[Bear witness the power of Absolute Radiance! Meet your end, Finn—]


    "What the..."


    The anime series I watched on the In-flight entertainment switched to a different channel. I glanced at the other passenger''s screen, which showed the same channel as mine.


    "Dammit, the epic scene was just about to begin," I muttered as I stared at my television—it was switched to a news channel.


    [Breaking news! A large-scale thunderstorm suddenly appeared in the west Philippine Sea and is now heading to Manila!]


    I glanced at the airplane window beside me and looked outside. My eyes widened as I stared at the sight outside the airplane. The dark clouds were thick, covering the sky outside, making it seem like it was nighttime when it was actually nine in the morning. Shivers ran down my spine when a deafening thunderstorm struck.


    I shifted my gaze to the people on the airplane—they were speechless as they stared at the news on the television. That kind of thunderstorm was something that the world had never encountered before. It was truly terrifying.


    I can''t remember anything besides all of that. Everything around me just turned dark, like someone had flicked a light switch.


    <hr>


    My heart raced the moment I woke up. I found myself floating through a dark void—it felt like I was in outer space—weightless. The space was so silent that I could hear my heart beating.


    What the hell is this...? How am I—


    “Krreaquiratt!”


    Cold Shivers ran down my spine when a voice broke through the silence of the void. It didn''t sound human to me—more like an alien. I glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. However, I found nothing but an empty, dark void filled with silence.


    Then, glimpses of light appeared from a distance, slowly taking over the darkness of the void. Another voice spoke, it was the voice of a girl.


    “Hey... mis... ter...”


    The voice of the girl sounded unclear, like it was being said underwater, or speaking into a low-budget microphone.


    I slowly opened my eyes. I found myself lying on hard, solid ground. My eyes met the worried look of a girl sitting beside me. She was around my age. Her short hair flowed down to her shoulders as it was being softly blown by the wind. The pale skin of her face was inches from mine as if she were examining me like some kind of specimen.


    "You''ve finally woken up. I was just about to leave you. Are you okay?" she asked as she pulled her face away from mine.


    “W-what… w-where am I?” My voice stuttered. There was a little pain in my throat, like a small thorn stuck inside it.


    I glanced around, stunned by the environment I was in—The sky was covered in dark clouds with thunders roaring. The buildings and houses were destroyed. Cars and Jeepneys were left on the road. What... is this? I saw an airplane in the middle of the road from a distance, its half-body was missing. That’s probably the plane I was in.


    “We’re at Navotas Manila right now.” the girl answered as she opened her bag.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    “Navotas…” I muttered as I continued to look around me, there were no people on the streets. Perhaps, is this apocalypse?


    The girl pulled out a bandage from her bag. ''You’ve got a small cut on your face,'' she said, peeling it open before pressing it onto my cheek. A sharp little pain was felt on my lower cheeks as the bandage touched it.


    My eyes widened when a memory hit me. I quickly pushed myself up, now sitting on the ground. I was on an airplane. Did it crash? If so, then how did I survive it? I took my shirt off, searching for any scratches on my body, but it was all clean—no scars or wounds.


    “Uhm… are you alright…?”


    The girl asked as she took her eyes off me awkwardly.


    “Oh! S-sorry…”


    I apologized then slowly put my shirt back on, “How long was I asleep?” I asked as I fixed my clothing.


    The girl opened her mouth, she was about to say something when she interrupted herself, “Let’s not talk here.”


    The girl suggested as she slowly stood. She slung her bag over her back. She shook off the dust on her pants and then lent me her hand to help me stand. I grabbed her small, soft hand firmly and then slowly stood as she helped me pick myself up. "Follow me," she said as she turned around and took a step forward.


    It felt like each step of her foot was connected by an invisible string to mine, making me tag along behind her. I frowned as I stared at the girl in front of me, and observed her actions as we walked. You can''t just trust a random person at times like these. No, even if it''s just a normal day, you can''t be so sure whether one has good intentions or not. But despite my deeply mistrusting personality, I continued to follow her steps.


    I cleared my throat, it seemed the pain inside it had disappeared. I opened my mouth and asked, "What''s your name?"


    “It’s Astaxia. what’s yours?” Astaxia replied without turning her head at me. Her gaze remained focused on where we were going.


    “It’s Zandro,” I replied.


    Silence hung in the air as we continued walking. Can''t she at least say ''Nice to meet you, Zandro.''? But I guess there is nothing nice about being in a ruined world. I shifted my gaze around me—the bricks of houses and buildings were destroyed, like a Lego building that had missing pieces. The silence of the streets felt unsettling. It was once filled with the noisy voices of pedestrians and the engines of vehicles. The cold breeze of wind softly hugged me, giving me goosebumps.


    "It sure is cold despite being in the Philippines," I muttered as I shivered in the cold.


    After a few seconds, Astaxia replied, "Of course, the sun''s heat can no longer reach us because of the thick clouds covering the sky." her voice remained calm as if she had already adapted quickly to this kind of world.


    I didn''t reply and just continued to observe the environment around me. I swallowed hard, my gaze drifting over the crumbling buildings and abandoned cars. Was this really the same world I once knew? I have no idea what happened, but there is one thing I knew—this is an apocalypse.


    I was too focused on my thoughts when I realized I was inches from bumping into her. I didn''t realize that Astaxia had stopped walking.


    “We’re here, Zandro,”


    I focused my gaze on what was in front of us—it was a jeepney, with each opening covered in metal scraps. There were two thorns at the bumper of the jeepney. What are they for? Stabbing some monsters while driving? Come to think of it, why did they have to build such a well-protected jeepney? What are they protecting themselves from? Still, I was amazed at how the jeepney was modified.


    Again, lost in thought, I didn''t realize that Astaxia had already gone to the back of the jeepney—where the entrance was usually. I started to walk towards the back of the jeepney as I observed the vehicle.


    At the back of the jeepney, the entrance was secured with a metal door on it. This might be the safest jeepney I have ever seen. I can tell that the ones who crafted this must have had some knowledge of engineering.


    Astaxia was having a hard time trying to open the metal door, "Dammit, why does he have to make this metal door so hard to open?!" she complained. Sweat started dripping from her forehead to her cheeks. She glanced at me as she wiped the sweat on her face, “Why don’t you help me here instead of just standing there?"


    I smiled awkwardly, "Sorry..." I apologized as I stepped forward, "Excuse me," Astaxia moved to the left and watched me as I grabbed the metal door''s handle with my right hand. I tried to pull it, but it won''t budge. On the second try, I tried it with my both hands, but it still didn''t move an inch. I frowned, I was getting frustrated because of how hard it was to open. Why’s this thing so hard to move?! I grinned in annoyance. My grip on the handle tightened. I took a deep breath. Then, I pulled it with full force.


    CLANK!


    What the…


    My eyes widened in surprise as I watched the metal door fall to the ground—it was detached from the jeepney. I softened my grip on the handle as I carefully placed it down. It was then I realized that the handle of the metal door was like a piece of paper that was crumbled.


    “What the hell are you…?”