Adam felt the world spiral around him, a disorienting vortex that pulled him deeper into the fathomless abyss of sleep. It was the same unnerving sensation he had experienced during his previous, unsettling dream, a feeling of being torn away from the familiar embrace of his own reality, and he knew that it was beginning again, another fractured glimpse of a past that he hadn't lived, a forgotten chapter of a history that was now slowly beginning to surface within his dreams. With a sudden jolt, his eyes snapped open, but this time, the familiar comfort of his dorm room was replaced by the same desolate landscape he had seen before, the world itself morphing and twisting around him, pulling him deeper into its embrace.
However, this time, everything was different, the world no longer an abstract vision. He was seeing through the eyes of another, his consciousness suddenly inhabiting the body of a man running through a dense, ancient forest, his senses assaulted by the pungent aroma of decaying leaves and the rustling whisper of the wind through the ancient trees. He could feel the ground rushing beneath his feet, the jarring impact of each step resonating deep within his bones, his breath ragged and strained, a burning sensation in his lungs as he leaped over fallen logs and weaved through the trees.
"Hold on, we're close, just a bit more," the man said, his voice tight with urgency, his words a testament to the desperation of their situation. Adam noticed that the man was carrying someone, her arm wrapped tightly around his neck, her weight a burden he seemed to bear without faltering, and with every movement, he could see from the hand that was wrapped around his neck that she was a woman, a delicate figure who had clearly suffered a grievous injury.
'She is injured,' Adam thought, his mind trying to make sense of the bizarre situation, his analytical nature taking over, even amidst the chaos of his dream, his brain desperately trying to make sense of it all. He could feel the weight of the woman, but it was not his own, his awareness was a separate entity within another, as if he were a silent observer, a ghost in the machine, a passenger on a journey he did not control.
The man, judging from his light brown armor and athletic build, seemed to be a scout or marksman, his movements precise and efficient, each action honed by years of training. Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted behind them, the sound a cataclysmic roar that echoed through the forest, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. "Dammit, they're close," the man said, his voice strained and filled with dread. "We need to regroup with Comman—"
His words were cut short as a dark, monstrous figure suddenly descended from the trees above them, a grotesque creature with six limbs, four of them tipped with razor-sharp claws, each claw radiating a dark, ominous power that promised to corrupt all it touched, all of them aimed directly at the man's head, the sheer ferocity of the attack a testament to its brutal power. But before the claws could strike, time seemed to warp and bend, and the man, with a swift, deliberate movement, pulled out a familiar-looking gun, a weapon that Adam recognized with a jolt of surprise.
'Judgment of Ignis?' Adam thought, his heart leaping in his chest, recognition flooding his senses. It was the same weapon he had seen in the archive schematics, yet, it looked so different, more real, more powerful, a tangible force of destruction that dwarfed the schematic version he had created. The man fired a shot at the creature's head, and as time returned to normal, the creature instantly vaporized into a cloud of dust, a testament to the raw, unrestrained power of the weapon.
"That was my last Use," the man said, looking at a device on his wrist and seeing a blue light vanish,his breath catching in his throat, his voice filled with a cold determination.
He quickly noticed more and more creatures coming, a seemingly endless horde. He knew he needed to eliminate the threat before he could continue his escape, and with a burst of inhuman speed, he leaped into the trees, searching for a vantage point, and with the Judgment of Ignis in his hand, he unleashed a barrage of explosive bolts towards the charging horde, each shot creating massive explosions that tore through the ground, shaking the very earth itself, but even amidst the destruction, he knew that his mana was running low. Two creatures managed to sneak close to him, and he dodged to the side, with a flick of a switch he activated a mana blade beneath the pistol, plunging it into the first one's back, before stepping back to counter the second creature's attack. He quickly dispatched it as well, cutting it in half, the creature's body instantly vaporizing by the intense heat emanating from his weapon.
'So that's what it looks like,' Adam thought, his analytical mind working at full capacity, observing the first-hand use of the weapon, cataloging every detail of its capabilities, his mind marveling at its power, the very idea of recreating something like that filling him with both terror and excitement.
The man tried to catch his breath, his muscles screaming in protest as he looked at the horizon, the forest now a charred wasteland, and he could see hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of creatures still coming, their forms distorted by the heat. He glanced down at the Judgment of Ignis, a thoughtful expression on his face, before shaking his head, "Now is not the time," he muttered before turning away and running, knowing that his previous encounter would have drawn the attention of others.
