Chapter 21: The Descent

Odin was tempted to step outside to survey the situation when the clock hand pointed to the eight o'clock mark. On taking a walk around the resort, he realized that it was a surprisingly dull Monday morning, without any unusual incidents happening around the place.

The resort's employees were going about their morning chores while the few armed guards patrolled the perimeter, guarding against mutated creatures. As for the guests, most were already in lounging chairs placed in front of their respective cabins. They sat there, basking in the rays of the just risen sun without caring for anything else in the world.

Odin was baffled by what he witnessed while walking around the resort. The apocalypse could descend in full swing anytime, yet everyone was going about their usual business without any sense of urgency.

Moreover, it wasn't like there were no signs of the approaching calamity in the news. There had been several reports of mutated creatures attacking people all around the globe over the past few weeks. Just the other day, a pack of mutated wolves had attacked a homestead on the outskirts of Idaho Falls and killed a family of four. Add on the attacks of the mutated rats and the wolves that threatened Odin's life, then the signs of the apocalypse were plenty.

At least people should have realized that there was something terribly wrong with the world after hearing about the strange incidents on a daily basis. They should have long prepared for the worst instead of hoping that the authorities would solve all the problems in time.

But Odin didn't blame them as it was human nature to live in denial after experiencing inexplicable situations. The human brain would reject info as a coping defensive mechanism when it encountered the details of realities that were difficult to assimilate into a person's thinking. If Odin hadn't used the prophecy stone, maybe he would also be wallowing in ignorance right before the apocalypse. He would have already returned to University, hoping that things would go back to normal with time.

Many thoughts flashed through Odin's mind as he walked around the resort. He strolled aimlessly, occasionally casting his eyes towards the skies for any signs of the descent.

Soon, he found himself near the restaurant and decided to take back some breakfast for Aunt Lucy and his sisters. He just picked four servings of sandwiches, sausages, boiled eggs, and milk before exiting the restaurant.

When he returned back to the cabin a few minutes later, he found Aunt Lucy and the sisters already awake. Gorgeous smiles outlined their pretty faces, especially after enjoying the past two days at the resort. They had taken his warnings as jokes and therefore had no idea that the world was about to experience drastic changes.

Odin didn't bother to spoil their jolly moods with his apocalyptic warnings. As long as he had the ability to protect them, it wouldn't matter even if they remained ignorant about the imminent disasters.

He just greeted them before handing them their breakfast. After that, he settled down in one of the comfy chairs in the cabin's living room before also starting to feast on his meal. He was still on high alert and had already extended his spirit energy to surround most of the cabin.

"Odin!" Aunt Lucy suddenly called out. "Why are you overly quiet today? Is everything okay?"

"The apocalypse is about to descend in full swing," he replied. "That's the cause of my worries."

Aunt Lucy narrowed her eyes slightly and exchanged a glance with the sisters. "Do you still believe that the world will end because of the mutated creatures? You don't have to worry. Yesterday, I watched the governor's speech. He promised that the government is putting up measures to curb the growing number of mutated creatures around the state. So, don't worry; everything will get back to normal with time."

Odin narrowed his eyes while inclining his head to face his adoptive mother. He opened his mouth, prepared to argue — but just suddenly, everything went dark.

Before he could let out any words, the morning sun rays seeping into the cabin through the open window totally vanished, and all sounds faded. Silence reigned supreme as if someone had just pressed the mute button on that one big remote that controlled the whole world. Not even the chirping of the birds nor the buzzing of insects could be heard at that juncture.

"It's finally here!" Odin thought as he tried to resist the suffocating feeling blinding his senses.

Just like in the prophetic vision, he could neither see nor hear anything for what seemed like minutes. He even tried shouting but noticed that he couldn't let out any words. Then, his vision gradually started turning blurry as a mysterious force assaulted his mind.

But just as his consciousness was about to sink into total darkness, the color returned to the world. His senses slowly recovered, and he could hear and see once again. The first things that he noticed were the blood-red lines of text flashing before his vision.

