As the World Change

Introduction (World Setup)

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains disturbing imagery, including depictions of violence and blood. Reader discretion is advised.

Note: This is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to real events or people is purely coincidental.

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Prologue: The Unseen World

The world held its breath. A strange new virus, unseen and relentless, crept across the globe, leaving a trail of fear and uncertainty in its wake. As humanity grappled with the pandemic, a deeper, more unsettling change began to unfold—one that went unnoticed, at first, by the panicked masses.

The virus, a silent predator, claimed its victims, plunging them into a strange, dreamlike state. Doctors called it a coma, a battle for survival. But the truth was far more unsettling. Their souls, torn from their bodies, were drawn into another world, a realm hidden from the sight of the living. It wasn't death; it was something else. Something unknown.

For those who survived, life eventually resumed. But the world they returned to was not the one they had left behind. The familiar streets, the comforting routines, the sense of normalcy—all were gone, replaced by a chilling sense of unease. The world had shifted, irrevocably altered.

Massive sinkholes began to appear without warning, gaping wounds in the earth that swallowed light and sound—secrets whispered on the wind. Scientists offered explanations—geological instability, pressure build-ups—but their words rang hollow, unable to explain the whispers that some claimed to hear at the edges of these chasms. Whispers that spoke of a world beyond comprehension.

Above, the sky darkened with clouds that loomed like storm-bringers, casting their heavy shadows over the world, a silent, ominous presence that held the world in its grip. But no rain ever fell. The clouds simply hovered, unmoving, their stillness a chilling reminder that something was amiss, something was waiting.

And then, there were the dead.

Those who had been lost to the pandemic—mourned, buried, and seemingly forgotten—began to return. They appeared as if they had never left, stronger and healthier than before. Their faces were familiar, their identities undeniable, yet something in their eyes was different, distant. They had lived through something—something they couldn't explain, something that had forever changed them.

By the time the first returned appeared, no one could ignore it anymore. The world had changed. The veil between worlds had thinned, and the boundaries between Earth and something else were dissolving. Mysterious new places—places that had never existed on any map—began to emerge. Cities stood in disbelief as vast forests, towering mountains, and ancient ruins materialized out of nowhere, as though they had always been there, hidden just beyond the veil of the ordinary world. Governments scrambled for answers, desperately trying to control the chaos, but the truth was impossible to contain.

The pandemic had not just stolen lives; it had opened a door. And now, with that door ajar, whatever lay on the other side was beginning to seep through—a chilling reminder that the world they knew was gone, replaced by something new, something unknown, something terrifying.

~

The world blurred. Keyos felt a strange, unsettling sensation—a pull, a whisper from somewhere beyond. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel anything but a growing sense of emptiness. He was dying. He knew it. He had accepted it. But as the darkness enveloped him, a flicker of hope, a whisper of something different, something new, stirred within him. He felt a pull, a beckoning from a place beyond comprehension.

He woke with a gasp, his lungs burning, his body trembling. He was lying on a cold, hard surface, the smell of damp earth and stone filling his nostrils. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel the rough texture of the ground beneath him. He was in a cave. A large, echoing cave.

He tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy, his muscles protesting with a dull ache. Yet he also felt a strange lightness, a sense of renewal. His body, once wracked with pain, felt strangely strong, strangely alive.

He pushed himself up, his heart pounding in his chest.

He was alive. But where was he?

He was in a new world—a world filled with possibilities, a world that held the promise of something different, something better.

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Thank you for reading! I made a few minor changes, and I hope you enjoyed this page. Your support means the world to me—reads, votes, and comments are greatly appreciated! I'm also open to any kind words or feedback. :)

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