Just before sunrise, a teenage boy is sleeping really deeply. The dark spirit appeared suddenly, like thick black fog with red glowing eyes, trying to take over his body.
A dark spirit spoke quietly into his ear. "You only have two years left before your soul disappears! Then, I'll take over your body... Haha... Hahahahaha!"
Its voice was creepy and scratchy, but it was enough to make someone run away in fear.
---
Earth-07, human civilisation type-3.
A big white house with five floors is in the middle of a big yard. The morning breeze blew the curtains around, the window's square pattern clearly printed on the floor, moving a bit as the sun got higher in the sky.
It spread across a bedroom that looked like a library. The room was full of bookshelves, with books packed onto every wall.
Ding... ding... ding
The alarm on the holographic screen went off at 6:00 a.m.
There was a white coat on the wardrobe handle, with a stethoscope hanging off it. The emergency practice uniform was on the marble floor.
A hand reached out from under the blanket and pressed the off button at the bottom right corner of the clock. A short, red-haired teenager woke up.
He yawned.
Enatur Vermillion is 15 years old.
A fluffy white dog greeted him next to his bed. "Good morning, Enatur!" A man's voice, firm but gentle.
For a moment, he didn't move, letting his mind switch between sleepiness and reality.
"Morning, Shadow!"
Enatur picked up his glasses from the bedside table. "Working as an intern at Emergency until late at night is really tiring."
Shadow laughed quietly. "Sigh... being a doctor in the future is really tough, isn't it?" He was just messing with Enatur.
He put on his glasses and his red eyes blinked. "For now, living a normal life is the only thing I can do."
Shadow tilted his head and grinned. "Did you forget that today is the release date for the next volume of our favorite isekai manga?"
His eyes opened wide. "Wow! Shadow, I'll change my clothes first."
He got out of bed quickly, put on a black turtleneck, black trousers, and grabbed a small bag.
They walked into the entrance hall, which was very tall and had a big crystal chandelier that made the black marble floor look even brighter.
A small red light slowly got bigger, and in the mansion lobby a red-ringed portal appeared, as tall as an adult. "A dimensional portal? Who opened it?" Enatur muttered.
A beautiful woman with red hair tied low in a bun, her red eyes showing the charm of a goddess. A red dress with golden decorations was on her body.
This woman was Goddess Yunia Vermillion, Enatur's mother.
"I'm home," Yunia said gently.
Enatur went over to his mother and gave her a hug. "Welcome home, Mom! His voice was warm and gentle.
Yunia returned the hug gently. "What's wrong, dear?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just missed you."
Yunia smiled. "Such a spoiled child."
"And an old granny that's billions of years old still needs to be picked up," Enatur said, half-jokingly.
Shadow felt worried and his throat tightened. "Oi, Enatur...!"
Yunia narrowed her eyes, a vein bulging on her cheek. Her left leg swung.
"You brat." Yunia immediately kicked his ass, sending him flying through the window.
His body was thrown out, flung into the sky, and the wind hit his face.
Enatur screamed, "Huwaaaa...."
His voice echoed through the sky. A small sparkle appeared in the distance.
"Even if I'm old, my face is still young, you know!" she shouted, her face flushed red.
---
Enatur was in the lounge, standing behind the bar counter making a coffee for his mother. Yunia was sitting on a comfortable bar chair waiting for her coffee. The shadow stretched out on the carpet, moving around.
"Mom, did you have a good day at work?" he asked while pouring hot water.
"It went well, but it was exhausting. There are so many reincarnators with strange requests."
"As usual, being the creator of life isn't easy."
Yunia nodded. "Even if they are a nuisance, humans are still my creations. They learn, build, destroy each other, then rebuild again."
Enatur placed the coffee on the table. "What? Why do humans in other worlds do that?"
Yunia sipped her espresso. "Ahh... not many, but quite a lot."
Yunia opened a holographic visual screen of several Earth-like planets, her hand swiping across. She tapped the visual display of Earth-017, human type-1.
Enatur glanced at Yunia, wanting to ask something but too hesitant to say it. He pulled a bar stool and sat across from her. He opened his latest hologram status screen.
_______
Enatur Vermillion
Status: Affected by the Soul Core curse
Cultivation level: Demi Angel star 1
Spiritual Energy: Cannot be consumed
Abilities:
- God-tier Space
- Mid-tier Time
- Dirty Trick
Professions:
- Doctor intern
- Family's free barista
- Mad scientist's assistant
Weapons:
- Dagger chain
- Vermillion Dagger
- Military equipment
Partner:
- Shadow
_______
He looked at his status on the hologram screen and felt hopeless.
Mom! Enatur called.
Yunia looked at him. "What is it?"
"Can you teach me something new?" Yunia didn't say anything, just listened to what he was saying. "I had indeed mastered the Authority of Space from you, Mom. But I think that ability was useless in a fight!"
The room felt colder, even though there was no wind.
He pouted slightly. "I want an ability with destructive and OP offensive power."
Yunia lifted her coffee cup slightly, turning it slowly, as if she was thinking about something. She didn't say anything, and her eyes were fixed on the cup in her hand.
Meanwhile, Enatur waited for her response. Shadow suddenly curled up on the floor, covering his eyes and ears with his front paws, his white fur standing on end.
Yunia flashed an evil smile on her face, reflecting her true nature as a former villain.
"You know, dear... in the past, many gods were willing to risk everything they had and kneel before me just to be taught how to use Space."
Her red eyes glowed, a sharp white light carving through half of her gaze.
"And now you're saying the Authority of Space is useless?" She spoke gently, but anyone who heard her would tremble in fear.
Enatur opened his eyes wide. It felt like the room around him had suddenly got smaller. "N-no, Mom. That's not what I mea-"
"Actually, I was planning to observe a world before the pre-apocalyptic world."
