Name: Ama Be Back
Author: Luvy

Chapter 1

The bullet entered Luvy's chest like a question he never got to answer.

He hit the pavement hard. His own blood felt warm against the cold night air, spreading beneath him like dark wings. Above him, Lilly's face hovered — beautiful, tear-streaked, and completely empty behind the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luvy," she whispered. The gun in her hand was still smoking. "You weren't supposed to be part of the new world."

Behind her, three figures in black coats waited. Impatient. One of them checked his watch.

Luvy's lungs filled with something wet. He tried to speak. Tried to curse her name. But all that came out was a rasping whisper that surprised even him.

"Ama be back."

His vision went white. Then black. Then—

—his eyes snapped open.

---

The ceiling was cracked. Yellow water stain in the shape of a rabbit. His ceiling. His room. The same cheap apartment he'd been living in since dropping out of Eastgate High two years ago.

Luvy sat up so fast his head spun.

His phone on the nightstand read: June 12th, 5:47 AM.

Five days before the first Gate opened.

Five days before monsters poured into the streets of downtown Eastgate.

Five days before Lilly smiled at him, kissed his cheek, and led him into that alley.

He checked his chest. No wound. No blood. Just the same faded t-shirt he'd worn to bed a thousand times.

"What the hell..."

The memory was too sharp to be a dream. The weight of the gunshot. The cold concrete. Lilly's voice. The three men in black coats who smelled like ozone and old copper.

She killed me.

And now he was back.

Luvy stood up slowly. His legs felt solid. Real. He walked to the bathroom mirror and stared at his own face — nineteen years old, tired eyes, a small scar above his left eyebrow from a fight he'd lost at sixteen.

Same face. Same world.

But not the same person.

Ama be back.

He'd meant it as a dying curse. Something to haunt Lilly's conscience if she had one left. He never actually thought—

[Ding.]

Luvy froze.

A blue holographic screen materialized in the air in front of his face. Translucent. Glowing. Impossible.

---

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.

USER: Luvy Reyes

STATUS: Reborn (1x)

CLASS: None (Awakening Pending)

TITLE: The One Who Came Back

NOTICE: The apocalypse begins in 4 days, 18 hours, 12 minutes.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Survive.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: [LOCKED — Complete Primary to Unlock]

WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM.

---

Luvy blinked. Then blinked again.

He reached out and poked the screen. His finger passed through it, but the text shimmered and rearranged itself.

"What the—"

[SYSTEM TUTORIAL - BASIC COMMANDS]

· Status — View your stats

· Quest — View active quests

· Inventory — Access stored items (0/10)

· Harem — Manage bonded companions

· Shop — Purchase skills and items with SP (System Points)

His heart was pounding now — but not from fear. From something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

Or maybe hunger.

He whispered the first command. "Status."

---

USER: Luvy Reyes

LEVEL: 0

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50

STR: 10

AGI: 12

VIT: 9

INT: 11

LUCK: 7

SP: 0

PASSIVE SKILLS: None

ACTIVE SKILLS: None

TITLES EQUIPPED: The One Who Came Back (+5% resistance to surprise attacks)

---

Luvy read the numbers twice. A normal guy. Slightly above average agility from running deliveries after dropping out. Nothing special.

But the system was special. And he had five days before hell broke loose.

He pulled up the Shop next.

---

SHOP (Rank F - Initial Access)

· Healing Potion (Minor) — Restores 50 HP — 50 SP

· Stamina Potion — Removes fatigue — 30 SP

· Skill Scroll: Basic Swordsmanship — 200 SP

· Skill Scroll: Dash — 150 SP

· Skill Scroll: Detect Threat — 180 SP

· Harem Bond Token (Tier 1) — Allows skill-sharing with 1 bonded companion — 500 SP

[MORE ITEMS UNLOCK AT HIGHER SYSTEM RANKS]

---

His eyes locked onto the Harem Bond Token.

"Bonded companions..."

