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end-of-the-alleyway · 7 months ago

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The Way of the World | Chapter 1: First Sunset

Story Rating: General Audience Words: 4.0k Warnings: implied character death, angst, author's first fic

Summary: The world has ended, not in fire nor ice, but in a manner that shocked everyone. They became actors upon a stage for creatures beyond their imaginations. All they know to do is fight but brother against brother is turned with the stars bearing witness. Ahn Seungjae never thought he'd make it this far. Dragged into an inevitable failure of a journey with a ragtag group of survivors, he could see the end in sight. But hey, what's wrong with seeing things through for once?

Fandom: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (ORV)

Characters: These are all my OCs. I use anime faceclaims to describe their appearances. There likely won't be any canon characters except for constellations.

Ahn Seungjae used to love looking up at the night sky.

For the longest, it had been a secret comfort of his. To look up and think to himself, “Ah, perhaps I’m not alone.” It was as if the world above was for him and him alone because there was an unfortunate truth. There were no stars as far as the eye could see. The light pollution of Seoul, Korea made it so that the night sky was simply darkness. Earth remained alone in the galaxy.

Still, he didn’t seem to mind. It was a statement of fact, really. Just as the Earth turned and life continued, the stars remained. His naked eye couldn’t make them out, but his heart could. They were there. On nights where he’d climb to the roof of his childhood home and look at the sky, he’d almost wish they’d look back. Just for a single moment.

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ is looking at you.]

Well, not anymore.

“I understand,” he mumbled out.

Seungjae stopped in front of an abandoned apartment complex, taking in the sight before him. The building hadn’t been dealt significant damage. There was the occasional pile of debris from each floor’s concrete railing and lights flickering on and off, as if to signal to the rest of the world that its presence was there. Come to me! I can provide sanctuary! It was an annoying building, to say the least. Not like it was its fault. It was just a building. No, the real nuisance was what was to come the moment he entered.

[It is nearing the first wave of the sixth night. All sub-scenarios close at 8 P.M.]

But what other choice was there?

Everyone said the world would not change overnight, that the tide of change was gradual and what was once a stream would become a roaring river. Seungjae truly wanted to see their faces now. The world did, in fact, change. It wasn’t overnight like they thought, but rather at the end of the day with the sun’s pink and orange hues bidding humanity’s understanding of normalcy farewell.

Monsters emerged from the ground, from the sea, and from the sky. They crashed into buildings and let out ferocious roars, causing the general public to panic. After all, Seoul’s streets were packed at all hours but at this time, everyone was getting off work and students, out of school. The coincidence of the moment irked Seungjae, as he’d been one of the rare few not on those streets. That did not mean he went unscathed.

It was a true ‘apocalypse.’ Before the Internet went out, there were live news stations explaining that this was a terrorist attack and to remain calm. Just like with the monsters’ emergence, the president’s head exploding was sudden and the screen darkened. That’s when he heard it, a voice belonging to what he soon learned to be a creature of myth.

It was a furry thing, white covering its entire body as it wore a discarded rag of a… potato bag? Truthfully, he considered it to be small, but that was a thought that came later. Seungjae’s eyes roamed the strange being, identifying two horns on the top of its head. Eyes with scleras as black as the abyss and pupils as red as blood met his. Without even opening its mouth, Seungjae knew what exactly it was.

A dokkaebi.

Its sickening voice was still in Seungjae’s head, ringing like a gong over and over again, like it knew no other home than his mind. He couldn’t complain too much. After all, the information following its appearance was far too useful to ignore.

The world as they knew it was gone. There would be no more days of riding the subway to school, sitting in class half paying attention, or even sleeping peacefully in bed. Everything they took for granted was now gone and no amount of groveling would get it back. Instead, everything became more like a… a video game, so to speak.

