I never gave much thought to how I would die.
Honestly, back when I was just Jack West the kid with the stutter, the silver braces, the glasses and the brother who treated me like an impossible math equation,death wasn't even on my radar. I was too busy trying to survive ninth grade without being stuffed into a locker.
"I certainly never imagined I'd become this."
In the last ten minutes, I've dashed through three collapsing skyscrapers, raced across the surface of the Pacific Ocean so fast the water felt like solid concrete, and dodged kinetic rounds traveling at speeds that would make a fighter jet look like it was standing still. My internal HUD is screaming at me that I'm hitting 800 km/h, and my lungs feel like they're filled with liquid stardust.
I can feel the heat of the friction singing the edges of my school blazer.The one Julian insisted I wear because "appearances are everything." If he could see me now, breaking the sound barrier while playing tag with a hyper-intelligent war machine, he'd probably just complain that my tie isn't straight.
Right now,I'm running so fast,the air feels like liquid stardust. I'm not just running; I'm a human meteor. I've spent the last five minutes dashing through collapsing skyscrapers, the steel and glass shattering around me like spiderwebs. I dashed into a burning building hitting a wall of reinforced burning concrete at full tilt and it didn't even slow me down.I smashed through it like it was nothing more than wet cardboard, leaving a trail of dust and rubble in my wake.
It's funny, the things you notice when you're facing the end.
I can see the friction heat singing the edges of my school blazer. I can feel the vibration of the "System" humming in my teeth, echoing against the metal of my braces. A year ago, I was afraid of a chemistry test. Now? I'm dodging kinetic slugs that move faster than sound, racing across the surface of the ocean with the spray behind me looking like a frozen explosion.
I'm currently three thousand feet in the air, leaping off the debris of a falling ship, and the reality of it is finally hitting me.
It's actually pretty reasonable that my end would come because of an alien.
Not just any alien, but this... thing. He's a King of a world that isn't on any map I've ever seen. He's standing on a platform of dark energy, looking at me like I'm a bug that somehow learned to fly. He thinks he's the main character of this story. He thinks because my hands are shaking and blood is dripping onto my glasses, I've already lost.
He's wrong.
I'm shaking because the power flowing out of my system is like trying to hold a hurricane inside a soda can. My heart isn't beating; it's thumping like a war drum.
Is this the best the 'System' could find?The last protector of this rock" the Alien King booms, his voice vibrating in the very marrow of my bones. "A child with metal in his teeth and fear in his eyes?"
I wiped a smear of soot from my glasses and gripped the glowing spine of the book. The holographic interface bled into my vision, gold and blue light dancing over the darkness of space.
"The metal helps with the signal," I whispered, my voice finally steady. "And the stories? They aren't just for reading anymore."
I'm not just reading the stories. I'm the one holding the pen. And if I'm going out, I'm making sure this is the best final chapter anyone has ever read.
[System Warning: Durability at 10%.]
[Syncing with 'The Last Hero' Narrative...]
[Instruction: Initialize Total power drive?]
"Yeah," I said, a grin stretching across my face, the braces glinting one last time in the light of a distant sun. "Let's give them a sequel they'll never forget."
I lunged forward, a streak of gold against the black, and the world exploded into white.
I didn't choose to be a hero, and I definitely didn't choose to die today. But if I'm going out, I'm going out at full speed, smashing through every wall they put in front of me until there's nothing left but the dust.
[System Warning: Durability at 6%.]
[Syncing Final Narrative...]
[Instruction: Overdrive Initialized?]
"Yeah," I said, a jagged, terrifying grin streI gripped the glowing spine of the Sixth Book, felt the System hum against my skin, and smiled. If I'm going out, I'm making sure this is the best final chapter anyone has ever read.
[System Warning: Durability at 4%.]
[Instruction: Initialize Final Summon?]
"Yeah," I whispered, the wind of the upper atmosphere howling past my ears. "Let's give them a sequel."
I lunged forward, a streak of gold light against a falling sky, and the universe went silent.