(POV - Emily Parker)
The more time passed, the more Emily felt her strength draining away, as if something invisible was slowly sapping her energy. Fatigue built up in her body, making every movement heavier, every breath more difficult.
She avoided thinking about what might happen if her strength ran out and her eyes closed against her will. Would she be able to wake up afterward? The doubt haunted her, but a nagging feeling whispered in her mind—if she passed out, she might never wake up.
Instinctively, Emily's eyes turned to her hands. Thin cracks marred her skin, glowing with an intense golden light. At first, they were just subtle fissures, not seeming to pose much of a threat, and Emily had ignored them, focusing on more urgent matters.
However, over time, something changed—her strength seemed to be draining little by little, making every movement feel heavier. Now, weakness consumed her completely, and the feeling that she might faint at any moment was almost overwhelming.
Lost in her thoughts, the front door suddenly opened. This time, there was no knock, but Emily didn't mind. Looking up, she saw Laura entering, carrying some drinks. Her tone was casual, but there was a subtle tension in her voice.
"Boss, I brought the drinks... I hope this helps us stay awake" she paused, then added in a darker tone: "I found some people passed out in the hallway. They didn't look like they'd ever wake up"
Saying this, Laura walked over to Emily's desk and carefully placed the drinks down. They were all homemade, made by her with a specific selection of ingredients to keep them awake.
Whatever was happening to their bodies, it didn't seem to be a direct effect forcing them to sleep, but more like a gradual induction. In other words, maybe there was a way to fight it.
Of course, Emily had no idea what was behind all of this—whatever it was, it seemed to defy the natural laws of sleep. But honestly, that didn't matter much to her at that moment.
She would use any resource necessary to stay awake. She had survived much more dangerous situations, and if there was one thing she had in abundance, more than anyone else, it was her unshakable determination.
"I hope these mixtures help. I used everything I could find in the lab that might keep us awake" Laura said, furrowing her brow slightly. A few seconds later, she added with a sigh: "But to be honest, with the amount of stuff I mixed, if we drink too much, it might have the opposite effect. As long as we don't overdo it, though, I think we'll be fine"
Emily nodded at Laura's words and brought the cup to her lips, taking a sip of the drink. The liquid burned down her throat in a sharp shock that almost immediately cut through some of her drowsiness.
The effect was so sudden that she almost choked, surprised by the intensity of the alcohol, much stronger than she had expected. Breathing deeply to hold back the cough, Emily concluded that, in the end, she would have to rely on the [Angel of Death] once again to solve the situation. She just hoped that, this time, it acted faster—Emily didn't know how much longer she could hold on.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
We were on top of the tallest building in the city. Seriously, its height was impressive—up there, you could see every street, every building, and even the city limits fading into the horizon.
At the center of the structure, a giant golden flower stood tall, its closed petals gently fluttering as if they were about to bloom any moment.
Around it, shimmering snowflakes floated in the air, drawn to the flower as if obeying an invisible call. In the sky, the sun displayed deeper and deeper cracks, its fractures spreading like the ones on glass just before it shatters.
There was something strange. Getting to the top of the building had been too easy—way too easy. Not that I was complaining; in fact, it made everything more convenient for me. But, to be honest, isn't it usually when things seem too easy that something unexpected happens?.
No matter how much I looked around, nothing suggested that something was about to happen. Still, the feeling that something was wrong wouldn't leave me. Lost in thought, I blinked slowly, only to see, in the next instant, something falling right in front of me.
I instinctively reached out and blinked in surprise as I felt a cold raindrop hit my palm. My gaze automatically shifted upward to the sky, where gray clouds were beginning to form, spreading rapidly over the city. I furrowed my brow, confused.
When had this started? Just moments ago, the sky had seemed fine. Now, the air was thick with moisture, as if rain could fall at any moment. But why? What caused this sudden change? I had no idea.
"Rain? That suddenly?" Victor commented, his voice carrying a touch of surprise as his eyes narrowed slightly.
The next moment, the clouds began to darken, plunging the sky into a threatening hue. The raindrops, which had been falling sporadically, began to fall more frequently, as if the sky itself was preparing to collapse.
However, there was something peculiar about the movement of the clouds, a strange fluidity that didn't seem natural. They weren't just moving with the wind; it felt like something invisible was controlling them, a force beyond the ordinary. Arthur, Victor, and I watched cautiously as the phenomenon unfolded, our eyes fixed on the clouds dancing in the sky in a bewildering way.
At one point, the clouds seemed to swallow the sun, and a sudden darkness covered the entire city. While it wasn't dark enough to feel like night, the gloom was dense and unsettling. In the next instant, a small hole appeared in the clouds, and from within it, a beam of golden light, vibrant and intense, shot out, gently falling onto the flower, as if guided by an invisible force.
"What the hell is going on here?" Victor asked, his voice thick with confusion and urgency as he looked around.
Arthur, standing beside him, observed the clouds with a curious expression, his eyes growing subtly darker as he focused his gaze: "Somehow... it looks like they're providing energy to the flower" he said, his voice laced with a strange unease.
Hearing Arthur's words, I blinked, surprised to realize that he was right. The sky above us was completely covered with dark clouds, and raindrops fell relentlessly.
Although it wasn't a heavy rain, the intensity of the drizzle was enough to wet the surroundings. The rooftop floor, now completely soaked, reflected the dull light of the clouds, making the scene even more somber.
Additionally, since I was barefoot, I could feel the wet ground under my feet much more intensely. Curiously, I felt no cold at all, and, to be honest, even with the wet floor, it didn't bother me one bit.
