The Forgotten Ages

I stared at the holographic screen hanging in front of me, its blue light reflecting my face full of confusion.

Every detail on the screen felt so real, as if this world was no longer the one I had known.

My mind was spinning, trying to find an explanation for all of this, but nothing made sense.

Beside me, Diego looked uneasy.

His face, usually cheerful, now looked serious, his eyes glued to his own holographic screen, which was still processing information slowly.

"Diego, have you tried opening it?" I asked, trying to break the silence that weighed on us.

I tried not to sound too panicked, though the feelings of confusion and worry were starting to take over.

Diego nodded, hesitating.

His finger trembled slightly as it touched the screen, as if he was afraid it would swallow him up if he pressed too hard.

"This is weird," he said, his voice full of confusion.

"It looks like a game display, but it feels real. You can see it too, right?"

I nodded slowly, swallowing hard.

My hand hesitantly reaching out to touch the holographic screen.

As soon as my finger made contact, a new display appeared, and I was shocked to see what it said.

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Character Profile

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Name : Kailendra Ador Saputra

Birthdate : 16 November 2005

Class : Being determined...

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I paused for a moment, my eyes fixed on the screen, my name and birthdate clearly displayed.

How does it know our information?

"Name, class, and birthdate," I muttered, feeling something was off about this display.

Diego glanced at me, his expression full of confusion.

"Mine says the same thing."

But before I could read further, something even more shocking happened.

The sky outside began to light up, like a flash of lightning cutting through the dark night.

The people around us, who were once mesmerized by the spectacular sky phenomenon, seemed to have forgotten about it now.

They were all busy, rushing to search for information on their own holographic screens, just like us.

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Class: The Seeker

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Description:

In the early stage, selected humans are given special abilities known as psychic powers. They begin to develop basic abilities to see the past, only able to feel hints or glimpses of random events. In urgent situations, they can hear whispers from higher entities.

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Skill: Locked until class upgrade.

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I froze, reading the words over and over again. Each word felt heavier, further emphasizing the strange feeling enveloping me.

It was becoming harder to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

Is this real?

Next to me, Diego stared at his holographic screen with an unbelieving expression, his face slightly flushed with confusion.

Just like me, he seemed unable to grasp what we had just seen.

I turned back to my screen, trying to make sense of what was written there.

"The Seeker?" I thought to myself.

Does this have something to do with me?

I don't know, but my confusion only deepened.

The only thing I could do right now was to ask Diego later and try to find out more.

"I got a class—" Diego began.

"Not here," I whispered quickly, my voice almost swallowed by the tension.

"Remember the advice? We're supposed to keep this to ourselves."

Diego nodded, though his face still clearly showed curiosity.

But before we could think any further, my holographic screen changed again, this time more quickly.

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Region: Indonesia

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City: Jakarta

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Conditions:

Earth has evolved. Land from another dimension is starting to merge. Jakarta is now an isolated zone. You cannot leave the city until the countdown ends.

Mission:

Survive the first 30 minutes of the evolution process. Safe zones will be announced at the fifth minute, please find and enter the safe zone before the time runs out.

Suggestion: Do not fully trust anyone and anything.

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I read every word carefully, but the more I read, the stronger the uneasy feeling that enveloped me.

Jakarta has become an isolated zone.

Evolution process?

What is really happening?

I tried to recall everything I had learned about this world, about the phenomena that had been happening far beyond our reach, but it all seemed blurry and faded away from my mind.

"Diego, did you get this message too?" I asked, my voice slightly trembling even though I tried to stay calm.

Diego stared at his holographic screen, his expression full of confusion.

"Yeah... ? Is this just a joke?" he replied uncertainly, which only made me more confused.

We exchanged glances, trying to find an answer in each other's faces.

But before we could discuss it further, the noise around us grew louder.

The city lights suddenly came back on, and some people cheered in excitement at the return of electricity.

"The lights are back on! Maybe this system is just a joke," Diego tried to laugh, but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

There was hidden anxiety behind that joke.

But that sense of relief didn't last long.

For a moment, the large screen on one of the buildings in front of us, which had previously shown news about the planet alignment phenomenon, changed.

Now, a news screen displayed the serious face of a news anchor standing against a background showing a simulation of a tsunami.

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"Attention! A massive tsunami is predicted to hit the coastal regions of Japan in the next few minutes. Residents are urged to evacuate to higher ground immediately!"

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I swallowed hard, feeling the strange sensation surrounding me becoming more real.

"Diego... this can't just be a joke, right?" I asked, my voice now wavering with uncertainty.

