The Ritual

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm sounded, cutting through the silence of the room like a drill in his half-asleep mind.

Kaeileo groaned and fumbled around to snooze the annoying sound of alarm without even opening his eyes.

He stretched his arms lazily and yawned with the last traces of his dream that clung to his thoughts.

He instinctively moved his hands, searched beneath the pillow, and pulled out his phone.

He squinted his eyes against the light of the screen; he checked the time.

6:01 AM

24th of March 2026

Saturday.

His eyes widened slightly, and he whispered to himself, "Just ten more minutes..."

With a resigned sigh, he locked his phone and placed it carefully beside the pillow.

Turning his head, he let himself sink back into the comfort of his bed, pulling the blanket closer.

He closed his eyes and silently promised that he'd get up soon. But deep down, he knew that he had to struggle.

***

Arvian's life wasn't exactly what you'd call exciting, but it wasn't dull either.

He was a teenager, his story started with a heartbreak. His father passed away shortly after he was born, leaving his mother to raise him alone.

She was a strong woman, committed to doing what was best for her son, even if it meant going against what most people saw as "normal."

She didn't send him to school. Instead, she taught him at home. It wasn't about mistrusting the system—it was about keeping him close.

She didn't want him to feel his father's absence too deeply, so she kept him busy. One way she did that was with books—stacks of fantasy novels that filled his days.

Over time, those stories became his world. Heroes, villains, magic, adventures in distant lands...they weren't just words on a page to Kaileo. They were places he could escape to, worlds he could lose himself in.

And then slowly, when he discovered webnovels, everything changed.

The platform was a treasure chest full of endless stories. He read everything he could find, often losing track of time as he got lost in those fictional worlds.

By now, you'd think he'd want a life just as thrilling, right? But Arvian was surprisingly content.

His mother ran a small restaurant. It wasn't fancy, but its food had earned a reputation that drew in customers every day. Online orders kept them busy, too.

Arvian worked alongside her, pitching in wherever he was needed. It wasn't glamorous, but it was enough.

Still, there were moments....quiet ones, late at night....when he'd lie in bed and wonder.

What if his life wasn't ordinary? What if, one day, something extraordinary happened? Something like the stories he'd read so many times.

It was a brief thought, dismissed almost instantly, yet it lingered in the back of his mind, like a soft whisper, waiting for attention.

Unfortunately, again, he was left alone.

His mother passed away 3 years ago, leaving him alone to live in the cruel world.

He truly understood the world and referred to it as "a rotten and cruel world."

***

When his eyes opened, he felt more awake this time.

He grabbed his phone, and the cool screen lit up in his hand.

6:46 AM.

"Huh... again?" he murmured groggily, his voice thick with sleep.

With a yawn, he unlocked the device and casually turned on the mobile network.

All of sudden, his phone buzzed with a flurry of notifications. His thumb hovered over the screen, but one notification made him pause.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

'Weird... didn't I turn those off?' He swiped up and opened his settings to confirm. Sure enough, the Webnovel app notifications were disalandisabledWhat the hell?" he muttered with a chill creeping into his voice.

He stared at the phone for a moment, confused whether to ignore it.

But curiosity made him tap on the Webnovel app notification.

The screen loaded, and before anything else appeared, a strange rectangular panel popped up.

The panel was bright and almost matched the app interface.

At the top in bold letters, "Webnovel System." was written

His eyes went over the text below, which seemed both flattering and unsettling.

Below the message was a shimmering button labeled:

|Click here to receive your gift|

Beneath it, another line of text appeared in smaller font.

And finally, at the bottom in bold:

Note: The notifications will disappear in 24 hours... maybe sooner.

Arvian chuckled and shaked his head as he stared at the screen. "What nonsense. They really think they can fool me with this? It's April! Haha, nice try."

He closed the app and set his phone down for a moment.

But befor e he could even lie back, another notification popped up at the top of his screen.

"BREAKING: Reports of the Dead Rising 6,102 Devoured, 3,678 died and Turned monster Instantly."

Kaileo froze for a moment, squinting at the headline.

Then he burst out laughing, louder this time. "Oh, come on. Seriously? They're really going all out with this prank stuff today!"

His curiosity increased, which made him tap the notification.

The page loaded in an instant, and he skimmed through the text with a chuckle.

It was filled with alarming details about the so-called 'risen dead' attacking people, warnings to avoid crowded areas, and a list of safety precautions.

It was ridiculous. Too ridiculous.

But his smile started to fade when he noticed the source of the article.

At the bottom of the page, a familiar logo stood out in bold: World News Network—Official Channel.

Arvian blinked. His laughter caught in his throat, replaced by a strange uneasy feeling that clawed at his chest.

For a moment, his world felt too quiet.

"Wait... this isn't funny anymore," he muttered under his breath, his fingers tightening around his pho ne.

***

Arvian stood under the shower with steady thoughts, the water droplets hitting his shoulders.

Warmth spread through his skin, but inside, his mind raced.

Thoughts raced out of control as he kept rewinding the notification, unable to make sense of it.

As the warm water cascaded over him, Arvian ran a hand through his damp black hair pushing it back from his face.

The steam curled around him, fogging up the bathroom mirror. For a moment, he stood still, letting the drops trail down his pale skin.

His gaze drifted to the mirror, barely visible through the mist. He reached out, wiped a hand across the glass, and stared at his reflection.

Brown eyes stared back, bright yet burdened with a hint of doubt. His frame was lean, almost too slim.

No defined muscles, no six-pack—just an average build that didn't scream strength or power.

Arvian exhaled sharply, watching the mirror fog up again.

'This is who I am, huh? he thought, tilting his head slightly, examining himself as if trying to find something more beneath the surface.

"That's the Webnovel thing, right? Or perhaps it's an April Fools' Day joke to the extreme?" he muttered to himself.

Shaking his head, he turned away and grabbed the soap, scrubbing it down quickly.

"Stop overthinking, It's just a prank. You're being ridiculous."

Still, the thoughts weren't letting him go. 'What if it's not? What if this is my chance to change?'

He reached for the towel, drying off absent-mindedly.

'What if it's real? What's the harm in trying? What if it changed the reality, I'm really tired of this bullshit life.'

Kaileo wore a casual shirt and trousers. He sat at the edge of his bed and opened the Webnovel app again.

The moment it opened d, the same panel appeared as if waiting for him. He clicked on |Click here| without any further ado.

A new message came, sharp and pointy:

1. Draw three interlocking circles on the floor with chalk.

2. Use your blood to connect the circles with a single line.

3. Draw another, smaller circle inside the center of the three.

4. Place an open notebook in the middle of the inner circle.

5. Drop a single bead of your blood onto the chalk lines and recite: "I bind myself to the unknown for the gift of power."

Note: Enter at your own risk. Once the ritual starts, it cannot be reversed.>

Arvian sat back, gazing at the steps. His heart was pounding, half with disbelief, half with morbid curiosity.

"What kind of....weird cult stuff is this?" he whispered to himself.

Still, his fingers lingered over the screen, the curiosity tugging at him. "What if it's real?" he wondered.

"What if it's real? What if this ritual changes everything? Like those stories... I could leave this boring and broken life behind. This might be it. Amazing."

Arvian, with excitement in his heart, almost prepared the ritual on the floor as he was instructed by webnovel notification.

On the last step.

He took a deep breath and recited the words etched into his memory.

"I bind myself to the unknown for the gift of power."

The air in the room shifted, grew heavy and charged, as though the atmosphere itself was holding its breath.

The chalk lines began to glow, faint at first, but growing brighter with each passing second.

Arvian froze, his heart pounding wildly as he realized.

'This isn't a prank..'

Suddenly, he began to feel cold and unconscious, but he focused and noticed that he was glowing with circles, and the glow was increasing.

His eyes were closing against his will, and suddenly everything blacked out.

'Did I die'

He felt nothing as if he were dead but still conscious.

All of a sudden, he felt a heavy pain in his back, and suddenly, he could feel the rough surface and stones digging into his skin, and still, he was seeing the black world right now.

He began to hear various noises and voices from humans, including deep, old voices, teenagers, and some adults.

"Huh, what do you think? We could take him as a hostage, and it will be our biggest key to take the Key from those shitty people; what do you all think." A man with an adultery-like voice said.

"What a failure!!" The other voice, older and authoritative, came with frustration.

"Will you stop? I don't think this boy will be useful for us; he is still a kid and has heart; I can't let anyone hurt someone who doesn't even know what the hell is happening in the world—" A man with an emotional and deep voice uttered.

'Holy smokes...what is happening right now? Where am I.'

Arvian slowly opened his eyes and tried to scan the surroundings with his eyes opened, but unfortunately, he felt a pain in his eyes and head, and everything was blurry; he couldn't see anything around him clearly, but 7 blurry figures in front of him were staring at him. And he went unconscious again.

"What a surprise..." The old man said.

"His eyes...What? How could it be impossible."