On June 25, 202X, at 5:07 p.m., Owen was waiting in front of the school, a cigarette in hand. He lit it absentmindedly, but a light slap made him flinch.
"You promised you'd quit," Maddie murmured with a mischievous smile, gently rubbing his cheek.
Owen chuckled softly, put his lighter away, and took her hand.
"Come on, let's join the others at the bar."
They walked together, but ran into Mike and Morgan, the inseparable twins, already sitting at a table with drinks ready.
"Hey, Owen, Maddie! We saved you some seats," Mike called out, pushing a chair toward them.
The four friends—Owen, Maddie, Mike, and Morgan—were a tight-knit group, always ready to laugh and share simple moments. The evening stretched on into drinking challenges between Owen and Mike, competing to see who could last the longest. Laughter and bets flew back and forth, while Maddie and Morgan, both sober, watched in amusement.
In the end, Maddie drove Owen home. In the car, they relived the best moments of the night, as close as ever. Once at his apartment, she helped him lie down and kissed his forehead.
"Good night, Owen. I'll come by tomorrow to make sure you're okay."
He mumbled a sleepy thanks, but just as he was about to drift off, panic seized him. Total darkness. He jumped up, frantically groping for the lamp, in vain.
"Maddie… I can't see anything!"
She rushed back in and turned on the light.
"It's the alcohol, it'll pass."
But worry was rising. She called the emergency services, explaining the sudden blindness. While they waited, her phone vibrated: a message from Morgan.
[Morgan: Maddie, help me… Mike can't see or speak. The paramedics are here.]
Gasping, Owen whispered,
"Maddie… I can't feel anything anymore…"
She squeezed his hand, tears in her eyes.
"Stay with me, Owen. They're on their way."
Joseph, the neighbor, alerted by the crying, came in and checked Owen's pulse.
"Stable. Hang in there, man."
The sirens finally wailed outside. The paramedics took Owen to the hospital, where Maddie found Morgan in tears.
"Mike's in a coma," she sobbed.
At the hospital, while Owen was still conscious, he muttered incoherent words, recorded by the authorities before he finally slipped under.
**POV Owen**
In absolute darkness, a presence emerged.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"I am ?????," replied an amused voice.
"Are you the one doing this to me?"
"Mmmh… Interesting. You're still resisting. I'll have to push a little harder."
A searing pain tore through me.
"Aaah! Why?"
"Haha, you'll understand after you wake up in the other world."
Another world? Like those isekai stories with gods… A brief, hazy, menacing conversation followed.
Then I woke up in a dense forest, surrounded by animals fleeing at my stirring. The "God's" words echoed in my mind: "Follow the North."
"System…"
An interface appeared in my mind.
[Communication]
That was it. I activated the module.
1. Mike Carter
2. Sarah Gordon
3. John Banks
4. Emily Hayes
5. Lucas Reed
6. Sophia Turner
7. Daniel Kim
8. Isabella Ruiz
9. Ethan Patel
10. Olivia Chen
11. Owen Smith
12. Laura Wattson
Mike was there. And Laura Wattson… that name so close to mine. Why her, and not Maddie?
A piercing scream rang out about twenty meters away. I rushed toward the source.