The sky was looking especially bleak today, the sun covered by soft gray clouds, a gentle drizzle quickly getting harsher. It was as though the heavens themselves were crying, or maybe it was just because of the tears running down my face. I could feel my body shutting down, breathing was becoming a monumental task, and staying awake was painful. A week ago the doctors told me I would likely have a week left and based on how I am feeling it seems pretty spot on. I have no family, as my dad died before my birth and my mother during it, no siblings, no sign of any grandparents or cousins, and I never really had any friends because of my “old” appearance. I have always looked older than my age, apparently, according to my doctors I have shorter telomeres or whatever that means, something about less lifespan or something, but it made all my brown hair turn silver by the time I was 10, made my whole body ache, and caused me to have wrinkles all over.
It really is a cruel world isn’t it, I was never able to travel abroad, finish school, or have a pet. All I have been able to do with my life is play video games, watch videos, and read novels, any physical activities are simply too risky with my physique. I still remember that one time I tried skateboarding, and well, long story short I had to stay hooked up in a hospital room for a year after shattering my shin. Being “old” doesn’t really help with recovery, or with the ability to not get hurt in the first place. There was also that other time I tripped and needed a sling, or that other time when I slipped in the bath, or that other time when…
“Ding”
While I was thinking of my multitude of past injuries I was interrupted by another one of these weird hallucinations. A little blue box that I instantly swiped away. They have been appearing for the past few days, a trick a dying man’s mind is playing on itself. I have noticed something though, ever since these started appearing there has been a noticeable decrease among the staff attending me, just a nurse who will quickly swap out some of the bags connected to me before zooming away out of the room, presumably to take care of some other patient. There have been other times before when something like this has happened, like during a major food shortage, some sort of financial crisis, or just a holiday, but based on the massive riots I have heard from so far away, I’d put my money on either food shortage or financial crisis. I highly doubt it has anything to do with the weird images I have been seeing, I’m not insane enough to think that something from a novel could be real, although I guess I am crazy enough to dream up these delusions.
I chuckled at the thought of that, maybe I should actually read what it says next time, just to see what it wants to say. It is sad though, not a single person was here for my death, I thought there would at least be someone to record my time of death, as it was one of the doctors who told me I would die today. This was it huh, all alone, on a cheap ass hospital bed, Living through 18 years of suffering and sadness just to die with not one person to remember my name. I wonder what they will put on my tombstone, “Poor bastard died at 18 because he was too old”.
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I started feeling a sharp pain in my chest after that thought, one of the worst ones I have felt. I could feel my breathing stop and my body shutting down. GOD DAMNIT, give me more time, I don’t want to pass on, I’m not ready yet
“Ding”
The box appeared again, quite a bit quicker than the intervals between the previous times, it does make that annoying sound every time it appears but what can I expect, if I am having visual hallucinations no reason I can’t have audio ones. I decided to go ahead and read it.
Congratulations!!! The World “Zagen” has Awoken and will Ascend in 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 30 seconds!!!
Congratulations!!! The world “Zagen” has awoken and will ascend in 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 30 seconds!!!
Nope, this is definitely some sort of weird pre-death fever dream, but maybe, maybe it is real. I have read all sorts of system novels before, like “Party ranking up”, “I isekaid as an amorphous gelatinous ooze”, and “Anarchist artisan is zealous for the sphere”.
The clock was still ticking down, and I could feel my consciousness start to fade, I only had to wait ten seconds left on the timer, and regardless of what my body wanted to do, I’m not going to fade away that easily. I can only think of a single way to stall out that long, and it’s through sheer force of will. Thoughts starting to fill my head.
“Just let go now and the pain will stop will finally stop”
“It won’t matter anyways, this is stupid, just give up and rest you won’t be able to live either way so just let it happen now.”
So I gave in. at least that's what I would say if I was a little BITCH. I don’t give up, I don’t give in. and in no world will I just let myself cease to be. My rage started bubbling, lighting a fire within myself, giving me a few seconds of energy, which I used to yell out, not in my own mind but to the world itself, one simple thing.
“I REFUSE TO DIE”
*Ding*
Congratulations!!! The World Zagen has Ascended
[Congratulations!!! The world Zagen has ascended]
And as that message appeared in front of me I was surrounded in a blinding, blue light.