The voice of panting echoed in the air as a man climbed on top of a mountain that had been covered in ash.
Once he reached the top, he couldn't help but look around him, finding the entire world had been covered in ash. The city next to the mountain had crumbled, with a lot of people getting buried underneath the ash.
He turned his head to the west, finding a marching army of aliens.
"This time is the same, huh? I don't really have enough familiars to take them on…"
When he looked back, it felt like a vivid memory crawling into his mind. In one memory, there was a woman stroking his cheek gently while her face turned paler and paler every second.
"You have worked too hard. It feels unfair for me to tell you to keep pushing forward."
When he shook his head, a different scene appeared. It was a middle-aged man with a gentle smile on his face. He gave him a thumbs up, saying, "As expected of you, brother. I won't lose to you…"
He couldn't help but grit his teeth, only to find another memory surfacing.
"I'm sorry for not being able to protect this city. I regret… regret the fact that I don't follow your advice. If only I had enough familiars, I would have been able to take them down and protect the city. I'm sorry, master."
"…" The guy clenched his hands into fists, showing an expression of regret.
"I have lost, lost, and lost. The more I fight, the more I lose. Why is heaven unfair? Does the god of war wish for the downfall of humanity?
"In that case, I will show you." The guy shouted to the sky before leaping off the mountain. He summoned his familiars and faced the army head-on.
He and his familiars obliterated the first wave of the army easily. However, the moment the second wave came, they struggled.
By the time the third wave entered the battle, they had been exhausted.
"Summoner. I will be going first."
"I'm sorry for not being able to accompany you to the very end, my lord."
His familiars were going down one by one, not having any chance against the enemy.
Eventually, he would fall like his familiars.
Lying down on top of the ash, fully exhausted, the man looked at the aliens that were about to devour him.
"I have persevered this whole time, but in the end, it's not enough. Is there really a chance for us to even survive? I have to find it…"
As he closed his eyes, the alien devoured him.
"Ahhh!" Nathan screamed out of surprise as he instinctively rose from the bed, fully drenched in cold sweat.
Nathan panted a few times dumbfoundedly.
"En… what's wrong?" Flora's voice echoed from the side, as she had a hard time opening her eyes.
Nathan's heart skipped a beat before kissing her forehead and whispering gently, "It's alright. I'm just going to get some water. Sleep a little longer."
"Mhmm…" Flora closed her eyes again.
Nathan, on the other hand, bit his lips, thinking, 'That dream… It's similar to what I had previously…'
Nathan paused for a moment. Although he wanted to dismiss it for a bit to get a little more sleep, his mind was too restless to go back to sleep.
So, he went to grab some water and actually just came out of the inn instead of going back to the bed.
While looking at the dark sky, Nathan muttered, "I wonder what that dream is… Unlike the previous dream, I'm in this person's point of view, but his voice is similar to mine… Is it me as well?"
Feeling concerned, Nathan jumped onto the rooftop, wanting to cool his head off for a bit.
Considering this was the second time he experienced it, Nathan summoned his beasts except for Nidhogg because he was too big.
"Why are you summoning us at this time?" Fenrir asked with a concerned tone. Nathan wasn't someone who would summon them needlessly, so there might be something happening.
Even Jinwu and Anubis were alarmed, checking Nathan's condition first.
Nathan let out a long sigh. "I have just received another dream… but this time… it's much more complicated."
"For you to be so concerned…" Fenrir frowned before taking his seat.
Nathan leaned on him to warm him up while Jinwu and Anubis took their seats in front of him.
"Yeah…" Nathan gulped down. "You know how I'm still doubting the dream, right? Although it's acting like a prophecy, we can't really check its authenticity. The only thing that matches up is the ash cloud. We have never seen or could imagine the appearance of a thousand elite class aliens."
"Fair enough." Anubis nodded.
"The problem is that… in this dream, it's in the first perspective. Although I'm not sure whether it's me or not, the voice and other things feel so familiar.
"It's just…" Nathan raised a finger. "My familiars are not you guys. In fact, not a single one of them is actually a divine beast. All of them are humanoids."
"!!!" Fenrir raised his eyebrows.
"Humanoid?" Anubis looked down, falling into deep thought. "Is that even possible?"
Jinwu shook his head. "At this point, I don't think he is capable of summoning humanoid familiars. At the very least, divine beasts whose original form is humanoid. I mean, there should be some divine beasts who can shapeshift into humanoid form, right?"
"But not a single one of them looks like you guys." Nathan shook his head.
"Hmm? Does that mean it's not you?" Jinwu tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't understand as well. An alternate me? Maybe like the time paradox movie or multiverse kind of stuff?" Nathan shook his head helplessly.
"You are thinking like that? Well, with the concept of time, it should be possible. But I'm not sure about the multiverse one. Space element?" Jinwu contemplated.
"I'm unaware of this problem as well. All I know is about reincarnation, the afterlife, and immortality." Anubis shook his head.
Fenrir fell silent for a moment before pointing his paw at Nathan. "Say… is it possible that person is you, but not you at the same time?"
"Isn't that what we're talking about right now, you stupid dog?" Jinwu glared at him.
"No. I should have simplified my words. I'm talking about the original Nathan."