Abyss Descension: I Perform Rituals to Evolve In The Apocalyps-Chapter 2: Kev’s discovery

Port Azul, Florida.

It was 2 in the morning, but the city was wide awake, as evidenced by the warm hues of orange and gold glowing from the windows of towering high-rises.

Their radiance cut through the lingering chill of the midwinter night, painting the cityscape in a dazzling display of light.

Yet, for all their brilliance, they did nothing to dispel the gloom weighing down on the hearts of Floridians who had come to know about the ongoing disaster from various sources.

In the same city, inside a two-bedroom house next to a construction site, a young man sat on a white sofa.

One of his arms was draped over the backrest, while the other rested on his lap.

Opposite him, a wall-mounted TV broadcasted a terrible news.

Looking at what was displayed, the young man couldn't help but exhale slowly.

"Even the President got swept away. Looks like everything I gathered from the internet in the last half an hour is true. In the face of this unprecedented disaster, no one is safe. Anyone could disappear at any moment. It could be us or someone we know next."

Beside the young man, a petite woman with fair skin and exotic features sat with her legs crossed. She opened her little mouth and said,

"Kev, when you woke me up in the dead of night and told me people are mysteriously disappearing, I thought you were playing a sick prank on me. But now I can see being stupid to doubt you. Watching the President disappear into thin air on live TV with my own eyes made me realize vthat eerything you said is true."

She continued, "The world I knew and grew up in ended in my sleep. In its place, there's this new, sickening reality where people can lose anyone, including themselves, at any time without being given the chance to resist. For the first time in my life, things were finally starting to look good for me. But this happened. This is so damn unbearable."

Tears slid down her beautiful face as she finished speaking, making her look as pitiful as a cat abandoned by its owner.

Lena.

She was Kev's housemate and the campus belle.

She was accepted into the university of her dreams on a full scholarship at the start of the year. She had fought tooth and nail for it, poured everything she had into making it happen.

And now?

It was all about to be meaningless.

Because the effing world was ending.

Talking about Kev, he wasn't exactly good at dealing with people, but he wasn't entirely hopeless either.

Without saying a word, he gently guided her head to rest against his chest, silently offering her a shoulder to cry on.

She didn't resist his pull. Instead, she leaned into him, burying her face in his chest as her sobs grew louder, indicating that she felt safe enough in his presence to let her guard down completely.

They had lived under the same roof for only three short months, but in that time, Kev had proven himself to be a man of principle, despite his young age.

In the short time they had spent together.

He had shown her that he was someone she could trust and rely on without hesitation, someone who wouldn't judge or take advantage of her even if she bared her deepest insecurities and scars to him.

Watching her weep like a child who had lost her entire world in an unfortunate accident, Kev reached out with his hand and gently patted her head. He wasn't used to comforting others, but right now, it felt like the right thing to do.

"You know," Kev said.

Hearing his words, she raised her head off his chest, her tear-stricken eyes slowly lifting to meet his, a silent invitation for him to speak.

In that moment, his gaze lowered and briefly lingered on her face. Right then, it became clear her reputation was well-deserved.

She had a small, oval-shaped face that was as delicate and mesmerizing as a flower kissed by morning dew. Long, feathery lashes framed her deep blue eyes like the strokes of an artist's finest brush. Her hair—rich, luscious curls of chestnut brown—cascaded down to her waist like a bouquet of roses, their rich tones perfectly complemented her fair skin, adding a touch of elegance to her already radiant beauty.

Even with tears streaking her cheeks, he still found her beautiful.

Although his gaze rested on her face and didn't move any downward, the image of her figure was still fresh in his mind. He knew it was nothing to scoff at. Her body was as beautiful as her face.

Though petite and short in stature, she had a soft and curvy figure, the kind that could turn heads in a crowd.

However, her looks weren't the best thing about her. It was her personality.

Anyone who spent time with her would liken her to a breath of fresh air. After all, she was gentle, considerate, and effortlessly pleasant to be around.

Compared to her, Kev with his unremarkable looks and blunt, no-nonsense personality seemed as plain as a rock.

As for how these two people with nothing in common ended up sharing a roof, let's just say had it not been for a string of coincidences, their lives would've never intersected, much less resulted in them sharing a home since the beginning of this year.

Under her curious gaze, Kev continued, "Reality's cruel. It doesn't cater to the mournful cries of those who suffer beneath its weight. But that's all the more reason why we shouldn't let ourselves be overcome with despair in times of hardship. Instead of despairing, we need to stand up and fight against fate to take control of our life.

"Cry as much as you want now. Let your emotions out. I am here for you. But don't feel depressed after that. Facing hardship with a positive and strong mindset will do you wonder."

Kev wiped the tears off her face, finding her skin to be quite smooth and soft.

At his words, Lena nodded, feeling encouraged.

"Your investigation started when the disaster began, right? What did you find?" She asked after calming down, staring at Kev with curiosity.

The Vanishing was a disaster of such an unprecedented scale that both state-owned and private media were covering it.

In less than an hour, countless people across the world had already become aware of the fact that humans were mysteriously and rapidly disappearing from Earth.

Although, billions of people remained completely ignorant of the fact that any moment could be their last on Earth despite the efforts made by countless individuals and agencies who were spreading the news about the deadliest disaster to ever strike humanity because the means of communication of the human race were simply not advanced enough, Kev wasn't one of them.

In fact, he was among the first few to know about it.

He had started his investigation right after learning about it.

Since then, around half an hour has passed.

In that time, he had gathered a vast amount of data about the Vanishing shared on the web by internet users.

It hadn't proven immensely useful, but it had clarified certain things.

Lena knew about that fact so she asked him such a question.

Kev's expression was unreadable as he said, "I made four unquestionable discoveries."

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Lena looked at him like a puppy begging for a treat, waiting for him to continue. He couldn't bring himself to say no to such a look from her.

"Firstly, there's no way to outsmart or outrun the Vanishing. Its pattern is chaotic. There's no clear cause, no warning, no way to predict who will wind up dissapearing all of a sudden. And it can occur in multiple locations at the same time."

"Secondly, there's no way to hide or escape from it. It can strike anywhere on or off Earth. From sprawling capitals and small towns to underground bunkers and even space stations, there's no safe place left for us human to escape this disaster. Internet users had shared clips of wealthy elites vanishing from their heavily fortified shelters. And I've personally witnessed an astronaut disappear into thin air from the International Space Station on a livestream."

"Thirdly, even immense luck isn't enough to survive it. It can strike the same place multiple times. Even if you manage to escape the first time by chance, it doesn't mean you're safe. It could come back for you at any moment. Our president wasn't expressing helplessness for no reason." Kev paused to take a breather.

"You said you made four big discoveries, but that only makes three. Where's the fourth?" Lena asked.

"I was about to share it." Kev replied, "It's really intriguing, so listen well."