This is the finale chapter, where:
Aeon wins the last battle
The survivors celebrate
Layla confesses her love
Their kiss is interrupted by the VR headset shutting off as battery reaches 0% zero
Aeon wakes in the real world
He realizes he was testing his VR Zombie Game
He meets Alicia again
He sees Layla, but she doesn't know him
Their emotions still connect
Aeon realizes this is the original timeline, before Layla's regression
He understands what he must do to prevent the future outbreak
ENDING CHAPTER — "The Original timeline before Regression"
After a week since the battlefield lay quiet at last.
A soft breeze swept through the broken courtyard, brushing over cracked stone and the fallen remnants of the long night. The world felt peaceful—strangely so—as if even the sky itself exhaled in relief.
Aeon stood at the center of it all, his chest rising and falling with tired breaths. The final enemy.... NO should I say patient zero—an overwhelming creature that had once unleashed terror across cities—lay collapsed behind him, dissolving into golden particles that drifted into the air like scattered embers.
A cheer erupted.
"Aeon! You did it!"
Luna rushed forward, tears sparkling.
Ali laughed in exhausted triumph.
Aria nearly tackled him with a hug, while Nadia clapped proudly, her eyes full of gratitude.
Around them, people Aeon had helped along the journey gathered—merchants, travelers, fighters, and ordinary survivors who had placed their hope in him. Their faces glowed with relief, admiration, and joy.
He smiled warmly at them.
Every step of this journey, every bond he'd formed, every life he'd crossed paths with—it all felt real. And precious.
Then he saw her.
Layla.
She was busy fighting against all 5 bosses main high-ranking minions. and she was able to beat them all by herself as expected from the Regressed Heroine of this zombie VR game.
She approached through the fading golden lights, her long dark hair swaying gently with each soft step. Her usual calm expression was gone—replaced by something fragile, warm, overflowing with emotion she had never allowed herself to show until now.
"Aeon," she whispered.
He turned fully toward her, feeling something within him settle into place.
She looked at him with eyes that carried countless memories, hardships, and quiet hopes. This was the Layla who had fought beside him through thick and thin. The Layla who had once carried the weight of an entire broken world on her shoulders. The Layla who had found light again—through him.
She took a breath.
Her fingers trembled.
"I… have something I need to say," she murmured. "Something I kept hiding because I wasn't ready. But now, after everything we've overcome…"
She lifted her gaze. "I don't want to keep it inside anymore."
Aeon's heart beat faster.
Layla's cheeks warmed slightly, her eyes shining.
"I love you."
The words left her softly, but they carried the weight of a lifetime.
The world around them seemed to fade until only the two of them remained standing in a quiet, gentle light.
Aeon slowly stepped closer.
Layla lifted her face toward him, her breath trembling with anticipation.
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Aeon…" she whispered, closing her eyes as he leaned in—
Beep.
Beep-beep.
Battery: 0%
Everything froze.
The world shattered into pixels.
And then—
darkness.
❖ The Real World
Aeon gasped as the VR display blinked off.
He pulled the headset from his eyes, blinking at the sudden brightness of his bedroom.
His heart was racing. His mind was still inside the collapsing world, still hearing Layla's voice saying those words.
It felt so real… every moment… every emotion.
The VR set lay in his hands, fully drained—its power light dim.
On his desk, the prototype interface he'd been building was still running simulations. The latest AI-driven world engine, designed to create autonomous narratives, had clearly taken things farther than he expected.
He swallowed softly, steadying his breath.
Footsteps sounded outside his room.
"Aeon?"
His mother peeked in. "Are you done testing the game? You were playing for quite a long time."
Aeon turned toward her—feeling something warm rise in his chest.
He hadn't seen her in what felt like months, even though only an afternoon had passed here.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I'm done."
His father stepped behind her. "Everything alright, son?"
"Everything's fine," Aeon answered, smiling more warmly than he meant to. "Really."
His parents exchanged curious glances. They didn't question it, but Aeon could see they weren't used to him being this openly emotional.
"I'm going out for a bit," Aeon said gently.
"Okay," his mother replied. "Enjoy your walk."
❖ The Bus Ride — A Familiar Beginning
The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the street as Aeon boarded the bus—just like in his old routine. The doors closed behind him with a gentle hiss. He walked down the aisle, holding the bar lightly as the bus began moving.
Then he saw her.
Alicia.
Sitting near the middle, scrolling on her tablet. She looked exactly as she had in the VR world—bright eyes, soft expression, a kind quietness. In the game she had been one of the earliest survivors he had saved, and her gratitude had turned into a warm friendship.
She glanced up.
Their eyes met.
Alicia blinked, tilting her head slightly.
Aeon offered her a polite, gentle nod.
She smiled back without hesitation—friendly, unaware of the countless memories he held.
Just like before… the very beginning.
He walked toward the back of the bus, exhaling softly.
Then he froze.
Standing outside, walking along the pavement as the bus slowed near the next stop—
Layla.
Her hair tied neatly, a few strands brushing her cheek as she talked cheerfully with two girls at her side. She looked peaceful, bright… untouched by the hardships she had endured in the VR world.
She saw the bus.
Her eyes swept across the windows—
And landed on Aeon.
She smiled.
She lifted her hand and waved lightly.
Aeon's heart leaped.
Without thinking, he raised his own hand in return—a slow, gentle wave.
But then Layla walked right past him.
Aeon blinked.
Behind him, her friends giggled and waved back toward the window.
Layla's smile widened as she continued waving—at them.
Not at him.
Aeon slowly lowered his hand, feeling a gentle flush of embarrassment.
He exhaled.
Right… she doesn't know me.
He sat down.
Outside, Layla and her friends moved toward the crossing. One girl leaned closer.
"Layla, who was that guy waving at you? Do you know him?"
Another giggled. "Is he your secret boyfriend?"
Layla's face warmed. "N-no, I don't know him. I've never talked to him before."
Her friends teased her playfully, and she shook her head quickly.
But then—
She stopped walking.
Her hand lifted to her chest, resting over her heart.
"...Why did it feel familiar?" she whispered softly.
"I don't know him… but when I saw him, my heart suddenly felt… fast."
She looked at the bus as it pulled away, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"It felt like… I've been with him somewhere. For a long time."
Her friends exchanged confused looks.
Layla kept watching the direction the bus went, her fingers pressing gently against her chest.
"What is this feeling…?"
❖ Aeon's Resolve
Aeon stared out the window, watching the city move past, his reflection faint in the glass.
This wasn't a dream.
Everything he lived through in the VR world had meaning. Every battle. Every bond. Every emotion.
And Layla…
She was here. In the original timeline.
Before everything.
Before her regression.
Before the world changed.
A quiet determination formed inside his chest—steady, warm, unwavering.
I know what's coming.
I know how it begins.
And this time…
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
I'll stop it before it starts.
The bus carried him forward under a peaceful sky, unaware of the storm only he could see on the horizon and will stop it even before it began.
And so began the world before the outbreak—
the true first chapter of Aeon's mission to save everything from the zombie virus before it starts.
Bonus:
Layla feel conflicted and goes out from the classroom lecture running, she herself does not know why?
but she knew somehow she is chasing after that young man for some reason she feel she knows where will he go to