Chapter 2, I Had to Find Out

A blinding light swallowed my vision.

The chaotic sounds of sirens, howling animals, and people panic shouting—everything vanished in an instant. A strange silence filled the space around me, heavy and absolute. My ears rang, my body felt weightless.

Then, slowly, as if the world was awakening from slumber, a single bird's chirp echoed in the distance. A breeze swept past me, carrying the scent of fresh grass and the crispness of untouched air. My hair fluttered slightly as I instinctively opened my eyes, squinting against the unfamiliar brightness.

The first thing I saw was an endless stretch of land—rolling hills covered in lush, vibrant green grass that looked too perfect, like something straight out of a painting. The soil beneath me was rich brown, untainted, pure. The sky above was an impossible shade of blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily.

'Where… am I?'

The question barely formed in my mind when a voice—one that I knew better than any other—reached my ears from behind me.

"Ugh… my tailbone…"

I froze. That voice…

It was the voice I had heard every morning for most of my life. That voice—soft but steady, laced with a quiet resilience—was the same one that had sung me lullabies as a child. The voice that soothed me when I was scared. The voice I had ignored for the past two years.

"…Mother?"

I turned around, and there she was—Roseline Agatha Greyhart. My Mother.

Her long, white hair was messy, strands falling over her shoulders as if she had just arrived from work. She still had her business suit on—slightly wrinkled from whatever had just happened. The familiar leather gloves she always wore clutched the ground as she pushed herself up, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar scenery.

Then, she saw me.

She looked at me, blinking as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Gray…?"

Her voice trembled, disbelief cracking her usual composure.

I couldn't say a word. The emotions caught in my throat, blocking any response. What should I say? Good morning? How are you? What have you been? Or perhaps something else? Like im Sorry? But before I could even gather my thoughts—

Her heels dug into the soil as she closed the distance between us. Then her arms wrapped around me, crushing me in a hug so fierce it stole my breath.

She ran toward me and pulled me into a tight embrace. As if she's scarred of losing me. Her warmth seeped into me—the faint jasmine scent of her perfume, the way her fingers trembled against my back. The same embrace I'd rejected for years.

"…!"

I felt her warmth. The familiar scent of her hair. The same embrace I had selfishly pulled away from for so long. The very mother I abandoned for two years. After everything went to shit.

"Gray… I can't believe it. I can finally see your face again… after so long…" Her voice cracked as tears fell freely down her cheeks, soaking into my shoulder.

My hands hovered in hesitation before I finally raised them, shakily wrapping my arms around her. Looks like she's just arrived home from work, her messy long white hair, coat, leather gloves.. It's unorganised, that's unlike her. It must have been hard.

Two years. Two years of avoiding her. Two years of silence. Two years of silence. Two years of her eating dinner alone in that too-big house.

And now…

'Why does it takes me so long to admit that I'm such an idiot to leave my family alone?'

Before I could say anything, a brilliant glow filled the air. Beams of white light flickered into existence all around us. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they dissipated—leaving behind dozens, no, hundreds of people standing in the meadows here with us.

"What in the wo—"

Roseline gasped, stepping back slightly as she scanned the massive crowd that had suddenly materialized. People of all ages stood frozen, eyes darting in confusion. Some whispered among themselves, others trembled with fear. I followed her stare. A toddler wailed in his mother's arms. A teenager in a torn band T-shirt hyperventilated, muttering "This isn't happening." An elderly man knelt, digging his hands into the soil as if testing its reality.

"This scent… the soil, the air…" My mother muttered, looking around, her expression filled with uncertainty.

My mother's gloved hand tightened around my wrist, seemingly worried "Gray, where are we?"

I couldn't answer.

Part of it was because I had no idea myself, but also…

The guilt weighed heavily on me. She handled everything alone for two years… and now, she's also thrown into this mess too like everyone here.

As I struggled with my thoughts, a sharp ding! rang in my head, as if a notification had popped up inside my brain.

Ding!

It was a crisp, electronic chime—clearer than any phone alert. But when I instinctively checked my pocket, my phone screen was blank. No notifications. No signal.

Yet the sound persisted, echoing in my mind. I flinched, pressing a hand to my temple. The sound wasn't external—it reverberated inside my mind, like a phone notification wired directly to my brain.

And I wasn't the only one who heard it.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder and louder. People clutched their heads, glancing around with panicked expressions. The noise was overwhelming, like a chorus of thoughts colliding at once.

I clenched my jaw, pressing a hand to my temple to somewhat ease the pain. I staggered, clutching my skull. Around me, others crumpled to their knees, screaming. A woman clawed at her ears, blood trickling from her nose. The toddler's cries rose to a shriek. Some of them maybe died.

Even mother, who is beside me also seems to hear these notifications ringing sounds, as she was trembling in the ground.

Five minutes passed.

The ringing gradually faded, and with it, the chaos in my head settled. I could finally think clearly again. Five agonizing minutes passed before the mental storm subsided. The crowd lay scattered like shipwreck survivors—some unconscious, others retching into the grass. My mother knelt beside me, her gloves stained with her blood. I hadn't even noticed she have nosebleed.

Ugh… my head… how did I even endure all those voices?

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on my surroundings.

The land stretched far into the horizon, untouched by civilization. Towering trees lined the edges of what looked like a dense forest. Mountains loomed in the far distance, their peaks barely visible against the bright sky. The air was unlike anything I had ever breathed before—fresh, crisp, almost intoxicatingly pure.

'This place… it can't be Earth.'

More voices rose from the crowd. Some people were panicking, others whispering theories. A few had completely broken down, curling into themselves as they sobbed. Some… had even pissed themselves out of sheer terror.

I forced myself to stay calm. Right, my specialty is to observe things. I take a deep breath to calm myself down.

Think.

Observe.

Analyze.

What's the last thing I remember?

I had been in my room. It was just another normal day, i was gaming with my friends. Our guild was disbanded, Then—

The earthquake caused by the meteor rain made me collapse into the ground, i closed my eyes after falling into the ground and almost lose my consciousness. I see nothing but darkness, around 3 to 5 minutes. And then i see.. The light.

The strange, overwhelming light that had swallowed everything whole.

And now… I was here.

In a world where the sky was clearer, the land untouched, the air too fresh.

I turned to my mother, who was still gripping my sleeve, her gloved hands clutching my hands with worry. her brows furrowed in concern.

Even though she looked as confused as I felt, even though she had no idea what was happening—she still held herself together. Strong, steady.

"Gray," she whispered. "We need to figure out what's going on."

I nodded, taking a glance at my left. There's a weird interface that I thought I was only imagining it myself .A strange interface appeared before me. Floating. Digital. Almost like a game HUD.It seems like i'm not the only one who can see this game interface thing.

[System Initialized]

[Current Participants estimated in this region is 114,250]

[Trial Quest]

[System Complete]

[Tutorial Quest will start in a moment]

'Hah.. is this for real?'

I breathed, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"do you see the thing that i see too?" I asked. And it seems like Mother too, see the interface thingies just like i do. It's not just us, but all the people here too, see this system. And it feels like someone wants us to do their bidding. 

I took a deep breath.

I didn't know where we were.

I didn't know why we were here.

But one thing was certain—

We weren't alone. And i need to protect Mother too, who was here with me.

And whatever this place was, it had chosen all of us to be here.

For what reason?

That… I had to find out.

BrightFall Chapter 2, I Had to Find Out.

To be continued.