I was laying on the bed in Celine's mansion when I heard yet another loud blast... It was deafening as if it was right outside the estate. Once tinnitus subsided, I looked out of the window the see yet another crater.
I rushed down to the blast area to see bits and pieces of the staff. People I had just met earlier were now gone.
They were alive just a few minutes ago...
Training beastfolks will take a long time and I can't think of any faster way to deal with this.
As I looked around, I found a decapitated head of Celine's mother. I threw up almost immediately and looked away. Why is this happening?! I stood there just contemplating where exactly everything had gone wrong. I thought I had escaped the nightmare that was my world but this is just as bad.
I wanted to make sure her staff and her mother were buried respectfully but I couldn't pick up their body parts. It made me stick to my stomach. This wasn't the first time I had seen someone die but this felt different and a bit more personal.
While Celine is out there helping people escape and trying to soften up human society to beastfolks, unbeknownst to her, she has lost one of her parents.
Soon all the other staff arrived and long story short, they took care of everything while I went on my way to Furrina's palace.
I barged in and grabbed her by her collar again and slammed her against a wall.
"Explain yourself!"
"P-Please! Don... Don't kill me!" She covered her face from fear.
"JUST HOW CAREFREE HAVE YOU BEEN?! Exactly what have you been doing?! A god?! People are dying and you're here in comfort of your palace!"
"I do have a plan! I do! I promise. Its... its umm.. It's just not the right time! Yes! Yes! It's how divinity works!"
"You..." I was about to punch her but someone held my arm. It was Durfort.
"I understand your concerns but it remains the fact that lady Furrina is the god of this nation. Even if she deserves it, I have to put a stop to this altercation."
"Durfort!" She cried out and quickly hid behind him.
"It appears as though you're just as childish as ever. But despite how things stands, you're my superior and I should report the toll. It has been reported that over a thousand people have been victim of the prophecy. Mister Kara, follow me please." He said as he left Furrina alone in her room.
"What?" I asked while walking the hallway with him.
"Please, do not misunderstand. It is heartbreaking to say the least but lady Furrina has been researching on her own to put a stop to this prophecy but I'm worried about something else."
"What is it?"
"She... was scared of you. Not only are you a mere human, you can't even use magic. Makes me wonder if she is really a god or not."
"You know the consequences of such suggestion?"
"I understand so I ask you of help. You're an outlander who is not bounded by this world or it's laws and hence, immune to said prophecy. Is there anything you know that we should too?"
I explained to him in details of what the bombs are and how we dealt with it in my own world.
"Oh? It is interesting. I wish we had more time. It seems like the prophecy will come true and we will all die."
"I have a plan." I said. "If we move people to scofinia's border and detonate all the bombs simultaneously."
"Isn't that... overly ambitious and impractical?"
"It is but cluster bombs are not capable to levelling multiple nations. I'm afraid that the prophecy is not about cluster bombs but an atomic bomb."
"You're implying that we are focusing on the wrong bomb?"
"I can't see the prophecy coming true simply because of cluster bombs. Absolutely nothing will set them off all at the same time. It's a hunch but maybe a cluster bomb ends up setting off an atomic bomb. It's not unheard of nations losing nuclear weapons out in the wild."
Existence of my world's language and bombs is leading me to believe that I didn't travel to another world but in the future of my own world. If only I had an idea of where on map I was because it seems like something had happened in past and all of the land was moved around. It stopped resembling the map I know. Some records must speak of cluster bombs but my phone is connected to 2024 so all the news is of that time period as well.
"Do you have any authority over Scofinia? We can't move people there on a whim."
"Place is taken over by monsters. I think refugees are the last thing they'd be worrying about. Monsters are better than being bombed... I guess." I responded.
"True. I will work alongside other nobles but I want help from you. Can you go to Principality of Machi? That location is... let's just say even Lady Furrina has no say in how the place runs. It is a place with it's own set of rules. You have about 3 weeks before the prophecy comes true and we have no contact with that location in particular."
"Why is it cut off like that?"
"Let's just say it is a place... of exiles. Duke of that principality runs everything. He knows ins and outs of everything. We sent some soldiers to warn them of prophecy but they just... disappeared."
"I don't have magic to defend myself. You know that, right?"
"I have sent three people there. They're currently investigating the location. You may inform them of the entire ordeal and then see from there. I trust your decisions."
"I guess. It's a lot of burden on someone who doesn't belong to this world." I said.
"In this world, you may experience everything ranging from marvelous to vexatious. But that is the part of growing up and before you realize it, you'll form unbreakable bonds in this world too. You may find yourself being part of this world without even realizing."
"Bonds? I think there is some truth to that." However much I hate to say this, I do have form bonds here. But I'm afraid of losing it all... or worse... losing myself to all of it.
After my small walk with the duke, I walked out of the palace wondering what to do.
'I miss those days when I was happy despite not having anything.'
Huh? Same voice but clearer this time.
I can see magic circles differently and there is nothing around. What exactly is going on? I quickly took my phone and typed it on notepad. Some kind of last dance...
I wonder is going on. If this was some kind of cheesy rom-com, I could see it being a main character accidentally tapping into someone's memories. Oh wait-
I'll keep this possibility in mind. For now, I have to move to Machi and meet up with these people.