Aurora City, William's Estate, April 21 2084
The sun had just begun to rise over the skyline of Aurora City when Jay's footsteps echoed along the gravel path of the William estate.
Standing tall at 193 cm (6.3 feet), he cut an imposing figure. His tight-fitting tracksuit clung to a strong body honed through relentless effort.
Despite the distance he had covered, his pace remained steady, his footsteps falling on the gravel with mechanical regularity. As he reached the entrance of the mansion, he paused and checked his watch.
29:30, he read on the display.
'Still no improvement.' He shook his head, a little disappointed. He had been trying to improve his time. But no matter what he did, it didn't change much, as if he had hit a limit.
'I just have to try harder,' he thought, stretching lightly.
Calmly, he entered the modestly decorated yet elegant hallway. Normally, he would have headed to the gym for another workout. But today, he decided to conserve his energy.
After ascending the staircase with sleek metal railings, he reached his room. A quick, invigorating shower later, he made his way to the kitchen, where a hearty breakfast awaited him.
"Morning, Jay," Sam greeted, voice low but trying to sound normal.
He turned to find a striking woman with chestnut hair tied in a high ponytail. Dressed in a white belted shirt dress and golden heels, she radiated quiet grace. When their eyes met, Jay could feel a hint of sorrow inside.
"Morning, beautiful. Are you okay?" Jay replied, his gaze lingering on her water-green eyes.
"Honestly, not too well."
"What's wrong?" Jay asked as he sat by the obsidian counter.
"Paula is dead," she whispered.
"What?" he froze, cup halfway to his lips. "How?"
"You know about what happened in Domino City yesterday, right?"
"Yes."
"Her aircraft crashed. She died on the spot."
"I… I'm sorry," Jay said as he put his hand on Sam's and stroked it.
Jay knew how close Paula and Sam were. Paula was like a big sister to her and it was obvious how hard it was for her.
Just then, the door swung open, and in walked Jay's younger sister, Jess. She was a stunning and lively olive-skinned, black-haired seventeen-year-old. She wore a sky-blue sweater, baggy jeans, and white sneakers.
"Bonjour, bro. Sam." She kissed them both on the cheek before flopping into a seat.
"Why the long faces?" she asked, noticing the tension in the room.
Sam looked at her, then repeated the news.
Jess froze.
"Who dared?" she roared as she stood up, slamming her palms against the counter. The smile on her face vanished, replaced by cold fury.
"Calm down," Jay said, pushing her back into her seat. "She wasn't killed."
"Huh. What's happened then? She was in Domino City, right?" Jess asked, incredulous. Paula was young. Healthy. She couldn't just die like that.
"You don't know?"
"Know what? I spent the night in my lab working on a project."
"I see." Sam nodded and explained everything that had happened.
Jess listened, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief.
From start to finish, she said nothing.
"How could that happen?" Jess mumbled, still finding it hard to accept everything Sam told her.
Paula had been their firearms instructor. The one who taught her everything she knew. She'd always scolded Jess when she tinkered too much with her guns but was also kind, reliable… and always there when she needed her.
"So, you're telling me a weird fog covered Domino City, fried every electronic device in the area, and Paula just happened to be flying at that moment?" Jess whispered, wiping a few tears that slid down her cheeks. "The world is going crazy, right?"
"Maybe," Jay murmured, his thoughts drifting to the chaos unfolding around the world.
Nature had gone completely off the rails since the sinkhole in the Kindarian Forest, and the Acrean Ocean had appeared. In a few days, countless disaters struck around the world.
Some were natural, albeit unexpected: sudden tornadoes, flash floods, heatwaves, dormant volcanoes springing to life.
Others were… less explainable. Like the fog in Domino City. A sudden fog might be written off. But one that fried every piece of electronic equipment in a modern city? That was anything but natural.
And then there were outright apocalyptic events, like the lightning storm that burned Ilys Town to the ground.
Alone, each event was disturbing. But together, they painted a terrifying picture. Something was happening.
"I'm not sure what's going on," Jay whispered, "but it's clear, it's getting worse."
"What about that shelter you mentioned?" Jess asked, her eyes red.
Two days after the sinkholes appeared, Jay had proposed building a survival shelter. Back then, she'd thought he was being paranoid.
Now, with disaster hitting closer to home and claiming someone they cared about, she wasn't so sure. And if prepping meant no one else died, she'd believe it gladly.
"I was going to bring that up," Sam added, tapping the tablet in front of her. A 3D holographic projection of a facility appeared above it.
"Opal Resort already had a solid foundation to work with, which helped. Over the past four days, I've reinforced the security system, fixed a few issues, and started stockpiling supplies."
Jess leaned over to look. Her eyes widened.
"Wow... You really went all in on this."
She scrolled through the data. "With this much prep, we could live out there for a year."
"You did great," Jay added, genuinely impressed.
Food, water, clothing, generators, weapons, vehicles, the essentials were all accounted for. Sam had done it in just four days. And while their ample financial resources helped, the credit was all hers.
