We see a screen. All of us. At the same time.

  Its either a mass hallucination or, this is really happening, and I am terrified. This thing's voice is booming and it shakes me to the core.

  Suddenly I feel the weight of a predatory gaze on me. It takes everything I have to remain conscious for the split second. Then, like a wraith, its gone.

  Again, another pause, and I look around, fear trying hard to claw its way into my brain and force me to run. the same look is on everyone's face

  The shock is evident on everyone's face. This thing is real and we are all worried. As soon as they can move, people are receiving calls and making them. I still cant believe this is happening. the Professor left to call his family, and many others are walking out to do the same

  mom's gonna call any secon--

  And there it was. My phone went off, unknown caller id, number ending in -3777

  "You okay?" she asks, curtly.

  "I will be."

  "Family meeting at home. 8pm tomorrow night, don't be late." I Hate that place, and I don't want to go, but this is life or death.

  "I'll be waiting obediently." I bite out. the next hour goes by like a blur and I find myself staring out of the window of the family jet, heading to Walvis bay.

  The city had grown under my mother's cruel and meticulous hand. Walvis had absorbed Swakopmund, and just became Known as the Bay. Any ship import into Namibia, most likely is on my mother's legers. the woman doesn't quite know what the word 'no' means, but I consider it my Life's mission to remind her it exists.

  In the air, I notice a little grey dot, at the edge of my vision. Top left to be exact. It is definitely unnatural, so I know it has something to do with the voice of the blue window everyone saw whilst I was still in class.

  how do I ope--

  Again, my heart slams into my chest, pumping as much blood and as it possibly can, but I chose to remain calm. In these three days I need to find something that allows me to survive.

  open message...

  Settings? Status? These are new, and the damn system manager didn't say anything about them.

  At my mental mention of them, two new screens open up.

  I look closely, and immediately turn off the special effects visibility.

  The less information people have about my ability the better.

  I agree, and.. Of course nothing happens, but the toggle of the VFX ability turns off. I then think about the notifications. There is way more happening here than I am aware of.

  open notifications...

  So feats are like mini quests huh.

  I can offer quests? How deep does this system go… though I wish my notifications just popped up By themselves. That would be nice.

  so I can somewhat tailor my interface to my own needs.. That is good to know.

  It seems that many people are in denial. The air hostesses all seem calm, but there is tension in their eyes. I keep looking out of my window, planning the things that are going to happen to the world, and how terribly people are going to suffer. I think about the chaos waiting for all the people in this world in the next three days.

  A pit forms in my stomach, and it registers.

  Many are going to die the day after tomorrow. The thought, like a parasite, begins to eat at my brain. It eats away at my logical thinking, and it eats away at the remaining…wait. What is that? I look at another plane, confused. Aren’t planes meant to fly far apart from each other? Its unusual, so press a button that shows my the Jet’s radar in my seat, and before I could pull it up, i hear—

  “Everyone brace yourselves!”

  Then there’s an explosion, and suddenly the world is spinning. Blue and brown blend into a sickly grey and I don’t feel the chair I was sitting on just seconds ago.

  My eyes water, and i can't breathe quite well. Im falling. I feel the lurching empty feeling in a rollercoaster ride, but this time it’s a thousand times worse. Its accompanied by dread.

  What is this…

  I spread my limbs and they begin to catch the air. My muscles are burning, my arms feel like they’re going to be ripped off, and my legs are one wrong twist away from breaking

  I’m…alone.

  Finally the sky and ground stop smearing together in streaks of grey, and i can make out the two of them. My torso is screaming at me and I can barely see with all the air rushing up to meet me.

  No one can help me…

  I look around, hoping to find something to grab onto, but I'm met with debris that even has the audacity to cut me while I’m in the middle of dying.

  If I don’t learn how to fly right now, I’ll die.

  I see flashes of my life. Moments where i chose not to act, using the excuse of a strategic retreat.

  You cant retreat when gravity is pulling you to your death… something… anything…

  I feel a flood of adrenaline in my chest. My heart slams hard against my creaking ribcage. Though consciously unaware, my body knows… my body welcomes it.

  I can sculpt something to save my life!!!

  I activate the system and access my [status]

  Sculpt wings!

  It fails.

  I can live. Why didn't it work!!?

  I try again, focusing on anything I can use. I see the feat: the wings that cover and I look at the other feat: first of the hidden ones.

  Merge all feats!!!

  I don’t spend any time thinking about the Litany. There is no time to think. I need to get away from all the parts flying around and cutting me. I have to remain focused. If I use an arch, fly down first, then even out slightly, just enough to escape the big stuff that’s coming down, I might just make it.

  Merge all feats,

  and sculpt wings

  Time slows down and It looks like everything is frozen. It is at this point that I see myself, falling, but frozen. I watch as a pair of wings are attached to my lower back, made of a matted reddish color.

  My avatar tries to fly and fails, crashing into the ground,

  I make the wings bigger. About 2m each.

  My avatar glides, but cannot clearly control his body in the air, and upon trying to land, crashes.

  I watch as a set of wings is attached at the calf,

  Too fast. I watch my avatar crash into the ground, not having enough wingspan to make his body slow down enough that his legs are fas enough fro him to land.

  Something inside me makes me add more clay to the wings,

  and then, I see the wingspan increase to a size of 10 meters. This works. My avatar lands.

  Time starts moving again and I feel pain on my back as the exact set of wings breaks through my shoulder blades, and spreads out, as if reaching for the sky.

  They. are. massive.

  I feel pain in my calves and I see a set of wings spread.

  The wings are here. I can fly now.

  The wings quickly catch the wind and I feel the strain of it on my fresh muscles. I can barely open my eyes as the wind blasts against my face, but I open them enough to look up to see a streak of fire and smoke moving west, and fiery debris hurtling at me. shit.

  I pull my limbs towards me and dive. I hope this works… slowly but surely, I start moving faster than the pieces of plane, engine and furniture all surrounding me. I can barely see, but I keep diving, and I watch the earth rush up to meet me. Almost time….. I look around, searching for an opening, there! I see a gap that I might fit through and open my wings only slightly. Just enough that I can cut through, between a chair and a spinning propeller.

  I make it through, but there's a big gash on my right thigh. Still dying!! Move!! Move!!! Move!!! I spread my wings and then start weaving through the remaining debris. Dry arid land, with sparse trees seems undisturbed ahead of me. I look above me and behind me to see propellers, chairs, steel beams and all kinds of random broken pieces of the plane impaling the ground in my path. I veer off to the right, banking hard in the hopes that I leave the trail of chaos following the broken plane. I hear a whooshing sound, and after the sound of wet concrete, I pass out.