The wind stopped.
The birds vanished.
Even the cars on the street below had halted.
Time itself seemed to pause.
Zayn stared through his cracked apartment window, bowl of half-eaten noodles trembling in his hands.
From the heavens, a slit of light cracked open like the sky itself had been torn in half.
And then she appeared.
A being with wings made of shifting stardust. Skin glowing like moonlight. Eyes that could freeze time. Her presence wasn't just seen—it was felt in every atom, every nerve, every breath.
Zayn's knees nearly gave out.
All across the world, the same phenomenon happened.
One angel.
Each nation.
Every state.
Every city.
> "People of Earth..."
"Your time has come."
Her voice echoed inside every mind, regardless of language.
Zayn clutched his chest, his heart racing.
> "What... the hell is this?"
"This isn't a dream. This isn't human."
The angel hovered above the city square. Thousands had gathered, trembling. Some knelt in awe. Others shouted in fear. A few laughed, thinking it was some mass hallucination.
One man yelled, "who are you, freak! Get lost!"
Another threw a rock.
The angel blinked once.
And then, with a single swipe of her hand—from the sky—their heads were gone.
Gone. No scream. No sound. Just silence.
Their bodies crumpled before anyone understood what happened.
Panic erupted.
> "Holy shit—"
"SHE KILLED THEM—"
"WHAT IS SHE—"
Zayn stood at the apartment window, bowl in hand, hands trembling.
> "No... this... this is that dream again. But it's too vivid. It's... real."
The angel looked down on the world.
And then, she declared:
> "From this moment forward, every human shall receive the Star System.
The first scenario begins now."
> [World System: Activated]
[Initializing – Scenario I: Trial of Survival]
[Objective: Reach Level 7 in 72 hours. Those below Level 7 will be erased.]
[Bonus: Reach Level 10 to choose a Class.]
[Hidden: Achieve 3 milestones & collect 100 System Coins to unlock rare class paths.]
Zayn's screen lit up:
> [Name: Zayn Elric]
[Level: 1]
[Class: None]
[Skill: Passive – Glimpse of Timelines (Unstable)]
[Status: Confused. Mental strain detected.]
His eyes widened. His body trembled.
> "So this is real… I came back in time... I remember this trial. They all die."
"The weak. The slow. The clueless."
From the streets, people began to panic.
Blue screens popped up in front of every person's eyes.
Some shouted. Others wept. A few ran.
And then, the ground cracked.
The first Gate opened—purple, swirling, humming with death.
From within it, monsters emerged—twisted, drooling, unnatural things.
And the Trial of Survival began.
Zayn grabbed a rusted kitchen knife from his drawer. His hands shook.
> "I have no class. No strength. Just this... cursed ability to see futures I never lived in."
He stepped out, heart racing.
> "But I won't die again."