The morning sun cast long shadows across the cobblestone streets of Queen's as Raven Hayes pulled his worn jacket tighter around his shoulders. The autumn air in Bristol's county of Valen carried a crisp bite that reminded him winter wasn't far off. At seventeen, he'd grown accustomed to the early morning chill, especially since his delivery job required him to be up before most people even thought about breakfast.
"Oi, Raven! You're late again!" Ava Heath's voice cut through the morning quiet as she waved from outside Morrison's corner shop. Her auburn hair caught the sunlight as she bounced on her toes, trying to stay warm. Despite their circumstances, Ava always managed to keep her spirits up, something Raven admired about his friend.
"I'm not late, you're just early," Raven called back with a grin, jogging the last few steps to meet her. "Where's Axel?"
"Right here, mate." Axel Van emerged from behind a delivery truck, already loading packages into his worn messenger bag. His dark hair was messy as always, and there were shadows under his eyes that suggested he'd stayed up too late again. "Got the list from Mr. Morrison. Looks like we've got twelve stops today."
Raven let out a low whistle. Twelve stops meant a long day, but it also meant more money. Every penny counted when you were living on your own at seventeen, trying to make ends meet in a world that seemed determined to keep people like them down.
"Right then," Ava said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get moving. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."
The three friends had been working together for almost six months now, ever since Raven had been forced to drop out of school to support himself. His parents had died in a car accident two years ago, and the foster system hadn't exactly worked out for him. Living in a tiny flat above Mrs. Chen's restaurant wasn't glamorous, but it was his, and he'd fight to keep it.
Their first stop was Pemberton's Pharmacy, a small family-run business on the edge of the shopping district. Mrs. Pemberton, a kindly woman in her sixties, always had a smile and sometimes even a cup of tea for the delivery kids.
"Morning, loves," she greeted them as they approached with her packages. "Got some medical supplies and prescriptions here. Handle them carefully, won't you?"
"Of course, Mrs. P," Ava said cheerfully, accepting the carefully wrapped packages. "We'll have these delivered within the hour."
As they made their way through Queen's, the friends fell into their usual rhythm. Raven handled the heavier packages, Axel navigated their route with his uncanny sense of direction, and Ava charmed their way out of any complications with shopkeepers or customers. It wasn't much, but it was honest work, and it kept them fed.
By midday, they'd completed eight of their twelve deliveries. The sun had climbed higher, warming the streets and bringing more people out to enjoy the pleasant autumn day. Queen's wasn't a large city, but it had character. Victorian buildings lined the main streets, their brick facades weathered but dignified. Street musicians played on corners, and the smell of fresh bread drifted from bakeries.
"I'm starving," Axel complained as they finished delivering art supplies to a small gallery. "Please tell me someone brought food."
Raven reached into his bag and pulled out three slightly squashed sandwiches wrapped in newspaper. "Courtesy of Mrs. Chen. Leftover ingredients from yesterday's special."
"You're a lifesaver," Ava said, gratefully accepting her share. "I was beginning to think my stomach was going to eat itself."
They found a small park near the city center and settled under a large oak tree. The grass was still slightly damp from the morning dew, but after hours of walking, none of them cared. Raven leaned back against the tree trunk and watched people go about their daily lives. Office workers hurried past with coffee cups, mothers pushed prams, and elderly couples walked hand in hand.
"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like," Ava said quietly, taking a bite of her sandwich.
"What what would be like?" Axel asked.
"You know... having a normal life. Going to university, maybe. Having parents who worry about whether you're eating enough or staying warm." She gestured toward a nearby bench where a mother was fussing over her young son's jacket. "Just... not having to worry about money all the time."
Raven understood exactly what she meant. They all did. At seventeen, they should have been worrying about exams and crushes and what to wear to parties. Instead, they counted every penny and worked until their feet ached just to survive another day.
"Hey," he said softly, "we're doing alright. We've got each other, we've got work, and we've got..." He looked around and grinned. "Well, we've got really good sandwiches."
That got a laugh out of both his friends, which had been the point. They finished eating in comfortable silence, watching the world go by. After a few more minutes, Axel stood and stretched.
