Thomas Zane never thought the world would end quietly.
But he certainly didn't expect it to start with silence.
He was out for his usual run, a Tuesday afternoon, the sun beating down, sweat prickling at his temples. The city felt strangely still, like the world had paused for a breath. No birds chirping. No distant car horns. Just a heavy, unnatural quiet pressing down on him.
Then the sky cracked.
At first, it was just a thin line, a jagged scar glowing faintly against the blue. Then it spread, fractures spiderwebbing across the heavens, glowing white-hot, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Thomas stopped dead, breath hitching. Around him, people froze too, a woman pushing a stroller, a kid on a bike, other runners, all eyes turned upward.
Then came the voice.
Not loud. Not in the air. Inside his head. Cold, clear, alien.
"Attention: Sapient Threshold Exceeded. Planetary Trial One Initiated. Prepare for Synchronization."
His legs buckled. His knees hit the pavement. He clutched his head as if trying to hold himself together, but his mind was unraveling. Then everything went black.
When he came to, the world was wrong.
No sky. No familiar trees. Just a deep purple void that rippled like ink dropped in water. The trees around him twisted like bones, their bark cracked and glowing faintly in the strange light.
All around, people stirred, confused, scared, some screaming, others stumbling blindly through the alien forest.
Thomas tried to stand and immediately fell. Sharp pain seared through his ankle, and his side stung from a shallow cut. He looked down at his blood-smeared shirt and swallowed hard.
Then a glowing screen appeared in front of him.
Trial One: The Proving Ground
Welcome, Inheritor
Survival Time Limit: 72 Hours
Goal: Survive
Bonus Objective: Kill another player plus one thousand XP
Hidden Objective: Unknown
Abilities Locked until Sync Complete
Sync Progress: four percent
His hands shook. His mind raced, but the fear clawed its way to the surface, raw and ugly.
Then he heard it. A scream, sharp and desperate. Followed by another. Closer.
He barely had time to register the tall figure that appeared through the trees, a pale, thin thing with limbs bent wrong, eyes empty holes in its skull-like face.
Thomas's heart hammered. He wanted to run, but his body froze, the cold grip of panic holding him in place.
A man charged at the creature with a broken branch. It was over in seconds, the creature's strike swift and brutal. Blood splattered on the glowing grass.
The creature turned to him, head tilting like it was curious.
Thomas gasped, desperation flooding his veins.
His screen flashed again.
Trait Detected: Null Path Hidden
Class: Undefined
Initial Ability: Null Field level one
Effect: Slightly reduces detection by lower-tier entities
Status: Inactive
Warning: Ability underwhelming, no offensive potential
He blinked. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
The creature moved toward him.
Instinct took over.
He hit the activation command.
A cold ripple spread over his skin. The world dulled around him. Sounds softened.
And the creature stopped.
It looked at him for a moment, then turned and walked away, ignoring him completely.
Thomas collapsed behind a glowing root, heart pounding, tears stinging his eyes.
He bit back a sob.
This wasn't fair. Not at all.
He wanted to scream. Wanted to cry.
But all he could do was whisper, "I'm not going to die here. Not like this. Not again."
He had survived hell before. He'd been alone before.
And now? Now he was in a game he didn't understand, with a weak power that barely worked, and no idea what was coming next.
But one thing was certain.
He would survive.
No matter what.