When faced with the confusion of fellow survivors, Seungjae found that to be the best explanation. They were in the middle of a game where they could level up their personal stats through the completion of missions or as the dokkaebi called it, scenarios. They even had an interface displaying their information. Had it not been a literal life or death situation, Seungjae might’ve found it to be interesting. Of course, the only interest he found himself having from then on was the desire to stay alive.

The first scenario targeted that specific desire.

Kill. To take another’s life, it was as good as disregarding your own. However, when you’re staring the grim reaper in the eye, what are you meant to say? What are you meant to do? Accept it with open arms? The world may have changed but death still reigned as a primal fear. To keep living, it was etched into the bones of every human so much so that the moment the holographic message appeared, many individuals laid in pools of their own blood before the first ten minutes finished. Surviving the carnage wasn’t easy.

Well, that was a general term. Some people had an easier time than others, realizing the specific wording and using it to their advantage. Some killed those nearby, mostly using their bare hands to do the deed because the conditions asked for a person, right? Then, there were some people who understood the scenario perfectly and still made the decision to draw blood.

Well, what did it matter? At the end of the day, all survivors were labeled as murderers and the fairness of the world came to an equal standing. Seungjae stood among them with the pants of his school uniform splattered with blood. Whose blood, he didn’t dare say. To kill someone was the same as killing yourself, the innocent you that will never return no matter how many times you wash your hands.

He washed his to the point it hurt. What a pathetic punishment, but even then he still did not lay down and die. He held no desire to. Thus, that’s how he found himself at this particular apartment complex.

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ is looking at you.]

A sigh escaped his chapped lips. Reflecting on his path to this specific point wasn’t going to do him any good. What he needed now was to face the present, not look over his shoulder at the past.

“I was just thinking.”

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ wants to know why you aren’t entering.]

That was another development of the new world. Constellations. The easiest explanation for them was that they were gods of some sort. So far, no one knew if they were gods from any existing religions and by no one, it was just Seungjae. Comparing notes wasn’t easy when everyone viewed everyone as a threat, even if said person was a sixteen-year-old teenager. Really, the caution was understandable, to an extent.

Seungjae was that extent.

Apparently after the first scenario came to an end, beings of odd origin appeared as holographic messages, the same as the one the scenario arrived in. It was apparent they went by nicknames of some sort. Why, Seungjae didn’t know. He didn’t bother to ask either. That particular thought hadn’t been at the top of his list.

What had been was a constellation offering to sponsor him. It truly wasn’t a bad deal. Get the constellation’s blessing and in return, simply provide them with entertainment, which was to survive however he deemed fit. With a constellation backing him, surviving the scenarios would be easier. Much easier.

Oh well. Perhaps Seungjae knew there was more over the horizon. Perhaps he simply didn’t want to be someone’s pet. Either way, the young teenager clicked out of the interest message with an annoyed expression. He refused. Since that day, which was really only over a week ago if Seungjae had to put things into perspective, the constellation didn’t stop pestering him.

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ has gifted you 15 coins.]

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ is telling you to hurry.]

Right. The real reason he arrived at such a shabby shelter.

He clicked his tongue at the messages blocking his view. The constellation had a good point. The sun was going down and before long, the streets would be full of monsters. What a nuisance. The world was the dokkaebis’ stage with people like Seungjae as the unfortunate actors.

Upon receiving the message regarding the contents of the second main scenario, the tightness in Seungjae’s chest dissipated. It wasn’t as bad as he thought. Survive any means necessary. It was an ambiguous phrase, but otherwise very subjective. Some people may be able to hide for the scenario’s duration. Some may not.

Word was that there were groups being formed all throughout Seoul. If certain individuals could team up and fight against the horde, there would be a genuine chance that the group would make it through. What the dokkaebi failed to mention only until after the second night finished was that the monsters terrorizing the city beneath the moonlight grew stronger as each night passed.

The blood scattered across the streets was a tell-tale sign of the dangers awaiting those who chose not to participate in the sub-scenarios. A silent warning. Would they rather fight against creatures with limitless strength or face a scenario they may not walk away from? Either way, death was a real possibility.

