Chapter 10: Bless.

The silence was wrong.

After twenty-four hours of pure chaos; the screaming, the explosions, the constant pounding on the reinforced doors… the sudden quiet felt like a trap.

It felt Like the world was holding its breath, waiting to sucker punch me.

I'd been sitting in this vault, crossbow ready, watching the security feeds as the horrors played out.

Watched as people I knew turned into things that shouldn't exist.

Watched as those things hunted down anyone who hadn't transformed.

Now... nothing.

Just the soft hum of the vault's ventilation and my own heartbeat.

I glanced at my watch, not trusting the quiet.

23:59:57

23:59:58

23:59:59

00:00:00

Blue text blazed across my vision:

[Quest Complete: Survive the First 24 Hours]

[Title Earned: The One Who Survives Alone]

The One Who Survives Alone.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Really? That's what the system was going with? Like I needed a reminder that I'd locked out everyone else? That I'd listened to their screams, their pleas, their final moments… and done nothing?

The blue text faded, but something... lingered. Like the air before a lightning strike, making every hair on my body stand up. My fingers tightened on my weapon.

That's when everything went sideways.

The air in front of me literally cracked open, spilling golden light everywhere. It twisted and writhed like a living thing, finally condensing into a floating orb that pulsed with its own heartbeat.

My familiar system interface… the one I'd been relying on, the one I thought I understood, just... vanished.

Replaced by this thing that definitely shouldn't be here.

"My name is what you humans would refer to as… in less of better words, Bless."

The voice bypassed my ears entirely, appearing directly in my mind like it had always been there. It wasn't male or female, young or old. It just... was.

Like if you could hear colors or taste music.

I had my crossbow up before I consciously decided to move.

Fat lot of good it would probably do against whatever this was, but old habits die hard.

"You are no longer interacting with just a system," it continued, each word resonating through my skull like a tuning fork. "You stand before a cherub entity."

Well, fuck me sideways.

This hadn't happened in my past life. Not even close. Back then, it had just been a straightforward apocalypse; meteors, zombies, survival.

No talking light shows, no interdimensional whatever-the-hell-this-was.

"You're saying you've been... what? Pretending to be my system this whole time?"

The orb pulsed, its light dimming slightly. Was it... thinking?

"I have been becoming," it finally answered, like that explained anything.

"The interface you knew was... a larval stage. This is metamorphosis."

Great. Cosmic puberty. Just what I needed.

The golden light flickered in a way that somehow felt amused, and I realized with a start that it was reading my thoughts.

Or my emotions.

Or both.

"Your survival was necessary," it continued. "Your circumstances, optimal. You were... selected."

"Selected for what?" I demanded, but I already had a sinking feeling I knew. Nothing good ever came from being 'selected' by mysterious entities.

The orb pulsed again, stronger this time. "For observation. For entertainment. For evolution."

A chill ran down my spine. Entertainment? What the hell did that mean?

Before I could ask, the light shifted, becoming more focused, more... aware. Like it was finally fully awake.

"Others will watch," Bless said, its voice taking on new depths. "Others will wait. You will be... interesting to them."

Fantastic.

Cosmic reality TV.

Because regular apocalypse wasn't complicated enough.

I settled back in my chair, keeping the orb in my peripheral vision. Twenty-four hours of hell survived, only to find out I was some kind of interdimensional soap opera?

The universe had a sick sense of humor.

A distant sound caught my attention—something moving in the bank above. The orb pulsed, almost eagerly.

"Your story," it said, "is just beginning."

The orb's light pulsed softly as it dropped the next bombshell.

"Those who went outside during the first hours... The meteorites changed them. Permanently."

I felt my stomach twist. "Changed how?"

It's not like I didn't witness the change in question, I just wanted to understand how.

"The meteors carried... let's call it a catalyst. Those exposed became vessels for something else. Something that came with the meteorites."

Well, that was horrifically vague.

"If I hadn't stayed inside..." I started.

"There was a very high chance that you would have become one of them," Bless confirmed. "Now, only bites transmit the change. But the transformation remains permanent."

I let that sink in. No cure. No hope of recovery. Everyone who got bit was just... gone.

"You're saying the world was screwed from the start?" My laugh came out hollow. "That this whole thing was planned?"

The orb flickered, its light dimming slightly. "There are... layers to what is happening. Purposes within purposes."

"Could you be any more cryptic?" I muttered.

Suddenly, new text appeared in my vision… different from both the blue and golden text I was used to:

...….[DIVINE LIVE STREAM ACTIVATED]

[FIRST STAR SELECTED: AMANDA PARKER]

[Viewer Count: 0]

What. The. Actual. Hell.

"While the stream is active," Bless said quickly, "do not attempt to interact directly with the orb."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why not?"

The light pulsed in what felt like hesitation. "For your safety."

Bullshit. There was something it wasn't telling me.

The orb shrank slightly, moving to hover near my shoulder like some kind of cosmic parrot. Always watching. Always... broadcasting?

"So I'm what, entertainment?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.

"You are... significant," Bless replied. "Your choices matter. Your survival will interests them."

"Them who?"

Another pulse of hesitation. "Beings beyond your current comprehension."

"Try me," I challenged.

The orb's light twisted in what might have been frustration.

"Imagine... ants trying to understand human television. The concept would be beyond them. Similarly.."

"Did you just compare me to an ant?"

"An apt metaphor proved difficult to construct," Bless admitted.

I snorted. At least it was honest about that.

The text updated:

...….[VIEWER ENGAGEMENT RISING]

[MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS TUNING IN]

[RATING: EXCEPTIONAL]

"Great," I muttered. "Glad my apocalyptic nightmare is getting good ratings."

The orb pulsed in what felt suspiciously like amusement. "Your sarcasm resonates across multiple planes of existence."

"Fantastic. Do I get royalties?"

"Your compensation comes in the form of... Different advantages."

I thought about my inventory system, the warnings, the guidance I'd received. "The systems. The powers. That's my payment for being your star?"

"Partial payment," Bless corrected. "There will be more, as you progress."

"As I progress through what?"

The orb's light dimmed again. "That... I cannot say. Some knowledge must be earned."

Of course.

Because straight answers would be too easy.

I was about to press further when something changed. A shift in the air pressure. A sound from above.

The silver text flashed:

...[ALERT: PLOT DEVELOPMENT DETECTED]

[VIEWER ANTICIPATION RISING]

[ENGAGEMENT SPIKE IMMINENT]

I grabbed my weapon, all too aware of the cosmic audience apparently watching my every move.

"Warning," Bless said softly. "What comes next will test more than your survival skills."

"What's that supposed to.."

A sound cut me off. Something I hadn't heard in twenty-four hours.

A civilized knock at the bank door.

The text gleamed:

...[PLOT TWIST INITIATED]

[EMOTIONAL CORE EVENT LOADING]

[VIEWER COUNT: RISING]

The orb's light pulsed urgently. "Remember, choices matter. Especially now."

Another knock. And then a voice I recognized.

"Amanda... please..."

My blood ran cold.

Lillian.

The one and only Lillian.