-----

[Host has managed to resist a strong impact of psionic energy]

[Host's mental abilities have grown stronger]

[Spirit +1]

-----

Odin skimmed through the notification briefly before closing the interface with a mental command. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind before reflexively sweeping his gaze over the positions of his adoptive mother and sisters.

An intense feeling of unease washed across his entire being when he noticed that they were lying in unnatural positions on the floor. It seemed like the descent had caused them to blackout.

Odin first approached Bella, the youngest, and tried to wake her up. "Bella!" Odin shook her slightly. "Wake up!"

The young girl's eyelids quivered a moment later, and her large brown eyes opened wide. She looked left and right, seeming confused before her gaze finally landed on Odin's face.

"Odin!" She mumbled. "What's going on?"

Odin let out a breath of relief and gave her a warm hug in response. "Don't worry! Everything is okay. Do you feel pain anywhere?" He let go of her to observe her face.

Bella thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I feel fine."

"Good girl," Odin said, letting go of her. "Stay put for a moment. I need to wake up Carol and mom."

"Is there something wrong with Carol and mom?" She asked, her face turning a bit pale.

"Don't worry," Odin replied, patting her back. "You were asleep a moment ago, and you're now awake. I think they're simply in a similar situation."

Bella nodded.

Odin stepped away from her and soon shook Carolina, the elder sister, awake. She calmly looked around for a moment before asking, "Odin! Is this the descent of the apocalypse you were talking about?"

Odin was surprised by her calmness and adaptability to the situation for a moment. But since Aunt Lucy was still lying on the floor, he couldn't go into any lengthy discussions with her. He just nodded in response before patting her back to comfort her.

Lastly, Odin stepped towards Aunt Lucy, intending to shake her awake. But he immediately realized that she was in a terrible condition. Her black hair and clothes were already drenched in sweat, while her fists were clenched tightly. It was as if she had just experienced a nightmare.

And when Odin placed his hand on her forehead, his heartbeat quickened as his eyes narrowed. Alarm bells went off within his mind as he discovered that she was burning hot.

"Odin!" Carolina's voice sounded from behind him. "Is mom okay?"

"She should be fine," he replied, breathing deeply to calm himself down. "Let me try to wake her up."

"Aunt Lucy!" He said, tapping her shoulder. "Wake up!"

He tried shaking her and pinching her arm, but there was no response. He could see that her chest was still rising up and down, indicating she was still breathing. But her body couldn't react to any external stimuli. She just continued lying supine on the floor without making any movements.

"What's wrong with her?" Odin wondered as he slowly grew tense. He held her palm, intending to take her pulse, but just suddenly — her eyes fluttered open like two torch beams.

"Aunt Lucy!" Odin said, relaxing completely. "You're finally awake. I was starting to get..."

He suddenly stopped midsentence when he noticed that her situation was still not right.

Her exposed skin was starting to get covered in bumpy dark blotches that wriggled in and out of existence. It was as if several tiny worms were crawling and burrowing underneath her skin. As for her eyes, they were no longer brown but slowly turning blood red.

"Oh, my God!"

Odin felt like someone had stabbed a knife deep in his heart while glancing at her. His eyes moistened as he feared that the worst had happened.

"Odin!" Carol's voice sounded from beside him that time around. She'd approached and was also observing her mom worriedly. "Is mom okay? What's happening to her?"

Odin glanced at her and shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just not sure..." He mumbled incoherently.

He had witnessed glimpses of such scenes in the prophetic vision. So, he understood what the symptoms meant. But he just didn't want to believe it. He couldn't accept it.

He still had hope that his adoptive mother would be okay. He believed that she would wake up the next moment and talk to him. But just then, a disturbing notification from the Origin Order crushed all his hopes and confirmed his fears.

-----

[WARNING! WARNING!]

[Pseudo-Type-I Zombified Human discovered in immediate vicinity]

[Conditions for E-Grade Mission have been met]

[Reaper's Origin Order Initiating an E-level Killing Assignment]

-----

[Pending Missions: E-Grade Mission -> Annihilate the Zombified Human. Rewards: +2 Origin points. (Accept/ Reject)]

-----

Odin sank powerlessly to the floor after reading the notification. His world had just been turned upside down.