Chapter 7: The Voice that Shook the World!

"With courage and will, kill! The power you seek is hidden within! Only by tearing your enemies will you obtain it!

Come ants and struggle. Only those who are brave will survive! Only those who are worthy will reach the peak!"

The voice was too abrupt that it made everyone's ears ring. Everybody thought that it was just them dreaming, but then they immediately scrapped the idea as the neighbors' homes started to lightup, accompanied by disgruntled complaints.

"Who?! You dare to play such a prank, show yourself boy?!"

"Have you lost your mind? Who is shouting in the middle of the night?!"

"Are you tired of living? You better scram if you want your life!"

However, they were short-lived because the owner of the Voice saw that the people treated him as a joke. So he decided to show a little bit of his power. All of the TV's, phones and other communication techs started to malfunction and there continued the Voice as it broadcasted itself.

"Hahahaha, puny insects dare to compare me to you mortals playing a prank? We'll see! 

What science?! Look at your so-called innovations being turned into nothing but scraps! Eventually, you'll be like that too. Hehehe. Of course, if you worked up some courage, not only will you survive, you'll also be able to recycle the scraps! Isn't it human nature? To rule your own kin! 

Well then, I think I've spoken too much. I should've just ended the world immediately since you insects didn’t acknowledge my warnings anyways. Tsk!"

The last paragraph was especially said nonchalantly. 

The people thought, "Is it a hacker?"

*Boom* The TV's, phones, etc. that were used for the broadcast suddenly exploded one after the other. 

"Oh, by the way, at exactly 12:01 am, 10 seconds from now, you'll have to fight for your life. So you better get ready. Get a weapon or something. Alright, bye..."

The Voice resounded one last time through the air.

Who in the world would’ve thought that the supposed prank actually happened across the globe?!

They could not check the net as their phones had exploded. Communication tools were destroyed and there was no way of contact.

Fortunately... Ugh- Unfortunately, the clock ticked at 12:01 am. Ten seconds was a short time so answers came quickly!

...

Earthquakes with breaking high magnitudes, and had never been recorded by the Ritcher Scale ensued across the Globe. Fissures started to appear on the ground, and those with bad luck got crushed under the crumbling buildings. Some fell into cracks, meeting their ends. Despite the enhanced reinforcement of the buildings that made them practically invincible, but that was only 'human' measure. From high-rise buildings to houses and sheds, all broke against these terrifying earthquakes. With just this, it was not an exaggeration that half of the world's population died. Why? All were originally sleeping and in their homes. 

But the disaster did not end there. As the survivors looked around, they found that they were basically in another place. It turned out that the earthquake was the Earth terraforming. But, it only took 20 seconds?! 

The high-rise buildings collapsed as towering mountains suddenly appeared in the background. Some of the fissures and cracks turned to cliffs and some turned to bodies of water.

Rain started to pour down heavily as it cleansed the world of dust and blood that resulted from the earthquake. But the color of the rain wasn't exactly as expected, it was black despite it 'cleaning the world.' 

What had happened was too abrupt that the people forgot the Voice that told them to get prepared, literally 30 seconds ago. He who spoke the warning and guidance. 

But one thing was for sure, that wasn't a hacker at all!

...

Titus was currently standing at the empty space between the collapsed building and the lake along with Uncle Brown. As for Lee, he was panting on the ground as he was too shocked to what had happened. They didn't bother to hide from the rain. Even if they wanted to, there wasn't even a place to use as shelter. Plus, they needed to stay in an open area as there may be aftershocks, or so they thought. 

"What is this? What happened?! This sh*t only happens in novels and anime!"

Lee could not help but curse. He was not to blame though, after all just like others, they thought the Voice was a joke at first, then this happened. 

Uncle Brown was frowning while thinking of what they should do. Titus on the other hand was sweating despite the rain. He was nervous to the bones as he, who already experienced the unthinkable, had a bad feeling about all of this. Once, he was woken up by the Voice, his gut immediately turned for the worst, that something bad would happen. Thanks to this, they managed to survive the earthquake. He kept repeating the words the Voice had said, in his mind. He started to feel shaken. 

"With courage and will, kill!"

"I should've just ended the world immediately." 

He would not have bothered with these right after surviving a disaster but he literally traversed here from the past, so how could he not know where this was going? Not to mention if what the Voice had said was real?!

"Uncle! Lee! Let's retreat to the ruins quickly! Also, grab a pole from the debris as a weapon! Prepare to fight!"

"What do you mean brother? What if there's an aftershock? And what do you mean by grab a weapon?"

Lee was confused by Titus' words. He got up as he patted Titus on the shoulder. Uncle Brown also felt the same but since he was already mature with age, he didn't question directly and waited for an explanation. Plus, this boy was the reason why they weren't buried among the ruins in the first place. 

"I can't explain too much now, but to answer your question, there is indeed an aftershock that will come! But it will not be normal aftershocks, considering what the Voice had said, 'kill,' we probably would have to fight someone and/or something..."

Only then did they remember the Voice that started it all. Uncle Brown looked at Titus, thinking that he was most likely correct. Because if you connect the pieces, what was happening now was certainly not logical by any means, and what the Voice said seemed to indicate what they should do. He nodded and said to Lee who was still stunned.

"Let's go and prepare ourselves. Whether it's true or not, we'll see in a moment."

As if responding to Uncle Brown's words, just after they've retreated and picked up their ‘weapons,’ the lake started to bubble. Fish like creatures with legs and arms, holding weapons made from shells, sticks, and stones, etc. emerged from the water! 

Proofread by: @lynn

Author's Note:

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