Life sucks.But it sucks even more when you're blind, in middle school… and someone just stuck gum in your hair. Again.
Lucy kept his eyes shut. Not out of habit—though by now, it was part of his personality—but because if he opened them, the day would officially begin. And that always hurt.
"Wake up, blind boy. They're staring. Yeah, you—the outcast with the 'cool' cane no one wants to touch," he thought.
A loud thud on his desk.
"Hey, Lucy!" came the annoying voice of Seth, his full-time bully. "Still dreaming about princesses, or have you accepted that you'll die a virgin?"
"Why not both?" he replied without moving.
Laughter. Mockery. Just another day in the hell known as middle school. The teacher hadn't arrived yet. Neither had Ren. And that worried him.
He ran his fingers along the edge of the desk. Sticky. Gum. Again.
He turned his head toward Seth.
"You're so dedicated. Seriously. If you put that much effort into studying, maybe you wouldn't be failing math, dumbass."
A chair scraped violently. Silence.Lucy slowly stood up, his cane resting beside him.
He smirked sideways.
"I can't see you, Seth. But I know you take a step forward when your fists itch. And you smell like cheap deodorant."
A vein popped on Seth's forehead. He threw a punch.
Lucy dodged—halfway. He fell on his ass.
He whispered to himself:
"Cliché number one: the weak always fall first…"
Just as Seth raised a foot to kick him, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"What's going on here?!"
The teacher. Her voice sliced the tension like a blade. Everyone stepped back.
"Thanks, hot teacher number two. Another savior cliché unlocked."
But something was about to change. Very soon.Because that day, portals would open above the school.Monsters would come through.And no one—not even Lucy—was ready for what came next.
A voice in his mind made him lose focus:
[Initiating Global Selection Trial. Level: Extinction. Good luck, Lucy.]
"…What the hell?"
Suddenly, sirens started blaring; a faint earthquake shook the building. And in one hallway, a red portal ripped open.
Monsters of all shapes and sizes poured out, ready to devour anything in their path.
Chaos erupted in the blink of an eye. A deafening roar shook the classroom walls, and the sound of heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor. Lucy could barely make it out between the screams of classmates pushing, trampling, fleeing in panic. The classroom door slammed open, and a three-headed monster with glowing red eyes stepped out of the darkness, howling with a sound that made Lucy feel like his brain was melting.
"Seriously? Monsters at school? Is this what they call an 'apocalyptic cliché'?" he muttered, weaving his way through the classroom, dodging darting shadows.
All around him, students screamed and collapsed, some vanishing in an instant, as if reality had swallowed them whole. No one understood what was happening—not even him. But with cane in hand, he began moving like he was in an obstacle course. If he knew anything, it was how not to be an easy target.
"Come on, Lucy. Sharpen those senses like never before. You just have to survive the day, right? But… what if the 'day' just started?"
A low humming sound made him turn. He couldn't see, but he could feel it. Something big was coming—and it wasn't in the mood to ask questions. Suddenly, a monster with the shape of a giant eyeball on legs appeared in front of him. Its body was a grotesque mass of purple flesh, with a mouth that opened like a tunnel into nothingness.
"Screw this cliché world!" shouted Lucy, jumping back. The beast charged forward, its eye locked on him. There was no time to plan. Only to react.
The monster launched an energy wave, pulling Lucy toward it. In his panic, he gripped his cane and, in a moment of pure desperation, stabbed it straight into the creature's eye. The cane made a sickening crack as it pierced the grotesque pupil.
Lucy was panting, body trembling.The monster—a huge eyeball on legs—thrashed in front of him, the cane still embedded in its pulsating eye.
Suddenly, a calm, neutral voice echoed in his mind. Not loud. Not excited. Just… informative.
"[Confirmed: target neutralized. Initiating authority transfer. Skill unlocked: Ocular Judgment.]"
"WHAT?!" Lucy clutched his head. "Who are you? Where are you coming from?! Why do you sound like some celestial office worker?!"
"[Synchronization complete. User: Lucy. Activation condition for skill: direct eye contact with subjects of negative morality. Result: immediate dissolution of target if ethical parameters are met.]"
"…Oh, of course. Immediate dissolution. Totally normal. CAN YOU SPEAK HUMAN, PLEASE?!"
"[Unnecessary. The user will understand further details as the mission progresses. Next step: dimensional transfer.]"
Lucy swallowed.
"Transfer what?"
"[Executing interdimensional transport. Destination: Beta-Class Domain. Atmospheric condition: stable. Threat level: variable.]"
"No, wait! I don't even have decent shoes to walk in!"
"[Good luck, new Executor. Judgment is now in your hands.]"
And just like that, the world shattered.