The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 282: Ch 281: Trial for Humanity - Part 1

Selene stared up at the ceiling, her fingers curled into the bedsheets, the room dim and still around her.

The voice had gone quiet again, but her mind was anything but.

Thoughts whirled in a cyclone of dread and urgency.

Then, softly, she spoke aloud, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Can a fixed fate be changed? Ugh, I thought I would be able to change a lot because I know the future this time and things are different. But I have not made an significant change...well except Dr. Aldric’s death. Will this really be alright?"

There was silence. Cold. Endless.

It made Selene feel worse and she wanted to throw something to take her anger and frustration out. But she did not do any of that and instead, she took a deep breath.

Selene was not looking for an answer, but getting one won’t be bad for her.

She almost thought the voice wouldn’t answer. But then it did—low, smooth, curling through her head like smoke.

[Everything can be changed... with enough power.]

Selene’s heart thudded.

"What kind of power?"

[The kind that bends reality. The kind that rewrites destiny. But even then, some things take more than just will—they require sacrifice, manipulation, control.]

Selene swallowed.

"You said this world is marked for destruction... what does that mean? Why?"

The voice sounded almost amused.

[It means what it sounds like. This world, like others before it, has been chosen to fall. You’ve already seen the signs. Collapse. Mutation. Madness. Soon, what’s left of order will crumble.]

"Then how do I stop it? How do I unmark it?"

Selene asked, voice tightening with urgency.

Another pause.

Then, the voice finally replied. But it’s answer was unlike anything Selene had heard before.

["There is one way. Tribute.]

Selene blinked.

"Tribute... to what?"

[The final entity. The one watching. The one who decides. If the right tribute is paid, this world may yet be overlooked.]

Her stomach turned.

"What tribute?"

But the voice stopped there.

[You lack the authority to know more.]

Selene gritted her teeth.

"Then how do I get that authority?"

The answer came swift and sharp.

[Climb. Rank. Rise. Become number one. When the world kneels to you, so will its secrets. Only then will you be crowned as queen... and only then will the answers be yours.]

Selene’s brows furrowed. It all sounded so twisted, so vague.

But something in the voice’s tone told her it wasn’t lying.

There was a plan here. A structure. And if she wanted to fight fate, she had to play by its rules.

"Fine. I’ll climb. I’ll do what I have to."

She muttered.

She felt the voice go quiet again, like it was smiling to itself in the shadows of her thoughts.

It made her skin crawl.

She wasn’t sure if she’d just agreed to something that would damn her later—but for now, it was her only option.

The next morning, the sunlight filtered in through half-closed blinds as Selene slowly walked into the dining area.

The air was still, but something hung in it—an odd tension, quiet and heavy.

Zara was already there, seated at the table with a cup of tea she didn’t seem interested in drinking.

Selene caught her eyes, and for a second, neither of them said anything.

Something about Zara’s presence made Selene feel off-kilter, as if she was carrying a secret too close to the surface.

And Selene wasn’t sure if it was her secret... or Zara’s.

Zara gave her a faint nod but didn’t speak. Selene nodded back, then sat down quietly.

The twins were next, followed by Orion.

Ethan came last, his hair still slightly damp from a morning shower, eyes half-lidded, shoulders tense.

They all ate quietly for a few moments, the only sound being the light clinking of spoons and forks.

Then Nora broke the silence.

"Selene, are you feeling better?"

She said gently,

Selene nodded.

"I’m fine now. Just needed a little rest. Nothing’s wrong with me."

Zara glanced at her for a moment, unreadable. Noah didn’t say anything, but he kept looking at Selene as if trying to read her thoughts.

Another pause.

Then Orion leaned forward.

"So... what do we do next?"

All eyes turned to Selene.

She straightened a little, folding her hands in her lap.

"We climb."

Orion tilted his head.

"Climb?"

"The rankings. We need to rise to the top. It’s the only way we’ll find out what caused the apocalypse... and how to stop what’s coming next.. The next way will be to get as much authority as we can using the rankings."

Selene clarified.

Zara raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question her.

Maybe she sensed the certainty in Selene’s voice. Or maybe she was just too tired to argue.

Noah leaned back in his chair.

"You think that’s what’s waiting at the top? Answers?"

"I’m sure of it."

Selene said. She wasn’t, not entirely—but she needed to believe it. Because if she didn’t... what else did she have?

There must be a reason Ethan and other top-rankers in her past life had fought hard to get to the top. There was always news about the top 10’s rankings changing and no new faces ever popped up in those rankings.

’I wonder what Ethan knows. He does not seem like someone to share his secrets with. I wonder if he will speak about it.’

Ethan didn’t speak.

But he watched her. The whole time. Eyes shifting to her every few seconds, face unreadable.

Selene pretended not to notice, but she felt the weight of it. The way his gaze lingered. The way his jaw tightened slightly when she talked about rising through the ranks. About fighting fate.

She wondered what he was thinking. What he wasn’t saying.

And part of her didn’t want to know.

They finished breakfast in silence.

And in that silence, Selene made a silent promise to herself:

She would uncover the truth. freёwebnoѵel.com

She would find a way to stop what was coming.

Even if it meant becoming someone unrecognizable.