Brother Luke?!" Selene’s voice echoed as she peeped from under the table.
"You made it!"
Luke glanced towards the large oak table. Seated under it were Selene and her friend Pippa. Luke smiled warmly as his gaze settled on his little sister and her friend.
He gestured for them to come closer and, without hesitation, they ran towards him, Luke pulling them into a tight hug.
After hugging them, Luke spoke first.
"Listen Selene, Pippa. You are going to go on a trip soon, but don’t worry."
Luke paused.
"I promise I’ll find you both, okay?"
"Are you coming with us, Brother Luke?"
Pippa asked innocently, wondering why he couldn’t just follow them instead of trying to find someone else.
"I have to get Clara too, but I promise once I get her, I’ll come find you both, okay?"
"Okay!" The two friends echoed in unison.
With that said, Luke proceeded to lift three of the five crying children and four others with his left arm. He then crouched, Pippa climbing onto his back, and with that he rushed forward, Selene running beside him with her tiny legs.
"Three more minutes."
Luke muttered as he closed in on the exit of the elementary school.
They were going to make it, but would the others?
His mind flashed toward Clara.
Was it already too late?
The image of his gamer sister surfaced in his mind.
Did she make it or...?
He paused.
Luke stepped outside the gate, his feet struggling to stay steady on the cobblestone. Luckily, more pupils were outside as some teachers had taken advantage of the gravity distortions and used them to get both themselves and the students out.
The official who had expected Luke to fail watched in shock and respect.
Not only had Luke brought his sister with him, he had brought eight other children and carried every single one of them without even lifting his little sister.
Luke stopped near the entrance of the bus, setting the children down.
He then crouched before Selene and Pippa, holding their tiny hands.
"Stay safe. I will come find you."
Luke could feel a tear forcing its way through, but he pushed it back. He wasn’t the type to cry unless something truly devastating happened, and there was still hope.
Luke watched the two girls climb the stairs into the bus.
He waved goodbye.
They waved back.
Luke turned his gaze, dead set on the path leading to the high school where Clara resided.
"Wait!"
A voice echoed behind him.
Luke turned.
It was the official.
"You could come with us on the Nano Ride."
Luke’s eyes widened slightly.
’Nano Ride?’
That was probably why it wasn’t affected by the warping reality.
"I would have loved to, I really would, however I still have one more sister."
With that said, Luke dashed forward without looking back.
Looking back might make him reconsider his actions and he simply couldn’t.
Clara might be his adopted sister.
They might barely relate because he had only just started learning sign language.
But leaving her behind?
That, he would never do.
Luke hopped across the cobblestones, barely maintaining balance as gravity remained unstable. He avoided the narrow valleys that seemed to appear from nowhere and watched drops of water dancing in the air.
The transformation had fully begun and Luke could feel it.
’I doubt there are any more buses, but I should at least check if she’s alright or not.’
Minutes passed and the high school loomed before him.
Unlike the other buildings that had disappeared or collapsed, it stood stubbornly, affected by the changes but still intact.
Luke closed in on the school and climbed upwards.
Gravity warped.
Luke ascended far faster than he ordinarily should have. He grabbed a third floor window and slipped inside.
The classroom was empty except for scattered tables and chairs, books on shelves, and litter that should have been inside the waste bin.
Luke sprinted out of the classroom, his clothes fading away into blurring strips of diminishing linen, barely recognizable to a regular observer.
Luke entered Clara’s classroom.
It too was empty.
His gaze fell upon her seat.
It was empty.
"So they might have been evacuated. The whole school couldn’t have possibly died or something." Like spoke to himself trying to hide his tension.
His gaze lingered on a camera mounted near the door, though he paid little attention to it.
On the opposite side of the classroom, the state of the city could be seen clearly. The wall that had been there was now absent.
Luke gazed outwards, a strange wilderness forcefully pulled itself across one side of the landscape.
The once civilized city was gone.
Rapidly replaced by a medieval fantasy town.
Tsunamis raged across the seas.
Thunder echoed throughout the sky.
Only the school remained.
Luke knew it was time.
He wasn’t sure if he would leave or die, Above, bolts of lightning gathered in the sky as if demanding attention.
Luke watched the sky crack with red lightning. His expression showing horror.
"I’m fucked!"
Luke exclaimed through gritted teeth as he dove forward.
Bolts descended at unfathomable speed, aiming for the high school.
But Luke had already lunged forward, barely dodging the crimson current.
Meanwhile, in a distant facility hidden in one of the most protected places in the country, four individuals sat around a table, their expressions cold.
Through one of the last active unstable cameras, they watched a silver haired, flickering figure dodge lightning.
"This might be one of the changes to the game he spoke of. Arthur Spark spoke with clarity, his eyes lingering on Luke.
But what if the changes are drastic, doesn’t that mean our agreement is over?"
Another figure seated across the table asked.
"It might."
Arthur spark responded.
"But that also encourages us to get stronger. We must abandon taking over the kingdom Of dawn for now, we are not totally sure of what to expect yet. However the four legendary characters are posts that we must not fail to get.
"We are the game’s developers, if we can get their influence, we should be able to fight back at whatever this new mythos brings.
Arthur Spark’s eyes flicked back toward the screen.
He watched as the strange being’s outfit blurred in flickering hues and his white hair fluttered in the wind.
Luke stumbled down from the building amidst the raging winds, unaware of the slight change his action had caused.
Luke knew the gravity distortions couldn’t save him from instant death if he hit the ground from the height he currently was.
"So this is it."
Luke muttered as he shut his eyes, awaiting death, he had never thought he would die so young.
"Ding! "
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
["Merging completed."]
["Status identified."]
["Special Unique Name allocated."]
["Welcome to Mythos, Undefeated One."]
["Respawning in three seconds."]