2026-07-31 06:38:55The loud buzz of Ethan Cole’s alarm pulled him out of his sleep.
5:00 a.m.
He reached for his phone and turned it off before it could ring again. His room was small and old. The ceiling had water stains, and the fan above his bed made a loud creaking sound every time it turned.
He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.
Another day.
Another sixteen hours of delivering food.
Another day of chasing money that was never enough.
His phone vibrated.
Loan Payment Due Today.
Ethan looked at the message for a few seconds before locking the screen.
“I’ll pay it somehow.”
He had been saying those same words for almost a year.
After washing his face, he put on his faded delivery uniform. The shirt had been washed so many times that its color had almost disappeared. His shoes were worn out, but buying a new pair wasn’t an option.
Every dollar mattered.
He picked up his helmet and walked outside.
The morning air was cold.
People were already rushing to work while he climbed onto his old delivery bike.
It took three tries before the engine finally started.
“Come on… don’t fail me today.”
The bike coughed before moving forward.
…
By ten o’clock, Ethan had already completed twelve deliveries.
His stomach growled.
He hadn’t eaten breakfast.
He stopped outside a convenience store and checked his wallet.
Twelve dollars.
He needed to make that money last until payday.
After thinking for a moment, he bought a bottle of water instead.
“That’s enough.”
As he was about to leave, his phone rang.
The screen lit up with a familiar name.
Chloe ❤️
A tired smile appeared on his face.
“Hey, babe.”
“Are you busy?” Chloe asked sweetly.
“Just working.”
“I saw a handbag online.”
“It looks so beautiful.”
Ethan already knew where the conversation was going.
“How much is it?”
“Oh, it’s not expensive.”
“Only one thousand eight hundred dollars.”
Ethan almost dropped the bottle in his hand.
“Eighteen hundred?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll buy it for me, right?”
He forced a smile.
“I… I’ll try.”
“I knew you would.”
“You love me.”
“Of course.”
“You’re the best.”
She hung up without asking if he had eaten or how work was going.
Ethan stared at the black screen for a long time.
Then he smiled bitterly.
“I’ll find a way.”
He always did.
…
The rest of the day passed quickly.
Some customers ignored him.
Some shouted because their food arrived two minutes late.
One man even threw a drink at him because the fries weren’t hot enough.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Sorry?”
“You think sorry fixes everything?”
The customer slammed the door in his face.
Ethan quietly cleaned the soda from his uniform.
He didn’t complain.
He couldn’t afford to lose his job.
By evening, his legs felt like they were made of stone.
He had completed forty-six deliveries.
His phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a message from the jewelry store.
Your order is ready for pickup.
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
He had almost forgotten.
Today was their third anniversary.
He had spent six months saving for a ring.
It wasn’t big.
It wasn’t expensive.
But it was all he could afford.
He rode straight to the jewelry store.
The elderly owner recognized him immediately.
“Young man, you’re finally here.”
Ethan smiled.
“I’ve been looking forward to today.”
The old man handed him a small black box.
“I gave you a small discount.”
“I know you’ve worked hard for this.”
Ethan looked at the ring inside.
A simple silver band with a small diamond.
To many people, it wasn’t much.
To Ethan…
It was everything.
He carefully placed it inside his backpack.
“Thank you.”
“I hope she says yes.”
The old man smiled warmly.
“I hope so too.”
…
As Ethan walked outside, his phone rang again.
It was Chloe.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way.”
“Ryan invited some friends to Skyline Restaurant.”
“You should come.”
Ethan frowned.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve heard me mention him before.”
“He’s just a friend.”
Ethan didn’t like Ryan.
He had met him twice.
Both times, Ryan acted like Ethan didn’t exist.
Still…
He trusted Chloe.
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
“And Ethan…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t embarrass me.”
The call ended.
Ethan stood there quietly.
Those three words stayed in his mind.
Don’t embarrass me.
He looked down at his delivery uniform.
It was stained from a whole day’s work.
He wanted to go home and change.
But Chloe hated waiting.
“I’ll go like this.”
“She won’t mind.”
After all…
She loved him.
Didn’t she?
…
Half an hour later, Ethan arrived at Skyline Restaurant.
Luxury cars filled the parking lot.
Men in expensive suits walked through the entrance.
Women wore elegant dresses and sparkling jewelry.
Ethan suddenly felt out of place.
He looked at his worn shoes.
Then at the ring inside his backpack.
He smiled.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m here for Chloe.”
He walked inside.
Several people turned to look at him.
Some frowned at his uniform.
A waiter approached him.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Chloe Harris.”
The waiter checked a tablet.
“Private Room 307.”
“Third floor.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan took a deep breath and climbed the stairs.
With every step, his heart beat faster.
Tonight…
He would ask the woman he loved to marry him.
He imagined her smiling.
He imagined putting the ring on her finger.
He imagined the small house they would one day buy together.
He imagined a future.
A happy one.
When he reached Room 307, the door wasn’t fully closed.
Laughter came from inside.
Then he heard a man’s voice.
“A delivery rider?”
“You’ve got terrible taste, Chloe.”
Everyone laughed.
Then…
Chloe laughed too.
“Oh, don’t worry.”
“It won’t be for much longer.”
Ethan stopped walking.
His smile slowly disappeared.
His hand tightened around the ring box inside his backpack.
A strange feeling rose in his chest.
He stepped closer to the door.
Ryan’s voice sounded again.
“So…”
“When are you dumping him?”
Chloe laughed without hesitation.
“Tonight.”
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat.