He remembered the second timeline. When the Gates opened, people either died or awakened. Those who awakened became Hunters — humans with classes, skills, and the ability to fight back. But the process was random. Cruel. Lilly had awakened as a C-rank mage. That's why the three men in black coats wanted her.

That's why they killed him.

He'd been nothing. A high school dropout tagging along with his girlfriend's sudden rise to power. Disposable.

Not this time.

Luvy closed the Shop and opened Quest.

---

ACTIVE QUESTS:

MAIN QUEST: [SURVIVE THE AWAKENING]

Remain alive when the First Gate opens (4 days, 18 hours, 4 minutes).

Reward: Class Unlock | 500 SP | Random Skill Scroll

Failure: Death (Permanent)

SIDE QUEST: [THE BETRAYER'S TRUTH]

Discover why Lilly betrayed you.

Reward: 200 SP | +3 LUCK

Failure: Unknown

SIDE QUEST: [GATHER YOUR FORCES]

Recruit at least 3 companions before the First Gate opens.

Reward: 100 SP | Harem Bond Token (50% discount)

Bonus Reward: If 5+ companions recruited — additional Skill Scroll: Shared Senses

---

Luvy read the last one twice.

Shared Senses.

If he understood correctly — if he bonded with people, they could share skills. His system could upgrade them. And if they had skills he didn't, maybe he could use those too.

The apocalypse wasn't a solo game. He'd learned that the hard way the first time.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Most of them were dead in the other timeline. But right now — five days before — they were still alive.

He started making calls.

---

Day 1 — 4 days before apocalypse

Kimberly answered on the second ring. Her voice was rough from sleep but sharp underneath — the voice of someone who'd been taking care of herself since she was fifteen.

"Luvy? It's 6 AM."

"I know. Listen, Kim. I need you to trust me."

A pause. He could hear her sitting up in bed, the rustle of sheets.

"You calling to confess something? Because if you finally realized you're in love with me, this is a weird time."

He almost laughed. That was Kimberly — blunt, half-joking, but always watching to see how you'd react. She worked at a garage, could tear down an engine and rebuild it blindfolded. In the old timeline, she'd died in the first wave. A monster crushed her before she even knew what was happening.

"No confession," he said. "But something's coming. A disaster. In four days."

"...You high?"

"Worse. I'm serious." He took a breath. "Meet me at the old warehouse on Meridian. 10 AM. Bring Tamie if you can reach her."

"Tamie? You haven't talked to her since—"

"I know what I haven't done." His voice came out harder than he intended. "Please, Kim. Just this once. Don't ask questions."

Long silence. Then: "10 AM. If this is a prank, I'm taking your kneecaps."

She hung up.

Luvy called Tamie next. No answer. He left a voicemail — short, serious, nothing that would sound crazy on recording. Then Nicole. Then Grace. Then Nicky.

Nicky picked up immediately. "Luvy? Bro, it's sunrise. What's the emergency?"

"Remember how you always said you wanted to be in a movie?"

"...Yeah?"

"Get ready. You're about to live one."

---

At 10 AM, six people stood in the abandoned warehouse on Meridian. The air smelled of dust and rust and old rain.

Kimberly — arms crossed, dark hair pulled back, eyes scanning the room like she was already counting exits.

Tamie — quieter, smaller, but her gaze didn't flinch. She'd been a street kid before Luvy knew her. Still had the reflexes.

Lynette — the only one who showed up smiling. She worked at a bookstore and read too many fantasy novels. Maybe that's why she believed him fastest.

Nicole — athletic, a former track star whose scholarship fell through. She stood like a sprinter, weight on the balls of her feet.

Grace — last to arrive, still wiping grease from her hands (mechanic, like Kimberly, but at a different shop). Her voice was soft but her knuckles were scarred.

Nicky — the only guy besides Luvy. His best friend since middle school. Loyal to the point of stupidity. Currently holding a baseball bat he'd grabbed "just in case."

Six people. Five girls, one guy. All of them dropouts, misfits, or people the system had already forgotten.

Luvy looked at each face and remembered how they died the first time.