He just stared at the screen, his face growing more anxious.

Before we could talk further, the screen on another building suddenly changed.

This news was coming from the United States.

The news anchor stood in the midst of fierce winds, debris flying around him.

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"Hurricane Atlas, which was previously expected to be just a minor tropical storm, has now developed into a category five typhoon. Winds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour are destroying the Florida coastline. Residents who have not been evacuated are urged to take shelter, Immediately!"

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Suddenly, the screen seemed to distort due to a signal disruption, and then it shut off.

"The signal's gone!" someone shouted, startled.

"The internet's down, we can't contact anyone!" another person yelled, their face filled with fear.

The crowd around me started to get restless. Whispers turned into screams of terror.

"Why is everything happening at once?" asked a man, his voice shaking with anxiety.

"Is this the apocalypse?" muttered a woman, clutching a small child tightly in her arms, her face filled with worry.

Diego looked at me with a pale face.

"Kai, I don't like this... this is starting to feel real," he said, his voice growing quieter with fear.

Suddenly, an earthquake struck violently.

The ground beneath us trembled, and the sound of cracking could be heard from deep within the earth.

It felt like the whole world was splitting apart.

People began to panic, running aimlessly, confusion and fear filling the air.

The sound of hurried footsteps, screams, and cries began to fill the space that had once felt normal.

"What's happening?!" a man yelled, his voice choked with the fear that gripped him.

In the midst of the chaos, I felt the vibrations growing stronger from the ground beneath us.

Without thinking, I grabbed Diego's hand.

"We need to get out of here now!" I shouted, my voice drowned in the increasing roar of destruction.

Every passing second made the situation worse.

Then, as if confirming all our suspicions, the holographic screen in front of us started to flicker.

The countdown, which had been still on our screens, began to move.

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00:29:59

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00:29:58

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00:29:57

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The seconds ticked away, reminding us that our time was running out.

The crowd around us was starting to panic.

Some people ran to find shelter, while others cried or stood frozen, too scared to move.

The fear was palpable in the air.

"Why is it moving now?!" a woman screamed in panic.

The sound of cracking filled the air as the streets began to split, causing more screams to echo through the area.

I quickly pulled Diego toward me, trying to keep us from getting separated.

"Find an open space! Hurry!" I shouted while pulling him along.

We ran toward the nearest park, hoping to find a safer place.

But before we could get there, giant trees began emerging from the ground in unusual shapes.

They looked like they came from another world, not flora known to Earth.

"This... is this really our world?" I thought, still running, my eyes never leaving the increasingly terrifying scene.

"What is that..." My movement suddenly stopped.

I stared at the sky in awe, both amazed and frightened.

Thousands of large creatures were flying above the buildings, like birds, but I was sure they weren't.

After observing closely, I realized they were swarms of giant insects, flying in numbers too countless to measure.

The sight froze me in place, unable to believe what was happening.

"Kai! Over here!" Diego grabbed me, shaking me out of my daze, pulling me toward one of the large trees.

But before we could feel safe, one of the giant insects flew straight toward us.

Its body was shiny black, with glowing red eyes that stared at us intently.

Its presence was so terrifying, and I could feel the tremor of fear crawling inside me.

I swallowed hard, resigned to whatever fate awaited us.

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"It's over," I muttered with a bitter smile, as if I was ready to accept the reality of it all.

But without giving me a chance to think further, Diego suddenly moved quickly.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"

With an unbelievable strength, he leaped toward the insect and hit it with his fist.

The creature was thrown far away, crashing into a nearby empty building, causing it to collapse instantly.

I fell, stunned by what had just happened.

"Diego... what the hell was that...?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

Diego stared at his own hand, his expression full of confusion and shock.

"I... I don't know. I've never been this strong before," he whispered quietly, almost like he was talking to himself.

He helped me stand, his eyes still fixed on his trembling hand.

"My class... the description said I could be brave and a little strong... I guess that's true," Diego explained, his voice more confident now, though there was still confusion in his eyes.

In this uncertain situation, Diego openly shared what he had discovered about himself.

Unlike me, who had urged him to hide his ability earlier.

"I... I got the Seeker class," I finally said, looking at Diego with doubt.

"The description said I could hear whispers that give clues..."

Again, I didn't reveal everything.

Diego gave me a small, sincere smile.

"It's okay, Kai. We can complement each other," he said, without any hesitation.

He looked at me with a smile full of understanding, as if to say it wasn't a big deal.

"Let's find a safe place first,"

We quickly ran and hid from the terrifying creatures, with the sounds of collapsing buildings, screams, cries, and everything else surrounding us.

