The World That Shouldn’t Be
James opened his eyes. For a few seconds, he didn’t move. Above him was a bright blue sky with strange, square-shaped clouds slowly drifting overhead. He sat up and looked around.
The grass was made of blocks. The trees were made of blocks. Even the mountains in the distance looked like they had been built one block at a time. James stared in confusion.
“Where am I?” There was no answer.
He quickly checked his pockets. Nothing. No phone, no food, no tools. “Okay… this has to be a dream.”
He pinched his arm. “Ouch!” James immediately stopped smiling. It wasn’t a dream.
He took a few steps forward, feeling like he had somehow been here before. Then he noticed something on his left hand. A small black X was glowing on his skin. “What is this?”
He whispered. The moment he touched it, a deep BOOM echoed through the forest. Birds flew away and the leaves shook.
Suddenly, a strange message appeared in front of his eyes.
> WELCOME, PLAYER JAMES.
James stepped backward. “What?”
Another message appeared.
> WORLD STATUS: ERROR.
PLAYER STATUS: UNKNOWN.
YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO EXIST.
James stared at the words. “What does that mean?” Before he could think about it, the messages disappeared. The forest became silent again. Then he heard a sound.
Step.
James slowly turned around.
Nothing.
Step.
The sound came again, closer this time. James backed away. “Who’s there?” No answer.
Another step. Closer. James turned and ran as fast as he could. He pushed through the trees without knowing where he was going.
He only knew that something was following him.
Suddenly, James reached the edge of a cliff and stopped. Below him was a massive valley filled with forests, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and a strange village in the distance. But one thing caught his attention. Far beyond the valley stood a gigantic black tower reaching high into the sky.
At the top floated a glowing red symbol. James looked at his hand. The black X was glowing brighter. “Why do I feel like I’ve seen that place before?”
Another message appeared.
> THE HUNTER HAS FOUND YOU.
James froze. “What hunter?”
A sound came from behind him.
Step.
He slowly turned.
Two glowing eyes appeared between the trees. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows.
James couldn’t breathe.
The figure looked exactly like him.
Same face. Same hair. Same clothes. Even the same black X glowed on its hand.
James whispered, “Who are you?”
The figure smiled.
“I’m the reason you’re here.”
The screen in front of James suddenly turned red.
> RUN.
James didn’t hesitate. He turned and ran. Behind him, the Hunter laughed. Somewhere inside the black tower, something began to wake up.
James didn’t know it yet, but this was only the beginning.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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