And so it begins...
Fairness.
Equality.
Do such ideals even exist?
From the genesis of time itself, my fate has been nothing short of cruel. I often wonder if all these is actually real, or just merely a figment of my imagination.
Regardless, I have come to despise it all—the harsh reality, the inequality, the imbalance.
I have never been a fortunate soul; luck...
...was never on my side.
I understood this better than anyone else...
The pain of the truth was an intimate companion. From the very start, WE were mere pawns in a larger game.
Equality...?
Oh...
...how foolish I was.
...
...
...
-Ding!
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Scroll…
"Huh?"
[Notification (1)]
Tap… Tap…
Scroll… Scroll…
Tap…
[Opening We-Tweet]
[Loading…]
[Unknown Number: You shouldn't have… (1)]
"This? Who is this? And how did they get my number?" muttered a young man, his dull brown eyes fixed on his phone.
Tap…
[Loading…]
[Unknown Number: You shouldn't have given up. You should have played until the end. You don't know what you have lost.]
[Ivan: Who is this?]
-Ding!
[Unknown Number: Arael, the creator]
"Wait… what?"
Suddenly, the young man remembered the interface of a certain game, which always began with the same words: [The creator]
[Ivan: Creator? The author of that shitty novel?]
[Unknown Number: Well... I guess you can say that.]
[Ivan: 'Saga of Elysium'?]
[Unknown Number: The one and only.]
...
"Tsk, what a waste of time..." He clicked his tongue and said under his breath.
Scroll… Scroll…
Tap…
Toggle.
[Settings for contact]
[Block]
Ding!
"… Tch"
[Back]
Scroll…
[Unknown Number: {Voice note}]
Tap…
[Unknown Number: {Playing} "Yeah, I know you hate everything about the game, but wait, you have to listen to what I have to say."]
"What in the hell?! That voice… it… it can't be."
Scroll…
Tap…
[Profile]
[Tel: +92010….]
"No… no… What the hell is this?"
Tap…
[Home page]
Tap…
[Opening Phone]
[Loading…]
[Dial: +92010….]
Tap…
[Add new contact]
Tap…
[An Error occurred]
[Contact already exists]
[Cannot add existing contact]
"…."
Tap…
[Home Page]
Tap…
[Opening Contacts]
[Loading…]
[My Contacts (10)]
Tap…
[Search]
Holds…
[Paste]
Tap…
[+92010….]
Tap…
[Searching…]
[1 result found]
[My number: +92010….]
"This shouldn't be possible,"
Tap…
[Minimize]
Tap…
[We-Tweet]
[Unknown number: You must have already noticed.]
[Ivan: Who are you? What are you?]
[Unknown number: That doesn't matter. All that matters is that I know your future.]
[Ivan: What?]
[Unknown number: Your death.]
-Vuzzzzzzzzzz!
"Huh? What the hell was that?" the young man with light brown hair and similarly colored eyes blurted, jolting up from his seat and startling the neighboring passenger. He was on a bus, about two kilometers from the bus stop where he had boarded.
"Oh… sorry about that," he scratched his head and apologized to the elderly lady who seemed terrified by his sudden outburst.
"Hah… It's alright. Just take it easy. The journey has only begun," she replied after a moment, smiling at him before returning her gaze to her feet.
'Something doesn't feel right… But what?' he thought, shaking his head briefly before returning his gaze to his phone.
[Unknown number: You felt it, right?]
[Ivan: Felt what?]
[Unknown number: The shift in reality.]
Reading this, the young man's body stiffened involuntarily.
[Ivan: What do you mean by 'My Death'?]
[Unknown number: It's exactly as it sounds. You are about to die, and it's only a matter of minutes.]
[Ivan: WHY?!]
[Unknown number: Simple... WE messed with HIM.]
[Ivan: Who?]
[…]
[Unknown number: Why didn't you play until the very end?]
[Ivan: The game?]
[Unknown number: Yes.]
[Ivan: ...I couldn't do it... I just couldn't]
[Unknown number: Well... I can only wish you luck. "Our" death will begin the cycle once more.]
[Ivan: Huh?]
[Unknown number: 'The journey has only begun.' Doesn't that sound familiar?]
"Huh…?"
'Hold on a sec…,' the young man thought, feeling a sense of déjà vu from those words. Then, it clicked. He had heard those words just a moment ago.
"!"
Realizing this, he was about to tilt his head when another message popped up.
[Unknown number: Don't look, Samael.]
"?!"
[Ivan: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!]
[Unknown number: Concentrate. This is not the time for questions. You cannot give yourself away, or he might see right through 'us'.]
[Ivan: Who really are you?]
[Unknown number: I am a fading existence. Nothing you should be concerned about.]
[Ivan: Stop this bullshit. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!]
[Unknown number: You.]
"…,"
-Vuzzzzzzzzzz!
"?!" The young man's eyes trembled and his body stiffened as he felt it again.
"…," The young man wanted to respond, but his hands were too shaky to type.
'Why are my hands trembling? Is this… fear?' he thought, gazing at his palms.
...
Something was wrong. Extremely wrong.
[Unknown number: The inevitable is upon us, Samael. Heed the warning I shall bring you, or you, my dear self, shall be your undoing.]
[Ivan: ...Is there no way to escape... This death?]
[Unknown number: If only it were possible.]
[Ivan: Why do you sound so sure? How do you even know all this?]
[Unknown number: Because this isn't the first time "we" tried to escape the inevitable. You cannot defeat a god at his own games, Samael. All you can do is avoid defeat.]
"Haah," he exhaled, clenching his teeth tightly.
He had no idea why...
He couldn't explain it no matter how much he tried.
But, for some reason...
He believed this enigmatic individual claiming to be him.
[Ivan: What is the warning?]
[Unknown number: Beware the one you trust the most, Samael, for they are the deceivers.]
Suddenly, Samael felt his vision blurring, his breath morphing into short, desperate gasps.
[Unknown number: Beware the one who holds the key to the thread of time, for they are your true ally.]
"Hah… ha… Haa."
[Unknown number: Beware the choices you shall make, for on them rests "our" fate.]
-Voom!
The bus jerked forward, and gravity lost its hold.
[Unknown number: Beware the clandestine race that lurks in the shadows, for they are HIS judgment. Farewell… Samael.]
-BOOM!