"He will tell you what you want to know."
Victoria spoke as she pointed her slim finger toward the sky. And as if something had been waiting for her call, a red fog slowly started forming in front of the mysterious eye!
'Its strangely attractive. I guess everything looks attractive to a person when their whole life have been confined between closed walls.'
Lex thought as he looked dangerously beautiful scene. It felt wrong to stare at it for too long, yet he couldn't take his eyes off it.
Soon, the fog started condensing at a single point, tightening and folding on itself until a small figure stepped out of it. His stature was that of a child. But he didn't look human at all. It was a pig!
A small, chubby, cute-looking pig wearing a red fur-lined jacket and a drooping red hat with a tiny bell on its tip. His little black eyes gazed down at the world below as an ugly smile slowly spread across his face.
"How does it feel, humans?" he said cheerfully. "To be chosen by the great Akashic Records. How does it feel to finally get a chance to evolve? I congratulate you all on this divine opportunity." His excited voice rang across the sky, entering every ear possible.
Humans, animals, even the trembling plants seemed to hear him!
Lex had a feeling that every human was able to see the being in the sky just like he could.
The pig slowly straightened his small body and puffed his chest out proudly. He lifted one of his tiny hooves and placed it over his heart in a dramatic manner.
"Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself," he said with a light laugh. His big eyes were gleaming with excitement. "You may call me a Guide. I am a messenger of the Akashic Records, or more commonly known as a watcher of worlds.
As for my name… hmm—"
He stopped mid-sentence. The smile vanished from his face, and his eyes turned cold!
"You insects don't deserve to know it."
The Guide finally completed his sentence, which sent a chill down Lex's spine.
Lex was watching everything unfold from the window of his hospital room, soaking in every bit of information. Why was he meeting one world-ending calamity after another?
Just what was happening?
He needed answers, and Lex could feel that this delicious-looking pig was the key to them.
His eyes slowly searched for Victoria. She was staring at the mysterious eye with quiet admiration, as if she already knew everything that was happening.
"So, as I was saying," the Guide continued lightly. His smile returned back to normal as if nothing had changed. The previous cold in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.
"The apocalypse has descended on your world. Mana has begun flooding your planet, and everything is starting to change under its influence. Plants will mutate, animals will grow strange, and humans will awaken powers that you had once called impossible.
That mysterious eye you see in the sky is the bridge that connects your planet to the rest of the universe. It is also proof that someone very important is watching you — 'The First Thought.'"
The guide squealed softly with joy while saying the name, as if the thought of it alone pleased him.
'Why does this remind me of a lunatic getting high at the thought of his master?' Lex thought as his gaze returned to Victoria. She was still staring at the eye absentmindedly.
The Guide tilted his head slightly, as if he had suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh, right, there is a lot you need to know. About mana, about death challenges and about the rules that now govern your survival. But I do not want to overwhelm your fragile little minds all at once.
So I will be generous. In exactly one week, I will return. That is when I will explain your first real death match, your rankings, and the true meaning behind evolution. Until then, consider this your preparation time."
Lex felt his jaw tighten as he heard the final sentence.
Preparation time for what, exactly? Was this already not the worst situation possible?
While Lex was busy sorting his thoughts out, the Guide clapped his hooves together.
"Train if you can. Hide if you must. Pray if it helps you sleep better. It will not change the outcome much, but it may make you feel safer.
Try not to disappoint me."
Then his body began to blur.
The red fog from which he appeared returned, covering up his legs. His coat, his hat, even the tiny bell at its tip faded piece by piece. Within seconds, his form dissolved completely, leaving only a thin red mist hanging in the air.
The sky went quiet, leaving behind the mysterious eye with which Lex felt a strange connection.
Who was this 'First Thought'?