Lila

Derek's eyes snapped open to the blaring sound of his alarm. His body protested as he reached out to silence it, every muscle aching from the previous night's exertion. The room was still shrouded in the dim light of early morning, casting long shadows across the floor.

He groaned, pushing himself up. The digital clock on his bedside table blinked: 6:00 AM. School started in two hours, and he still had a portion of his daily mission to complete.

"No rest for the wicked," he muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

The cold air bit at his skin, a stark contrast to the warmth of his blankets. He stood, legs trembling slightly, and made his way to the center of the room.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror.

" Looking like death," he remarked sarcastically to himself.

[ Feeling like it too, everyone is gonna die soon, and so are you]

"Right, I forgot about this guy's sharp tongue " Derek chuckled to himself

An hour passed by as he continued the daily missions, his figure soaked in sweat.

[Mission Progress: 42/50 push-ups, 20/50 sit-ups, 2/2 km jog completed.]

"Eight push-ups and thirty sit-ups," Derek recited, mentally preparing himself. "I can do this."

He lowered himself into a push-up position, the wooden floor cool against his palms. His arms quaked as he pushed down, muscles protesting with each movement.

"Forty-three..."

The number became a mantra, a focal point to drown out the discomfort. By the time he reached fifty, his arms felt like lead, but a small spark of accomplishment ignited within him.

Without pausing, he transitioned to sit-ups. Each ascent was a battle against the burning in his abdomen, but he pressed on.

"Twenty-one... twenty-two..."

Sweat dripped down his forehead, mingling with the cool morning air. The room was silent save for his labored breathing and the creak of the floorboards beneath him.

At thirty, he collapsed back, chest heaving. The ceiling above blurred as he blinked away the sting of sweat.

[Daily Mission 1: Complete.]

A soft chime accompanied the notification, following that a surge of warmth enveloped his body but Derek barely registered it. His mind was already drifting to the day ahead.

School. A place that once felt mundane now seemed daunting. The memory of Caster's assault was fresh, and the weight of the System's apocalyptic warning pressed heavily on his mind.

"How am I supposed to focus on classes when the world's ending?" he mused aloud, voice tinged with a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern. He was really considering dropping out of school.

Pushing himself up, he made his way to the small bathroom adjoining his room. The face staring back at him from the mirror was pale, with dark circles prominent under his eyes.

" To think getting the system would make my life easier "

As the droplets trailed down, he gripped the edges of the sink, knuckles whitening.

"I need to get stronger," he whispered to his reflection. "Not just for me, but for whatever's coming."

The System remained silent, its presence a constant, unspoken reminder of the path he was now on.

With a resigned sigh, Derek straightened, determination hardening his features. He couldn't afford to falter. Not now.

Derek trudged toward the school entrance, each step a reminder of the previous night's grueling workout. The morning air was crisp, carrying the distant hum of city life awakening. As he approached the gates, a familiar figure stood waiting—Lila Thompson.

Even among the sea of students, she was impossible to miss. The early sunlight caught in her honey-gold hair, turning it into a cascade of molten silk that rippled with each slight movement. Her hazel eyes, warm yet sharp, gleamed with concern as they locked onto him. The gentle curve of her lips, usually lifted in an easy smile, was pressed into a rare frown, her delicate features shadowed with worry.

She moved with a natural grace, every step light yet purposeful, as if the ground itself welcomed her presence. The soft floral scent of her perfume mixed with the crisp morning air, a familiar and oddly comforting presence. As she approached, the faintest shimmer of pink dusted her cheeks—an unconscious reaction, or maybe just the cold?

"Derek! I heard what happened with Caster," she said, voice carrying a musical lilt, smooth yet urgent. "Are you okay? Why didn't you call me?

Derek offered a weary smile, attempting to downplay the situation. "I'm fine, Lila. Just a few bruises. Nothing I can't handle."

She wasn't convinced. "This isn't the first time he's targeted you. Someone needs to put him in his place." Her eyes flashed with determination. "I'm going to talk to him."

" You don't need to, I will handle him myself " Derek said with a confident smile. If he could not handle a high schooler after getting a system meant to deal with Armageddon-level entities, then wouldn't he be the worst joke in history?

" Oh, you sound pretty different, someone is becoming more confident huh? " Lila teased him. Derek rubbed his nose in embarrassment, the whole saviour of the world thing was rubbing off on him.

" Should I warn Lila about the apocalypse? " he deliberated whether to keep his only friend in the dark about this matter, but he would have to explain the whole system thing.

" Nah, I shouldn't," he doubted she would believe him, it would be a miracle if she did not send him to the hospital to have his head checked.

How would even explain something like that? " Hey, the end of the world is next two weeks, and I am the saviour of the world, how do I know because, a blue screen that only I can see told me so"

This was the straight-up definition of crazy. He realised that the only way was to quickly get stronger to protect her. Now he had more reason to grow stronger. Do all heroes feel like this? " Well, like Uncle Ben said, with great power comes, great responsibility.

" Hey, what are you thinking about? " 

" Nothing, Just thinking about how I am going to protect you " he replied absentmindedly.

Lila blinked in surprise before a sly smile curved her lips. "Oh? Protect me? Since when did you get so cool, Derek?"

Derek coughed, realizing what he had just said. "Uh—forget I said anything."

Lila chuckled, but the concern in her eyes didn't fade. "You know, I don't care what others say. If Caster comes at you again, I will step in."

Derek shook his head. "No, Lila. You don't need to fight my battles."

"But you're my friend!" she argued, crossing her arms. "He went after you because of me. How can I just stand by and do nothing?"

Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Because soon… none of this will matter."

Lila frowned at his cryptic words. "What does that even mean?"

"Nothing," Derek quickly backtracked. "Just—trust me. I've got this."

She studied him for a moment, her hazel eyes searching his face for any sign of hesitation. Then, with a reluctant sigh, she nodded. "Fine. But if you get hurt again, I will kick his ass."

Derek couldn't help but chuckle. Lila might be the school's sweetheart, but she had a fierce streak when it came to people she cared about. That was exactly why he had to keep her out of this.

He couldn't drag her into something as terrifying as the apocalypse.

Not yet.