran to the kitchen.Nothing.
With every step, the knot in my stomach tightened. With no other options, I returned to her room. I had to think. I had to understand.
I observed everything more closely. The bed still undone. Her pajamas left behind. None of it made sense.
My aunt always had a meticulous routine. Even when she was late, she never left the bed unmade. She'd never leave her clothes lying around.
"So why now…?"
It was like she had been interrupted suddenly, forced to leave in a rush. But that only made things stranger. She wasn't the type to "leave in a rush."
I stood there, staring at the room like it was a puzzle. I thought about the silent streets. The terrifying emptiness of New York. The people vanishing as if they'd simply evaporated.
And then, a memory lit up: Right before I was pulled into that portal… my phone read exactly 09:00.
Now it was 09:05.
Only five minutes had passed since then.
Five minutes...There's no way an entire city could be evacuated in so little time.
Not even someone like my aunt would leave so abruptly without at least a note, a message, some sign that she was okay. I grabbed my phone. No message from her. Only… one from Ana.
Ana…
"Could she also…?"
My mind started spiraling into terrifying possibilities, but before I could fall too deep into those thoughts, a sound cut through the silence like a blade:
[Ding!]
[Synchronization complete!]
Frozen, I turned my gaze toward a window of purple letters that appeared in front of me.