NOVPUBHis voice remained controlled, but cold anger simmered beneath the surface.
"I'm not telling you this to create panic. I'm telling you because when the merge completes—which will happen much sooner than the military has planned for—you'll need to be prepared. Ordinary weapons won't stop what's coming. Only those with awakened abilities will be able to protect themselves and others."
He paused, letting the information sink in.
"If you're watching this and you're not a beta player, find someone who is. Now. Today. If you're a beta player who's been ignoring Armageddon, log in immediately. Level up. Gain skills. You'll need them in the real world soon."
Arthur's expression softened marginally, shifting from warning to offer.
"To anyone who wants safety when the worlds merge—come to Village #420. We've been preparing. We have defenses, resources, and organized protection. Unlike the military complexes, we won't turn you away based on 'strategic value assessments.'"
He looked directly into the camera, his gaze piercing.
"The merge has already begun. You can see it happening around you if you know where to look. Unusual animal behavior. Plants growing in impossible ways. Strange weather patterns. These aren't coincidences."
Arthur's final words carried the weight of absolute conviction.
"The world as you know it is changing. The question isn't whether you'll be part of that change—it's whether you'll survive it. Village #420 offers sanctuary to anyone who comes in peace. The choice is yours."
He nodded once, and Tiana stopped recording.
The room remained silent for several heartbeats.
Gates cleared his throat. "That was... effective."
"It'll cause panic," his security chief warned.
"It'll cause preparation too," Arthur countered. "There's a difference to chaos with preparation and chaos without,"
Tiana reviewed the footage, nodding slowly. "This will spread faster than any containment effort can stop it. Once it's out, it's out."
"Release it," Arthur said. "Now. You can take care of early advertising and making sure the place isnt leaked,"
Gates exchanged a look with his daughter, then nodded. "We'll need to prepare for the response. The military won't take this lying down."
"Let them come." Arthur's voice was ice. "In twenty hours, it won't matter what they think."
As Tiana worked on uploading the video through anonymized channels, Arthur moved to the window, staring out at the city below.
'Soon, Charlotte. Soon i'll have everything i need to save you.'
The countdown continued its relentless march in his mind.
[19:42:16]
The merge was coming.
The video spread like wildfire, jumping from platform to platform faster than any algorithm could track. Within the first ten minutes, it had been viewed a million times. In half an hour, translations appeared in many languages.
In Seattle, Marissa Chen sat in her college dorm, eyes fixed on her laptop screen. The spoon of cereal halfway to her mouth dripped milk onto her keyboard.
"No. It's a hoax. I-it has to be."
She was also a beta player, as the balck ring was proudly sitting on her finger. She was a evel 7 Healer, she had barely touched Armageddonsince orientation week.
The login button pulsed with urgency after seeing the video.
"Hey," her roommate called from the doorway. "You seeing this crazy video everyone's—"
"I'm logging in now," Marissa said, abandoning her breakfast.
---
In Frankfurt, Ernst Kleberg watched the video twice, then called his hunting club's emergency line.
"Cancel the weekend trip," he told Dieter. "We need to convert ammunition. Regular rounds won't work against... what's coming."
"You believe that nonsense?" Dieter laughed. "Some American kid playing dress-up?"
Ernst's voice hardened. "My son is Level 10 in Armageddon. He confirmed everything. That's not some kid—that's Fateless."
Silence stretched across the line.
"I'll call the others," Dieter finally said.
---
In Mumbai, Arjun Mehta shouted across the crowded tech office. "Boss! We've got confirmation on the anomalies!"
Three dozen programmers stopped typing, heads turning toward the corner where Arjun had plastered screenshots from the Fate video beside their own wildlife monitoring data.
The correlation was undeniable.
Their CEO approached slowly, face ashen. "How long have we known?"
"The data's been there for few giues," someone murmured. "We just couldn't release it due to the militaries restrictions,"
Armageddon flodded with players as more people logged back in.
---
In Lagos, a street vendor named Ekene watched the video on a customer's phone. He closed his stall and used his savings to buy three bus tickets to the northern countryside.
"My cousin is a player," he told his confused wife. "We'll be safer with him when it happens."
She thought he was mad until he showed her the strange, luminescent fungi growing behind their apartment building—fungi that hadn't been there two days before.
---
#FateWarning trended globally.
#TheMergeIsReal followed.
Then #Village420.
Military and government responses came too late—measured statements about "investigating unverified claims" drowned beneath the avalanche of firsthand confirmations from beta players worldwide.
Each new incident amplified the message. Each confirmation brought more players to Village #420.
---
Inside a Pentagon conference room, General slammed his fist against the table.
"Shut it down! Every copy, every mirror site, every repost!"
The tech specialist didn't look up from her laptop. "Sir, it's been viewed over fifty million times. It's on private servers, mesh networks, offline storage. We can't contain it."
"Then discredit him," Hawthorne snarled. "Release the statement."
---
The official announcement appeared on government channels worldwide just after midnight:
"After extensive analysis of the viral video circulating online, we can confirm that Arthur Fate has been identified as a person of interest exploiting legitimate government research for personal gain. While our scientists have indeed documented biological anomalies consistent with theoretical merge phenomena, Fate's characterization of military involvement represents dangerous misinformation designed to create panic and undermine authorized emergency response protocols.
"The classified research Fate illegally accessed was part of Operation Safeguard—our comprehensive preparation strategy for potential reality-convergence scenarios. Contrary to his claims, no experimentation on beta players occurred. The monitoring systems referenced were safety measures implemented to protect vulnerable individuals during events.
"We've been preparing a controlled information release to prevent exactly the kind of public panic Fate has now triggered. Citizens are advised to follow official emergency channels only and report any sightings of Fate to authorities immediately for his own protection and debriefing.
"For those with concerns: yes, the merge appears to be a genuine phenomenon. Government-sanctioned safe zones are being established. Unsanctioned gatherings, including at the referenced 'Village #420,' lack proper safety protocols and emergency infrastructure."
The statement concluded with links to "official preparation resources" and emergency contact information.
On screens across the world, the carefully crafted message played out. Perfect blend of confirmation and denial. Acknowledge the undeniable while reclaiming the narrative.
Masterful damage control, thought Colonel Hayes, watching from the militaries communication center.
But will anyone actually believe it?
The social media response came faster than they predicted.
"Nice try. 'Safety measures' don't include threatening families."
"If they were 'preparing' us, why only admit it after getting called out?"
"Next thing you know, Fateless is a terrorist. Hahaha, they do this all the time."
---
Donald Warner watched the chaos unfold from his secure bunker, ice forming in his stomach.
The phone rang—his superior.
"This is your mess," Hawthorne's voice cut like a blade. "Remember our conversation about being bait? That timeline just accelerated."
Donald closed his eyes. In mere days or hours, Arthur Fate would have real-world powers—the same powers that had allowed him to rescue his sister while leaving a trail of bodies behind.
And Donald was still scheduled to appear on national television soon.
The perfect target.
