My body froze as space itself cracked open, and a tentacle-clad monster with countless eyes emerged. "FOUND YOU!" the eldritch horror screeched, its eerie voice echoing from somewhere other than its mouth.
The monster suddenly vanished. I looked around wildly, only to find it behind me. It lunged, opening dozens of maws across its body to devour me. 'Hold on. Let me borrow your body for a second, me,' a thought echoed in my mind, a voice only I could hear.
Suddenly, I lost control. My body moved on its own, dodging the creature's fierce attacks as if time had slowed down. I performed movements I had never practiced, vaulting over the monster and kicking its head into the dirt.
But as the monster fell unconscious, another crack split the air and a second horror appeared. My body began to bolt, running as fast as it could until I finally regained control of my limbs. 'Tch, only thirty seconds... to think that's all the time I had,' the voice muttered with dissatisfaction.
As I ran, a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of me, halting my escape. From the smoke emerged a muscular, handsome man with a thick beard. He glared at me with murderous intent, his body crackling with electricity. 'Well, looks like it's my turn now,' a second, different voice appeared.
Once again, I lost control. My face twisted into a lunatic's grin, excited by the danger. My body snapped its fingers, and a figure materialized from my own shadow. The shadow rushed forward to intercept the lightning man's attack while my body resumed its sprint.
'Well, Shadow should be able to hold Zeus for more than a minute. So, what's the plan?' the voice asked as I regained control. Behind me, I noticed the eldritch monsters were being intercepted by nearby Agents. "What are these things?! This type of monsters has never appeared before!" the agents screamed, struggling to hold the line.
Suddenly, a massive shadow blotted out the sky. A giant centipede soared above, its eyes locking onto me before firing a concentrated laser beam. "Shit, I'm cooked!" I yelled. 'Don't worry about that,' a third voice spoke. A shield of fire erupted around me, absorbing the blast. 'Now, it's our turn to fight back.'
My body moved again. My hand reached for my waist, drawing an invisible sword that hummed with a light-red aura. 'Final Slash!' the voice commanded. With one motion, the sky-centipede was bisected. 'Run as fast as you can, me,' the voice warned as control returned to me.
The explosion of power drew everyone's attention. The monsters and the lightning man all rushed toward me, but before they could reach me, five beams of light slammed into the ground. Five new figures stood there, blocking their path.
"Weak," one of them whispered. Time seemed to stop. In an instant, the figure was standing before me, holding a pulsing heart in his hand.
My body trembled. I looked down at my chest, it was my own heart. It had been ripped out so fast I hadn't even felt it. I began to cough up blood, my consciousness fading. Is this the end? These monsters, this chaos... why do they want me dead?
'It's not time yet,' a fourth voice rang out. 'We... no, I... will get our revenge.' My mouth smirked despite the pain. I saw thin threads connecting my chest to the detached heart. It was still beating. Suddenly, countless threads shot out, binding the five figures and freezing them in place. My heart flew back into my chest, and the wound stitched itself shut with glowing silk.
Clap!
A loud clap echoed in my mind. Suddenly, the chaos vanished. I found myself standing before a round table. Seated there were four figures.
I knew them instantly. They were all... me.
"To think that all four of us awakened at the same time... I don't believe this has ever happened in our previous worlds." a voice said. It came from a striking figure clad in ornate armor, his hair perfectly combed, his hands encased in fine gloves. It was the first voice I had heard.
As he spoke, I realized I was already seated with them at the round table.
"I didn't even know I had other lives outside the world I lived in." said a fourth voice. This one belonged to a man in a unique, high-quality robe of shimmering material. His hair was mid-length, brushing against his neck.
"I considered the possibility, but it seemed impossible. I've only ever experienced different timelines." the third voice added. He wore modern clothes like mine, with a pair of headphones draped around his neck.
"I'm too lazy to even think about it." drawled the second voice. "But I've seen different timelines, too. It doesn't change a thing. Either way, it always ends in a 'Bad Ending'." This man had long, messy hair and his eyes were covered, he spoke with a sharp, mocking tone.
