“…”
I chewed on more snacks, thinking about what to do.
“…”
A shower crossed my mind, though I quickly dismissed it.
“…”
My eyes drifted over my inventory until one idea stuck. Maybe I should try upgrading my Com Crystal. I didn’t want to place too much hope in it—contacting my parents still felt far off—but… some part of me couldn’t let go of that sliver of possibility.
I took out the Com Crystal and the rare Upgrade Shard, pressing them together.
“Yes.”
My voice cracked a little as I confirmed. Ten shards left.
Please…
I didn’t even bother with further upgrades. Instead, I started with my mother, father, and sister, then worked my way down through the rest of my family and friends on the contact list.
“Contact Jordy.”
I waited for the usual system messages to appear, but instead a familiar voice came through.
“Danny, is that you? I tried calling you just yesterday, but I got a message saying you were out of bounds.”
Relief washed through me as I answered.
“Hi Jordy. It’s so good to hear your voice. How have you been? Did you get hold of any of the family?”
A long silence followed before Jordy finally answered.
“No. I’ve reached a friend or two, but no family yet. You’re the first.”
My mood sank at his words. I’d wanted so badly to know if our family was safe.
“I’m upgrading my Com Crystal as quickly as I can,” I told him. “Maybe that’ll help me reach more people. Anyway—what level are you, and what did you choose? No, wait—let me guess. Rogue?”
“Right on the money,” Jordy said with a chuckle. “And you would have gone Wizard. Yip. I’m almost at level 5. Just need a bit more XP and I’ll be there.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me—force of habit.
“You’re correct. I’m a Wizard. Actually hit level 5 today, and I even upgraded my Com Crystal with a rare shard.”
We exchanged information and talked about our experiences. I didn’t learn much from him, since Claire was also a rogue and their insights were similar. Still, it was good to speak to family again, and I’ve always liked Jordy. He’d been part of my old D&D group, after all.
I thought about calling Marcus, but since he hadn’t reached out to me, I assumed he had nothing new to share—and, frankly, neither did I. We were little more than acquaintances, and the end of the world wasn’t about to change that.
I checked the time and felt a wave of relief—it was finally late enough to call Claire.
“Call Claire.”
Her voice burst through, bright and full of energy. “Danny, it is sooo good to hear your voice. I’ve been busy—and I got to level 4!”
I smiled but kept my own news to myself. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d already reached Level 5.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“You totally made it to Level 5, didn’t you? Damn—I thought I was catching up.”
I froze for a second, caught off guard. Talking to girls—no, women—had never been my strong suit.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
She laughed, brushing it off with that lively determination of hers.
“No, don’t be. I’ll just work harder, and I’ll catch up.”
I couldn’t help but respect her drive. In this new world, falling behind wasn’t an option.
“Oh, and I got through to another person,” I said quickly, shifting the topic. “I had to upgrade my Com Crystal again with a rare shard, but it worked. I managed to reach my cousin. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to contact any of the rest of the family.”
“I also got hold of a friend,” she replied, “but no luck with family. Still, I’m just glad I managed to connect with somebody at least.”
“Maybe we can use the Knowledge Shards to find out something,” she went on thoughtfully. “I’ve been considering it, but I’m not sure how to phrase the question. I did get some advanced shards though, so maybe we can…”
“Yeah, I’m in. We can do it tomorrow when we meet again.”
We talked a little longer, letting the conversation trail into small things, until finally we said good night.
Exhaustion caught up with me the moment the call ended. It had been a long day, and I was more than ready for sleep.
I woke the next morning to a few System notifications. Not exactly the way I wanted to start the day.
The first one I focused on was one I’d been dreading.
Yes.
My heart felt heavy as I knew somebody, one of my neighbours had died. I did not have it in me to check where my home base expanded to.
I was just about to check the second notification when a notification, again from the System, began to flash and then open. I had the feeling that it would have woken me even from sleep.
I was confused. What does realignment mean? It must have something to do with the parallel instantiations.
At first, nothing happened. I stood up from my bed and looked around, waiting for the system’s warning to make sense.
The dizziness came first — a sudden sway beneath my feet, as though the floor had tilted. My stomach lurched. For a moment I heard whispers at the edge of hearing, like voices behind a thin wall. Shadows flickered in the corners of the room, shapes of people who weren’t there. I blinked hard, but the sense of déjà vu only grew stronger. Faces I didn’t know passed through my mind, and for the briefest instant, I felt I had known them once.
A hollowness pulled at my chest, a strange ache of loss, though I couldn’t say for whom. The air felt thinner, stretched, as though I had stepped into a place that wasn’t entirely solid. A wave of unease rolled through me — reality itself felt unsteady, like it might slip away if I reached out.
Then the world flickered. The lamp on my table was tilted differently, the curtains drawn tighter than I remembered. I stared at the wall across from me: had it always been that shade of pale grey? I checked the time — it jumped forward several seconds in a blink, and I felt as though I had missed a beat of my own heart.
My skin prickled, and a cold shiver crawled down my spine. Pins and needles spread through my arms, and my legs trembled as if I had run a mile. A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes, growing heavier the longer I stood. I gripped the bedframe, forcing myself to breathe.
Thoughts slipped like water through my fingers. I couldn’t hold them steady. Images of strangers flashed across my mind — conversations I never had, names I didn’t recognize but somehow almost did. For a moment I wasn’t sure which memories were mine.
And then, just as quickly as it began, it steadied. The whispers faded. The room settled. My time display was normal again. But the sense of something missing lingered, like the aftertaste of a dream that refuses to be forgotten.
What the fuck just happened? Was Claire okay?
“Call Claire.”
Her voice came through almost immediately, strained but steady.
“Danny, what just happened? That was so unpleasant.”
“Are you okay?” I asked quickly.
“I am—now that it’s over. But… it was like having a bad nightmare. You can’t remember the details when you wake up, but the feelings are still there.”
She described it perfectly.
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first Royal Road chapter of each pair. The second one won’t have pictures. If you want to see all the art together (or earlier), it’s on Patreon with the combined chapters!