The world was still normal then—well, as normal as it could be in the final days of calm.
But Arin remembered the exact moment it all began.
Snow fell silently, blanketing the city in a heavy white veil. The streets were eerily empty, buildings iced over like forgotten relics. Arin stood alone in the middle of the road, steam rising from his breath in the freezing air. His hand was glowing. A soft, strange light pulsed from his palm, barely visible—but alive.
"At the beginning of the World of Snow…"
"That's when I discovered it."
He didn't know how or why—but something inside him had awakened.
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light erupted from his hand. It wasn't heat, but pure energy—raw, untamed. The air shimmered, and before his wide eyes, a swirling portal opened in the space just inches in front of him.
"What… is this power?" he had thought, dazed.
That was the first time he saw it: the portal to his space. A void that only he could access. A place to store anything.
Everything changed after that.
The memory faded.
Back in the present, Arin sat on his couch beside Ayric. The apartment was still warm and peaceful, untouched by the chaos yet to come. Nothing about the room screamed "apocalypse"—not yet. No scattered food cans, no survival gear, just two boys in casual clothes and a quiet conversation that would decide their future.
Ayric leaned back and looked at Arin. "So… what are we doing for food?"
Arin smirked faintly. "You forgot? I work for SuperFast—the biggest online grocery app in the world."
Ayric blinked. "Yeah, but… so what? How's that supposed to help us now?"
Arin stood up slowly, stretching his arms before flashing a mischievous grin.
"Let me show you something."
Ayric sat up straighter, watching curiously.
Without another word, Arin raised his hand—and just like before, that soft glow returned. The space in front of his palm rippled, and then: a portal opened, circular and pulsating gently like a heartbeat. Inside, items floated in a strange suspended dimension.
Right now, there was just one thing visible.
A perfectly preserved loaf of bread.
Ayric's jaw dropped. "What the hell…?"
Arin reached in casually, pulled the loaf out, and tossed it to him.
"I've been stocking up since the first freeze."
Ayric caught the bread, eyes wide with disbelief. He turned it over in his hands like he was checking if it was real.
"That's… insane," he breathed. "How much can you store in there?"
Arin didn't answer right away. He walked over to the window, pulling the curtain aside slightly. Outside, the city continued its usual rhythm. People walked by, smiling, shopping, laughing.
Totally unaware of the storm coming for them.
"They don't know what's coming…" Arin thought grimly.
He turned back to Ayric.
"It's not just food," he said, voice low. "That warehouse had more than that. Tools. Gear. Even vehicles."
Ayric leaned forward now, eyes locked. "You're saying… we've got more than just groceries?"
Arin nodded. "Exactly. But we've got to do one more thing."
Ayric tilted his head, waiting.
Arin stepped across the room, his voice steady now. "You worked for IIT, right? The company that built underground bunkers?"
Ayric straightened. His usual laid-back demeanor shifted into something more focused. "Yeah. Nuclear-proof facilities. Underground bases. Reinforced structures. Why?"
Arin turned and locked eyes with him.
"Then make this apartment unbreakable," he said. "Fireproof. Cold-proof. Everything-proof."
A silence passed.
Then Ayric grinned—his old spark returning.
"Heh. I was waiting for something like this."
For the first time, the weight of fear in the room was replaced with something stronger.
Determination.
The two of them stood there, side by side. Behind them, Arin's portal still glowed, casting light across the floor like a beacon.
This was where it started.
"The first step toward survival… begins now."
Let me know if you'd like an extended version with more internal monologues, descriptions, or action buildup!