[The constellation ‘Seer of the–]

Seungjae waved away the irritating message before plunging his hands into his jacket. Well, now or never, he thought.

One step. Two. Three.

Eventually, the teenager found himself standing in the entrance of the complex. Several pairs of eyes landed on him, eyeing up the new player. The new threat. Most of them were adults, he noted, which they seemed to recognize as well. Children, women, and elderly were the weakest according to some survivors. Not worth their time unless there were ulterior motives involved. Seungjae watched as they turned away.

Seungjae knew how he must look to them. It was the same as back in school. The sixteen-year-old was rather small for his age, standing at a simple height of 5’6”. Normally, most adults would wave it off and say he still had some time to grow, but even his body appeared to be dainty. His shoulders weren’t wide like the athletes at his school. Every time he ran, it looked like he was about to fall over any second. Even with the jacket he found in a destroyed building several days ago, which used to be white if it wasn’t for the dust and dirt he uncovered it from, it was clear to everyone that Seungjae was a child.

He pulled his hood over his head, stepping off to the side in order to lean against the wall. With just a few minutes left to spare, he figured this would be his only chance to eye up his competition… or his team, if they accepted him.

There were about twenty people scattered around the entrance, each of them in varying states of weariness and anticipation. They were unlike him in many ways.

Some were more put together, even though that was a clear lie. It was a sign of someone unable to adjust to their current reality. The world fell into a chaos so much more frightening than all of the end of the world tales combined, and still these individuals tried to hold onto the remnants of their past lives. Seungjae thought it was pitiful

For example, the man in a business suit. There was a large tear running down his right sleeve and blood coating the side of his button-up. When he caught the teen looking, he adjusted it in order to hide the obvious weakness. He’d been hurt. Whether by monster or by human, a wound was a wound and a wound was a burden on the rest of them. Disheveled dark hair, wrinkles covering his unclean face, and a skeptical gaze, he was your stereotypical office worker that didn’t get to clock out before it all ended. Poor guy.

Other than those who had yet to accept their reality, there were some who were adjusting at a fair pace. These individuals didn’t stand out too much. They knew the rules of the game and played by them. Their goal was to survive… usually. Seungjae could recognize several of those people amongst the group.

First, there were two of them in the corner opposite of him, a girl about his age—shocker, right—and someone who could’ve only been a few years older than her. His black hair was growing out from the buzzcut men in the military got, so it must’ve been only a few months since he finished his mandatory service. He wore a rock band t-shirt with a red-striped long-sleeve shirt underneath. Talk about emo, right? Or would that be grunge? Seungjae didn’t know.

The girl didn’t require as much deduction, seeing as how she was in a school uniform as well. It was different from his own. Where his was a simple white button-up with a black tie and slacks, hers was slightly more complex. She had a gray pleated skirt and a black sweater vest beneath a large black raincoat. She had black hair with the ends dyed blue. Either she was due for another dyeing session or she liked it that way.

The man leaned down to whisper into her ear. Whatever the two were about to talk about couldn’t be heard from where he stood, so his gaze drifted off to his next target.

A man, sitting on the concrete ground with a black hoodie obscuring any crucial details about him. The office worker was to his left, a little too close for what the teen would consider comfortable, but perhaps the man felt safest around someone who was feigning sleep.

That’s right. Feigning sleep. The man on the ground’s breathing gave it away. At least, that would be the answer if anyone asked.

Seungjae watched as the man shifted slightly, moving his arm only a slight bit to reach into the office worker’s pocket. His movements were stealthy that no one other than him seemed to notice. He couldn’t bring himself to care about what he was taking. It didn’t matter. Unless it was some magical item or whatever—he wouldn’t be surprised if those actually existed—nothing truly mattered. Money, possessions, they were just items of the past.

