Fallen Lightbringers' Return

Monday morning. How often, since the inception of time, had the week restarted once more? With the birth of light, per the hands of God, came the idea of Monday too.. . and it would not disappear, even if the Elohim did.

Once more, the week, together with the world, had reset. But humanity's thoughts remained in the previous day. News, all around the world, would discuss the weird phenomenon that happened in Seoul. The media was quick to find a name for it—The Birth of Light. And just as quick as they were to name it, so was their need to explain it, though this task was not as easy.

Many thoughts swirled around, from reputable news sources claiming it to be a lightflare from the sun to yellow papers and tabloids calling it a government experiment gone wrong or aliens from outer space probing Korea as a test station. Nonsense or not, the citizens of each country had their own thoughts, irrespective of all the junk floating around.

The only ones to know the truth were the Players of the Mirage. Shadows and Light, such a thing could only be created by that System of theirs. Each one of them held complicated thoughts— excitement, curiosity, nervousness, and terror—all different from each other. They only understood, the Mirage was entering a new phase, and the world they knew, was close to reaching its end.

As for God, only the Angels in heaven (plus the one below Earth) knew about this universe's greatest tragedy. Their voices cried out heavily, though they dissipated just as fast, and an auditory hallucination was a lot easier to write off, compared to one you could see.

Still, of course, a few Soothsayers roamed the streets and within the dark depths of the internet, spouting about the End of the World, and how the Lord had come to place judgment upon the humans; All crazy people.. . or so one would imagine.

As always the world went on, this time, just a little bit more curious than before. As long as there was no imminent danger (or even if there was), society would never stop moving. And thus, on this Monday, people still completed the side quests of their daily lives.

Lee Dojin walked the streets, looking just as ordinary as everyone else. Maybe his eyes were a bit more lifeless, and the circles around them a little darker, but was that such a word sight to see in a bustling metropolis like Seoul? Ji-ah and Hassan were not with him. Currently, he was alone. All alone.

He opened his phone and looked at the time. His eyes stung, as the artificial light blinded him. Yet, he had already placed the brightness on the lowest setting. "A few more hours? I'd say so. Can't really remember." He faced the sky. Nothing but clouds to be seen.

The convenience store next to him buzzed. The sound of an air conditioner. It wasn't even that cold yet. There, a balding businessman was slurping his ramyun, while reading through the daily newspaper [Blinding light, and the cry of Mother Earth! Has humanity finally brought the wrath of its habitation back home?]. There was a small police station on his left, with a few foreigners—they spoke Chinese—trying to communicate with the poor officer who did not understand anything. 

Incidentally, Lee Dojin knew how to speak Chinese too, all thanks to his language skill of the old world, but that hardly is of importance currently.

Walking further, the street was filled with street-food vendors in the middle, selling corndogs, teokbokki, takoyaki, beautiful sandwiches, and scallion pancakes. On the side, there were many skincare stores within the buildings, with employees yelling to attract customers. Even today, during such an hour, there were so many people roaming the streets, for this was Myeongdong, the busiest place of all Seoul.

Lee Dojin went to the busiest cafe and took a seat. Here, he could observe everything going on within this district. It wasn't because he had a hobby of people-watching. No, because he remembered clearly, the place for the Mirage to arrive would have to be the busiest. He ordered a coffee, black, going against all Korean values, then closed his eyes.

...

[God has died. Now, humanity's survival will depend on you Players alone. Good luck, and have a nice game—or die trying.]

"What the hell?" Lee Dojin rubbed his eyes. "Hologram? Is technology that good already?" At that time, he had just been thrown out of his school, with no path to walk. Next to him stood Do Jiwoon, who had come talk to him, yet looked equally confused.

At that time, the two of them understood nothing, yet. At that time, the two of them were neither the Hero of Light and the Original Sin, only two high-schoolers, with no purpose in life, hoping for the world to stop moving.. . for a Monday to never come.

The two of them faced each other. Then, a scream caused them to look the other way. There, a man stood up from his seat, running away, while crying frantically. Pushing through the masses, he bumped into Lee Dojin.

"Watch it, bastard," Do Jiwoon shouted his way.

Lee Dojin was about to stop his friend from making a scene when he felt something warm dripping down his arm. A strong smell of iron suddenly permeated the air. He looked to his shoulder and saw blood dripping down, dyeing his shirt red. Immediately, his face had turned cold.

