"Who…are you?"
John's voice trembled as he stood frozen near the door.
It had opened without a sound.
A figure stood there.
Tall. Still. Wrong.
Darkness didn't just surround it—it clung to it, like it belonged there more than the world itself. The air felt heavy, suffocating, as if even breathing near it was a mistake.
John took a step back.
His heart pounded against his chest.
"Answer me!"
No response.
The figure moved.
Not a step.
Not a walk.
It was suddenly closer.
John's eyes widened.
(W-What…?)
His body refused to move.
The figure raised its hand.
For a split second, John thought he saw something beneath the darkness—
A face.
Or… the absence of one.
Then—
Pain.
Sharp. Instant. Absolute.
John couldn't even scream.
His body collapsed, his vision flickering as if reality itself was breaking apart.
As he lay there, dying, his eyes shifted.
The figure wasn't looking at him anymore.
It was walking past him.
Towards—
"Syd…?"
His voice came out as nothing more than a whisper.
At the far end of the hallway, barely visible, stood a girl.
Long hair swaying slightly. Eyes filled with confusion.
Syd.
John tried to reach out.
"No… don't go near—"
Darkness swallowed everything.
—
John shot up from his bed, gasping.
"Hah… hah…!"
Sweat dripped down his forehead as his eyes darted around the room.
His room.
His world.
Normal.
Quiet.
"…a dream?"
He looked at his hands. They were shaking.
His chest still hurt.
No—ached.
As if something had actually pierced through it.
"…what the hell was that?"
John ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself.
He wasn't weak.
He wasn't the type to get scared over a nightmare.
But this…
This didn't feel like one.
It felt real.
Too real.
He exhaled slowly and got off his bed.
"Whatever…"
John stretched his arms slightly, his expression returning to normal.
He was average in appearance—blonde hair, slightly messy, sharp but tired eyes that made him look like he was always thinking about something deeper than he let on. Not particularly muscular, not weak either. Just… normal.
But his mind?
That was anything but normal.
He glanced at his phone.
No messages.
No notifications.
"Tch."
John picked it up anyway, scrolling aimlessly.
knock knock
He turned towards the door.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
He opened it.
And there she was.
Syd.
(Why do I even invite her here??)
"Finally! What took you so long?"
She pushed past him without waiting for an answer.
Syd was the complete opposite of John.
Bright. Loud. Alive.
Her hazel eyes carried energy that refused to stay still, and her presence alone made any quiet space feel… less empty.
"You look like you saw a ghost," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Bad dream," John replied casually.
"Again?"
"…Yeah."
She sighed and flopped onto his bed.
"You seriously need to fix your sleep schedule."
"Or maybe my brain," John muttered.
Syd chuckled.
"Yeah, that too."
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
Safe.
But that feeling didn't last.
Because somewhere far beyond their world—
Something was watching.
...
A figure stood in an endless void.
Dark.
Silent.
Unmoving.
A long cloak draped over its body, its edges dissolving into nothingness. A deep hood covered its face completely, hiding whatever lay beneath.
Or whatever didn't.
Only faint traces of something unnatural could be seen inside the hood—
Not eyes.
Not a face.
Just…absence.
A presence that shouldn't exist.
The Demi-God.
Chains of dim light floated around him, not binding—but orbiting, as if even they didn't dare touch him.
"…It has begun."
His voice echoed without direction.
Calm.
Cold.
Certain.
In front of him, faint images flickered.
John.
Syd.
Demi-God smiles menacingly.
"Interesting…"
He tilts his head slightly.
"Let's see… how far you can go."
The void trembled.
And somewhere—
Fate shifted.
*Yawn*
"So now that I'm here...lets complete your homework."
"Yeah, thank you for showing up."
*Wink*
"Anytime!"
John rolls his eyes.
They settle down.
Pens move.
Silence.
*DING* *DONG*
John's eye twitches.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"..."
"Can you check it for me??"
Syd smiles slightly.
"It's your house!"
"I hate you."
"Cope."
He storms out.
Grabs the handle.
Yanks the door open.
"WHAT DO YOU—"
He stops.
Everything stops.
Standing there…
…is something that shouldn't exist.
A shadow.
Six arms.
A massive scythe resting against its shoulder.
No face.
No sound.
Just… presence.
John's breath disappears.
His body collapses backward.
"W-what…"
The thing moves.
Fast.
Too fast.
The scythe swings.
—
Sydney looks up.
"Who's at the—"
Something rolls toward her.
A head.
John's head.
Her scream tears through the room.