Enatur replied awkwardly. "P... pre-apocalyptic world? Th... then?"
Her hand holding the glass stopped moving, and the room went quiet.
Half of her face was covered in deep darkness, her shining red eyes staring intently at Enatur. "Can you take my place?"
"Eh?" Enatur was surprised. He has started the fire.
A dimensional portal opened behind Yunia. "You know, Enatur, this dimensional portal is one of the powers of Space, a portal that can take us to any multiverse or realm we want. You have used it before, haven't you?"
His face went pale and he started to stutter when he spoke. "Y-yes, indeed... W-what do you mean, Mom?"
Yunia took hold of his shirt. She swung her arm and threw Enatur into the dimensional portal.
"MOOMMM... WHHYY?!"
The portal slowly shrank and vanished. Yunia turned back to the hologram screen.
______
Earth-017, human type-1
Remaining humans: 10 percent
Status: Pre-apocalyptic
(Waiting for apocalypse confirmation)
______
Her smile changed slightly, and her eyes reflecting the blue glow of the screen. "Let's see... how good you are at using space, you naughty child!"
---
A small red light gradually got bigger. A dimensional portal shaped like a ring opened on a barren land, and the air shimmered from afar. The hot sun made the area even hotter.
Enatur's body was thrown out of the portal.
Smack!
His face hit a big rock. His body was spread out, his eyes were spinning, and blood was dripping from his nose.
"That's hurt... old granny!" he said, puffing his cheeks.
He stood up and sat cross-legged. He opened a blue holographic screen from the grey wrist-phone bracelet on his left hand.
"Hm?" his eyes blinked. "This world is a pre-apocalyptic world, type-1 human civilization. If I'm not mistaken, that's a world civilization without magic."
He looked around. The land was bare and dry. Even the cracks in the soil had formed box-like patterns.
Enatur walked around the area, looking for somewhere to sit in the shade. "It's so hot."
He snapped his fingers, and space slowly formed a transparent cube. It shielded him from within, protecting him from the scorching sunlight.
He breathed in deeply. "Ahh... slowly the burning heat disappears."
The space cube moved with his steps. He kept walking, looking for someone or something.
Hours after walking...
Enatur found a valley surrounded by many cliffs. The cliffs provided enough shadow to shield him from the intense midday sun. He ran towards the shaded cliffs.
When he arrived, he hid between two cliffs and watched a group of humans from a safe distance. There are about 190 people.
Tired tents stood in a messy pile, leaning in all directions. The ground is cracked and dusty, and there are no plants. Enatur noticed something strange about the humans he saw.
They dragged their feet slowly, as if they were zombies. Their eyes were empty, and their lips were cracked. Their bodies were just skin and bone.
An old man lay on the ground. His legs were bruised and blue. They were swollen and covered in maggots. "I'm hungry. Give me something to eat."
"Basically they're still human, not zombies, but..."
Four middle-aged men attacked the old man. Their jaws sank into his skin, chewing the flesh off his body, and blood splattered across him.
"Argh... argh... argh... stop... please!" His cries of pain were no match for the agony from their bites, which felt like they were eating him alive.
His stomach felt sick, his eyes stung, and he felt sick at the sight before him. The buzzing sound of a helicopter grew louder. Enatur looked up at the sky; something was coming.
He looked towards the village. "A helicopter? It's looks like they're going to rescue the people living there."
Ten armed people wearing armour jumped out of the helicopter. The villagers were very scared when they landed.
A villager's eyes widened, his body trembling. "Ruuuun!" he screamed.
They ran with all their might, taking steps that were all over the place. Some people did not move, and seemed to accept their fate.
Time seemed to slow motion. There was no sound, only very quiet. Everything felt real, between life and death.
The ten people shot at the villagers. Enatur looked away, leaning against the cliff, not wanting to see what happened.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"Help!"
"Stop... please!"
From behind the cliff where he hid, he heard gunshots and the screams of the villagers.
A severed head rolled and stopped right beside him. He turned around, and their eyes met. The head's eyes bulged at him with a horrifying stare. It looks like he's trying to say something.
His mouth trembled, his face pale.
One of the armoured soldiers found where he was hiding. The man immediately aimed his gun at Enatur. They were only two metres apart.
"Shit, man!" Enatur jumped up at once.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
The man fired lots of bullets at Enatur. Without thinking, Enatur opened a dimensional space with a fifty-centimeter diameter. The bullets went into the dimensional space.
Enatur ran towards the armoured man, grabbed his face, and slammed the back of his head to the ground. His helmet came off.
Enatur was shocked by his face. "Hah? Not a human, a skull-shaped robot?!"
The other robot soldiers noticed him. They all ran towards him, and the helicopter fired at him with two miniguns on both sides.
Enatur ran across the empty land, avoiding the bullets fired at him. He stretched his hand towards the helicopter and opened another dimensional space. The bullets went into the dimensional space.
Enatur stopped running. "Mirror Dimensional Space!" he shouted.
A space opened up in front of the helicopter. The bullets stream came out of the dimensional space and hit the helicopter.
The helicopter, which had been hit by gunfire, lost control and crashed onto the remaining soldiers.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted. All the robot soldiers were destroyed instantly. The shockwave from the explosion blew his hair back.
His eyes trembled, his mouth was open, and his pupils had shrunk. He remembered what his mother had said earlier.
"You know, dear... in the past, many gods were willing to risk everything they had and kneel before me just to be taught how to use Space."
"I'd indeed mastered the Authority of Space from you, Mom. But I felt that ability was useless in battle!"
"So this is the Authority of Space?"
Yunia sat at the bar with Shadow, watching his actions through a holographic screen. She just smiled.