Well, it was best not to get involved in such trivial matters.

Seungjae turned his head to focus on the last person of interest when a piercing gaze met his. The world came to a hard stop and the winter air seemed to sink into his bones. How long had this woman been staring? How had he not noticed? Quickly, he looked to the ground, pulling his hood further down until all anyone could see was the tip of his nose and his poorly dyed hair. He hadn’t gotten to take care of it, leaving him with his roots black and the rest of it blonde. Once again, neither here nor there.

That woman was dangerous. That was the only thought running through his mind.

She stood against a wall, leaning back with her arms crossed over her chest. Despite it being such a casual posture, she looked elegant. Almost like a goddess. She had to be a model of some kind. It especially didn’t help when he noticed her attire. Her clothes were fairly clean, consisting of a white shirt with a dark skirt ending around her ankles. It was tight, seemingly only allowing enough movement for her to walk. How she survived up to this point was a mystery, one that Seungjae didn’t plan on uncovering.

She’d be a good ally. She would also be a formidable enemy and Seungjae was not in the market for making either.

As he was about to settle into his spot to wait for the last few minutes to pass, murmurs reached his ears.

You see, there was another type of person other than those too scared to move forward and those surviving. There were those that enjoyed the situation far too much and used it to their advantage. Whatever they wanted, they could have. The world was lawless and only those who refused to accept that would suffer the consequences.

Seungjae spared a quick glance, mindful now that he knew he was being watched. There were a few individuals huddled up in a group, looking over their shoulders for anyone listening in and…

Well, look at that. Their eyes were lingering too long on that woman.

Seungjae’s eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to move closer to listen into their conversation, a figure crashed into the wall beside him. Quite literally, right beside him. He felt the person graze him through the fabric of his jacket. His gaze lifted from beneath the hood to see what the whole fuss was about.

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ is looking at you.]

The office worker he took notice of earlier was red in the face and that was not an exaggeration. His face was red with the threat of his veins bursting. Seungjae wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up having a heart attack right then and there. He seemed to be around the right age.

“You little thief!” The man yelled, attracting the attention of everyone gathered in the hall. He pointed right at the person next to Seungjae.

The man in the hood, but there was no hood… and this was no man. He was a boy. Specifically, this person was a teenager, same as Seungjae and the girl across the entrance, with bright yellow and black streaks, and piercings. The signs of a high school delinquent that caused nothing but trouble.

A bright, mischievous grin aimed itself at the office worker. Seungjae briefly wondered to himself if he should’ve tried surviving the night out on the streets on his own. This whole situation was getting too bothersome for him. Maybe if he snuck out now?

A weight landed on his shoulders. A wide, accusatory glare was sent up at the owner of the offending limb. Seungjae did not get a look back and didn’t even get the chance to get away before the man’s ire was turned towards him now.

“You two— You must be working together!”

“Ahjussi, you are misunderstanding things,” Seungjae calmly stated.

If he could just detangle himself from the situation and make his leave, he’d be able to let the two of them duke it out instead.

“What? No, he’s not.”

Ah, of course the delinquent had to speak up at this exact moment.

“I don’t know you—“

“I want my phone back!” The older man cried out.

His phone? Seungjae heard stupid things since the beginning of the scenarios, but this really took the cake. Not only were phones practically useless to keep, they were equally useless to steal. Seungjae couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy! He was dragging him into this mess all because of a stolen phone.

That’s it. He’s leaving.

Pushing the other teen away from him, Seungjae went to exit the complex. He couldn’t spend another second in the same room as all of these… whatever the hell they were. Of course, everything from that moment onward was set in motion.

“Well, don’t we have an interesting crowd tonight!” That voice. Seungjae couldn’t forget it even if he wanted to.

A dokkaebi blocked the entrance with its tiny body. It would have been easy to walk around it and into the cold streets of Seoul. That was if he wouldn’t be killed the moment he stepped out of the complex. The dokkaebi was well aware of this, giving Seungjae a smug smirk, as if he was looking at a large fish he caught at the end of his fishing rod, like he was the winning prize.

