Thousands of kilometers from the smoldering ruins of Fiery Di, where Gerda and her companions fought for survival in a reborn world, another scene of apocalypse unfolded. The serene blue sky was split by a fiery scar as a colossal figure plummeted from the heavens with a deafening roar. It was Goddess Jizi, the mechanical cat, now many times larger than even during the Anchimetamorphosis. Her descent was like a meteor strike. The earth shuddered, buckled, and a crater of such depth and breadth formed at the point of impact that its edges were lost beyond the horizon.
The shockwave, radiating outwards, obliterated everything in its path. Forests were splintered, mountains pulverized, rivers vaporized. All life that teemed on this land was erased in an instant. Only a lifeless, scarred landscape remained, covered in a thick layer of dust and ash.
At the center of this chaos, in the very depths of the crater, buried beneath tons of earth and debris, lay Edward Snowden. The impact had thrown him far from the Dream Road command post, burying him alive. He awoke in complete darkness, deafened, disoriented, with a throbbing pain in his head.
What… what happened? The thought pierced his consciousness like a sharp needle. He tried to move, but his body felt as if bound by invisible chains. A deathly silence reigned, broken only by a faint ringing in his ears.
Panic began to grip him. He choked on the dust that clogged his mouth and nostrils. Mustering all his strength, he began to claw his way to the surface, desperately digging through the earth with his hands.
After a time that felt like an eternity, he saw light. With a final surge, he scrambled out from under the rubble and greedily gulped fresh air.
A scene of utter devastation unfolded before him. Nothing remained of the familiar world. Only a lifeless wasteland stretched to the horizon.
Where… where am I? The thought pulsed in his head, mingling with a growing anxiety. Lily… where's Lily?
Suddenly, he remembered his daughter, little Lily, from whom he had been separated during the catastrophe. Panic seized him in an icy grip. He leaped to his feet and screamed at the top of his lungs:
"Lily! Lily! Where are you?!"
His cry echoed across the desolate landscape, but only silence answered. He started to run, heedless of his path, stumbling over rocks and debris.
"Lily! Answer me!"
He shouted until his voice was hoarse, cracking with desperation, but the silence persisted. Despair began to engulf him. He was alone in this ravaged world, without his daughter, without hope.
Where are you, Lily? The thought reverberated in his mind, mingling with the bitter taste of loss. He continued to run, not knowing where or why, driven only by the blind hope of finding his daughter. A hope that grew more and more tenuous with each step.