Prologue to Disaster

GRAVEYARD

A rain in the graveyard, a group of people with black cloth holding a same colored umbrella, mourning for the mother of a boy who is resting in the face of the earth. Some of them is looking at the boy in sympathy, but the boy didn't mind them, because he is looking to his mother, inside the casket for the last time.

𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒕, 𝑰 𝒃𝒊𝒅 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒃𝒚𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔

"Chris... condolences." A maiden in a dark shades give Chris a soft pat on his right shoulder. It was Crystal, his former classmates and friend who always bothers him since Chris meet her. She is the most caring person, and this is the time to be caring, this is a right place to be herself.

"Thanks, but I need to go now." His footsteps splash the mud below the grasses. The funeral attendees move over to make way to Chris. He went in in his car, turn the engine on and went into the damp road. People at the graveyard looked at his car in mild confusion.

"Chris! Wait!" Crystal yell, she want to go in his car to chase him, but a middle age man stopped her by grabbing her right arm, making her binded in place.

"Crystal, let him alone for now." A hoarse voice came out on the middle age man mouth, It was very terrifying if you don't know this man, but it was Crystal's uncle.

­𝑼𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕... Said Crystal in her mind.

­𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔... 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆... 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕.. 𝒂𝒉𝒉 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕

"Sorry uncle, but I need to go too."

In haste, Crystal put down his umbrella and sprint over her car. She didn't really have anything on her that can damage by the rain, so she just sprint like the wind, straight to her car.

MARIA ANNE's MANOR

In Chris home, a deafening silence wrap the entire four walls of the house. His house is at the atop of a hill near a beach side, It have a second floor and a size of a 50 cubic meter, not including the garden and unused land. It can technically can be called as a manor because it was originally a antique house that have been modified by modern furniture, appliciances, and other substances, but the frame of the house is still look like a manor in the outside yet it's looks like a normal modern house in the inside. No one is here except him, because the maid and helper are all in leave, so that's why the manor is silent but the slow footstep of his cut the silent while he went to his room.

He flip the switch to turn on the light in his room, it was surprisingly clean. He have a collection of books that neatly sorted from genre and type in a blackwood bookshelf, of course the most needed by him is also there which is a PC, and a desk full of miscellaneous writing items . Even though he likes anime, there's no single figurine, poster, and even manga/light novel in his book collection, because he doesn't like to be distracted so he just digitally read them in his PC, he likes to be minimalistic but still have aesthetic approach.

His mother is the only known family to her, he is also the only son, and his father died in Chris's young age. It was a grueling life as a single mom, but his mother persevere and work hard for Chris to give him a nice life, She succeeded on that. His mother give him a proper teaching as a child, take him in a good school that have a good teacher and schoolmates, and every need he wants.

But now, she is gone because of a incurable illness, Chris give all his time in his mother for her last moments.

His mother said to Chris can do whatever he want, but don't lowered who is in the low, and don't be irrational in his choice.

But... now, he sit down on his chair, he take his pen to the drawer under the desk, and a A4 size paper above his desk that have different paper sizes inside it.

For about a solid 10 minutes, he finished whatever he writes, it was a full of pharagraph. He stretch his arm above and stand up in his chair.

"I'm done."

"Wait Chris! No! Don't kill yourself!" A soaked in rain Crystal ferociously open the door and pounced to him.

"Wha-?" He cannot react in time so they fell down in the floor, hitting his head in the floor.

THUD!

"Ah! What the flip! why did you do that Crystal!" He bumped his head in the floor, but thanks his head landed on a carpet, nullifying any severe injury.

Crystal is at the top on him, her body and cloth soaked in water and some of the droplets from his hair went to his face, not including her entire body which is also wet.

"But... I thought you going to kill yourself!" Crystal yell in Chris face, she still doesn't realise that she is a the top of a healthy boy that can triggered a sense of "happiness" in his pants for her decently sized breast is pressing on him... as if Chris will react on that.

So many years that he knows Crystal so Chris already adjust his emotion when they interact, there are so many events that same as this happened and he is basically hardened his sense of sexual fortitude, but Chris cannot tell if he can really grasp his senses right now.

...𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒔𝒚...

"Can you just move your face first? And you are wet." Chris says in a monotone voice, averting Crystal face.

"Oh... Uhh... Sure!" In realisation, Crystal move over and stand up quickly. She also realised that she is wet she can see his undergarments, which is embarrassing to make her blush, so turn her back to mediate herself what she did.

Chris stand up, and touch his head that hit the floor. It have a small bump that it's slowly starting to hurt, but he ignore the pain for now.

­𝒂𝒉𝒉.. 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓

"So Crystal... Why did you do that?" He calmly asked.

"Oh" She turned around and looked at him in her concerned yet cutesy eyes "Sorry... I thought you will do the thing..." She said.

"I'm not going to kill myself, why do you even thought of that?" Chris asked.

"Because you wrote a farewell letter?" Crystal point on the paper in the ground. Chris grab it and a show it to Crystal.

"It was just my final will, I just realised that death is inevitable whoever you are... So I make one. And don't worry about me Crystal, but thanks anyway." He explained.

Crystal expression turn into a sour when she heard that, but she forcibly removed it and change it into smile.

"Hmm... Okay then! At least you safe."

"Yeah yeah and by the way Crystal... I can see your bra." Chris averted his eyes.

"Kyaa!" Crystal scream like she seen a ghost, but a different thing has seen, to her.

A few minutes later, all of the awkward atmosphere has disappeared. Chris hide his final will in a solid box to store it in peace. She will going to have a cold if she didn't change her wet cloth and take a shower quickly, so Crystal ask Chris if she can use his shower, he obviously agreed, and he also went to his wardrobe to find some unused unisex clothing.

"Where's the shampoo!" A echoing voice from the bathroom booms. Crystal is currently washing all the rainwater with a lukewarm water. She is washing her straight long black hair.

"Just wash your hair with water! I forgot to buy shampoo!" But it was a lie. He just want to avoid any further flag that may disarray the atmosphere.

"Fine..." Crystal pouted but she also don't want to press him even further. Chris and Crystal are actually close to the point that they can read each other. That's what happens when you are know each other for about 11 years, so it would be natural, at least to them.

Chris put the clothes and towel near the bathroom door, Crystal agreed earlier that she will wear unused cloth of Chris.

"I'm going to just put all the stuff here, so yeah." Chris need to go in his room so Crystal can get the cloth he looked, including the towel.

"Sure, just put it there, take rest for now Chris, I know you are tired." she said with a hint of sympathy in her tone, she is just worried in his mental fatigue.

"ʸᵉˢ, ⁱ ᵏⁿᵒʷ" he softly says, he lower his voice that Crystal cannot hear it, he is actually knows that she is worrying to much for him.

And so, Chris go his room in a slow pace, but a strange feeling has been felt by Chris in his stomach.

"Huh? A earthquake?"

He felt that the vase has been shaking and he felt motion sickened. He hold over to the wall to readjust his balance.

"Hey! Chris, is there a earthquake or It's just me?" She is also feel a sudden shake in the bathroom.

"Crystal! Get your clothes and get ou-"

And suddenly...

CRAASHH

"Ahh-"

Chris cannot comprehend what just happened. His mother's entire house just collapse like a lego house that have been thrown by a toddler. It was a sinkhole, a 100 meter in diameter sinkhole has consumed the house of Chris's Mother that she worked hard, and include Chris and Crystal have been fell in it too.

They cannot react what just happened, it was a freak disaster. Chris body has been crushed by the roof of the house, and Crystal also instantly dies after they collapse.

There's nothing they can do, unless... It wasn't a accident at all.

PURGATORY

"Haa~ haa! Ahh! Too bright!" A eye blinding light has filled his eyes when he open, it would take a couple of seconds to readjust his eyes. He first notice that he is not in his wrecked house, he is in a unknown place where it have a blinding light, surrounding the entire area. He feels a cold feeling in his feet and the smoothness of the ground is as same as a mirror, which is uncomfortable to touch.

