Chapter 1
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The world was coming to an end. How did it come to it? The reason the world was ending was because nuclear bombs had been launched all around the world. The official word was that a rogue virus had hacked itself into the nuclear facilities around the world and triggered the attacks.

Some believed the attacks were launched by a secret group of organisations bent on destroying the world. Others declared that the tensions between the world nations had caused a strain on the soldiers and caused them to initiate an attack that was responded to swiftly with deadly force.

“Whatever they claimed, the world will be destroyed in a few hours’ time!” The news reporter reported through the television screens around the world. “So, I suggest you spend these last few hours doing whatever! I’m going and hitting the beach!”

With that said, the reporter rose to her feet, picked up her suitcase and headed out of the news reporter’s room. The telecast continued to play out, and transmitted the panicked yells of the people in the studio as they urgently cleared out of the building before the telecast died and the screen went blank.

In a certain house, a young couple in their twenties were doing just that; having fun by playing games. They had gotten married only a short while ago and were inseparable, but upon learning of the news, the woman became devastated by the horrifying reality before her husband managed to convince her to play games with him.

So, they sat down in their bedroom, switched on the two large televisions and booted up two consoles to play on separates screens. That was why the news channel was left active in the living room because the husband had taken his wife away into their room while the news was still being broadcast around the world.

“I can’t believe this is how our lives are going to end,” commented his wife while playing the game.

“I know, and it’s sad to think about,” he replied in agreement.

After getting married, the couple had gone on their honeymoon, a trip travelling around the country, visiting places of great interest. They had only returned a few days ago, and suddenly this shocking news was dropped on them. As such, her reaction to being shocked and depressed at the prospect of their lives ending in such a short amount of time after recently getting married was nothing unexpected.

“Cheer up,” her husband said, noticing that she was still looking sad and grinning at her. “I’ve taken you around the country and bought you a lot of clothes and accessories! So, cheer up and spend the remaining time with me playing games! Please?”

When he asked in a sweet voice, she giggled and looked sweetly at him.

“Alright. I’ll do anything for you, hubby.”

He laughed, and they immersed themselves in playing the game for the next few hours, shouting at one another, having the best time they could possibly have by just staying at home. Only a few, like them, were spending their last remaining hours in peace and quiet while the rest of the world had gone into a frenzy.

People lost their minds over the shocking news and were screaming for help while looting took over the streets as the attackers targeted local stores. A majority of the people, however, jumped into their cars and went to different places as a means to enjoy the last few hours they had left to live.

The nuclear missiles flew through the air at high speeds to different parts of the world. The programmers were doing their utmost to stop this from happening, but they were tragically locked out of the systems and were left to only watch helplessly as their inevitable doom came. Just like the meteors that had showered down and decimated the Dinosaurs, the same was happening now to the civilisation known as Humanity.

With each impact, an explosive nuclear bomb erupted and wiped out the cities in a blinding destructive flash of light. Nothing could deter this destruction, and no one stood a chance of surviving against it. As such, many cities vanished in a blink of an eye and spread a great debris of nuclear waste that clouded the sky and caused irreversible damage to the world.

A few hours in, and countless lives were lost and whole cities vanished from the face of the Earth. Even so, the couple continued to play their game without a care in the world because their house was powered by solar energy, allowing them to avoid the problem of losing power like most people did.

Finally, they felt their house shaking and understood that the devastation had finally reached them. They set down their controllers and looked each other before they got off their bed and walked out to stand at the veranda to stare out into the open.

A devastating blinding flash of light was sweeping towards them and destroying everything in its way. People tried to run from it, screamed as much as they could, but still none were a match against the disaster created by humanity’s own foolishness.

“I guess this is it,” the husband said slowly after a few seconds of silence between them.

His wife instantly burst into tears and hugged him while saying, “No! I can’t accept this, not after finding a wonderful partner and a peaceful life!”

He hugged her back and smiled sadly as tears formed in his eyes, feeling sad from this whole event. They had recently married, promising each other to live a long life happily together without harming others and living in peace. Yet, that promise was not going to be fulfilled as their lives reached their end.

“If,” he began speaking softly into her ear. “If there is a chance at another life, then… then I wish to meet, love, and marry you again.”

Her whole body shuddered from all the crying she was doing before she exclaimed, “Yes! Yes! I promise the same! If there’s a second chance, let’s meet again…! This time, lead a happy life!”

“It’s a promise,” he replied sweetly, and pulled away from her to look into his wife’s face, whose face was covered in tears. “Don’t cry. It’s alright. Let’s meet again if there’s another chance.”

She hiccuped and wiped her tears with the back of her arm and nodded while saying, “Yes! Definitely!”

With the promise made, they turned to face the destructive white light looming closer before turning back to each other. Then he placed a gentle hand on his wife’s cheek and pulled her closer to kiss her on the lips. At the same time, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with all the affection she had for him before the brilliant destructive flash of light swept forward, and they vanished into it.

Thus, the lives of the young couple came to a tragic end.

 

 ==== + ==== + ==== + ====

 

Closing the Book

 

“What?!” Exclaimed a boy’s voice in shock. “That’s so sad!”

A kid sat on a chair made out of clouds and was sitting in front of a wooden table with clouds floating around him. He had been reading through the beginning of a book he had taken interest in after reading the title.

However, his opinion changed when he read the first chapter, thinking what it was about. However, he was shocked to find that the first chapter alone contained a tragic ending that made him feel tears streaming down his face.

“I know right?” Another voice said in agreement.

On the other side of the table sat a figure, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, and he smiled serenely at the kid.

“The husband was 22-years-old while the wife was 18-years-old and only got married very recently. It’s a pity that their lives ended like that when they seemed to love each other very deeply. You could even say their marriage was made in heaven.”

“This is rubbish! What was the author thinking?!” The boy said, slamming the book down on the table angrily. “A story should have a good beginning, not a tragic ending right from chapter one!”

The man chuckled and responded with, “Well, the author had an interesting sense of humour because this isn’t the end that you think it is.” When the youth looked confused, he indicated at the book and said, “Continue with chapter two because their story isn’t over.”

At his words, the boy looked at the book and reluctantly picked it up. But before he went on reading, he glanced at the man with a curious look on his face.

“Say, do you know this story? Have you already read it before?”

“I do,” replied the man vaguely.

The youth nodded in understanding and asked, “So, what’s it about?”

When asked that question, the man looked coolly at him and asked, “Isn’t it obvious?” He then chuckled and said, “It’s the story about the couple from another world.”

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