The classroom buzzed softly with the sound of chalk on the board and quiet whispers between friends. But for him, the world felt distant — as it always did.

He sat alone, third row from the back, his desk slightly angled. Not enough to be noticed, but just enough for him to see her.

She sat one column apart, two desks forward. Perfect distance. Safe distance.

He liked her. No — he loved her. He just never said it. Never would. She barely looked at him, and when she did, her eyes shifted away almost immediately, like he was just another speck in the corner of the room.

And maybe that's what he was.

He glanced at her for half a second. She was looking out the window again, the sunlight making her hair glow faintly. He turned away, hiding the flush creeping up his neck.

She probably thinks I'm weird... I just don't want to make her uncomfortable.

Instead, he stared down at the notebook in front of him, pretending to write something a habit at this point. His real thoughts were filled with distant galaxies, fantasy worlds, magic swords, and people who weren't invisible like him.

THEN he felt it.

A chill, like the air had thinned around him. Something prickled at the edge of his vision. Slowly, he looked toward the door.

A shadow stood there. Vague. Humanoid. Still. But the moment he looked directly at it , it was gone.

He blinked.

Had he imagined it?

He looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed. The teacher kept talking. His classmates were still half-asleep or doodling in their books.

His curiosity pulled him to his feet.

He walked quietly toward the door. Just as he reached it, two boys walked by in the hallway.

"Did you feel that?" one whispered. "Like… something rushed past us?"

"Yeah," the other replied, rubbing his arms. "Like wind, but inside."

Before he could say anything, something shifted behind him.

He turned.

The shadow was back.

Closer this time.

Right behind him.

Before he could scream, the floor beneath him glowed and opened. A circle of swirling light expanded under his feet, pulling him down in complete silence.

He fell.

The hallway vanished. The sky swallowed him.

Wind screamed past his ears as clouds tore across his vision. He was high — too high. Maybe 15,000 meters up, maybe more. Beneath him, a massive blue-and-green planet stretched across the horizon. Not Earth. But close.

And the shadow figure was falling beside him.

What the hell is happening?! he thought, arms flailing wildly. I'll die from this height

But he wasn't giving up. He narrowed his body, angled himself forward, gliding through the air as best he could. Every inch brought him closer to the creature.

It turned its head ,or what looked like a head and reached for him.

Their hands touched.

Suddenly, everything went still.

No sky. No planet. No wind. Just a quiet, empty space filled with glowing dust and stars that seemed to pulse like living things.

And then he heard it , a voice, deep and vast, inside his mind.

"You are watching my memories."

He spun around. The shadow was gone.

In its place stood a gray figure, neither human nor beast. Ageless. Immense. Unmoving.

"I am what you humans call a god."

"…What's your name?" he asked, almost instinctively.

"I have no name," the god said. "I am the only one in this universe. I have no need for such things."

The boy gasped not from fear, but awe. In the next second, he saw everything.

The Big Bang. Stars forming. Galaxies colliding. Planets rising and dying. Earth being born. Dinosaurs. Empires. Humanity.

All of it in a single, unbearable second.

He collapsed to his knees.

When he looked up, he realized: this wasn't Earth. It was that planet the Earth-like one he saw during the fall.

"This is your final day," the god said. "Earth bores me. I will destroy it, and create new life."

"No!" the boy shouted. "You can't! Please don't—!"

"It is mine. I made it. I will unmake it. But…"

The god tilted its head.

"You… might amuse me."

"I will give you five minutes. Choose two people, including yourself, to be spared from extinction. The rest will vanish."

Before he could protest, the god raised a hand.

He was back in his classroom ,the sun was still shining. The girl was still at her desk.

No one noticed he had been gone.

But the clock ticked.

And the five minutes… had already begun.

Kiran sat frozen at his desk, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. Around him, the classroom carried on as if nothing unusual had occurred. The chatter of students, the scratching of pens, the steady voice of the teacher—it was all painfully normal.

Was it all just in my head? he wondered. But the god's words echoed in his mind: Choose two souls to survive.

His chest tightened. Who could he choose? No matter what, everyone else—their families, their friends—would all be erased. Even if he saved someone, they'd wake up in a world stripped bare, empty of everyone they loved.

But deep down, he already knew his answer.

If I can save just one person… it has to be her.

The minutes crawled by like hours. His palms were slick with sweat, his whole body trembling as he imagined billions of lives about to vanish. He thought about trying to plead with the god, to beg for mercy. But would that even matter?

Then, in the silence of his mind, the voice returned.

"Have you made your choice?"

Kiran's throat went dry. He forced the words out.

"Yes… it's her."

He turned his head and pointed toward Lila Florent.

The god's voice rumbled with cruel amusement.

"Very well. Now—witness the destruction of your Earth."

No one else seemed to hear. The very next moment, the ground began to quake violently. Desks rattled, windows shuddered.

"EARTHQUAKE!" the teacher screamed. "Everyone, under the desks!"

Students dove for cover, but the tremors ended almost as quickly as they began. For a heartbeat, silence hung in the air. Then—

A blinding flash erupted from the earth itself. The planet split open, exploding outward like a dying star. The classroom, the city, the oceans, the continents—everything was gone in an instant.