Kimberly — crushed.

Tamie — bled out in an alley.

Lynette — never even made it out of her apartment.

Nicole — ran until she couldn't anymore.

Grace — tried to save a stranger.

Nicky — stood in front of Luvy when the monsters came. Bought him ten seconds. Died smiling.

Not this time.

"I'm going to say some things that sound insane," Luvy began. "But I need you to listen to every word."

He told them about the Gates. The monsters. The Hunters. He didn't mention Lilly's betrayal — not yet. That was a wound for later.

When he finished, the silence was thick enough to touch.

Nicky spoke first. "So... you're from the future?"

"I'm from a future. One where almost everyone here dies."

"Almost?" Nicole's voice cracked.

"You died saving a kid you didn't know. It was the most Nicole thing I've ever seen." Luvy's throat tightened. "But it's not happening again."

Kimberly uncrossed her arms. "How do we stop it?"

That was the question.

Luvy opened his system screen — invisible to everyone else — and navigated to Harem.

---

HAREM MANAGEMENT

BONDED COMPANIONS: 0/?

AVAILABLE CANDIDATES (Nearby):

· Kimberly (Compatibility: High)

· Tamie (Compatibility: High)

· Lynette (Compatibility: Medium-High)

· Nicole (Compatibility: High)

· Grace (Compatibility: Medium)

· Nicky (Compatibility: Maximum — Best Friend Bonus)

NOTICE: Bonding is consensual and non-physical (Tier 1). Bonded companions may share skills and receive system upgrades. Additional benefits unlock at higher bond tiers.

---

Luvy closed the screen.

"First step," he said aloud. "You all need to trust me enough to say yes to something weird."

"Weirder than 'the world ends in four days'?" Lynette asked, still smiling faintly.

"Marginally."

He explained the bond. No weird stuff — just a connection. A link. He could help them get stronger. They could help him. Together, they might survive.

"So like a party in an RPG," Nicky said.

"Yeah. Exactly like that."

Kimberly stepped forward first. "Do it."

"Kim, wait—"

"I watched my mom die when I was twelve because no one was there to help her. You're offering help. I'm not stupid enough to say no."

Luvy nodded. He opened the Harem Bond interface.

---

INITIATE BOND WITH: Kimberly?

WARNING: Bond is permanent unless dissolved by mutual consent.

EFFECTS:

· Skill sharing enabled

· Shared XP from combat (50% to each party)

· Emotional resonance (Tier 1 — basic empathy link)

ACCEPT / DECLINE

---

He accepted.

A soft golden light passed between them — so faint that the others might have blinked and missed it. But Luvy felt it. A thread. Warm. Connected.

Kimberly's eyes widened. "I felt that."

SYSTEM NOTICE: Kimberly has joined your Bond.

BONDED COMPANIONS: 1

NEW PASSIVE: Mechanic's Intuition — Kimberly grants +5% effectiveness to repairs and structural assessments.

One by one, they stepped forward.

Tamie went next — silent, steady, no hesitation.

Lynette after her, laughing nervously but holding still for the light.

Nicole clenched her fists and nodded. "Let's do this."

Grace took a breath and said, "I don't understand any of this. But I trust you, Luvy."

Nicky was last. He didn't wait for the prompt. "Bro. You didn't even have to ask."

---

BONDED COMPANIONS: 6

BONUS ACHIEVED: GATHER YOUR FORCES — 5+ companions recruited before First Gate.

REWARD: 100 SP | Harem Bond Token (50% discount) | Skill Scroll: Shared Senses

---

The scroll appeared in Luvy's inventory — a physical object made of light that solidified when he touched it. He crushed it without hesitation.

SKILL ACQUIRED: Shared Senses (Passive)

EFFECT: You may temporarily borrow one sense (sight, hearing, touch) from any bonded companion within 500 meters. Range increases with bond tier.

He looked at the six people standing around him. Six bonds. Six lives he refused to lose again.

"We have four days," Luvy said. "Here's what we're going to do."

---

Day 2 — 3 days before apocalypse

They trained. All day. All night.

Luvy used his starting SP — earned from completing the Gather Your Forces quest — to buy Basic Swordsmanship from the Shop. The skill downloaded into his brain like a movie he'd watched a thousand times. His hands knew where to go. His feet knew how to move.

Nicky found a pipe. Kimberly grabbed a wrench from her truck. Tamie produced a knife from somewhere nobody saw.

They weren't fighters. Not yet.

But they were something.

---

Day 3 — 2 days before apocalypse

Luvy kissed Lilly.

It tasted like ash.

He'd been seeing her the whole time — keeping up the lie, smiling when she smiled, holding her hand like he hadn't watched her pull a trigger. She thought everything was normal. Sweet Luvy. Dumb Luvy. High school dropout who didn't even know the world was about to end.

"I love you," she said, her eyes bright and warm.

"I know," he said.

And he meant it in a way she'd never understand.

---

Day 4 — 1 day before apocalypse

The system upgraded.

---

NOTICE: Threshold approaching.

NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: Harem Skill Enhancement

DESCRIPTION: You may now invest SP to upgrade bonded companions' innate abilities. Each companion has a unique talent tree.

UPGRADE OPTIONS:

· Kimberly (Mechanic) → Combat Engineering (200 SP)

· Tamie (Stealth) → Shadow Walk (250 SP)

· Lynette (Knowledge) → Rapid Analysis (180 SP)

· Nicole (Speed) → Lightning Step (220 SP)

· Grace (Endurance) → Iron Will (150 SP)

· Nicky (Protection) → Bodyguard's Sacrifice (300 SP)

---

Luvy had 370 SP saved. He spent carefully.

Tamie got Shadow Walk — she could move through shadows now, silent and invisible in low light.

Nicole got Lightning Step — bursts of speed that left afterimages.

Nicky got Bodyguard's Sacrifice — the ability to take a hit meant for someone else.

Kimberly, Lynette, and Grace would have to wait.

"I can feel it," Tamie whispered that night. They were all camped in the warehouse, sleeping in shifts. "Something coming."

Luvy looked out the broken window. The sky was clear. The stars were out.

Tomorrow, the First Gate would open.

---

Day 5 — Apocalypse Day

The sky tore open at 7:13 AM.

Luvy was ready.

He'd positioned his team across five key points in downtown Eastgate — far enough apart to cover ground, close enough to link via Shared Senses. Kimberly at the garage. Tamie in the shadows of the old theater. Lynette on the library roof. Nicole at the intersection. Grace at the clinic. Nicky stayed with Luvy.

When the Gate appeared — a massive crack in reality, purple-black and bleeding light — monsters spilled out immediately.

Goblins. Small. Fast. Razor-clawed.

In the old timeline, they'd killed hundreds before anyone understood what was happening.

This time, Luvy's team was waiting.

"Kim, south alley — three of them."

"Tamie, rooftop behind you — one's climbing."

"Lynette, don't fight. Just watch and tell us where they're going."

"Nicole — go."

He saw through Nicole's eyes as she blurred across the street, a steel pipe swinging in an arc that crushed a goblin's skull. Saw through Tamie's eyes as she melted out of a shadow and drove her knife between another's ribs. Saw through Nicky's eyes as his best friend took a claw to the shoulder — then activated Bodyguard's Sacrifice just in time to save a stranger.

They were winning.

And then — Luvy felt it.

Through Shared Senses, through Kimberly's eyes, he saw a figure step out of the Gate.

Not a monster.

A woman.

She wore a long black coat, and her eyes glowed faintly purple. Behind her, three figures in the same coat waited. Impatient.

One of them checked his watch.

Luvy's blood turned to ice.

Lilly.

But not Lilly as he'd seen her yesterday, soft and sweet and full of lies.

This Lilly was awakened. A mage. And standing next to her was the same woman who'd watched him die in the alley.

The woman in the black coat turned her head slowly — and looked directly at Kimberly's hiding spot.