"Alright, let's finish this up. Four more stops and we can call it a day."
The afternoon deliveries took them to the outskirts of Queen's, where newer housing developments mixed with older industrial buildings. Their last stop was a small electronics repair shop run by a man named Mr. Davies who always seemed suspicious of everyone and everything.
"About time," he grumbled as they handed over his package of circuit boards. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost."
"Sorry, Mr. Davies," Ava said politely. "We had quite a few stops today."
He just grunted and closed the door without another word. The three friends exchanged looks and shrugged. They'd dealt with worse.
As they made their way back toward the city center, the day's work finally catching up with them, Axel spotted a small playground with a bench in the shade of several large trees.
"Mind if we take a break?" he asked, already heading toward the bench. "My feet are killing me."
"Thank God," Ava said, practically collapsing onto the bench. "I thought you'd never ask."
Raven sat down heavily beside them, grateful for the cool shade after walking in the sun all day. He pulled out his phone to check the time and was pleased to see they'd finished earlier than expected. That meant he might actually have time to grab dinner at a reasonable hour instead of falling asleep over a bowl of instant noodles.
"Not a bad day," he said, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Twelve deliveries, no major problems, and we're done before five. I'd call that a win."
"Speak for yourself," Axel said, pulling off one of his shoes and rubbing his foot. "I think I've got blisters on my blisters."
"That's what you get for buying cheap shoes," Ava pointed out, though not unkindly. "You should invest in proper boots like Raven."
"With what money?" Axel shot back. "Some of us can't afford…"
He stopped mid-sentence, his attention suddenly caught by something in the sky above them. Raven followed his gaze and felt his heart skip a beat. There, hanging in the afternoon sky like some impossible aurora, was a ring of shimmering light that seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon.
"What the hell is that?" Ava whispered, standing up slowly.
The ring pulsed once, twice, and then released a sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once. It wasn't loud, exactly, but it resonated through their bones, through the very air around them. Raven felt it in his chest, a deep thrumming that made his teeth ache.
People all around them had stopped what they were doing to stare at the sky. Cars pulled over. Pedestrians stood frozen on sidewalks. Children pointed and asked questions their parents couldn't answer.
Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the ring began to tear. Like fabric being ripped apart, the sky itself seemed to split open, revealing something beyond that hurt to look at directly. And from that impossible wound in reality, a figure began to emerge.
It was made of mist and shadow, constantly shifting and changing, sometimes appearing almost human before dissolving back into formless vapor. When it spoke, its voice carried the same bone-deep resonance as the ring, reaching every person in Queen's, in all of Bristol, with perfect clarity.
"Greetings, inhabitants of this domain," the being said, and despite its ethereal appearance, there was something undeniably powerful about it. "I am the Administrator assigned to oversee this region of your world. What you knew as the United Kingdom of Bristol, county of Valen, is now under my jurisdiction."
Raven felt Ava grab his arm, her fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. On his other side, Axel had gone completely still, barely breathing.
"Do not be alarmed by the separation barriers you may have noticed," the Administrator continued, gesturing with one misty appendage toward the horizon. "Each region of your planet has been assigned its own Administrator, beings who serve the Constellations that watch over the cosmos. This was necessary for what is to come."
The figure paused, seeming to study the people below. When it spoke again, there was something almost regretful in its tone.
"Your world, this peaceful existence you have known, is ending. The apocalypse approaches, and with it, changes that will reshape everything you understand about reality. But I do not bring only despair. I bring hope, in the form of power."
Around the playground, Raven could hear people beginning to panic. Voices rose in fear and confusion, but the Administrator's voice cut through everything.
"Some among you will awaken to jobclasses, supernatural abilities that will allow you to survive what is coming. Not all of you possess this potential, but I cannot predict who does and who does not. The only way to know is to try."
The being raised what might have been a hand, and suddenly the air itself seemed to shimmer with energy.
"Speak the word 'Register,' and if you have the capacity for awakening, you will know immediately. But be warned, once awakened, there is no going back. You will be forever changed."
For a moment, the entire city seemed to hold its breath. Then, scattered throughout Queen's, voices began to call out the word. "Register." "Register." "Register."