Everyone, except Kiran and Lila.

A shimmering barrier held them suspended amidst the void, untouched as their world tore itself apart. And then, from the darkness, the entity emerged once again.

"Since you humans are so fond of your names…" the god said with a chilling smile. "Tell me yours."

Lila's whole body shook. Her face was pale, her breath short. She couldn't comprehend what she had just seen. The god reached forward and placed a hand on her cheek. In an instant, memories flooded into her—his origin, his boredom, his destructive will, the cruel reason why she and Kiran were the last survivors.

Her knees gave out, and she collapsed, trembling.

Kiran clenched his fists. "My name is… Kiran Vale. And this is… Lila Florent."

The god chuckled. "Vale and Florent… such meaningless things now. Family names are for those who still have families."

Lila's eyes filled with tears. She staggered to her feet and turned on Kiran.

"Why?" she demanded. "Why did you choose me?!"

Kiran's mouth opened, but no words came. He had no answer.

The god tilted his head, amused. "Do you wish you had died instead, girl? Would you prefer someone else in your place?"

Lila's lips trembled. "If I could choose… I'd choose my father."

The god smirked and, with a flick of his fingers, summoned her father into the void. The man blinked in confusion, then froze as he saw Lila standing before him, her face streaked with tears.

"I brought you back for a question," the god said. "If only one person could survive the end of your planet… would you choose yourself, or your daughter?"

The man didn't hesitate. He straightened, meeting the god's gaze. "My daughter. Always my daughter."

The god grinned. "So be it."

The man barely had time to turn toward Lila before his body dissolved into nothing. She reached out desperately, her voice breaking, but no words came. Only tears.

Kiran's heart sank.

The god clasped his hands together, eyes gleaming with delight.

"Enough sentiment. You two amuse me. From now on, I will send you to different worlds. Survive them, struggle through them, and entertain me. Ready or not… it is time for your next world."

The void split open beneath their feet.

And they fell.

The world shifted again.

Kiran and Lila found themselves standing in the middle of a city street. The sky was painted orange by the setting sun, yet not a single human voice echoed through the vast rows of buildings. Some windows glowed with faint light, but the city itself was silent—too silent. It felt like walking into an empty room where life had been ripped away.

Kiran glanced at Lila. She hadn't spoken since they arrived, her mind still trapped in the memory of her father's final sacrifice. Behind them, he noticed a convenience store. The sign above the door was written in a strange language, but somehow, he could read it as clearly as his own.

Then the voice of God returned, echoing in their ears.

"To make this simple, I'll borrow concepts from your world's stories. Listen carefully, for this will decide whether you survive or not."

Kiran stepped into the store while the voice spoke. Shelves were overturned, packages torn open, and most of the products looted. Scattered food and broken bottles littered the ground—evidence of chaos, of people who had fled in panic. A strange unease crept up his spine. Something was terribly wrong. He decided not to linger and turned back toward Lila.

"In this world," God continued, "a bacteria has infected humanity. The infected have become what you call… zombies. They devour the living. The outbreak began two weeks ago. Your task is to survive—and find the cure. Don't worry, the cure already exists here. I'll tell you more about it in a week, if you last that long. For now, I will be generous. Ask me any question, and I'll answer."

Kiran froze. His heart pounded, but unlike Lila, fear wasn't the first thing in his mind—movies, games, and shows he had consumed over years of isolation came flooding back. He already knew what to ask.

"Where can I find weapons and other important things for survival? And… are we the only humans left?"

The god's laughter rang out. "Good question. Eighty kilometers east, there is a military base. Inside you will find guns, ammunition, medicine, clean water, fuel, and vehicles. As for humans, yes, there are others. But it's your task to find them. Now… survive."

And then, silence.

Kiran turned back. Lila hadn't heard a word. She was still trembling, her eyes wet with tears. Just hours ago, she had been in her classroom surrounded by friends. Now her world was ash and ruin, her father gone forever—sacrificed for her. And the only person left standing beside her… was the boy she had always ignored.

"Lila," Kiran said gently. "We should get going."

"Shut up!" she snapped, her voice breaking. Panic spilled out of her in sobs. But as her chest heaved, her father's last words echoed in her mind—My daughter. He had chosen her life over his own. She couldn't waste it. Not now.

She wiped her tears and stood straighter. "Let's go."

Kiran nodded, relieved. She took a deep breath and pointed toward the abandoned cars lining the street. "Check the store for supplies. I'll handle the transport."

Kiran blinked. "You know how to fix cars?"

"My dad was a mechanic," she muttered. "I picked up a few things."

And so, while Kiran scavenged what he could—cans of food, water bottles, a few bandages—Lila moved from car to car, siphoning fuel from several wrecks and pouring it into one vehicle. By the time Kiran stepped outside, his arms full of supplies, she was already leaning against a working car, grease on her hands but a spark of determination in her eyes.

The sun had vanished. Night wrapped the city in a suffocating quiet. The two of them sat in the car, listening to the distant rustle of something moving in the dark.

For the first time, they felt it—

They weren't alone.