He stood frozen outside the room.
His fingers slowly reached for the door handle.
He pushed it open…
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 112: The World That Was Sleeping
The creature’s final words remained in Ethan’s mind.And it has just woken up.For several seconds, nobody moved.The enormous army beyond the broken sky had gone completely still.Millions of eyes stared into the valley, but none of them looked toward Ethan anymore.They were looking behind themselves.Something was coming.Something that frightened even them.Ethan slowly turned his head toward the cracks in the sky.“What’s waking up?”The creature didn’t answer immediately.Its enormous eye remained fixed on the darkness beyond the army.Then the first sound came.A heartbeat.Boom.The valley trembled.Boom.The mountains shook.Boom.The flowers growing from the fallen memories trembled.Another heartbeat followed.Boom.This time, the cracks in the sky widened.The Forgotten army began moving backward.Not attacking.Retreating.Ethan noticed immediately.“You’re afraid.”The creature finally looked at him.“Yes.”That single word was enough to make Ethan’s expression change.H
Chapter 111: The Army Beyond the Sky
Millions of eyes stared through the broken sky.For several seconds, Ethan could do nothing but watch.There were too many.Some were enormous.Some were barely visible.Some belonged to creatures that looked almost human.Others belonged to things that had no recognizable shape at all.They crowded behind the cracks in reality as if they had been standing there for an eternity, waiting for someone to finally open the door.And now...The door was open.The valley fell silent.Even the children stopped crying.Mara looked upward, her face drained of color.“How many are there?”No one answered.Because no one knew.The Legacy screen flickered before Ethan’s eyes.Threat assessment unavailable.The message disappeared.A second one appeared.Attempting numerical analysis…A pause.Failure.Another pause.Estimated hostile entities: beyond measurable limits.Ethan slowly exhaled.“That’s not very helpful.”The Legacy responded.I am aware.Despite everything…Ethan almost smiled.The sy
Chapter 110: The Enemy Beyond Memory
The sky tore open.There was no explosion.No thunder.No flash of light.The blue heavens simply…Split.A jagged line stretched from one end of the horizon to the other, widening with every second.Beyond it was not darkness.There were no stars.No empty space.Nothing.It was as though someone had cut a hole through existence itself and removed whatever was supposed to be behind it.Ethan stood in the middle of the valley, staring upward.The Legacy screen flickered before his eyes.WARNINGDimensional integrity: 61%58%54%The numbers continued falling.Ethan’s expression hardened.“How do I stop it?”The system remained silent.“Legacy.”Nothing.“Answer me.”The blue screen flickered violently.Then a single sentence appeared.Unknown.Ethan almost laughed.“That’s new.”The system had always given him answers.Sometimes incomplete ones.Sometimes frustrating ones.But never…Nothing.Then another line appeared.Correction.The previous Legacy would have known.This Legacy is
Chapter 109: Legacy Reawakened
The blue screen flickered.It was unstable.Unlike the flawless interface Ethan had relied on throughout his journey, this one was fractured.Tiny cracks spread across its edges as though the system itself had suffered tremendous damage.The familiar mechanical voice spoke again.It was weaker than Ethan remembered.Yet…He smiled.After everything that had happened…It still sounded like home.Legacy System…Emergency Restoration… 7% Complete…Warning… Core functions unavailable…Reason… Legacy sacrificed during the Final Convergence…Ethan’s heart pounded.“So…”“You survived.”The screen remained silent for a moment.Then…A new sentence appeared.Correction…This unit did not survive.This unit… was remembered.The words struck him harder than any attack ever could.Remembered.Not rebuilt.Not repaired.Remembered.The blue screen slowly continued.Human belief…Shared memories…Legacy fragments carried within countless lives…Emergency reconstruction successful.Ethan finally un
Chapter 108: The Sky Breaker
The crack spread across the blue sky.It didn’t happen all at once.Thin fractures crawled outward like veins across glass, stretching from one horizon to the other.Each new crack released a faint silver light.The peaceful meadow beneath Ethan’s feet trembled.Birds that had been singing moments before suddenly took flight.The gentle breeze vanished.An unnatural silence swallowed the world.Ren’s small hand instinctively reached for Ethan’s.His fingers were trembling.“They found us.”Ethan looked down.“Who?”Ren swallowed.“The ones who don’t want us remembered.”Another deafening roar echoed overhead.This time…It was closer.The sky shattered a little more.Chunks of blue light drifted downward before dissolving into countless glowing particles.Ethan had seen worlds collapse before.He had watched stars disappear.Yet…There was something uniquely terrifying about watching the sky itself come apart.Not because it looked destructive.Because it looked…Wrong.Like reality w
Chapter 107: The First Face
Every step echoed inside Ethan’s helmet.Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.The lunar dust compressed beneath his boots as he followed the countless footprints stretching toward the enormous black doorway.Mission Control remained connected through his communicator.“Ethan, your oxygen levels are stable.”“Heart rate elevated, but within acceptable limits.”Dr. Brooks’ calm voice filled the silence.Professor Orion spoke next.“Distance to the structure: four hundred meters.”“Proceed carefully.”“I will.”Ethan answered.He never took his eyes off the doorway.The closer he came…The larger it became.From orbit it had looked massive.Standing beneath it…It was overwhelming.It rose into the endless darkness above him like a mountain carved from midnight.Its surface reflected nothing.Not sunlight.Not stars.Not even Ethan himself.It was as though the doorway refused to acknowledge reality.Back on Earth…Sophia stood inside Mission Control.Her hands remained folded tightly together.She h
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