"And the alternative is death." Arthur's voice was flat.
Gates nodded. "What do you think? Do you want to go forward with the plan, or..."
"No." Arthur turned fully toward Gates, his decision immediate. "My sister isn't a lab rat. Just keep her condition stable."
"Arthur, without intervention—"
"I know what I'm doing." His eyes flicked to the countdown only he could see.
"You think you can cure cancer?" Tiana blurted, then immediately regretted speaking as her father shot her a warning glance.
Arthur glanced at her, his eyes cold and calculating. For a heartbeat, Tiana felt like she was being dissected.
"No," he said finally. "If I could, I would have done it already."
He turned back to the window, watching Charlotte's chest rise and fall. "But something will happen in a few days that changes everything."
The vague statement hung in the air between them. Gates stiffened, his mind racing to connect the dots. Arthur's words could only mean one thing in Gate's mind, and it was the merge.
"You mean... the merge?" Gates' voice dropped to a whisper, a tremor breaking through his usually composed demeanor. "It's happening in a few days?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, gaze shifting to Tiana. A silent question.
"Don't worry," Gates said quickly. "I've already told my daughter about the merge. She knows what's coming."
Tiana nodded, her heart hammering against her ribs. 'The merge is happening so quickly?'
"Yes," Arthur confirmed, his calm in stark contrast to the bombshell he'd just dropped. "It will happen this week. Prepare as well as you can, because the world of Armageddon isn't as plain as you think it is." His eyes darkened. "It's not just monsters in the forest."
Gates' phone slipped from his fingers, clattering on the floor. "This week? Are you certain?"
Arthur did not give Gates the full date, it was one of his backup plans in case anything went wrong.
Tiana grabbed her father's arm for support. "Dad, we need to—"
"I know," Gates cut her off, mind already racing through contingency plans. "Our safe zone, the supplies—"
"This won't be enough," Arthur interrupted. "When Armageddon merges with our reality, it won't be the monsters that we should be afraid of."
"What do you mean?" Tiana asked, unable to stop herself.
Arthur's lips curved into something almost resembling a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "The demons will most likely start their attack."
The word 'demons' landed like a bomb in the sterile hospital corridor. Tiana's breath caught in her throat.
"The demons? That's impossible." Gates stepped forward, his expression slipping to reveal genuine alarm. "They've been defeated by the previous generation of inhabitants in Armageddon. There are only a few remaining—not enough to cause any real threat."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"
"I've been gathering intel from everywhere, ever since the beta started..." Gates' voice faltered as Arthur's gaze intensified.
"Well..." Arthur's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Your information is wrong."
The confidence in his statement made Gates' skin crawl. This wasn't speculation or theory—this was firsthand knowledge.
"But why haven't we seen any?" Gates pressed.
"The demons have their habitats outside the perimeters of villages and cities," Arthur explained, as if talking to a child. "But you can see their effect in the corrupted monsters that have started manifesting."
Tiana swallowed hard, remembering the strange mutations she'd encountered in her last few hunts—creatures with blackened limbs and glowing eyes. Especially the rabbit near the village.
"How do you know this?" she asked.
"The Academy is one source of information." Arthur glanced back at his sister's window. "I've also got... other sources."
The way he said 'other sources' made it clear he wouldn't elaborate.
"Your preparation in this world is almost useless," he continued. "You should focus on Armageddon. When the merge happens, the victors will be those with a foothold, those who can recruit talented people from the new patch."
Gates nodded slowly, reassessing everything he thought he knew. The more Arthur spoke, the more impressed—and terrified—he became of the young man before him.
"You talk about recruiting from the 'new patch,'" Gates said carefully. "You mean the billions of people who've never played Armageddon?"
"Exactly." Arthur's eyes gleamed with something predatory. "Most will panic. Die. But some will adapt—discover talents they never knew they had. Those are the ones worth finding."
"It sounds like you're talking about building an army," Tiana observed.
Arthur didn't deny it. "Everyone will be. The military. The corporations. The surviving governments. And the demons." He paused. "Who will you side with when the time comes?"
It wasn't just a question—it was a test.
Gates met Arthur's gaze steadily. "I side with whoever gives humanity the best chance of survival."
"Smart answer," Arthur replied. "But when the merge happens, 'humanity' becomes a much more... flexible concept."
With that statement, he turned away. "I need to get back to Armageddon. Time's running short."
As Arthur walked away, Gates turned to his daughter, his face grave.
"Dad," Tiana whispered, "do you believe him? About the demons?"
Gates watched Arthur's retreating form. "I believe he knows things we don't. And right now, that's enough reason to take his warnings seriously."
He pulled out his phone and began typing rapidly.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling an emergency meeting"
Down the hall, Arthur closed his door.
The countdown continued: [35:22:17]
Arthur materialized in Armageddon, right where he'd left—his guild headquarters
Formicia's eight eyes gleamed in the dim light as she sensed his presence. Her body uncurled from the ceiling corner, multiple legs extending as she descended on a silvery thread.
"Master... How did it go?" Her mandibles clicked with concern.
"It went well, it went well Formicia." The smile that spread across Arthur's face was genuine—the first real one in days.
"You found her?" Formicia lowered herself to eye level, her thorax pulsing with excitement.
"I did." Arthur clenched his fist, the memory of his sixty seconds of power still fresh. "Charlotte is safe now."
The spider queen's legs tapped a rapid rhythm against the wall—her way of expressing joy. "This is wonderful news!"