Des stepped outside and saw a different world from what he remembered.
His dark brown hair fluttered with the wind as his average build appeared tiny compared to the magnificence of the world around him. Cars were parked left and right as people brought out their phones to take pictures and video footage.
Even Des was tempted to do the same, but he knew it was useless.
'Twenty four hours from now, all electronic devices will stop working, and most of our technology will be rendered obsolete.' He sighed, ignoring the masses around him while planting his gaze on what everyone looked at in amazement.
—The Tower of Trials.
Ascending into the sky, like monoliths incomparable to any kind that existed in conventional understanding, were four towers. They stood tall, piercing even the clouds, at the four cardinal locations of the city.
They appeared in the distance, like skyscrapers stacked atop each other, layered in their respective colors of white, red, black, and pale ash. Their forms varied respectively, with the white tower appearing beautiful, the red one gleaming with danger, the black disturbingly unremarkable, and the ashen one eerie enough to send chills to the bone.
They were the four Towers of Trials, and the first series of challenges that humanity had to face in the Apocalypse. For now, however, they were nothing but decorations that mankind had the luxury of staring at in wonder.
'Soon, they'll all look at them in horror and dread.' Des sighed once more. 'But that's still a bit into the future. Right now, I need to worry about the Elect Selection Ceremony.'
Not much information was given regarding the Elect Selection Ceremony in [Revelations of the Apocalypse]. In fact, the description was glossed over, and the novel instead focused on what happened to the world AFTER it was complete.
'All I know is that I need to find a 'Tether' that'll take me to the Selection Temple, where I'll need to complete a Trial to awaken as an Elect.' He gritted his teeth, now looking around him for anything he would consider a tether.
There was no such thing nearby, so he hurriedly left the entrance of the station and began running through the streets.
Due to the appearance of the Towers, there was a lot of traffic, and so it was much faster to use his legs than to take a cab. Des knew the traffic wasn't caused by the Towers themselves, but by onlookers who were enamored by their appearances.
No matter how far a person drove or flew towards any of the Towers, they could never reach it.
It was almost like an optical illusion that simply painted the world in an image that remained incorporeal to physical touch.
It was an unattainable realm—at least, to those who were not yet Elect.
"Haaa… haaa… hufff!" Des felt exhaustion catching up to him as he ran, sweat spraying all over his skin with every stride he made forward.
'It's been so long since I engaged in any kind of physical activity… damnit, I'm tired!'
If not for Chazaq's message, and the appearance of the Towers, Des imagined he would be at work by now. He would settle into his office, perform his simple tasks of the day, enjoy his breaks, and eventually return home after the day's work.
A simple… predictable life.
'It wasn't the best, but… I didn't hate it!' Des cried as he ran. 'But all of that is over now!'
The sooner he let go of the past… the better!
And so, in the midst of running past everyone else who smiled, laughed, or were confused, Des felt all alone in the world. No one knew what he knew—the disasters that would wipe out over ninety percent of all living humans in the world.
No one knew the calamities… the tribulations… the annihilations that were to come.
—No one but him!
Des slid on the ground, finally making a stop as a broad smile formed on his face.
"I finally found one…" He was currently in a park, and standing before him was a waterfall that had an angelic statue at its very precipice.
"… A Tether!"
The angelic statue shone with a certain golden lustre that showed it was special, and the moment Des laid eyes on it, a golden panel opened up in front of him.
[You Have Found A Tether]
{Enter into the Gateway if you wish to participate in the Elect Selection Ceremony}
"Heh!"
[Revelations of the Apocalypse] was vague about the Elect Selection Ceremony, but one thing it made clear was the only things that could qualify as a Tether. They had to be hallowed objects that expressed divinity.
In essence, a public statue of an angel had to qualify.
"It's a good thing I decided to come here first." Des began to walk forward, his breathing heavy as a tired smile formed on his face. "The main character was in church when the Apocalypse started, so he was almost immediately dragged into the Elect Selection Ceremony after the Quest started. But that is in another part of the world, so I couldn't go there even if I wanted to."
This park was considerably popular, and he used to visit it every time as a kid. As a result, he was able to easily find his way here.
Without any hesitation in his steps, he kept walking forward—eyes peeled on the target.
Then, a sudden thought entered his head.
'Do you really want to go through everything you read in that book?!'
Des froze.
All of a sudden, many texts began to appear in his head, and he started imagining himself in all of those situations that he read about. The vivid descriptions of death, torture, chaos, and all manner of madness played out in his thoughts.
It was mind-numbingly terrifying!
"Do I… really want to live in a world like that?" He asked himself. "Wouldn't it be better if I just ended things now?"
That would spare him from all the horrors to come.
But—
[YOU WILL SURVIVE]
—The final words of the Author appeared in his mind at that moment.
"JJ316…" That was their Pseudonym. "… You also knew this would happen, didn't you? You wrote [Revelations] to warn the world of the perils that would come…"
Many questions appeared in Des' mind at the same time, but rather than allow them to fuel the uncertainties in his heart, he used them to bolster his curiosity and gave himself the strength to take another step forward.
"I need to know more…" He took another step.
"I need to meet the Author and ask him the questions I never got the answers to. I want it… I want to know the truth… all the truths about this world and the one to come!"
Before Des realized it, he was right in front of the statue—no longer scared.
"To do that, I must survive." Raising his hand, he stretched it forward and touched the statue until a bright light appeared and consumed him.
"Survive until the very end!"