I opened my eyes and found myself in a familiar space. It was dark, warm, and quiet… It was a place that always calmed me down no matter what happened.

A small ray of sunlight pierced the room, passing through the small space caused by the demarcations in the curtains which covered my window.

“It’s morning already,” I said tiredly.

I gave a short sigh and glanced around me. It took a while before my eyes adjusted to the darkness, but once they did I was able to see things a little more clearly.

My wall clock hung on the wall, along with my calendars and other accessories I had, which were mostly based on my favorite anime characters.

My mind wondered for a moment, disoriented about many things, most especially the short, yet seemingly lasting dream I had.

“If felt so vivid though…” I muttered.

Deciding that I have gotten enough sleep, I stretched my body and yawned heavily.

“Should be the 26th now. Would you look at that, I slept throughout Christmas, after all.”

With no noise around me, I felt a sense of peace and satisfaction. No one would be disturbing me for the day, so I should take my time to enjoy myself even more.

I went to the switch which was placed on the wall adjacent to my bed and turned on the lights to properly navigate my room.

>Click<.

No light appeared.

Strange… What’s going on?

I clicked the switch again, and nothing happened. Curious about this, I looked around my room and discovered the warmer wasn’t even working. I quickly went to the circuit switch and found out it was already on, though no light was displayed.

“Hmmn, there’s no electricity, I wonder why… Is there a blackout? That never happens…” I mumbled

Upon discovering the absence of electricity, the room suddenly began to feel stuffy. I can’t stand this… I need fresh air.

I glanced at the only window in my room and moved towards it. Curtains covered it in order to ensure darkness prevailed here, however, Right now, I needed that very light.

Grabbing both drapes with my hands, I moved them apart, making them reveal the glass windows. The sudden flash of light made me close my eyes and squeeze my face. Without opening my eyes, I stretched my hands and used my sweaty palm to slide the windows open in order to let a fresh breeze fill-up the stale atmosphere I was in.However, what I felt was nothing of that kind. Instead a strange smell of flames and smoke filled my nose and heat swept through the already stuffy space.

“What the…” I groaned and opened my eyes to see what could cause such discomfort and taint the breeze which was meant to be cold.

It was winter, after all

I slowly opened my eyes, and the sight I saw made everything I thought of as a dream rush back into my memory.

“I-It was real…?!” I muttered, taking in the sight of chaos and destruction before me.

Through my window, I witnessed what could most accurately be described as armageddon, only seen in movies and comics.

The world was literally engulfed in flames and destruction. I saw monsters of fantasy roaming through buildings, flying beasts soaring through the sky… Creatures of nightmares prowled about the devastated buildings with their grotesque appearances.

“It’s all real… The dream… Everything!”

My heart suddenly started beating at a rapid rate. Panic spread throughu my entire body, making it go numb in fear. If everything was real, then that meant… This world had become…

>Screech!!<

A loud, piercing sound suddenly filled the air, making me cover my ears in reflex. I glanced all over to see where the screech had come from. Looking around in panic, my eyes finally met it, a flying monster who raised its wings in exaltation, displaying its brilliance. Its eyes suddenly darted toward my direction, meeting my gaze.

My body froze immediately, paralyzed by the fear and terrible foreboding I had.

The bird grinned devilishly, taking flight immediately, and ascended higher into the sky. Quickly aiming its body midair, it glided through the winds while focusing its gaze on me. Lunging toward my house, it swept through everything else, and I knew for sure I was going to die.

“H-Help…” I mumbled in fear, stuttering as I spoke.

My body shook and I felt like I would pass out at any moment.

Even when I had watched countless scenes like this back in the Sacred Hall, experiencing such horror in real life was something my fragile mind couldn’t handle. I remembered enjoying the monsters kill several humans when I tuned in to watch feeds on the events on Earth after the ‘Christmas Miracle’. Was it finally my turn? Right here, right now…

“I’m… Going to die…?”

Suddenly, as the monstrous bird of prey lunged toward me, a much larger and terrible creature intercepted the bird, and in the blink of an eye, devoured the beast of terror I feared.

>CRUNCH<

I could hear the sounds of grinding bones and tearing flesh from my distance, watching the blood of the beast fly everywhere. As I shivered, seeing the purple liquid ooze from the jaws of the massive beast which had just killed the monstrous bird, it turned and stared at me.

Its gaze terrified me far more than the dead bird, something that seemed impossible. My heart raced at an inconceivable pace and I felt I would have a heart attack at that moment.From the frying pan into the fire!

The colossal creature, resembling a grizzly, with four arms and a pair of dragon wings, grinned as its eyes locked on me. Its smile was condescending, as though it mocked me.

>Kuahahahaha<

I heard it snicker in a monstrous tone, making me feel even more pathetic as the beast ridiculed my shivering state.

Suddenly, the beast turned away, shrugging nonchalantly, and flew out of sight in an instant.

“Eh?” I muttered, confused by what just happened.

My legs gave out and I crumbled on the ground, still shaking.

The monster, whether not it felt like eating me, spared me. Was I not worth considering in the eyes of such a terrible creature?

I was saved due to the whims of that monster, if not… my death would have been guaranteed. A feeling of frustration enveloped me as I clenched my fists in self-anger.

Despite everything… I’m still so useless…

“You pathetic kid!…” I said to myself.

“… NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, ONLY THINK OF SURVIVAL… AND HOW TO GO ABOUT IT!”

God’s voice and the words he said suddenly rang through my head as I remembered my final moments in the Sacred Hall.

“That stupid geezer… What has he done?!” I muttered.

I don’t know why, but after recollecting his words, I stopped shaking immediately. I ruminated on his advice. Was he trying to tell me something? He did say I wouldn’t last very long in the world, which was why he didn’t give me the last Gift he had.

“Survival…”

I had to only think of that one thing… In such a hellish world, was that even possible for me?

“But… This world has been hell before now… What difference does this make?” My mind suddenly answered.

My eyes immediately widened as the realization of my position began to dawn on me.

I had knowledge of occurrences all over the world, thanks to the time I observed everyone. I understood the state of affairs of the world, and how horrible the situation had gotten.

With scarcities plaguing the whole world, and everyone in a state of panic and unrest, there was very little anyone could do. The few who actually ventured to fight the ‘Demons’ as God called them, were the powerful Gifteds… I can definitely count myself out of that.

Even though I had nearly shit myself after watching the gory sight just now, with the threat passed, my mind has become clearer. Slowly and calmly, I was beginning to remember the time I spent with my roommate, watching my planet from a safe place.

I remember thinking up various strategies and counters for the problems people encountered. Panic and fear will always cloud the minds of humans, so in a state of emergency such as this, no one was thinking clearly and rationally. But, while in my room, I was safe… Calm and secure.

There was a common theme that was in every thought I had concerning this devastation back in the Sacred Hall.

“In such an apocalypse, there’s one thing that is most needed… It’s neither power nor people… But rather Food, water, and resources… If I have those…”

This world… I can survive, no, I will survive in it!