—Sigh.I got up and turned off the alarm. The same routine as always: eat, get dressed, leave. I wasn't even thinking anymore, everything was on autopilot.By the time I realized it, I was already in front of the griddle, flipping burgers.
—Did you see that? Are we being invaded? — asked Coworker 2.
—No, it's an obelisk. Who would invade with obelisks? I bet it's some government experiment — said Coworker 5.
—All over the world? You know as well as I do that those bureaucrats can barely finish a project in the country, let alone on the entire planet — retorted Coworker 3.
—Maybe it's a government-alien partnership — Coworker 2 insisted.
The conversation at work was strange. Everyone kept talking about "obelisk" and "aliens." Unable to contain my curiosity, I went straight to Coworker 2.
—Coworker 2, what are you talking about? What's going on?
He looked at me strangely, but replied:
—Didn't you watch the news last night? Oh, and… stop calling me Coworker 2. My name is James.
—No? What happened?—Giant obelisks have appeared in several cities around the world.
Nobody knows who put them there — James explained.
Obelisks? I immediately grabbed my old cellphone and went online.
There they were: in all the major metropolises around the world, huge black obelisks stood side by side with the buildings.
—Wait… nobody saw them being erected? Some are right in the middle of roads! They can't have just appeared out of nowhere!—That's exactly what I'm saying! I bet it's aliens.
There's no way the government could do something like that! — exclaimed James.
—Maybe the government has some memory-erasing device, came with helicopters, and dropped them in the city center — said Coworker 5.
Everyone looked at Coworker 5 strangely. James put a hand on his shoulder and, with a look of pity, said:
—Yes, you're right.
Before Coworker 5 could start an argument, the manager arrived, with a threatening face and rigid posture, and clapped to get attention.
—Stop talking and get back to work, everyone! — shouted the manager.
And just like that, the conversation died, and everyone returned to their tasks.
At my second job, the story repeated itself. Conversations revolved around governments and aliens, as if everyone were trapped in this cycle of conspiracies.
As for me, I believed the culprit was "spiritual energy" …
Makes sense, I thought. I transmigrated here, check; I have a cheat, check. Now all that's left are the anomalies, and then the energy will start to appear… and in the end, I'd become a god ruling over all beings.
"Who am I kidding? My cheat almost killed me, and I had to rebuild it from scratch. As if life were going to be that convenient…" — I sighed and focused on work.
I arrived home exhausted and repeated my ritual.
—Activate [Zen Mode]—The same momentary weakness came, followed by the response.
[Insufficient Energy]
"Still insufficient energy… well, I only gained a little weight this month. Maybe next month I'll manage. If I don't, I'll use Emergency Mode to bypass the limiter." — I made up my mind and went to sleep.
Boom.
The next day, I woke up startled by the sound of an explosion. I looked out the window, confused, and realized it was already morning.
I grabbed my cellphone to check the time, but it wouldn't turn on."Did it break?" —Since the cellphone was broken, I tried turning on the TV to check the time, but that didn't work either. None of the electrical appliances in the house seemed to be working.
Did they already cut my power? Great. Broken cellphone and no electricity… forget about next month, I'll use the emergency mode tomorrow!
What modern human could live without power and a phone? Not even me, who lives from job to job.
Determined, I went to buy highly caloric food to prepare for tomorrow. I got dressed and went out.
As I made my way to the city center, all I saw was chaos: cars stopped in the middle of the streets, people running with carts full of supplies, police and firefighters rushing back and forth.
Then I realized: it wasn't just me without electricity—every electrical device had simply stopped working. Humanity had officially entered the age of chaos.
And in the middle of that chaos, there I was, lost.
"This is the moment I wish I had friends to stick with…" — while wandering, I headed to the only place I knew well in this parallel world: work.
Arriving at work, the scene wasn't any better. The griddle was cold, the freezers off, and the smell of old oil hung heavily in the air. Only the manager was there, smoking in a corner.
—Lost, kid? Why come to work in this chaos? — he asked.
Why did I come to work? Why not go home? Was I scared and went to the only familiar place?
"No, I didn't come because I was alone. I came because I need supplies. Yes, supplies," — I convinced myself and looked at the manager.
—Can I eat here, manager? The power won't come back anytime soon, right? — I said, trying to mimic his irony, but it came out more like poorly disguised panic.
He stared at me, one eyebrow raised, as if I were fascinating.
—Eat here? Planning a feast while the world goes crazy? — he retorted.—Well… — I hit the nail right on the head.—Forget it, it'll all just go to waste anyway. Go make yourself a snack — he said.
After preparing the snack I always wanted—a real challenge without electricity, but I managed—I went out with the tray looking for a place to sit.
Reaching the tables, the manager was watching me, and I looked back. The atmosphere became tense.
"Should I sit away from him? Ignoring my boss feels wrong… what if he wants my snack? Should I give it?"
After much hesitation, I sat beside him and offered:
—Want some, manager? — he gave me a strange look for a moment, and the tension grew.—You're out of your mind, huh? You're fired — he said decisively.
"How rude! He called me crazy and fired me. I was just being considerate, and he treats me like this. I'm not crazy, this world is!"
—I'm not crazy… you're crazy, this world is crazy… oops — I let some thoughts slip, and he shot me a deadly look.
"I'm dead. I called this killing machine crazy." — my back sweating, I started mentally preparing excuses.
—Yes, you're right, this world is crazy — said the manager, laughing.
The first time I saw the manager without a grumpy face… what a surprise. The tension returned, so I ate quickly to escape that place.
"I didn't get the highly caloric supplies, but I got a proper meal. That works, right? Not like I could gain weight out of nowhere" — I thought while pedaling through the city.
"Now, where should I go? It's the first time I have so much free time in this parallel world" — as I reflected, an epiphany hit me.
"Why not go see the obelisk? I heard from Coworker 2 that it's in the city square" — the thought came, and I changed course immediately.
Arriving, the scene was chaotic, but different from the rest of the city: explosions, shouts of the faithful, cults, and confrontations—all in one place.
Cults were worshipping the obelisk as a work of God, believing it would be used to judge humanity. The army tried to destroy it with high-caliber weapons and explosives, but didn't even scratch the structure.
And the cultists…
"Wait, is that a goat?" — I watched in shock as they sacrificed a goat in the name of the obelisk.—A true chaos…
For a moment, everything stopped. The chaos ceased, and everyone looked at the obelisk, which began to glow with fluorescent blue stripes running across its structure.
"Kind of regret coming here… can I go home?"