Lost In Fatal Existence

The air in Lost Existence was thick with an unnatural stillness as Jay led the group through the eerie landscape. The world around them felt hollow, as if every sound they made was swallowed by an unseen force. The ground beneath their feet shifted subtly, like walking on unstable reflections. They had all gathered to understand the world they were trapped in, yet an unshakable discomfort loomed over them.

"We should start by figuring out exactly where we are," Jay said, his voice breaking the silence. He glanced at the others. "The True Deity told me that this place is called Lost Existence, but we need to understand its rules."

Alexia rubbed her arms, her eyes scanning the distorted horizon. "Lost Existence. Sounds fitting. But what does that mean? How do we know what's real and what's not?"

Merlin adjusted his coat, his analytical mind already at work. "From what I understand, each Existence follows certain laws. Let's go over what we know."

Zhen nodded. "There are five Existences, right? We need to break them down."

Jay took a deep breath and began listing them, holding up fingers as he spoke. "First, there's True Existence, a world with no people, completely deserted."

"Sounds lonely," Parker muttered.

Jay continued, "Then there's Lost Existence—the place we're in now. A world of illusions, deception, and lies. Reality here is unstable." He glanced around warily, half-expecting the landscape to shift at his words.

Roy crossed his arms. "And the world we came from?"

"That would be Fatal Existence," Jay answered. "The Existence where we were summoned and fought to survive. It's a world of hardship, dangers, and unavoidable battles."

Merlin adjusted his glasses. "That makes three. What about the others?"

Jay held up another finger. "Original Existence—our real world, where we were born. No magic, no powers. Just a regular Earth."

Alexia scoffed. "If it's so normal, why were we taken from it?"

Jay didn't have an answer to that, so he moved on. "Then there's Beyond Existence, the force that holds all of these worlds together. It's like the thread connecting the puzzle pieces."

Parker furrowed his brows. "So it's not an actual place, but more like a concept?"

Jay nodded. "Exactly. It's the balance between all Existences."

Zhen crossed his arms. "That still doesn't explain why we're here. Or how we get out."

Jay sighed, gripping the Emperor tarot card in his hands. "The True Deity believes I can fix the world. But before we can even think about that, we need to navigate through this one."

Silence followed as the group digested the information. Then, Roy spoke up. "Okay, but what if everything we're seeing, everything we're feeling right now—what if it's all a lie?"

The question lingered in the air like a thick fog. No one had an answer.

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "We need to test this world. Find out what's real and what's an illusion."

Alexia glanced around warily. "And what happens if we can't tell the difference?"

Zhen exhaled sharply. "Then we're already lost."

As if in response, the ground beneath them rippled ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. The world was listening.

And waiting.

---

A heavy silence hung in the air as Jay led the group through the desolate landscape of Lost Existence. The world around them shimmered unnaturally, like a mirage shifting between states of reality and illusion. Every step felt lighter than it should, and every word spoken seemed to echo far longer than natural.

"We need to decide how we're going to recreate the world," Jay finally said, his voice steady but carrying an undertone of exhaustion. "The True Deity chose me to set things right. But I won't do it alone."

Roy scoffed, kicking a loose stone that disappeared the moment it left his foot. "Right. And what exactly is 'setting things right'? Because last I checked, playing god doesn't usually end well."

Alexia crossed her arms, glancing at Jay with suspicion. "You still haven't told us exactly why you were chosen. What makes you so special?"

Jay exhaled, holding up his tarot card—the worn Emperor card, a symbol of authority and order. "Because I already tried once. I built something, I ruled something, and I lost everything. The True Deity believes I can fix what's broken."

Zhen adjusted the straps on his coat and sighed. "If we really do have the power to rebuild a world, then shouldn't we figure out how first?"

Parker, who had been quiet until now, nodded. "The first problem is structure. If we're remaking the world, what kind of place do we even want? A copy of our old worlds? Something new?"

Merlin, always thoughtful, tapped a finger against his temple. "A world without war. Without suffering. A perfect society."

Alexia shook her head. "That's impossible. Perfection isn't something you create. Even if you make a perfect world, people will find a way to ruin it."

Silence fell between them, each pondering the weight of their words. Then, almost imperceptibly, the wind shifted.

Jay glanced at the horizon. The skyline had changed. Hadn't there been mountains in the distance before? Now there was only a vast ocean, stretching endlessly. He narrowed his eyes. "Did anyone else notice—"

"Notice what?" Roy interrupted, looking irritated. "That we're talking in circles? Yeah, I noticed."

"No… that's not…" Jay trailed off. Had Roy always stood at that exact angle? Had Alexia always been that far from him? His mind buzzed with uncertainty.

Parker rubbed his temples. "I feel… strange. Like something is off."

Merlin turned suddenly, eyes scanning the empty horizon. "How do we know we're really having this conversation?"

The group stilled.

Zhen looked down at his hands. "This world is all about illusions, right?" His voice had a growing unease. "What if we're not even really here?"

Jay's breath hitched. The world around them—was it truly solid? Were the people beside him real? Or was this an elaborate deception, playing tricks on their minds?

Alexia clutched her arms. "I feel cold."

Roy frowned. "It's not cold."

"But I feel it," she snapped, her voice shaking. "Like something's wrapping around me, whispering to me. I don't know if I'm really talking to you."

Parker took a step back. "What if we're all trapped in our own illusions? Talking to reflections?"

Jay tried to steady his breathing. He had led them into a trap. Not a physical one, but something worse—something that made them doubt their own existence.

Merlin clenched his fists. "There has to be a way to break out of this."

Jay closed his eyes, gripping his tarot card tightly. "There's always a way out."

But when he opened them again, the world had shifted.

Alexia was gone.

Roy was gone.

Everyone was gone.

And he was standing alone in an endless void of illusions.