Ghosts of Africa

________ WSA 2025 Entry _________



When it first appeared, no one could explain what it was. A towering tree that stood over the clouds and kissed the heavens had appeared overnight, visible to all regardless of location yet the tree could never be reached.



It existed everywhere yet was not physically present.



It began in Korea when a professional MMA fighter and a father of two—Ki-moon was on an early morning jog when a door before him, and out of curiosity, he entered.



Ki-moon had a match booked for the next day so it wasn't hard to notice his disappearance. Two days later Ki-moon was declared missing. However, a week later, he returned with abilities that stunned the world.



The world went crazy, and for a month, it was the only topic on everyone's lips. Ki-moon's interview explained how he summoned the door and not stumbled upon it as many believed.



All you had to do was whisper the word "door" with the tree in mind. He warned about the horrors he went through that nearly cost his life, however no one paid heed.



All they saw was the power he possessed and everyone wanted a piece of that.



On the 3rd of October 2020, a day after Ki-moon's interview was released, five hundred million humans globally, summoned the door, and barely a hundred thousand people made it back alive, many traumatized.



Unfortunately, the world was not given the chance to mourn their loss. On the 11th of 2020, 100 gates opened across the world, each gate leading to dungeons filled with resources and monsters that the world has never seen before.



On that very day, Deviants were born…



____ {Warning: Author rant} ______



Hello guys, it's the world's biggest disappointment; Black_sheep. This is a shout-out to my fellow failures who failed to meet their family's expectations—you are not alone.



In fact, I don't think there can be a greater failure than myself.



Anyways, I'm using this opportunity to make this clear; the mc has a few loose screws up there.



Don't judge.



Every man is a reflection of his/her life experiences and sometimes those experiences turn even the sweetest souls to demons.



Don't ask how I know this.