When I stopped to reflect, I realized that, ever since I woke up in this body, I've always been barefoot and never felt any discomfort. It makes me wonder if, perhaps, this could be some kind of anomalous power I possess.
Anyway, as the flower absorbed more energy, its light gradually intensified, becoming increasingly radiant. I had no idea what was happening, but it was clear that standing still and simply watching wouldn't help anything.
With that thought in mind, I made a decision: I started walking toward the flower. I could feel Arthur and Victor's eyes on me, both watching me with confused expressions. They had no idea what I was going to do next, which only seemed to intrigue them further.
But, to be honest, I wasn't sure either what the best reaction would be. Deep down, my mind was a whirlwind of uncertainty, and in the end, I just decided to approach the flower, hoping that some feeling would stir inside me, something that could guide me to a more concrete action.
But, of course, as expected, nothing happened even when I got close. Nothing but an unsettling silence. My Alter Ego, which had always been so present, seemed now distant and silent, as if waiting for something.
At that moment, there was nothing left to do but do what anyone would do in a situation like this: slowly extend my hand toward the flower, wishing to touch it, hoping that at least that would give me some direction.
However, before my hand could reach the flower, a massive explosion shattered the silence, roaring like thunder, but much more intense and deafening than anything I'd ever heard.
Instinctively, my eyes shot to the sky, and as I halted my movement to touch the flower, I was struck by a scene that made my eyes widen in shock.
Giant, monstrous serpents began emerging from the clouds, their bodies formed entirely of pure electricity. Their translucent, undulating bodies revealed the electric maelstrom pulsing within them, as though their insides were vast rivers of raw energy.
There were about six of these enormous creatures, all descending at a dizzying speed toward the building where we were. The sound of crackling electricity filled the air, a threatening hum that seemed to devour everything around us. The imminent shock was unavoidable.
I blinked, feeling the weight of the tension in the air, and for a moment, my gaze instinctively shifted to the flower beside me, its fragility contrasting with the monstrosity about to descend upon us.
Then, my eyes slowly moved to Arthur and Victor, their faces pale, eyes wide with disbelief. The fear on their faces reflected the chaos approaching. The serpents were descending relentlessly, their luminescent bodies cutting through the sky with deadly agility, like predators coming from the abyss.
"Shit, I shouldn't have left the house today" Arthur muttered, his gaze fixed on the chaotic situation ahead. With a frustrated sigh, he quickly turned, shoving Victor aside as he ran toward the edge of the building.
Despite the rush, it didn't seem like they'd make it in time. Of course, jumping from that height would only lead to instant death, smashed against the ground, rather than being electrocuted inside the building. But looking at that desperate situation, I couldn't blame them for considering the only possible escape: jumping.
Without hesitation, I turned and ran toward Arthur and Victor. My speed increased unnaturally, as though my body was propelled by an invisible force, allowing me to reach them in the blink of an eye.
In the next instant, without thinking, I shoved them off the building before leaping into the fall myself. As I fell, my gaze instinctively fixed on the serpents plummeting with terrifying force toward the top of the building. The feeling of my body falling with them seemed to drag me into an abyss, but what consumed my mind was the chaotic scene around me.
"What the hell is this? Why are we suddenly being attacked by electric serpents?" Victor screamed, his voice echoing in the fall, panic evident in every word as he plummeted.
As we fell freely, I turned my gaze to the top of the building, the biting wind whipping through my hair. The sky, a deep gray, seemed to threaten to swallow everything around us.
Then, a brutal roar echoed in the distance, and the serpents, monstrous and relentless, collided with the building's structure with terrifying force. The impact was so violent that the top of the building crumbled into a sea of rubble, the floors below disintegrating as if they were mere domino pieces.
Pools of thick dust rose, obscuring the air, as electric sparks flew, slicing through the darkness with their blinding flashes, like lightning trapped within the building's walls.
The sound of destruction was like an agonizing scream, echoing through the city, and I could feel the earth trembling beneath my feet, as if the very world was collapsing.
I won't lie, that was truly surprising. In an instant of distraction, we were brutally attacked by giant serpents. I can't say I expected something like this, but as my mind wandered through thoughts, the dense smoke around us seemed to consume everything.
It was then, amid the chaos, that a cold, cutting light appeared out of nowhere—six points of light, almost like burning eyes from an invisible presence.
And from within those lights, the serpents returned, emerging from the shadows with terrifying ferocity, their fangs gleaming in the dim light, and they began to chase us, as if the very abyss had opened up to devour us.
"You've got to be kidding me. Are we really being chased by flying electric serpents?" Victor yelled, his voice laden with disbelief. He was close to where I was, his eyes wide in surprise, as if trying to figure out whether this was real.
Really, as Victor aptly pointed out, it did seem like something straight out of a horror movie. And given the circumstances, it couldn't have been more perfect for chaos: we were falling at breakneck speed, plummeting from dozens of meters above, toward an imminent death.
But the worst part wasn't that—it was the giant electric serpents, their bodies slithering through the air, shooting bolts of electricity and relentlessly chasing us.
Imagine, just for a moment: falling from the top of the tallest building in the city, with six smoking monsters, their scales glowing in a supernatural way as electrical currents crackle from their bodies, following you with insane fury.
The air around us became charged, the smell of ozone and humidity saturating our lungs. That would drive anyone mad—the feeling of helplessness before something so monstrous and relentless, as if the sky itself were about to swallow you alive.