“Greetings Earthlings from Earth #212B. We regret to inform you that you have not succeeded. After calculating the remaining population of 3,673,472 adults only 40% have reached level 50. There are 1.8 million children under the age of 16 surviving. They will be transported to various planets in the system and cared for. Anyone over the age of 16 that has reached level 50 will be transported to our ship and will be rewarded. All others will remain on this planet as we harvest it for resources.”

  The message hung in the air, a proclamation that felt like the death knell for Earth’s inhabitants. Samantha stood frozen, her packed belongings forgotten as the weight of the System’s words sank in. Her mind raced, grappling to understand the implications. Transported? Rewarded? Harvested? Each word was a puzzle piece of a grim reality she wasn’t sure she wanted to assemble.

  Samantha saw a bright flash of light, blinding in its intensity, and she instinctively shielded her eyes. When the glare subsided and she lowered her hand, she realized she was no longer in the cabin. Her surroundings had transformed entirely. She now stood in a small, windowless room where the air felt unnaturally still. The walls and floor gleamed an unearthly white, their sterility almost oppressive, while a single table and chair—both crafted from stark black metal—stood at the center like a silent sentinel. The contrast was startling, a deliberate design meant to unsettle her, and it succeeded.

  She took a step forward, her boots echoing against the polished floor, and her gaze darted about, searching for any exit. There were no doors, no apparent way out. It was as if the room existed in isolation, cut off from the rest of existence. The table and chair seemed to beckon her, their cold and utilitarian presence hinting at something beyond them, something she wasn’t certain she wanted to uncover.

  Heart pounding, Samantha approached cautiously, her movements deliberate as though expecting the walls themselves to come alive. Samantha approached the table hesitantly, her boots clicking softly against the stark white floor. The contrast between the black of the furniture and the sterile brightness of the room was disorienting, as if someone had deliberately constructed an environment to unsettle its occupant. Her fingers brushed the cool metal of the chair's backrest, and she fought the instinct to recoil. Before she could sit down or inspect further, the System’s voice filled the space once more, omnipresent and unforgiving.

  “Level 50 Mage Samantha Collins. Congratulations on your achievement. Your survival and progression have been deemed adequate, and thus you are eligible for reward allocation. Please remain seated for further directives.”

  Samantha frowned but slid into the chair, its cold surface sending a chill through the fabric of her clothing. The table remained empty, its polished surface reflecting her tense expression. She clenched her fists, fingernails digging into her palms, forcing herself to stay composed.

  “Reward allocation begins now,” the System continued. A faint hum resonated in the air, growing louder until a small orb of light materialized above the table. It hovered, pulsating with an eerie glow, before descending to rest on the tabletop. The orb shimmered, then transformed, elongating into what looked like a rectangular slate. Lines of text began to scroll across its surface, too fast for Samantha to read.

  The scrolling text on the slate abruptly came to a halt, and the System’s voice echoed in the sterile room once more. “Samantha Collins, your reward has been determined. You will be transported to an alternate Earth designated Earth #346A. Your purpose there is to prepare this planet for System integration within the next five years. Be advised: two years following your arrival, Earth #346A will receive the same notification given to your original Earth.”

  Samantha’s breath caught in her throat. Prepare a planet? Integration? The words seemed monumental, almost too much to bear, yet the System continued without pause. “You have been granted special privileges to aid your mission. First, you may reveal your status screen to any five individuals of your choosing. Use this wisely, as it will profoundly affect the course of your interactions. Second, you will receive a device capable of creating a safe zone—a protected area immune to external threats. This zone will require strategic placement and management to maximize its effectiveness.”

  The slate on the table began to glow again, shifting into a smaller, handheld device. Its sleek design was simple and utilitarian, much like the room itself. Samantha reached out with trembling fingers and picked it up. It felt impossibly light, yet its presence was heavy with responsibility. The cold metal warmed slightly in her grasp, as though responding to her touch.

  As Samantha examined the device further, it began to shift in her grasp. The sleek metallic exterior faded away, replaced by an ethereal glow that danced like flames. The once cold and utilitarian design transformed into a mesmerizing three-dimensional rectangle, its surface shimmering with fiery hues of red, orange, and gold. The edges flickered softly, as if alive, yet the shape remained steady and precise—about six inches wide and nine inches tall, perfectly proportioned to fit in her hands.

  Every movement of the device seemed to evoke an almost hypnotic energy, its heatless fire casting dynamic reflections across the sterile walls of the room. Samantha turned it over, marveling at how the fiery light radiated evenly, unbroken and flawless, as though it were forged from the essence of flame itself. The device felt alive, almost sentient, vibrating faintly as though it acknowledged her presence. It was a stark contrast to the cold sterility of the environment around her, a vivid reminder of the immense power it held and the mission it represented.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Clutching the glowing rectangle, Samantha’s mind raced with possibilities. This device, with its seemingly otherworldly design, wasn’t just a tool—it was a symbol of the monumental challenge ahead, a beacon guiding her through the unknown future that awaited on Earth #346A.

  The weight of the task settled heavily on Samantha’s shoulders, and her thoughts churned with questions that spiraled into uncertainty. What kind of world awaited her on Earth #346A? Would its people greet her with open minds, or would they dismiss her as a delusional outsider? She envisioned their skeptical faces, shaking their heads at her warnings of a looming System integration. How could she convince them of a threat so alien, so unimaginable, when she herself was still grappling with its enormity?