Do Jiwoon quickly stopped talking, as he turned serious. "You're bleeding," he yelled, as he promptly rolled Lee Dojin's sleeve up with a baffled expression.

"It's not mine," the boy said, and indeed he carried no wound.

The two of them seemed to realize something together, as their sight touched, and they faced the direction that frantic man fled, and there, they saw him laying on the ground. Lee Dojin, even before the Mirages' arrival had seen such a scene occasionally.

The man had died.

...

"Lee Dojin." A voice calling for his name broke him out of his stupor. He immediately paid his attention elsewhere, as he looked to his right, and his eyes widened with genuine surprise.

"Jyejin?"

His supposed childhood friend, stood there, her hair in a ponytail, with a stern, yet confused face. "Why do you look like you have seen a ghost?"

Lee Dojin rubbed his eyes. He rubbed them once more, just for good measure. The girl did not disappear. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask you the same thing." The girl huffed. "I was walking down the streets when I suddenly saw you and decided to follow you. I didn't expect you to be in this cafe though. I never knew you'd be the trendy type. Also, should you not be in school?"

"You did not know? School is closed. It's because of that weird light that surrounded the city. You know, educational places are always quick to stop their doors." Lee Dojin shrugged his shoulders. Truthfully speaking, he only knew because of Ji-ah. "Why are you walking around Myeongdong anyway? Boredom again?"

"Maybe I just wanted to try being a tourist," she laughed dryly, then took a seat. "Hope you don't mind."

Lee Dojin looked at her, this time more closely. He had realized that dark circles were around that girl's eyes. Her lively spirit was nowhere to be found this time. If he had to compare her, she looked, just like. .. him. "Are you not feeling well?"

Kim Jyejin sized him up too. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Listen, I am a little busy, so maybe you'd like to return another time and we can chat? It's about to get dangerous."

"Actually, I didn't come here by coincidence, I wanted to ask yo—"

Her voice was cut short by another voice, much louder and annoying. "Hey, you students there, should you not be at school currently?" And like that Dong Jowoon seemingly appeared from thin air.

Lee Dojin twisted his head with furrowed brows. "And who are you?"

"Jowoon! Dong Jowoon Sungsengnim for you!" His shout seemed to shake the cafe, as he realized Lee Dojin was still confused. "We went together with Ji-ah to that excursion. Come on, it's me, the PE teacher. You are hurting my feelings."

Oh, that pervert, Lee Dojin thought silently. "Why are you here?"

"I was tailing two skipping students, of course. Where do you think the two of you are going? Do you want to be expelled?"

Lee Dojin rubbed his temples and sighed. "You know, school is closed for today."

"Huh? Really?"

"Is there anyone else who wishes to appear?" He asked jokingly, but what came next, he did not find remotely funny. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Park Wonho," Kim Jyejin shouted. "You!"

A young student with a big physique walked through the crowd and appeared before him. "Uh, hi?" He lifted both his hands. "I come in peace, I swear."

Kim Jyejin was about to say something, but then, out of nowhere, her mood seemed to deflate. This time, she simply did not feel like saying anything, as her mind weighed heavily on her. And Lee Dojin, she had to admit, did not seem like the naive boy in need of protection anymore. Also looking at Park Wonho, he appeared so unusually timid, she felt no threat at all.

The big guy spoke. "I did not wish to hide, I swear. I only wished to talk in private, but before I knew it, so many people had assembled and it was awkward to say anything." He then faced the teacher and bowed. "I apologize for skipping today's lesson.

"Mention school one more time, and I will bash your skull in," Lee Dojin said irritated. "Anyways, you, the guy in a tracksuit are Dong Jowoon, the noisy, hypocritical teacher. And you, the one built like a linebacker, are Park Wonho, the guy I almost killed at the beginning of the year. Is that correct?"

"At this point, I am only happy you remember me," Kin Juejin said in jest.

"Don't be offended, I ask since from now on, we have to depend on each other." His eyes turned sharp. "As it is now far too late to run."

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the cafe, with one more scream following and then another, until it was too loud and frequent to ignore. Everyone faced the noise.

Suddenly, a baffling message appeared for everyone to see:

[God has died. Now, humanity's survival will depend on you Players alone. Good luck, and have a nice game—or die trying.]

Once more, Earth would turn into a place worse than Hell itself.