On a grim night, a computer screen cast a soft glow in a dark room.
Unlike anything luxurious, it was a rather small and congested space for someone to live in.
And yet, it meant the world to Kai.
Inside the room, a young, frail-looking man—seemingly no older than seventeen years of age—stood hunched in the corner in front of the computer.
His hands pressed against the computer desk while his eyes remained fixated on the screen.
"The Calamities aren't mere works of fiction, but the forgotten history of this world..."
Kai widened his eyes in disbelief as an old man's voice came in through the computer.
On the screen, an old man draped in pristine white robes sat in front of hundreds of cameras and mics pointing toward him.
It was a Live press conference.
The old man's beard looked ungroomed while his hair partially covered his eyes, yet even just a glance sent a strange, soothing warmth to one's heart.
"As disbelieving as it sounds, it is nothing but the truth." He continued, his hands resting on an old, wooden cane.
"The purpose of creating such a game was to prepare humanity for upcoming Calamity and," the old man stopped for a moment, his eyes numb. After recomposing himself, he continued, "...and to find an old friend who can put an end to this ruthless cycle."
Kai's hand subconsciously reached his chest, clenching onto it as his heart raced with all sorts of emotions.
"We have survived the past six calamities, but this may truly mark our end..." With that said, the old man raised his cane high up in the sky.
"This is a proof to my statements."
As the words slipped out of his mouth, a strange glow appeared at the other end of his cane.
It was a bright golden shimmer of light that continued to accumulate before finally shooting itself into the sky, forming a bright pillar of light that illuminated the entire vicinity as if it wasn't night-time.
Once it reached the clouds, the beam diverged into thousands of bright threads gleaming with a golden light similar to that of a sun.
"Look out through your windows." The old man's voice echoed, as the whole world complied to his words.
The threads continued to split, forming a giant spiderweb that spread across the whole Earth.
The sky shimmered in the golden glow as the concept of day and night seemed to have withered away.
At just a single glance, tears welled in the eyes of people from all over the world. Not a single soul could bring to express themselves as it was a feeling they had never felt before.
A mix of emotions—almost as if their soul had connected to that of the old man.
They felt an insurmountable love for everyone but, at the same time, an agony that was far worse than death.
It was an inexplicable feeling.
However, unlike the rest of the world, Kai was lost in his thoughts.
'Why... Does that old man look so familiar...'
As much as he tried to avoid looking at the old man, the more his eyes drifted towards him.
To Kai, the old man looked like someone who he had known for eternity, and yet, not a single memory was to be found.
'Why... Why can't I remember him?'
A sharp pain spiked in his head as his thoughts intensified. He gritted his teeth as the wave of pain washed over him.
Right then, the glowing threads, the gleaming pillar of light—it all withered away.
The old man coughed abruptly, snatching away the attention of the whole world in the blink of an eye.
Kai widened his eyes as he realized that there was a subtle wet gargle in his cough.
Soon, the whole world noticed a streak of crimson blood flowing out of the crevice of his mouth, painting his robe and beard crimson.
Yet, strangely enough, even in such a situation, the old man continued to smile brightly.
"Looks like... My time has come..." His voice wavered as every word felt like a cruel torture to his throat.
He let out a soft chuckle and said, "I'm sorry... I couldn't withhold my promise, Ash..."
His body started to glow in the same golden light as he continued, "But I have prepared everything for your return, my friend... "
The old man's body started to wither away, as he said his final words.
"Re-claim your throne, brother... For you are the only one who can free us from this endless cycle of life and death!" He shouted with all his might, his voice echoing throughout the whole world as he finally withered away with a sweet smile on his face.
For a brief moment, the world fell silent.
Not a single soul dared to utter even a word.
While Kai's heart ached with an incurable pain as if he had lost someone dear to him.
Tears slowly slid down his face as a word subconsciously slipped out of his mouth.
"Lukas..." his voice wavered as he couldn't control his emotions.
The computer screen blacked out, but a strange sound appeared in his head.
*Ding!*
At first, Kai didn't care about it much, thinking it was just another one of his hallucinations.
But then, a strange, transparent blue screen materialized in front of his eyes, leaving him shocked.
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[Connecting to the Planet E13...]
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