World's Last Hope

Close to the entrance of the hospital, two doctors on shift were engaged in a chat.

"So, what do you think? You've been working here for about six months, right?"

"To be honest, I really like it here, even if the pay isn't that great compared to hospitals in the bigger cities. It's pretty quiet here; there aren't critically injured people coming in every day. Plus, the nurses are pretty cute."

"I know, right? It's the best! Just two male doctors and about a dozen nurses—it's like heaven!"

The two male doctors' laughter echoed through the hospital corridors, only to be interrupted by the sudden sound of an ear-piercing scream.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Shit, that came from the entrance!" Abandoning the coffee they had been drinking, they rushed toward the source of the scream, fearing that an ambulance had arrived with a critically injured patient.

Just as they turned the corner, they saw the terrified expression of the nurse who had screamed earlier. Following her gaze, they stopped for a moment in shock, their eyes widening in horror.

In front of the entrance, a boy no older than 18 stood, carrying a small girl in his arms. The boy was covered from head to toe in a countless number of deep claw marks. There were a few bite marks—one on his right shoulder, another on his neck.

From the endless number of wounds, the boy had lost liters of blood, leaving a bloody trail behind him.

One didn't need to be a doctor to conclude that the boy was already at death's door. There was nothing that could save him unless a miracle happened. It was surprising that he was still standing in the first place—he must have been running purely on adrenaline.

A second later, after the doctors had recovered from the shock, they rushed to the patient as quickly as possible.

"Sir, you're critically injured! Do not move!"

Just as they were about to say something else, the man interrupted them.

"Sister… you will save my sister, am I clear?"

As the doctors shifted their gaze from the boy to the girl he was carrying in his arms, they saw that she had a claw mark near her chest, rapidly losing blood. Her situation was serious, but not yet fatal.

The more experienced doctor stretched out his arms and took the girl from the boy's embrace, speaking reassuringly. "I swear we will save her!"

Upon hearing that, the boy smiled faintly. "Tell her that I love her… that I'm sorry for failing to protect Mom and Dad… for leaving her all alone in this world."

"SIR?" The other doctor called out, but it was too late. The moment the boy released his sister, he collapsed to the ground. His lifeless body continued to bleed, the air thick with the smell of death.

In his final moments, the boy didn't feel fear or anger—he only felt gratitude.

'It seems all that training wasn't so useless after all.'

*****

"It's been a week since the accident. How is the girl holding up?" the nurse asked the doctor, her expression filled with worry.

"She's still unconscious, but her vitals are stable. She will live." Despite saying that, the doctor still felt terrible. A week ago, a boy had died under the roof of this hospital, and he hadn't been able to do anything about it.

He was currently in the break room, drinking coffee and trying to forget the bad memories—until he saw a police officer.

"Officer! How did it go? Did you find anything?" the doctor asked, trying to hide his raging emotions.

"Yes," the officer replied, "it seems we were right. They were tourists on vacation, and they were attacked by a group of wolves in the woods. We found the bodies of the kids' mother and father." The policeman struggled to hide the anger he felt.

"I still can't believe it. An 18-year-old managed to outrun a group of wolves while carrying his sister in his arms. I don't understand. How is that possible?"

"You… are mistaken."

"What… what do you mean?"

"The boy… the man didn't run. Once we arrived at the scene, the bodies of their parents weren't the only thing we found. There were about a dozen dead wolves lying on the ground."

"What?" the doctor shouted, completely shocked.

"Some had crushed skulls, some had torn jaws; others were missing limbs. He didn't run, he slaughtered every last one of them that attacked, but he failed to protect his parents. Didn't he say it himself? I read the report—he apologized for not being able to save them."

"You want me to believe that a single 18-year-old man had the ability to kill a group of wolves single-handedly?"

"Believe what you want. This is what I saw. I just wonder… if this person had lived in a different place, where the world wasn't dominated by technology, what would he have been able to achieve?"

*****

"Where am I? Wasn't I supposed to be dead?"

As the man adjusted to his surroundings, he realized he was standing on a floor made of material unfamiliar to him. As he observed his surroundings, his eyes widened slightly.

He was standing in what looked like a palace from the heavens… but the palace was in ruins, with countless cracks running through the once-beautiful white walls.

"Oh, the last one… what is thy name?" A voice, that of an old woman, sounded behind him, startling him for a moment.

As he located the source of the voice, he saw an old woman sitting on what he could only describe as a throne made for a god.

"Eric," he answered immediately, not because he wanted to, but because, looking at the old woman, he could tell she could end his life with a flick of her finger.

"Ah, a spectacular name… come closer, will ya? My eyesight is not what it used to be."

Feeling it was a bad idea to refuse the old woman, Eric obeyed.

As he got closer, she placed her trembling hands on his face.

"Ah… you indeed possess a worthy soul."

Unable to contain his curiosity anymore, he asked, "What is happening? Why am I here? Wasn't I dead? Are you God? Is this the afterlife?"

The woman smiled and pulled back her hands, adjusting her position on the throne as she spoke.

"In short, you have died. But before your soul was destroyed, I snagged it. For what reason, you may ask? It's simple really. My world is in ruins, and my children, as well as those of the other gods, didn't have the necessary power to stop the rampaging corruption."

Each word she spoke became more filled with regret.

"As a result, billions have died. Only a few dozen million remain, but they too will soon meet their end. Once I go into slumber, they won't have a deity protecting them anymore. The reason you are here is that I want you to receive part of my powers and prevent the total annihilation of this world."

"Why me?" Eric asked, struggling to comprehend all the information in such a short amount of time.

"I looked at numerous worlds, but your soul shone brighter than all the others. You might not be the smartest or the strongest, but the thing you possess is the one thing that is needed now more than ever in this world… persistence. No matter how dire the odds, you never stop until the very end."

Each word that left her mouth was slower and quieter than the last. It was clear she was dying and didn't have much time left, so Eric didn't interrupt her, trying to absorb as much information as he could.

"Oh dear, it seems I am almost out of time. Well, no matter, the most important things have been said anyway… So tell me, do you accept the responsibility? Would you become this world's last hope and lead them to victory?"

It wasn't a question one could answer lightly, but he didn't have time to think. One thing was clear: when she spoke, she mentioned that she had prevented his soul from being destroyed. So if he refused, he would truly be dead.

"I accept the responsibility."

The old woman smiled as she looked at him. "Good. The power I give you will make you stronger, but it will come at a cost. It will be permanently connected to your soul. If the system's power runs out, you will die. To recharge it, you will either have to defeat powerful monsters or reclaim the lost cathedrals of this world."

As she slowly stood up, she revealed her towering height of at least 6 meters.

"I don't care what method you use or what actions you take, all I ask is that you prevent the world from complete annihilation. The systems will reveal the other details. Now go forth! For the glory of the gods!"

As soon as the old woman finished speaking, everything went black. Eric couldn't see or hear anything until… something spoke in his mind, and words appeared before him.

[Binding to soul successful.]