People were running all over the place, their selfish instincts coming out one by one, regardless of how.

There was only one thought in their minds.

Survive!

This city seemed destroyed.

Aftershocks came, shaking even more violently, forcing us to find shelter while avoiding the terrifying insects.

Suddenly, a whisper appeared in my head.

It wasn't Diego's voice, nor anyone else's around us. It was a whisper that only I could hear.

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~ North ~

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I froze, then quickly turned to Diego.

"I... I hear something," I said quickly, my voice trembling with tension.

Diego frowned, confused.

"Hear what?"

"There's a whisper. It says... 'north.' Should we trust it?"

Diego was silent for a moment, then looked at me with confidence.

"Is that from your class? Maybe it's a clue, let's follow it,"

Why does he trust me so much? Even I doubted it.

I hesitated for a moment and muttered to myself.

"But I doubt it's leading us anywhere."

We kept moving, though I knew I was slowing down, exhausted by the sporadic tremors, unlike Diego, who seemed to have strong stamina.

I had to stay calm and ensure every step we took was careful.

I glanced at the holographic screen showing the remaining countdown time.

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00:17:49

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00:17:48

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Time kept ticking, the numbers on the screen feeling like a cruel reminder that relentlessly pressed us forward.

"We've been running for almost fifteen minutes," I muttered.

Along the way, we had to stop several times to avoid the giant insects patrolling the area.

Terror haunted us the whole way.

Watching other people not survive the creatures and become their prey.

These creatures were terrifying, with hard bodies and sharp legs that clung to the ground.

Diego looked like he wanted to attack them several times, but he held himself back.

And I stopped him too.

I knew he wanted to protect others, but this situation was too dangerous.

Even Diego understood that acting heroically without a plan would only lead to disaster.

Without hesitation, we walked down the streets littered with rubble.

Debris from collapsed buildings scattered everywhere, as if silently bearing witness to the destruction of a world that once felt so familiar.

Our steps grew more confident, even though every corner we passed felt increasingly illogical.

It was as if this world had lost its logic and order.

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~ Underground ~

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"Underground?" I murmured quietly, almost inaudible, furrowing my brow.

I paused for a moment, feeling something strange.

"Diego, there's a whisper again," I called out, my voice trembling slightly.

"This time, it says... 'underground.'" I pointed in the direction that somehow felt right, as if the whisper had given us guidance we needed to follow.

Diego immediately quickened his pace, his eyes alert as he followed the direction I pointed.

"Underground?" he repeated, his voice filled with contemplation.

I nodded, trying to recall the map of the area I had seen earlier.

"Could it be an underground station? Is there an underground station around here?" I asked, my voice reflecting my confusion.

Diego stopped for a moment, looking at the ruins in front of us.

"Underground station? Wait a second…" He scanned the area, as if searching for something.

Then, with certainty in his voice, he pointed to the right.

"There!"

I followed the direction Diego pointed, narrowing my eyes, trying to make out what he had seen.

In the distance, beyond a pile of higher rubble, there appeared to be something resembling a station entrance, a dark hole partially covered by the debris from the quake.

"The entrance... is partly blocked by the rubble from the earthquake, but that hole could be the way in!" he said, his voice full of confidence.

We immediately ran toward the spot, dodging the scattered debris and weaving through the ruins, which had begun to feel like a labyrinth.

The wind blowing through the hole carried the scent of damp earth mixed with dust, adding to the mysterious atmosphere of the place.

Diego stopped in front of the narrow entrance, trying to move aside some concrete fragments blocking the path. I stood beside him, looking into the dark hole.

"Are we really going in here?" I asked, trying to be sure.

He looked at me, his eyes full of certainty.

"If this is the clue, we don't have another choice, Kai."

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We descended into the underground station, which felt cold and silent, far from what I had expected.

There was no one there, even though this should have been a safe place.

The atmosphere was completely different.

It felt oppressive, sending chills down my spine.

"Why is it empty?" I muttered, more to myself.

Diego glanced around cautiously.

"This is strange… Why is there no one here?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

I nodded slowly, stepping carefully down the corridor, which was dimly lit by emergency lights.

"Yeah… this should be a fairly safe place. But why is it empty?"

The sound of our footsteps echoed through the eerie silence.

Suddenly, I saw something large at the end of the hallway.

My body immediately tensed, and I pulled Diego behind the nearest pillar.

"Quiet," I whispered urgently, pulling Diego behind the pillar.

Diego peeked out slowly from behind the pillar, his eyes wide in shock as he saw the figure more clearly.

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"Kai... what is that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.