"Still," Sam shook her head, "there are a few concerns. I don't know how many people we can realistically support long-term. There's the issue of sustainability. And honestly, I think we should prepare a secondary site. Just in case."
"You're right. But you've already done more than enough for now," Jay said, nodding.
"We'll take it one step at a time," Jess added, standing. "After school, I'll help you debug the control center."
"Thanks," Sam smiled.
"The sooner we are done with this, the better." Jess grabbed her keys. After some hesitation she added, "keep me in tab if there is anything new about Paula."
"I will."
"I'm off. Good luck with your game!"
"Thanks. Stay safe," Jay replied.
Jess paused at the door, turning back with an embarrassed smile.
"I forgot to mention. Maman's coming back today."
Jay and Sam froze.
"Seriously?" Jay asked.
"Yup. She called yesterday. Said she's worried." Jess chuckled.
Jay raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll be damned. Guess the apocalypse really is happening."
Their mother hadn't returned home in years, not since their father died. She'd buried herself in work, practically vanishing from their lives. Jay once joked that only an actual apocalypse could drag her back.
And apparently, he'd been right.
"Maybe she heard something," Sam suggested.
"Who knows? I'm sure she'll tell us when she gets here." Jess shrugged, then turned again.
"Keep your sat phone with you. Just in case," Jay called after her.
"Got one in the car," she replied, waving. "Later!"
The door shut behind her.
"As energetic as ever," Sam said with a smile.
"That's Jess for you," Jay replied. "I hope Paula's death won't affect her too much."
"We are strong. Don't worry…. Anyway, as I said, we still need people to man the shelter."
Jay nodded and they began planning, hours slipping by unnoticed.
"We'll want a variety of vehicles in case we need to evac," Jay said. "I'll ask Rob to bring in a Condor X500."
"Good idea. Another delivery came in too. I need to check it."
"I should go too. Don't want to be late."
"Good luck." She handed him his helmet and pushed him toward the door.
"Will you be fine?"
"Yeah, don't worry."
"I'll be back right after the match."
Sam waved him off. "Stay safe."
*****
Aurora College, The Old Forge
The atmosphere in the college basketball arena was bustling. Music, cheers, laughter, and loud chatter filled the place. Fans celebrated the team's latest win. But Jay, sitting alone on the court, sipped water in silence, not in the mood to celebrate.
"You look like you've got something on your mind," said a calm voice behind him.
Jay turned and saw his coach.
"What makes you say that?" Jay asked.
"You're usually the most carefree player on the court. But today... you looked like it was a chore," the old coach said as he stroked his ashen beard.
"Guess I didn't hide it well." Jay sighed. With everything going on, he couldn't really bring himself to focus on the game.
He stood. "Coach, I'm sorry. I won't be able to play in the final."
"Whatever's going on, I hope it's not too serious." the coach nodded, much to Jay's surprise.
"What? You practically handed me the last two championships. I'm not mad. And those kids? They've got talent, even if they're not you," the coach smiled, patting his back.
"Thanks, Coach." Jay fet touched by the coach's kindness.
"Alright. I'll leave you to your friend," the coach said with a smile.
"Coach, be careful these days. And if anything happens, call me or come to Opal Lake Resort," Jay said after a moment's hesitation.
Most people didn't know the truth behind recent events. The government was still suppressing the worst of the news to avoid panic. Jay couldn't say more, but he wanted the coach to be safe.
The old man nodded solemnly and walked away.
Just then, Oliver, a tall, burly, dark-skinned teen approached.
"If this isn't our MVP," Oliver grinned and put an arm around Jay's shoulder. "The guys are going out tonight. You coming?"
"Sorry, I can't." Jay shook his head and waved to the twins who were seated nearby. Lexie waved back with a bright smile.
"Come on. You carried us. We gotta celebrate with you at least once."
But before Jay could respond, the world around them shook violently. The light overhead flickered and a violent, cold gust of wind blew through the arena.
Cries of panic erupted everywhere before stopping abruptly.
Then, a cold, robotic, yet somehow majestic voice thundered in their mind:
{CONGRATULATIONS TO UNIVERSE 771. ENERGY LEVELS HAVE REACHED THE MINIMUM THRESHOLD. INTEGRATION WITHIN THE SYSTEM IS APPROVED. NOW COMMENCING ASCENSION.}
{INITIATING COUNTDOWN 10….9….8…}
Jay's eyes widened. A chill ran down his spine.
"Am I hallucinating?" he wondered.
But when he looked at Oliver and saw the same expression of confusion, he realized he wasn't alone.
{…. 5… 4… 3…}
"You heard it too, right?" Oliver asked, his voice tense
Around them, the arena had grown eerily silent.
{.... 1...}
"Yes..." That was the only thing Jay could say before he was assaulted by an intense wave of fatigue. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground.
{….0..}
Startled, he tried his best to stay conscious. However, it was no use. Around him, people collapsed, the court spun and then darkness descended upon him.