The Void!

Betrayal From The Girl I Love

Finally, that wonderful day arrived, oh what could be better than a Saturday after the end of the school year and a date with the crush of my dreams?

I wore a simple T-shirt, long jeans, and a short-sleeved jacket. It was past nine, but Madeline hadn't arrived yet, wondering if I was being stood up?

"I've only been waiting for two hours and I'm already panicking, calm down Sebastian, you're a man, a man must be patient and composed."

The wait wasn't in vain, a few minutes later, Madeline quickly arrived, wearing a pretty short dress far different from the school uniform she usually wore. Truly impressive.

"Sorry, I missed the previous bus, so I'm a bit late, have you been waiting long?"

"Oh, no, I just got here myself."

I lied as a courtesy, scratched my head, and then proceeded into the park with Madeline.

Throughout our journey in the amusement park, Madeline did look at her phone quite a lot instead of interacting with me, the only time she looked into my eyes was when she looked into the camera lens she brought along.

She seemed quite reserved, always buried in her phone without uttering a word to me, probably just shy. So I decided to take the initiative to start a conversation, sharing everything with her including my favorite movies, everything and anything. But perhaps movies and games weren't her cup of tea, so I guess I had to change the subject.

"Hey Madeline, is there anything you want to ask me? You seem a bit uncomfortable."

"Do you really think so?" Madeline quickly turned off her phone screen and pondered: "What about Simon then? Your close friend."

"Huh? Why him?"

"Isn't he very cool? Rich, with good fashion sense, and handsome too."

"Do all girls think of him that way? To me, he's just a stubborn guy, never understands others' feelings and always ends up annoying everyone." I sighed.

"But you two seem pretty close, right?"

"Not at all, who could be close to him? He just blocked my account yesterday."

"So you have Simon's number? Can I have it?"

"Sure... uh, let me put it in for you..."

For some reason, I felt a bit unhappy and had a bad premonition. But all those feelings and premonitions quickly vanished as I looked at Madeline's lovely face.

"Do you know what brand Simon's watch is? He always wears it, it looks quite similar to the watches that Void Keepers usually wear."

The Void Keeper's watch, also known as the Clock'o Keeper, is a locator watch capable of tracking the erosion range of active Keepers.

"Oh, come on, in this day and age, there are so many fakes out there, people buy them in the market, that guy being a Keeper or something."

"Haha, probably true, but I heard that the Void Keeper's watch starts at two billion on the market." Madeline replied with a forced laugh.

"Two billion???" I exclaimed in astonishment.

After that, we continued to walk around the park, enjoying some ice cream and rollercoaster rides, taking a few photos of Madeline before the evening.

Finally, the moment arrived, the moment of sunset unveiling a romantic red curtain, the harmony of yin and yang, the fusion of heaven and earth. Like in the anime I often watch, this was the perfect moment for a confession.

I stood in front of Madeline, my classmate whom I had always secretly admired during break times, with all the courage of a man and the secret techniques I learned from watching over a hundred different romcom animes, I opened my mouth and began to enunciate each word clearly.

"Madeline!"

She silently looked at me with curiosity, as if waiting for what I would do next. Alright, if it’s going to be like this, go big or go home.

"I... I......"

In the romantic and tense atmosphere of the destined late afternoon, I swallowed my saliva once more, trying to calm myself, and finally spoke the last words meant for Madeline.

"Warning: Instability in the spacetime detected, citizens are urgently requested to evacuate to the nearest shelter!"

The alarm siren along with the emergency broadcast suddenly broke the awkward silence, startling both of us.

"Please be advised, this is not a drill, all citizens are urgently required to evacuate to the nearest shelter!"

Below the streets, sidewalks, buildings, and surrounding public areas, steel doors quickly opened with stairs leading down to the underground shelters. Media outlets also swiftly switched to the red warning screens, with alarm sounds blaring deafeningly. People hurriedly jostled and pushed each other to enter the shelters, and even I could do no better, holding Madeline's hand and running towards the nearest shelter.