Most nothing happened. But then, like fireworks going off across the city, pillars of golden light began erupting skyward. Raven watched in amazement as person after person was consumed by brilliant, warm radiance before emerging changed, marked by power they hadn't possessed moments before.
The Administrator's voice rose with what sounded like pleasure. "Excellent! Many of you are embracing this opportunity. I am pleased to see you are adapting so readily to your new circumstances."
The being gestured again, and suddenly everyone could see a translucent display in the air before them, showing a ranking system.
"Your jobclasses are ranked according to their power and rarity. From weakest to strongest: E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, SSR, and finally EX, a rank so rare that perhaps only a handful in your entire world will achieve it."
Examples began appearing in the air, images of people wielding incredible powers. Warriors cleaving through stone with bare hands, mages calling down lightning, archers whose arrows never missed their mark.
"But power means nothing without opportunity to grow," the Administrator continued. "For this reason, I grant you access to the beta realm, a parallel dimension where your abilities can manifest fully. In your current world, these powers are limited, providing only physical enhancement proportional to your growth. But beyond the gates..."
The images changed, showing vast landscapes filled with monsters and treasures, cities floating in impossible skies, dungeons that stretched deep into the earth.
"In the beta realm, you may gain experience, acquire treasures, learn new skills, and grow stronger. To access this realm, simply speak the word 'Gate' and you will be transported immediately. The currency systems are identical, one gold coin equals one hundred of your pounds. Spend your time wisely, for when the true apocalypse begins, it will be the weak who perish first."
The Administrator began to fade, its misty form becoming more transparent with each word.
"I leave you with this warning: the beta period will not last forever. Use this time to grow strong, to prepare, to become more than you ever imagined possible. Your survival depends on it."
And then it was gone, leaving behind only the slowly closing wound in the sky and a city full of people trying to process what had just happened.
Almost immediately, chaos erupted. Sirens began wailing in the distance. People shouted and ran in all directions. Some tried calling loved ones, only to find that their phones couldn't reach beyond the misty barriers that had apparently sealed off their region.
But Raven barely noticed any of it. He and his friends remained frozen on their bench, staring at the sky where the Administrator had been. The golden lights they'd witnessed were still burned into his retinas, and the being's words echoed in his mind.
"This can't be real," Ava whispered. Her face had gone pale, and she was trembling. "This has to be some kind of joke, right? Some kind of... I don't know, elaborate hoax?"
Axel shook his head slowly. "Did you see those barriers on the horizon? The way they seemed to cut right through buildings? You can't fake something like that."
"But apocalypse?" Ava's voice cracked. "Monsters? Magic powers? It's insane!"
Raven found his voice at last. "Insane or not, we saw what we saw. Those lights, those people awakening... it was real."
They sat in silence for several minutes, watching emergency vehicles race past and listening to the growing chaos around them. Finally, Axel spoke up.
"So... what do we do?"
It was a simple question, but it carried the weight of everything that had just changed in their lives. What did you do when the world ended? When some cosmic being told you that everything you'd ever known was about to be swept away?
"I don't know," Raven admitted. "But... he said not everyone could awaken. What if we can't? What if we're stuck being normal while everyone else becomes superhuman?"
"Only one way to find out," Ava said quietly. She looked at both her friends, fear and determination warring in her expression. "We try. Together."
Raven nodded, feeling the same mixture of terror and hope that he saw in his friends' faces. Whatever was coming, whatever the world was about to become, they would face it the same way they'd faced everything else, together.
"On three?" Axel suggested.
"On three," Ava agreed.
Raven took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "One."
"Two," Ava whispered.
"Three," Axel said.
"Register," they said in unison.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. The world remained the same, the distant sirens, the panicked voices, the ordinary playground around them. Raven felt his heart sink. They were going to be left behind, powerless while the world transformed around them.
Then the sky opened up.
Three pillars of golden light came crashing down from the heavens like divine lightning. The light struck each of them simultaneously, and Raven's world exploded into pure, overwhelming radiance.
The last thing he heard before the light consumed everything was the sound of his own heartbeat, thundering in his ears like a drum announcing the end of one life and the beginning of another.