Chapter 2: Journey to the Unknown
When Fade turned the door handle, even the air outside had changed. The previous calm and familiar street scene had given way to a chaotic landscape. Houses were destroyed, roads were cracked, and steam was rising from some places. Worst of all, the air was still dark and smoky after the meteorite, as if the sky had completely disappeared. The air Fade breathed in was filled with dust and the smell of burning. He coughed to clear his throat, but it only made his lungs hurt more.
His grandfather was gone. There was no sound around him. Just a hum... But within that hum, a whisper... Fade wasn’t sure he heard it. Maybe it was just ringing in his head. Indefinite, indescribable, like a call...
Just then, a transparent, glowing window appeared at eye level. It was like the status window in a video game.
Character: Fade
Level: 1
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Mana: 50/50
Status: UNKNOWN
"UNKNOWN?" Fade was confused. The text flickered for a moment, filled with complex symbols, and then disappeared. Fade collapsed to the ground. The vague sound ringing in his head was still there, as if it wanted to tell him something. But there were no words, only a feeling, a vibration.
Fade gathered himself and stood up. His grandfather... He had to find him. He saw a shadow and immediately ran after it. Among the shadows, he found an old, rusty sword. The window reappeared: