The Voidfang hadn't even finished dissolving when Luis noticed something odd—a glimmering silhouette slouched against the alley wall, visible only at the edge of his vision. When he turned to look directly, the figure was suddenly in front of him, grinning like a man holding a royal flush made entirely of jokers.
"Surprise!" the stranger said brightly, flicking Luis's forehead. "Guess who's your cosmic plus-one?"
Luis stumbled back, heart racing. "Wait—people can't see you, can they?"
"Of course not," Zyx huffed. "You think regular folks get VIP access to the end times?"
Across the street, a disheveled woman in a ruined blazer was screaming at thin air. "Who are you?! Stop laughing!" she shrieked, hands erupting into fire like broken flamethrowers.
[HOST IDENTIFIED: PYROKINETIC CLASS][PATRON GOD: IGNIS, LORD OF WILDFIRES]
A few feet away, a trembling teen crouched against a lamp post, whispering furiously to someone unseen. "I don't want to hurt anyone—I swear—just please stop talking—" Water coiled up his legs, ignoring gravity.
[HOST IDENTIFIED: HYDROKINETIC CLASS][PATRON GOD: NYREA, WHISPERER OF DROWNING DEPTHS]
Luis's breath hitched. "Everyone has… one of you?"
Zyx gave a nonchalant shrug. "Yep. Every Host, every unlucky soul, gets a personal divine parasite. Some gods are helpful. Most just want a good show." He plucked a glowing screen from the air and turned it toward Luis:
[GLOBAL HOST POPULATION: 997,441][ELIMINATIONS: 2,559]
"One million players, minus the ones already dead," Zyx said cheerfully, as if commenting on a weather app.
A delivery van came careening around the corner—but instead of turning, it floated, weightless, hovering meters off the pavement. Inside, the driver screamed. Behind him, a many-limbed phantom shimmered in the windows like a corrupted mirror.
[HOST IDENTIFIED: TELEKINETIC CLASS][PATRON GOD: VORTAN, THE GRAVITY MOCKER]
Then the van twisted midair, crumpling like foil. The sound it made was worse than the blood.
[HOST ELIMINATED: 2,560]
Zyx winced. "Vortan's always in a rush. Can't resist flexing early. His hosts rarely last the week."
Luis backed away, ready to bolt—only to bump into a girl stumbling toward him. Her eyes were milk-white, her face wet with tears, and her nails were buried in her scalp.
"I don't want to see it anymore," she whimpered. "Please… make it stop."
Behind her, a translucent woman in a blindfold traced glowing runes across her shoulders. Her mouth moved, but the words slid straight into the girl's thoughts.
[HOST IDENTIFIED: PRECOGNITIVE CLASS][PATRON GOD: THE THREE-EYED WHISPER]
The girl's eyes locked onto Luis. "You," she breathed. "Your god… he's not like the others. He's—"
A crack. Her skull burst like glass.
[HOST ELIMINATED: 2,561]
Luis dropped to the ground, stomach twisting. Across the street, a man stood on a rooftop, rifle still smoking. His movements were too smooth, too sharp. His eyes glowed with something inhuman.
And behind him, Luis saw a towering shadow in armor, silent and immense, raising a single finger to where its lips should be.
[HOST IDENTIFIED: OPERATIVE CLASS][PATRON GOD: KRATHOS, THE SILENT GENERAL]
Zyx grabbed Luis by the collar and dragged him behind a dumpster. "That one? You don't mess with him. Krathos only bonds with killers. Guys like that always make top 100."
The global counter ticked again.
[997,440...]
And Luis realized—this wasn't a dream. This wasn't even a nightmare. This was reality, rewritten.
And death was coming fast.