[The constellation ‘The Serpent Queen’ is looking at you.]

[The constellation ‘Guardian of Youths and Travel’ is looking at you.]

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ is looking at you.]

The messages were getting annoying. A sub-scenario was about to start and that obviously drew in any constellation with low standards and free time. This only made the dokkaebi smile with glee, floating past Seungjae in order to hover in the middle of the group.

“Welcome, you lucky few. You have seen me before so you know the drill, right?” The dokkaebi’s eyes silenced everyone. A few could only give a shaky nod in response, hoping that would appease it enough to continue with the instructions.

“Great! This scenario is a bit complicated, but I’ll only explain it once.”

It waved its hand languidly, making the scenario screen appear before everyone’s faces.

This was bad news, Seungjae thought. A scenario like this could only produce terrible results. Perhaps excessive bloodshed? Maybe even death. It may not say to kill anyone, but Seungjae could already feel the shift in the atmosphere. He was in the presence of murderers.

The dokkaebi clapped its hands before beginning its explanation, “There is one individual among you that is marked as a traitor. You must find this person and send them out of the scenario’s borders.”

The room stayed silent.

“Of course, if that was all, I wouldn’t be explaining, right? This Traitor is capable of picking a partner. If you capture the partner and send them out instead of the original Traitor, they still have a chance at winning. However, if you catch only the original Traitor, they both lose.”

So naturally, anyone would be skeptical of one another. If Seungjae had been the dokkaebi, he would’ve done this sub-scenario further down the line, especially to groups of people that trust each other. Sure, there were the two in the corner, the teenage girl and the former military man, as well as the group in the other, but that was it. Still, it was a terrible scenario to go through. Because there was no trust established, people would have an easier time casting innocents out.

Seungjae was ripped from his thoughts when the woman who eyed him before raised her delicate—no, she was nowhere near delicate—hand.

“Will this area remain a safe zone if we complete the scenario?” She asked.

He really didn’t like how her voice sounded. She was amused, truly, but also confident. That was a bad combination to go against, especially when her attention was still zeroed in on him. Chills ran down his spine.

The dokkaebi hummed. “Yes, only to the winning team, of course.”

“And if we don’t send out the Traitor, but someone who’s not?” This time, it was the annoying delinquent that spoke up.

“Then you’ll have to pray the monsters don’t come charging. It’s an automatic loss for everyone.”

Murmurs filled the air. Everyone had to play it safe now, but just how safe could you be before the sun rose, claiming everyone’s fate?

“My dear constellations, I’ve left you waiting for far too long! Without further ado, I present to you, Liar Liar!” The dokkaebi disappeared dramatically, blinding everyone before realization washed over everyone. The sub-scenario had begun. Before chaos could descend on the group, Seungjae eyed the notification in front of him with nothing but contempt.

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ is concerned for Incarnation Ahn Seungjae.]

[The constellation ‘Seer of the Battlefield’ has gifted you 20 coins.]

I appreciate the sentiment, old man, but this isn’t the time, Seungjae thought to himself. Was this constellation expecting him to lose and get sent out into the cold night? Yes, it was an unfavorable situation to be in, but the constellation needed to have a little faith…

Who was he kidding? The result was glaringly obvious.

[You are the Traitor.]

A/N: Hi! Thank you for reading! This is my first fanfic ever. I'd appreciate any and all feedback! This is just something I wrote in my spare time, so I don't know if I'll ever release Chapter 2. I'm really thankful you read all the way down! Thank you! Also, all of the faceclaims so far are: - Kenma Kozume playing as Ahn Seungjae - Kazutora Hanemiya playing as INCOMING OC

#omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv #orv fic #omniscient reader fanfic #original character #fandom #fanfic #fanfiction

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