Zokaro spent the entire day playing on his computer, completely unaware of the passing time. From the moment he had his late breakfast until his mother called him to come and eat dinner.

He shut down the computer and went downstairs. Everything felt normal. His younger sister, seven years younger than him, was holding her phone as if she were in another world. His father was reading the newspaper, and his mother was preparing to place the dinner on the table.

What his mother hated most was seeing everyone at the table lost in their own world without a single word spoken. She cleared her throat lightly. As soon as they heard it, everyone put aside what they were holding; his sister moved her phone away, and his father set the newspaper down.

They all sat at the table and began eating. His mother asked,

“How is your studying going, Zokaro?”

Zokaro was startled and whispered softly,

“You only remember my studies now, Mom?”

Then he replied,

“It’s going well, Mom.”

She smiled at him.

“That’s good. Work harder on your studies… and don’t play around too much.”

Zokaro viewed everything through his own perspective. He believed that no matter how hard he struggled in life, he would end up as nothing more than an ordinary employee, following orders. He had seen people who struggled their entire lives and still gained nothing for themselves.

He ate slowly, thinking about what he would do and what he would achieve in the future.

His father looked at him sharply, his gaze always harsher than his mother’s.

“Listen, Zokaro,” his father said firmly. “I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t want any objections.”

Zokaro was surprised and didn’t know what to say, so he asked only one thing.

“What is it?”

His father continued,

“Your mother was going to talk to you about this, but she said you would refuse. Since the vacation has started and we have a week off, we’ll use it for a family trip… like in the old days.”

“When is the trip, Dad?” Zokaro asked.

“Tomorrow.”

Zokaro slammed his hands on the table without realizing it.

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I need to prepare.”

His mother looked at him with a smile.

“No need. I already prepared your clothes, just in case you agreed.”

“Alright, thank you, Mom,” Zokaro said. “But I think I’ll need a few things.”

“That’s fine.”

His sister laughed mockingly.

“What’s wrong with you, oh promising young man… worst writer ever.”

Zokaro snapped angrily.

“What did you say? Say that again.”

She replied,

“I followed your story just to boost your views, but even with all my effort… it failed.”

Wrinkles of anger formed between his eyebrows, but he said nothing. He went to his room to prepare for the trip.

Zokaro began organizing the things he would need. This was his first trip with his family in six years. He used to travel with his friends and always refused family trips.

But as time passed, his friends became busy with their relationships. Zokaro found that disgusting and had no interest in having a girlfriend.

After finishing, he lay down on his bed. He wished to become a successful young man, but obstacles and distant dreams had shattered his hopes.

Because of that, one thought always stayed in his mind:

“No matter how big your dreams are, divide them into stages. Each stage represents a part of your ambition.”

A few minutes later, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. But sleep brought dreams and nightmares with it. Darkness surrounded him, and he could see nothing.

A single voice echoed repeatedly:

“Those who carry endless ambition and dreams… must bear their weight. Welcome to the change that will make your world famous.”

Zokaro didn’t understand the words or where the voice came from. Suddenly, he heard loud screams—people crying out—and felt the dark ground beneath his feet shaking.

Then he heard his mother screaming, banging on the door.

“Zokaro! Wake up! Open the door!”

He didn’t understand what was happening. Suddenly, a serrated monster emerged from the darkness, its eyes glowing red, lunging at him without warning.

Out of pure fear, Zokaro jumped from his bed and fell to the floor. He took a deep breath and looked at the clock. It was 6:34 a.m.

Moments later, he heard screams outside, followed by a massive explosion that shook the ground. He tried to understand what was happening.

“Am I still dreaming?”

He stood up and walked straight to the window. The sky was red like flames, and fiery streaks—like meteors—were falling from the sky.

A warning appeared on his phone:

“Emergency evacuation immediately… Global emergency… The end of the world. Anyone who finds a way to survive must escape.”

Sweat ran down Zokaro’s forehead as he watched the scene outside. His breathing grew rapid.

“Is this… the end of the world?” he whispered.

“After my first family trip in years?”