"N-NO—"
Her body freezes.
There was no one at the door.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Only blood.
"J-John…?"
Her voice breaks.
Drip.
Drip.
Her mind shuts down.
Something shifts behind her.
She turns—
Too late.
—
Silence.
Two bodies.
Two heads.
No life.
(…Is this how it ends?)
The entity pauses at the door.
Its head tilts.
Its gaze falls on the glowing laptop screen.
Chapter 200 — Uploaded.
It tightens its grip on the scythe.
A grin forms within the darkness.
"So… this is the one."
A pause.
"Interesting."
Pain.
Everywhere.
John gasps.
Air floods into his lungs like fire.
His eyes snap open.
The ceiling… unfamiliar.
His body… alive.
"W-what…?"
He forces himself up.
His vision blurs—
Then locks.
Sydney.
Right beside him.
Alive.
Her hands tremble violently.
Her breathing is broken.
"S-Syd…?"
She looks at him—
—and breaks.
She crashes into him, sobbing.
"You… you died… I saw you—"
John hugs her.
Tight.
Too tight.
(That thing… that wasn't normal…)
(That was a… Demi-God…)
He freezes.
A realization crawls into his mind.
Slow.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
He looks around.
This isn't his room.
Not his house.
Not his world.
(This place… I know this place…)
Sydney pulls back, eyes wide.
"This is a dream… right?"
John stays silent.
She looks around again.
More panic.
"John… say something… this isn't real, right?"
He swallows.
"No."
A pause.
"This isn't a dream."
His voice is quiet.
But certain.
He stands up slowly.
Walks to the window.
Looks outside.
And his heart drops.
(No way…)
(This is…)
Before he can finish—
A blue window appears.
Right in front of him.
Floating.
Glowing.
WELCOME TO RIMORA
Sydney stumbles back.
"You see that too!?"
John's hands start shaking.
(Rimora…?)
(That's… my world…)
(The one I wrote…)
(…What the hell is happening?)
Sydney grabs his arm.
"John! Say something!"
He forces himself to stay calm.
"First… are you okay?"
"What kind of question is that!?"
"I need to know."
She hesitates.
"...Yeah."
"I'm fine too."
He exhales slowly.
"Then listen. We were attacked. Killed… probably. Then brought here."
"KILLED?!"
"Yeah."
Her face turns pale.
"And that thing… it wasn't normal."
"What was it then…?"
John hesitates.
"...A demi-god."
She stares at him.
"A WHAT?!"
"Part human. Part god."
"And you know this because…?"
"I'm a novelist."
He forces a weak smile.
"Trust me."
She doesn't. She is too scared to do it yet.
Another window appears.
This one… different.
Colder.
[DO NOT TELL SYDNEY ABOUT THE WORLD.
FAILURE WILL RESULT IN: THE CALAMITY]
John's breath stops.
(No…)
(Not that…)
(THE CALAMITY…?)
His vision shakes.
(That event… the one that changes everything…)
(The one that creates… him…)
He clenches his fists.
(This is real.)
(Everything is real.)
Sydney tilts her head.
"You okay?"
John looks at her.
Forces a smile.
"Yeah… just thinking."
She walks to the window.
"Okay but… why does this place actually look nice?"
John looks outside again.
Creatures.
Forests.
Color.
Life.
(My world…)
Sydney suddenly screams.
"Eek! Is that an elf!?"
John doesn't react.
Because something else hits him.
Hard.
(If Rimora is real…)
(Then the COMMANDERS are real too…)
BOOM.
The door shakes.
Again.
Again.
Sydney panics.
"What was that!?"
Heavy footsteps outside.
Metal clashing.
John's eyes widen.
(Six…?)
(Then that means—)
CRASH.
The window shatters.
A figure lands inside.
Tall.
White hair.
Sharp blue eyes.
Presence overwhelming.
Sydney steps back.
"WHO THE HELL IS THIS!?"
The man looks at them.
Cold.
Focused.
"It doesn't matter who I am."
A pause.
"You need to come with me."
"Why would we—"
"The COMMANDERS are here."
Silence.
"They want you dead."
Sydney shakes her head.
"We're not going anywhere with you!"
John speaks.
Immediately.
"We'll go."
Sydney turns to him.
"ARE YOU INSANE!?"
John looks at the man.
Then back at her.
"Trust me."
She hesitates.
"...I don't even know what's happening anymore."
A final window appears.
[ECAPE THE COMMANDERS WITH DANIEL.
FAILURE WILL RESULT IN ETERNAL TORTURE.]