"Oh my~ I'm sorry." a unfamiliar lady waved his hand, emulating a wave of an ocean. The room slowly dim but not to be fully called dark. The girl sit on a porcelain colored chaired that etched with glamorous design, Chris also noticed that he is also in rest as same as the chair of the lady. Her half body has been hidden by the darkwood desk that have a tons of paper above it, the entire setup is like he is about to be interviewed in his new job.

"Welcome to the Purgatory, and yes as you can see... You Died." the lady with a soothing voice declared a horrible news.

His eyes widen, all of the memory has surged in his mind, Chris gasped and a cold feeling in his spine as he remembered how his body crushed like a pulp of an orange.

"Wait! Crystal! Did she survived!" He now remembered too that his friends also in his house. On his last second, he remembered that he tried to warned her about the earthquake, but it was too late to Crystal to react

"Sorry Chris, but she also died... and oh~ she is also here about... now." The lady in white garment with a beautiful face and a clear white eyes declared again a another bad news, but she didn't finished her sentence because something just happened.

At his left, a same porcelain chair just appeared on a thin air, it followed by a smoke enveloped the chair and a figure of a girl appeared, it was Crystal.

"Where the hell am I, Chris is that you?"

While still half conscious, she looked at Chris, she is supposed to not have a cloth but now, she is wearing a white t-shirt without any print, and a black skirt that have a light frill design.

"We are dead Crystal, do you remember?" He nonchalantly say to her, his concerned about Crystal just evaporated in his mind, because he knows that she is here, at his side.

"Oh... Oh! Haa... That's just happened?" Without any concerned in her tone to, she looked at Chris like they are still like chatting back to earth.

"Yeah, I don't really know what will happened to us now." Chris monotonously said it with a little bit of sarcasm to his voice, still looking at her.

They are very calm even though they know they are dead, it was surely unnatural to people to not get surprised. He is just confused at the start, but he get the gist of what just happened, Crystal also too.

"Umm... Can you please focus on me, you guys are so chill even you know you both died, ʷᵉˡˡ ⁱ ᵃᵐ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵃˡᶠ ᶠᵃᵘˡᵗ ʷʰʸ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵗʷᵒ ᵐᵒʳᵗᵃˡˢ ᵈⁱᵉᵈ ᵃⁿʸʷᵃʸ."

"So, it's your fault why we died? Please elaborate." Even though the lady whisper his last sentence, Chris heard it like a clear crystal.

"Sigh... Sorry to both of you but basically yeah... It was a fault that both of you died... But~ first of all let me introduce myself. I am...

Reality Automata: Corrector and Humanity Evaluator/Log Recorder

-but you can call me RACHEL (it was a acronym). My job in this world is correct and evaluate humanity in Earth, I also record all of the things that happened in Earth."

Rachel just finished her introduction, Crystal and Chris seems to be interested in the topic so they pressed in.

"So you are basically a god?" Chris knows what is the lady is but he still talk in casual manner, as if he is just talking to a normal person.

"Well... I'm not really comfortable to be called god, I just hate to be called god and I don't create Earth and Humanity okay? I'm just like your caretaker."

"Woah~" Crystal seems impressed more than shocked.

"Okay, so you said that we died because it's your fault, why is that?" Straight to the point, Chris said it to Rachel, he just want the answer why they died.

"You are really have guts do ya? And yep, I just incidentally kill you both."

Rachel explained to both of them what happened. A huge volcano will be appeared in the middle of an ocean that may triggered a lot of tsunamis all over the globe, it was Rachel job to protect humanity from total annihilation of civilizations, so she take action. The volcano has been sealed but a shockwave booms at every corner of the volcano, it was probably because of the pulsating magma that can't get out. The shockwaves hit the in below Chris house that have a lot of limestones deposit. The underground water eroded the limestone below it, making a huge gap, and with the help the shockwave, it collapses and the disaster happened.

"And that's why it's my fault... And because of that, I will give you both a reincarnation ticket, a reincarnation ticket  to The Otherworld!" She announced.

"Huh, neat." they both said in unison.

And that's the start of the new adventure, a otherworldly adventure of Chris and Crystal.