They all appeared to be the same age as me, twenty-six. Then, they all turned to look at me, waiting for me to speak.
"I don't know anything... I'm not even an Agent." I said, looking down at the table. It seemed all my previous selves were cool and successful, while I was just... a loser.
"Well, we can see that." the third figure said, though not unkindly.
"We've been with you since the moment you were born." the first figure, the armored one, explained. "We've known everything you've done, but this is the first time we've actually sat together like this."
"I thought I was the only one in here…" the second one muttered, lounging lazily against the table.
"We can discuss the 'why' later." the first one interrupted. "Remember, our fifth life is in immediate danger."
"That's right." the third added. "I don't think I can hold those enemies off much longer. Even gathering us here is draining my energy."
"Don't worry about that. I have a plan." the fourth said. "But first, let's introduce ourselves properly."
"I am the first life, Deed, the Death Knight." the armored man began. "In my world, I fought monsters that came from the sky, those eldritch creatures you saw earlier. We became immortal just to fight them, but eventually, our planet was destroyed and consumed by a black hole."
"What an awful ending." the second voice mocked. "I am the second life, Zeronoz, the Lazy Lunatic. I fought a war against the 'Mythologies.' Those who called themselves Gods... heh, those bastards weren't divine, they were all human as well yet they acted like they owned the world, I fought the system they created itself. I didn't lose, I destroyed the entire world. How that bastard Zeus survived is a mystery to me."
"I am the third life, Zeroze, the Tyrant. Though I'd prefer you just call me The Gamer." the third said. "I fought monsters like that centipede. My world was like a game… No, it was a game. Higher beings merged reality with games. We were forced into life-and-death game world. I cleared them and reached a high rank, but the System tricked me. It gave me the title of 'Tyrant' which forced me into the role of a villain. I ended up being hunted by everyone."
"A gamer plays by the rules, you shouldn't call yourself one if you want revenge." the fourth remarked. "How ironic. It seems three of us used the name Zero."
"Make it four." Deed corrected. "I was once the Knight Zero as well."
"Fate certainly amused me." the fourth said. "I am the fourth life, Radiance of Heaven, or ROH. I am the Sovereign."
He continued, "In my life, the original world had already ended. I was revived in a bizarre fantasy world, a new beginning, but one without an end. It was a loop of endless war. Only the strongest could become a Sovereign. The five figures you saw earlier were Sovereigns, too. The one who ripped out our heart was the Sovereign of Time, my eternal enemy. No matter how many times I died, the world would reset because of those with time abilities."
The other three looked shocked by the fourth's history.
"Suddenly, my world seems much easier." Deed said, trying to lighten the mood. Then, they all looked at me. I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
"I'm the fifth life... Null. I guess... I just want to change my boring life." I said with a small smile. To my surprise, the others smiled back. It seemed every version of me had a screw loose.
"Not a bad goal. That was my plan from the start." ROH said, silver threads beginning to form in his palms. "This is the Time Thread. I can't change the past directly, but I can send our collective memories and thoughts back to it."
He looked directly at me. "The key to this plan is you, Null."
"Become strong." Deed added. "So that when the enemies of our past lives arrive, you will be the one hunting them."
"Wait... do 'memories and thoughts' include us?" Zeroze asked.
"Possibly." ROH said, sounding unsure. "In theory, our past selves could read these future memories and awaken their powers earlier."
"Man, I love gambling." Zeronoz said with a wide grin. "I'll definitely awaken if I see these memories. Those mythos bastards... it's my chance to destroy them again."
"We don't have much of a choice anyway." Deed noted. "But Null, if we don't awaken, you must do whatever it takes to become stronger. Everything rests on you."
"I agree." ROH said. "This thread can only be used once. It's all on you, Null."
"My life just got a lot more interesting." I said, feeling a surge of excitement. "I won't waste it."
"Good. That's all I needed to hear." ROH said.
The silver threads exploded outward, wrapping around everyone and filling the space with a blinding white light.
Deed... I could hear a voice calling... no, it was calling the name of my first life.
"Deed! How long are you going to slack off?"
It was the voice of a young woman, calling me, woken me up from my nap.