Chapter 1: The World Is Destroyed?
"Watch out!"
Ross grabbed Heizen by the arm and forcefully threw him to the ground.
The harsh pressure of his body hitting the fractured earth screamed through his bones. Just as his knees slammed into the dirt, the space beside him splintered—like glass, breaking into jagged fragments.
But this was not glass. This was the space. Reality itself broke into a kaleidoscope of shattered pieces.
"Damn it, absurd." Ross cursed, his voice quivering in surprise as he ran forward, kicking up dust. "This is insane."
Heizen's heart pounded between his ribs, his pulse racing in his ears. He lay there for a split second, shocked, watching space crumble around him.
He'd heard about anomalies and strange happenings, but no one had mentioned space cracking like a flimsy piece of tofu. And if someone had, Heizen would have laughed in their face.
Heizen rolled to the ground, stood up, and chased Ross with his heart pounding. He breathed in ragged gasps, the dry, bleak air scraping his throat. Around them, the world was collapsing, as if reality itself couldn't carry the weight of existence anymore.
'Becoming a pioneer was the stupidest thing I've ever done.' Heizen reflected bitterly as his legs pushed harder. What a joke: 'I am alone and it doesn't matter even if accidents happen. What was I even thinking?'
How many people were able to remain calm and not lose their minds as space shattered around them? The question lingered in his thoughts, taunting him.
'Why the heck did it have to look so... beautiful?' Heizen groaned under his breath as he looked at the rainbow bits, which sparkled like a crazy stained-glass window. A masterpiece created by a deranged artist. A scene of destruction, but painted in dazzling colors that mocked the very concept of terror.
'This was supposed to be a treasure hunt,' he grumbled inside. 'Research value,' they claimed. They said you might find something remarkable.
It looked ridiculous now, much more so than the splintering space around them. 'Yeah, yeah, let's run toward certain death for the sake of some ridiculous artifact. Smart. Heizen, you're quite smart.'
"Tch" Heizen was annoyed.
"Shut your mouth and keep running idiot," Ross's voice echoed over the turmoil, his body disappearing ahead of him.
Heizen's jaw tightened, but he continued ahead, matching Ross' speed. They were rushing through a wilderness that was desolate and lifeless.
The ground beneath them was cracked and dry and looked like a place abandoned by life and nature- like the rest of the Earth.
Ross and Heizen were both pioneers employed by the StarEarth Organization- an entity established by the world government to find a glimmer of hope in this dismal situation.
They were both approximately 18 years old and had no family. Since there was no connection to rely on, they could only undertake this kind of dangerous work in the hopes of obtaining an evacuation quota.
The world was collapsing, and no countries were spared. Everyone was busy desperately searching for an escape. Who would care about them?
Three years ago, something strange happened to the Earth, possibly the entire space-time continuum. According to the records of scientists and experts, something disrupted the delicate balance of the universe.
Many people referred to this as the collapse of higher dimensions since we couldn't make sense of what was going on.
If not for the ongoing destruction, it would be a golden age of discovery and innovation. But there was no if in this situation. The fabric of space itself seemed incapable of bearing the strain and was on the verge of collapse. This led the fundamental law of the universe to deviate.
Although this caused a lot of destruction and many bizarre things were noted by the organization, a colorful space crack had never been seen before.
The job of pioneers like them was to record the space crack, weak nodes, and their stability so that traveling would be possible.
However, it was still unclear whether the previous team discovered another habitable world. There was no communication after someone stepped on the space crack.
However, having a glimmer of hope was better than having none. But, for the guys like them, even that gleam was hard-earned.
Heizen expected to receive a quota if he became a pioneer, but it was all for naught. This was such a desperate situation.
While Heizen and Ross were running fast, space crack spread rapidly. Fortunately, Ross and Heizen quickly boarded their Aircraft and took off in time.
"Damn, that was dangerous, way too close, haha." Ross cursed and laughed.
Heizen also chuckled to mask his embarrassment. Though it was dangerous, it was a thrilling experience.
The Aircraft soon left the desolate zone and approached the base. Although technology has made a huge leap over the years, none of it functions in this unstable environment. So, the StarEarth Organisation had to manually search everything.
Many teams were like them. Once they discovered something useful or encountered an accident, they would return to the base to report their findings to management.
Generally, a certain radius around the base was considered a safe zone. As long as they were careful, people could avoid fatal accidents.
So Heizen and Ross were not excessively cautious.
"Sigh, when will this endless game of cat-and-mouse end? This is getting more and more ridiculous. Even a safe zone no longer feels safe."
Heizen muttered in frustration.
However, after a long time with no response, Heizen got confused and yelled, "Hey, are you even listening?"
However, when Heizen lifted his head, he was momentarily stunned. What lay before him was the most bizarre and terrifying sight he had ever encountered.
He noticed it—himself. He remained stuck in place, his mouth open in a mute scream. Ross lay limp next to him, his body slashed cleanly in two as if the world had ripped them apart.
No. Not just them.
The whole world was being sliced slowly and methodically, with the fissure cutting everything in its course.
Yet, he was here, looking at his lifeless body in a third-person perspective.
Before Heizen could fully grasp the situation, the colorful space crack surged forward and drowned him, along with his feeble consciousness.
His eyesight faded into darkness, and as the world crumbled around him, one last question rang in his thoughts., "The world is... destroyed?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Forgetful_Sage
Forgetful_Sage Sigh, as a rookie writer, I recognize I may not have foreshadowed things as effectively as I could have, and I understand why some readers may be perplexed when the word I've spent so much time creating is getting destroyed. But rest assured, that destruction is not the end. It’s actually a foreshadowing of a much larger mystery, one that the protagonist will begin to unravel in Volume 3.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone