ABYSSFALL ONLINE

CH. 04 : Lyssa Kent

Alexander received a map from the system. A green dot emanated ahead, with a bunch of red dots grouped together. No one needed to tell him the red dots were the zombies and the green dot was the girl he needed to save.

 The sound was close, but the distance felt far. He bolted from his position, moving with incredible speed that left him bewildered by his own capability.

 With a single thrust, he leapt again—this time with no mana, just raw physical force.

…

 Snapping jaws bared at the innocent girl with a slim build. She moved backward, her body vibrating vigorously. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

Tears trickled down her face. Her shoulder-length dark ash hair with soft layered bangs framed her terrified gaze. Her sharp, gentle eyes—glowing faintly with neon-green light—never left the zombies closing in on her.

 Behind her was a cliff. Down the line was a waterfall, and she knew it. Each step backward as the zombies drew closer meant one step closer to the edge. One step closer to death.

 She didn't want to turn. Didn't want to know how close she was to the cliff's edge.

 She had nowhere to run.

 As the zombies pressed further, a force crashed down not far behind them. The impact cratered the earth.

 Stepping out of the debris was Alexander. His eyes held something terrifying—incandescent red light brewing beneath the surface.

 He stared dead at the zombies as they redirected their attention to him.

"So aren't I gonna black out or something?" Alexander rasped, his voice much deeper and darker than before.

[ Ding! ]

...

[ Note: System expectation has dropped even lower. ]

...

[ Remark: The host is so trash that he wants help! ]

…

 Alexander frowned. What else was he expecting anyway? He nodded with disdain and launched toward the horde.

 His fist erupted through the first zombie, obliterating it. The rest surged forward, their snapping jaws accelerating as if they'd found fresh prey.

 The girl stood frozen, horror painting her features. She feared for the outcome—a stranger throwing himself into a horde to save her. Who does that?

 Before she could finish the thought, a brilliant menacing light spewed through the zombie horde. It was blinding—white-hot, intense, consuming. Within seconds, every single zombie was obliterated. Shattered. Gone.

 The girl's gaze fixed on where Alexander had been. His clothes were torn to shreds. The wounds covering his body seemed to heal at an impossible rate—so fast she almost missed it. 

She almost thought she'd imagined it.

 Alexander stood up, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

[ Ding! ]

...

[ Note: System is slowly hating you. ]

...

[ Remark: The host is courting death with a weaker body. Intriguing, except he's extremely dumb when it comes to combat engagement. Pathetic. ]

...

[ Hidden Skill Unlocked: Regenerative Healing Factor Lvl. 1 (Active) ]

...

[ Mission Success: Host has obtained the following rewards— (New Outfit | +3 Stat Points | +100 Abyssfall Points [New Currency]) | 50 XP ]

…

Alexander pulled himself from the crater and walked over to the girl. She wore a white thigh-length gown, her neckline and shoulders exposed to the sickly yellow sky. 

"It's alright. You're safe now," Alexander said, his voice calm—a stark contrast to the system's assault.

"Who are you?" That was the first thing she said, still stepping backward instinctively.

Alexander reached out slowly. "Woah, take it easy now. I'm—"

[ Ding! ]

...

[ Note: System might despise you. ]

...

[ Remark: The host is too ashamed to use his new name! What's the point of his transmigration! Rubbish! ]

…

Alexander exhaled softly, ignoring the system's harsh words. "—Trevor Hathaway."

…

"Why did you help me? How come you aren't one of them?"

 After exchanging names, they took a long walk before finding an abandoned bungalow. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and red—a beautiful sight in an ugly world. Trevor led her inside after careful consideration. He wasn't sure if there were more hordes out there. They could be anywhere. They weren't close to the main city, and even this house wasn't truly safe.

Nowhere was safe anymore.

"Well, you wouldn't believe it if I told you," Trevor replied, sitting on the sofa while Lyssa sat on the edge of the bed, still processing that she was alive. "It's a surprise this place is intact though."

.He got up and looked around. Everything seemed untouched—as if it had been forgotten when the demolition wave struck Earth. Furniture in place, pictures on walls, a strange sense of normalcy frozen in time.

 "I guess the house got lucky," Lyssa said, still unable to believe her survival.

 Trevor moved through the room, taking in the details. He saw a photo frame on the shelf—a woman with striking red hair, her expression calm and composed. Trevor didn't recognize her, but something about the photograph made him pause.

 A strange pull.

Like he wasn't in control for a moment. Like the girl in the photo was aware of him watching her.

Then Lyssa's voice snapped him back to reality. "If you aren't one of them, then what are you? An awakener? A special government force?"

 Trevor returned the frame carefully, certain he'd seen something shift in the girl's expression. He turned to find Lyssa's anxious gaze fixed on him, curiosity smeared across her face.

 "Okay, firstly—how about you tell me a few things and I'll return the favor? Things like what do you know about the apocalypse and what is an awakener?" He already knew what an awakener was, but he needed to understand this world he'd been thrown into.

 Lyssa was silent for several minutes. Hesitation played on her lips. Minutes passed. She said nothing, her eyes traveling across the room, sweat trickling down her face.

 Trevor felt the uneasiness in her behavior. She obviously hadn't expected to survive this long. It must be overwhelming.

 Before he could finish the thought, her lips parted.

 "A meteor shower struck the Earth about two hours ago. Humanity as we know it succumbed to the darkness of it. I'd say 80% of the population now is beyond saving."

 She paused, gathering her words.

 "The meteor blessed and corrupted a lot of people. There are people who weren't affected, but there were people who gained special abilities. The government labeled them Awakeners—high level threats compared to the zombie virus spreading rapidly.”

.She stopped, closing her eyes. "I was just a girl trying to live a normal life when all this happened. I wasn't affected, but my parents were. I tried to help, but they wanted to turn me into one of them. So I ran." She opened her eyes, pain evident. "I ran until the government began tracking the infected forces. I watched them kill my parents."

Trevor moved closer, his heart squeezing. Why did she have to suffer this?

"I managed to keep running until a horde found me." She almost laughed, but it was hollow—pain masquerading as humor. "Funny enough, I don't even know why I wasn't affected. I don't have any skills. Nothing. You should have just let me die."

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

 A sudden quake shook the building. The ground trembled beneath them. Followed by a cold, deathly, vigorous growl that enveloped the air itself.

 Trevor and Lyssa froze immediately.

"What the hell is that?!" Trevor rushed to the windows as the stomps grew louder, each one more thunderous than the last.

Lyssa slumped into the corner, fear draining the color from her face. "It's—it's... it's a Void Walker!"

THUD!

 Trevor rushed to her immediately, wanting to calm her down, but he himself wasn't calm. Before he could speak, a wave of dizziness crashed over him. A supernatural pull like nothing he'd felt before. He tried to fight it, tried to stay awake. He couldn't leave Lyssa defenseless.

This thing—Void Walker—what the hell was it?

Why did it have to be now?

Lyssa didn't notice. She was too scared, too focused on the approaching sound. But it was too late because whatever it was…

It was already there.

RIP!

The ceiling snapped off its structure like paper. Debris rained down. Lyssa covered herself with her arms, screaming as the building shook violently.

But Trevor—

He had already fallen.

His eyes slipped shut.