In a cracked, barren land, a titanic beast stood before a young man, its size and appearance unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was a grotesque mix of various creatures, sharing similarities with many but resembling none of them.
The young man hovering above it, however, was the epitome of perfection. With shining golden hair and eyes, he resembled the sun itself.
He raised his radiant sword and cut downward with immense force, space itself cracking around the blade's edge as it descended.
From the sword flew a massive arc of light, plunging toward the beast like divine judgment. Seeing the crescent of light racing toward it, the beast roared, using its many limbs to surge through the air and meet it head-on.
As the two forces collided, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang.
Damon sighed, turned his phone off, and stood up, gathering his things.
"Damn it," he said under his breath. "I really wanted to finish that chapter."
Recently, Damon had begun reading a growing web novel, one that swallowed him into its pages. Since he first saw it, he had followed it till now.
The book's name was All's Hell.
It took place in an apocalyptic world where humanity had lost most of its land to an invasion from another realm.
With the invasion came talents—supernatural abilities that allowed humans to stand a fighting chance against the horrors arriving like a tidal wave.
The book had become Damon's reason for living, taking over his thoughts entirely. He didn't know why, but something about All's Hell connected with him unlike anything else.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he left his lonely corner of the cafeteria and headed back towards class.
Walking through the halls, Damon observed his fellow students in silence. They joked and laughed, hooted and hollered, unnoticing of the quiet Damon who slipped by them.
He saw couples holding hands, hugging, and kissing, their young love pure and innocent.
It all made Damon want to vomit.
'How can they be this happy?' he thought to himself, before shaking his head.
'I did it again!' Damon reprimanded himself. 'The therapist told me not to be so judgmental.'
Stepping into his classroom, Damon dropped his bag and sat down, staring out the window. He didn't even notice when other students arrived and even the teacher began lecturing.
All he could think about was All's Hell. This world seemed incomparably bleak and boring before the grandeur of the novel.
He thought about the recent arcs and chapters, eager to return home and continue reading.
Damon's parents and sister had died in a car crash when he was young, leaving him alone and without any family.
They had, however, left behind more than enough money for him to live the rest of his life in comfort.
Damon stared at the mountains, forests, and skies that extended beyond the glass window. Through the beauty of nature cut highways, skyscrapers, and planes, ruining the landscape like ugly scars and blemishes.
'Humans truly ruin everything,' was Damon's only conclusion upon seeing the pollution of the world.
He set his head on the desk, hoping to take a quick nap while his teacher was talking.
It felt as if he had only closed his eyes for a second when a strange sound awoke him once more.
It sounded like a...gunshot?
Damon shot upright instantly to identify the source of the sound and was shocked by what he saw.
His classmates were in various states of deterioration. Some were crying and hugging each other, hiding beneath desks, or had shocked expressions on their faces.
Damon's eyes followed theirs, to the horror that was at the front of the room.
Seated in a chair was his teacher, her head lolled forward. At the top of her skull was a bullet hole, oozing blood and gray liquid.
Next to her stood one of his classmates, holding an assault rifle that was pointed towards the others in the room.
His classmates continued to scream and beg.
"Charlie, no!" A boy shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Please don't kill us!" A girl cried, with trails of tears and snot covering her face.
"Shut the fuck up!" Charlie screamed, veins bulging on his face and neck.
Then, just as abruptly, he smiled.
"You guys wanna live?" He said with an evil smirk. "Then pick a person in this classroom to die."
This set the others off again, and they wailed even harder. Charlie smiled once more, before slowly raising his gun.
Bang!
A girl's head snapped back, a hole blown clean through her brain.
The class immediately became silent.
"Now," Charlie began, still grinning eerily. "You have one minute to choose who's dying."
Everyone began to talk in whispers to each other, deciding who else would die today. Damon was kept out of the circle completely, as if he were irrelevant.
He immediately felt wary, as many gazes lingered on him for longer than necessary, sending shivers down his spine.
"Times up," Charlie said, hefting the rifle up, ready to shoot.
"Who's dying?" He said in a whisper, yet everyone heard him clearly.
A boy stood up, clearly representing the coalition the students had formed.
He shook visibly and had to clear his throat twice before speaking.
"You p-promised not to kill us if w-we vote, right?" He asked in a stuttering voice.
Charlie just kept grinning. "Of course," he said, licking his lips slightly.
"W-well, b-because none of us a-are really friends w-with him, and he's k-kinda scary, and t-there are rumors h-he killed someone-"
"Just say it!" Charles yelled, spit flying from his mouth.
The boy yelped in fear, before screaming:
"Damon!"
Damon wanted to vomit. He wanted to say something, anything, to make them see reason, to not kill him! They had been classmates for years, didn't that count for anything?
But alas, despite impending death looking over him, he was still not able to leave his bubble and speak to another human being.
Charlie grinned wider, pointing the gun directly between Damon's eyes. Damon tried to stand up but found his legs too weak to move.
Charlie's grin stretched grotesquely wide before he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
And so, Damon died.