"Well hello there. I'm ##### and-" My voice trails off as I speak my name.
"Oh yeah… Forgot that people of lower realms can't comprehend names with that much power." My voice is like the static crackling from an old fashioned TV.
"##%^__" …
"Ahh$&*…" ...
"Zero?" ...…
"Alright, looks like I've adjusted." I clear my throat and my voice tunes from a high pitch crackling to a deeper and more rumbling tone.
"If you're hearing this transmission it means that the world has ended… Well… Now that I think about it wouldn't make sense to send a transmission to a world that's ended. Give me just a second to restore the earth back to normal." My voice cuts off with a sharp click. An empty buzzing can be heard in its place.
Then as you look upwards you see the sky, regular old blue and cloudless. Then a rumbling can be heard from the entire planet as a screen forms upon it. This screen is large enough to inform every single human on earth of me.
"Hello again earth..."
"Sorry. It's been so long since I saw any other color than grey that I just couldn't help but feeling nostalgic…"
"Anyways. The point of this broadcast is to introduce myself and the only being in the tenth realm." I raise my hands upon the broadcast as if expecting applause. But naturally who would clap for an introduction as boring as that.
I sigh heavily and wind blows before ceasing.
"I'm tired of being alone up here so I've decided to merge the ten realms. You guys hearing this are the majority, and those who aren't panicking are those who have sensed my presence since awhile back." I smile widely.
"It is I, Zero. The most powerful man to ever have lived. Although a lot of good this power does me when I can't even reach the ones who choose to ignore me." Slinking back into my chair I place a hand on my forehead and sigh.
The world around you starts rumbling and wind blows once more. Some people look up and their jaws gape open. Then seven minutes pass that feel like an eternity within your gaze.
Then panic hits. People look up and scream. Others point upwards. And you just sit staring into Zero's eyes, into my eyes. A blank stare comes across your face and Zero seems to smile in knowing of this before smiling again.
"Alright, now that the rest of the world has adjusted. I'm only man on the tenth realm. I'm getting quite lonely so I decided to speed up humanity's ascension process." You blink and Zero snaps his finger. Blinking the blue out of your eyes your perspective shifts slowly.
"Zero huh? Couldn't have been a more perfect example of your eyes." I say as I stand face to face with Zero. His eyes look dull and empty, yet also full of energy, of light and love.
Zero chuckles and raises his hands. Welcome to the tenth realm, Ono. You are the first to survive the apocalypse." Zero smiles and waves his arm to a screen behind him. On the screen there are nine different layers. The first two so dark that you can't even tell what's on them.
The third is a swirling picture of earth as I knew it, except now covered in water. The fourth has a brighter color than the third, but only slightly. The Fourth Realm is slowly being transformed by a meteor. Then I notice it.
On the side of all the realms layered on the screen I see a number. Realm Number One has none, Two has none, Three has a small amount.
The number 6 flickers out and turns to a zero right before my eyes. Then I gaze upon the Fourth Realm. -900,838,003- Says the number of survivors, though it's going down rapidly.
"Out of fourteen billion people, only nine-hundred million are left alive. But watch this." Zero chuckles as the number hits -900,000,000- exactly. Then the number shoots to the fifth realm… and drops again instantly.
-700,000,000- Flickers upon the Fifth Layer's life count. My curiosity is peaked, but not by the drop in numbers. My gaze stays upon the feed for Layer Five. Dragons fly overhead and torch the survivors on land. Those who jump in the water are dragged under by mermaids.
"I knew it." I mutter to myself.
"Yes, mythical creatures are real. Those who were shunned before by jealousy and doubters are flourishing." Zero says in a tone I almost mistake for hatred, maybe dissatisfaction.
But he's right. I know he is even before the count drops. -500,000,000- Flickers into the view of the count and then it rises again. This time the world as I knew it is pure pink. Colors are deeper and seem to be pure energy
The humans look… Normal. Then the count drops not even a minute into the feed. -400,000,000- -300,000,000- -200,000,000-
Then finally to -100,000,000- before flickering upwards to the Seventh Realm.
"Why did it drop so far… Wait never mind, it's probably because they couldn't handle the shift in pressure or something." I say as I sit in the chair beside Zero, my eyes not leaving the view.
"Precisely. Theres a reason why you were the only one on within all the realms that got this far Ono." Zero smiles at me but I don't even blink. I can't help but think he's a weirdo. Appearance in the sky is so old fashioned and boring.
Zero laughs as if knowing what I'm thinking, but my focus is elsewhere. The Seventh Realm seems to stabilize the numbers. But Zero presses a button and it drops almost immediately. I have a feeling it's because they failed the tests in the seventh realm.
-300,000- Flickers into The Eight Realm, and then Zero presses another button.
-144,000- Flickers into the Ninth Realm and then it quiets down. Then once more he presses a button and I turn sensing people. I notice a total of twenty two people appear within The Tenth Realm. But they all appear to choke in the sight of me and Zero, passing away on the spot.
"Well... I guess they all failed…" Zero grimaces and then turns back to the screen. Typing a couple words upon the screen.
"…ENDS ARE ONLY BEGINNINGS…"