Year 2025
Lumig Kingdom
Lumig Shopping Mall
The afternoon bustle dominated the kingdom's largest shopping mall.
Bright lights, ambient music, and the constant murmur of hundreds of people filled every corner.
Two girls ran through the crowd, loaded with shopping bags that swung with every step.
"Diana! Wait for me, you idiot!" shouted the shorter one, panting.Diana stopped for only a second, turned her head with a mocking smile, and kept moving.
"You walk too slow, Buffy. At this rate, the stores will be closed by the time we get there!"Buffy huffed, trying to catch up.
Just as she was about to complain again, both girls stopped at the same time.In front of them, reflected in the large display window of a luxury clothing store, was a boy.
He was completely absorbed in his own reflection.
He turned from side to side, lifted his chin, tilted his head, ran his hand through his hair with a dramatic gesture, and then put on a serious expression, as if posing for a nonexistent photo shoot.
The glass acted as his personal mirror, and he seemed to have completely forgotten that he was standing in the middle of a crowded shopping mall.
Diana and Buffy stared at him in silence for several seconds."What a weird guy…" they murmured in unison.
The boy didn't even notice their stares. At that moment he was trying out a half-smile, arching one eyebrow with a mysterious air.Buffy let out a stifled giggle."
It looks like he's on a date with himself."
Diana shook her head, both amused and confused.
"Come on, let's leave the narcissist with his glass boyfriend."
The two girls resumed walking, still glancing back every now and then, unable to stop smiling.
Jay remained in front of the large window, contemplating his reflection as if he still couldn't believe it.
It's only been one day in human time since I arrived here… he thought, staring fixedly at his own eyes.
He could barely believe it.
He, who had been a simple human from the 21st century, was now here, in the past, in a completely different world.
He had never imagined he would actually be teleported.
For years he had been an incurable pessimist, someone dragging deep depression after failing his friends spectacularly.
He remembered those dark nights when his mind filled with hundreds of ways to end it all.
Cold, silent, definitive ways.But then she appeared.
The Goddess Thenna.
When her ethereal fingers touched his soul, everything changed.
The emptiness consuming him transformed into something warm—into purpose.From a broken young man, he became a devoted follower, even though at first he deeply distrusted her and her intentions.
How could he not? A goddess offering him a second chance… it sounded too beautiful to be real.
Now, that same reflection in the glass showed him the image of a young man with an impeccable appearance, slightly tousled hair, and an expression that still carried a faint trace of disbelief.
Jay raised his hand and touched his cheek, confirming once again that it was real.
"This… is really happening," he murmured to himself, almost smiling.
BOOM!
A deafening roar shook the entire shopping mall.
The ground vibrated violently beneath people's feet, and several shelves in nearby stores wobbled.
Shouts of surprise and fear began to fill the air.Suddenly, the mall's normal lights went out and were replaced by intense flashing red lights.
Emergency alarms howled through the speakers:
"Attention… Attention…" repeated a distorted robotic voice.Jay turned away from the glass, alert. A slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Hmm… It looks like it's begun."
At that moment, thousands of translucent blue screens materialized out of nowhere, floating in the air throughout the shopping mall.
They were huge, bright, and perfectly visible to everyone.
Each screen displayed the same message in sinister white letters:
[Welcome to the end of the world, insects!]
BOOM!
BOOM!
New explosions thundered in the distance.
The shaking intensified.
Some people fell to the ground, others ran desperately toward the exits, while shopping bags were abandoned everywhere.Diana and Buffy, who had barely moved a few meters, froze, staring in horror at the floating screens.And then… everything stopped.
The shaking ceased abruptly.The alarms fell silent.The red lights stopped flashing.
A sepulchral silence fell over the shopping mall, broken only by sobs and labored breathing.
The blue screens remained floating, motionless, as if waiting for something.Jay looked up at the nearest screen and murmured calmly:"
Let the show begin."
BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook violently again.
Panic screams multiplied as people ran aimlessly, crashing into each other.
Suddenly, everything stopped once more.
A deep, grave hum vibrated in the air, making the hair on the back of people's necks stand up. In the exact center of the mall's main plaza, where hundreds of people had taken refuge, space tore open.
A huge black portal opened like a wound in reality.
Its edges spun slowly, sucking everything in with terrifying force.
"Nooo!"
"Help!"
"Let me go!"People tried to flee desperately, but it was useless.
The portal dragged them away like leaves in a hurricane. Shopping carts, bags, shoes, and people disappeared one after another into the darkness.From the second floor, Jay jumped down without fear.
He fell with the lightness of a feather, landing softly in the middle of the chaos.Meanwhile, Buffy and Diana struggled not to be sucked in.
They clung with all their strength to a metal railing, knuckles white and faces full of terror.
"Diana, don't let go!" Buffy screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Hold on!"
Diana replied through gritted teeth.
Jay walked calmly through the hell around him.
People screamed, cried, and begged as they were swallowed by the portal.
He, on the other hand, approached an abandoned ice cream shop with total calm.
He took a chocolate mint cone, licked it, and smiled with satisfaction."
Mmm… It's really good,"
he murmured to himself, enjoying the flavor while the world collapsed around him.
The people who had not yet been absorbed looked at him with horror and confusion.
Who was this madman eating ice cream in the middle of the apocalypse?
This guy was definitely not right in the head.