"Aah!"

Madeline screamed as she tripped over her heels. Realizing the situation was extremely critical, I shouted for help from the people around.

But... my cries for help seemed to fall on deaf ears, just like those times I screamed for the internet café staff to come assist me. Right, it was the Void disaster that nearly completely destroyed Crimson Shores and Rainbow, so it wasn't surprising that people reacted this way.

I could have left her and gone to the nearest shelter, but I, as a man, would never abandon my girl. I tried to support my crush towards the shelter while she was still sobbing.

"Sebastian, don't leave me behind!"

"That won't happen, we will survive this together!"

Somehow, even when death was looming, I could still utter such cool lines. Probably because of my weeb nature and the dialogues from games that have seeped into my blood.

But... life isn't a movie, and even if it were, I'm not the main character.

The shelter door coldly slammed shut, as if denying our existence to this world. I was momentarily stunned by that moment and quickly composed myself because this was not the time to be disheartened, with a girl behind me needing my protection.

I led her into a café next to the amusement park, locking the door tightly as the last alarm bells rang.

"Are we going to die?"

"No, don't talk nonsense, I told you, we will survive this together!"

I asserted firmly even though my heart was still pounding with fear, my eyes trembling at the sight of the now desolate amusement park that was bustling just a while ago. I leaned my head against the glass door and sighed, praying that the upcoming crack was not a level three or higher.

But... I really am jinxed. As the alarm siren suddenly ceased, that was when a streak of black lightning appeared in front of the giant Ferris wheel of the amusement park. Space began to warp, and "boom." just like that, a loud explosion caused the café's glass windows to shatter. At that moment, I saw no one but my crush, quickly moving to shield Madeline and taking the brunt of the glass shards myself.

Throughout my life from birth until now, I have endured countless wounds and beatings from school bullies. But this is the first time I feel such agony, as the jagged pieces of glass tear through my flesh, causing unbearable pain.

The pain isn't the worst part when the space outside seems like a piece of fabric punctured by a large black tear, emitting dark electrical sparks. From below that rift, the ground gradually turned pitch black, spreading in all directions around. The bodies of pets left behind in the park after the spatial explosion begin to be invaded by the strange darkness from the rift, slowly rising like undead monsters, their bodies grotesquely transformed beyond recognition.

The ability to invade and transform, it must be at least a level three rift. I immediately assess the situation we are in, realizing that we can't stay near a level three rift for too long, as we would either be transformed into monsters or become a meal for those bizarre creatures. Not to mention, a level three rift is large enough for pure Void creatures to penetrate through the tear into our current world.

I try to struggle to my feet, looking towards the back door behind the counter.

"Madeline, escape through the back door!"

At the same time, the monsters also sniff out the living creatures around us, without hesitation, they immediately pounce towards us like hungry beasts.

I push Madeline to run, while grabbing a wooden chair to strike at the head of a transformed dog, now larger than me. A mutated hamster charges at me, I instantly push the dog stuck by the chair aside, grab the steaming coffee pot next to me, and slam it onto its head.

The hot coffee poured on its head makes the monster retreat in pain, seizing my only chance, I parkour over the counter, clutching the bleeding wound on my side, and run towards the back door.

I can... I can survive, I can overcome and become Madeline's hero.

That's what I thought back then, how naive...

Do you know what hurts more than the cuts that the glass inflicted on my physical flesh? It's betrayal, especially from the girl I've liked for so long.

Madeline slams the wooden door behind the coffee counter shut, not forgetting to push the trash can next to it to block the door securely.

"Madeline, open the door! What are you doing?"

"Open it so we all die, you idiot?"

"Huh?..."

"Damn you, you useless game addict, always clinging to Simon, hanging out with you really makes my skin crawl!"

"Madeline, what are you saying? Or are you being invaded?"

"Invaded my head! Think about it, why would I want to hang out with a loser like you, besides your academic achievements there's nothing notable at all. I wanted to leave after getting Simon's number, but you keep nagging and droning on, so annoying."