  Her grip on the fiery device tightened as another worry began to encroach: trust. In a world unfamiliar and untamed, how could she determine who was worthy of her confidence? The System’s allowance to reveal her status screen to only five individuals felt like both a blessing and a curse. Five people—no more. The thought filled her with dread. What if she chose wrong? What if her trust was misplaced, and her mission sabotaged before it could even begin?

  Her mind drifted to Earth, her Earth, before the System’s arrival. Would Earth #346A resemble it at all? Would she find the same sprawling cities, the same rhythms of life, or would it be a completely alien landscape, shaped by forces she couldn’t begin to fathom? Her memories of home felt distant now, yet they clung to her like echoes of a life irreversibly changed. Samantha couldn’t help but wonder if this alternate Earth held its own tragedies, its own scars, and if she was walking into a world already fractured.

  The device in her hands pulsed softly, as though sensing her turmoil. Its fiery glow flickered, casting fleeting shadows on the sterile walls. It seemed almost alive—a strange, silent companion in her journey toward the unknown. Closing her eyes, she imagined the faces of the people she might meet, the challenges she might face, and the decisions she would have to make. The clock was already ticking, and the next two years felt like a fleeting moment in the vastness of time. Could she find allies in this new world, ones who would believe her, fight beside her, and help her prepare for what was to come? Or would she stand alone, burdened by a mission too great for a single person to bear?

  Samantha opened her eyes, her resolve hardening. There was no room for hesitation now. Whatever fears lingered in the depths of her mind, she would have to face them head-on. Earth #346A awaited, and with it, the uncertain future that only she could shape.

  Samantha’s thoughts spiraled as her imagination constructed vivid scenarios of what might await her on Earth #346A. She pictured sprawling landscapes that could either mirror the familiar hues of her own world or unfold in a completely alien palette, teeming with flora and fauna shaped by a foreign history. The possibility of stepping into an environment unscarred by human ambition intrigued her, yet the fear of isolation gnawed at her. Would there be echoes of her Earth—civilizations that hummed with life, or was she walking toward solitude, into a frontier abandoned by hope?

  Her mind then turned to the people she might encounter. Trust—such a fragile, elusive thing—would be her greatest challenge. If she had learned anything from life before the System, it was how quickly human nature could turn, how skepticism could seed discord. She imagined trying to explain the urgency of her mission to doubtful eyes and wary hearts, envisioning the inevitable resistance she might face. The fiery device in her grip represented truth and power, but how could she wield it without alienating those she sought to protect? Who would listen? Who would understand?

  The System’s stipulation weighed heavily on her. Five individuals. Five souls to whom she could reveal her status screen—a mere fraction of the many she might meet. How could she decipher who to trust in a world she barely knew? Her choices would shape her journey, but they might also endanger it. Samantha clenched the device tighter, its flickering light reflecting the turmoil that brewed within her.

  The unknown was vast, but the threads of determination began to weave stronger within her. Samantha resolved that she would face this alien world with vigilance, harnessing every ounce of her intuition to uncover allies amidst strangers. She would navigate Earth #346A with care, balancing the weight of her mission against the fragile bonds of trust she had yet to build. Somewhere out there, she believed, were people who could see what she saw, feel what she felt—companions who would walk alongside her as she prepared this planet for its imminent upheaval.

  Her path was uncertain, her destination unpredictable, yet Samantha knew one thing with unwavering clarity: she would not falter. Earth #346A may be foreign, its people hesitant, and its landscape unknown, but she would rise to the challenge. The System had chosen her, and she would meet its demands, transforming her fears into fuel for the future she was determined to shape.

  Samantha waited for hours in the sterile room, the faint hum of the device in her hands serving as her only companion. Her thoughts swirled endlessly, drowning her in the weight of uncertainty and anticipation. She paced the room at first, unwilling to sit still, her steps echoing in the emptiness. Minutes stretched into hours, and impatience began to gnaw at her resolve.

  Would her transportation to Earth #346A arrive soon? Or was she meant to wait indefinitely, left to wrestle with the disquiet in her mind? She kept hoping that a door might appear and open, that someone, anyone, might step through to offer clarity—or, at the very least, companionship. Yet silence reigned, unbroken and oppressive.

  Eventually, her energy waned, sapped by the emotional and mental strain of the day’s events. Samantha hesitated for a moment, her stubborn determination urging her to stay awake, to remain vigilant. But her body betrayed her, the exhaustion creeping into her limbs like a slow tide. She sank to the floor, her fiery device clutched close to her chest, its warmth oddly comforting against the cold surface beneath her.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to shut out the doubts and fears that clung to her, but her mind refused to quiet. Images of Earth #346A flickered in her imagination—lush forests, barren deserts, bustling cities, or perhaps an eerie emptiness. The uncertainty tugged at her like a thread unraveling, yet fatigue finally won the battle. Her breathing steadied, and sleep claimed her at last, offering a brief reprieve from the chaos.

  As she lay there, the device pulsed faintly, its firelight casting delicate shadows on the walls. Samantha looked peaceful, but the turmoil etched into her features hinted at the battles she would face upon waking. The unknown awaited, and with it, the first step into an extraordinary world that held both peril and possibility.