The man continued his desperate escape, more and more creatures ambushing him on the way, each time he dealt with them with a skill and efficiency that left Adam staring in awe, but everyone had their limits, and every single ambush consumed both his stamina and his mana. He knew that he couldn't continue this way, not with someone so injured on his back.
He found a well-hidden cave and entered it swiftly, his eyes scanning the interior before gently placing the woman against the cave wall. Finally, Adam could see her face clearly, a beautiful elf girl with short, silver hair, her features delicate and striking, and her silver eyes now open, a look of intense pain and suffering etched across her face, her very existence seemed to be in turmoil.
She was not in good shape, her left arm was blackened and unusable, and a gaping hole was in the right side of her stomach, her lower body paralyzed, and her clothes stained with her own blood.
'Valentina…' Adam thought, his heart skipping a beat, his breath catching in his throat. He recognized her immediately. It was the academy's principal, but she looked much younger, her face free from the lines of worry, her silver hair much shorter than before, her life now teetering on the brink.
"Leave…me…" Valentina whispered, her voice weak and fading, her breath ragged.
"Not a chance," the man replied, his voice firm but gentle, his hands moving with practiced ease as he tended to her wounds. He pulled out a small, round device the size of a palm and activated it, a shimmering barrier enveloping Valentina, her wounds slowly starting to heal, but the healing was only marginal, and he knew that it was not enough.
"Go…on…without me…and tell the…others…" Valentina said, her voice fading even more.
"Tell them yourself when we get back," the man said, his voice kind but resolute, and as he did, he pulled out a tube-shaped device, the size of a knife and activated it.
"It's... my...fault...they...die...because of...me," Valentina said in despair, tears silently sliding down her face.
The man's hand, which had been hovering over the tube-shaped device, stilled. He looked at Valentina, truly looked, not at the wounds, but into the depths of her pain. He saw the raw agony etched on her face, the guilt that threatened to drown her. He knelt beside her, his gaze locking with hers, his touch gentle as he wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"Valentina," he said, his voice soft but firm, carrying a weight of understanding that resonated deep within her soul. "Look at me, look at me, not at what you think you did." He waited until her eyes, still clouded with pain, met his. "This wasn't your fault. An ambush, a force like that... no one could have predicted it, no one could have stopped it alone. We were a team, we fought as a team, and we were all overwhelmed, not just you."
He took a deeper breath, his gaze never leaving hers, gathering his thoughts, "We were outmatched, that's all, even I can say that it was an unfair fight from the start, we lost our footing and things spiraled out of control very quickly." His voice was calm but with an underlying note of deep respect, "You've always led us well, you've always been the best of us, and this battle showed us how fearsome a leader you can be, you stood the longest and fought the hardest of us all. This isn't a failure, Valentina, it's a battle scar, a harsh lesson, not something you need to carry as a burden. They wouldn't want that." He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Losing them hurts, yes, it hurts us all, and it's okay to grieve, to feel that pain. But don't let that grief turn into blame, Valentina, especially blame aimed at yourself. We need you, not just as a leader, but as the person we trust. They wouldn't want to see you fall apart. They'd want you to fight on, just as you did for them." He smiled a small, reassuring smile, "You will not carry this alone, we'll all carry this as a team, as a family."
"We'll get through this, Valentina, we'll honor their memory, we'll grow stronger, not through blame, but through courage and resolve. And most importantly, we'll do this together, all of us." He gently squeezed her hand, adding, "Now, just focus on healing..."
He didn't finish the sentence. Instead, with a resolute movement, he plunged the tube-shaped device into the ground directly in front of her. He stepped back quickly, and in an instant, a shimmering, translucent barrier erupted around Valentina, enveloping her completely. It wasn't a solid shield, but something more akin to a distortion of light, a shifting mirage. Then, with a final flicker, she was gone, the barrier collapsing in on itself, leaving behind only the faintest impression in the air. Valentina had seemingly vanished, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment, as if she had never been there.
The man stepped out of the cave, his face a mask of grim determination. He saw thousands of creatures approaching on the horizon, their dark forms a horrifying sight, and he pulled out a second Judgment of Ignis, a mirrored version of the gun he had previously wielded, and he aimed it at the incoming threat. He allowed them to approach, waiting until they were in range before firing a barrage of explosive bolts, each shot killing hundreds of the creatures, but more kept coming, an endless tide of destruction.
The battle went on from dusk to dawn with the man fighting desperately, using every single skill he had acquired over the years, Adam watching, analyzing the man's movements, how he used the Judgment of Ignis, his memory cataloging every single movement.
Finally, when all the creatures fell, he finally fell to his knees, managing to catch his breath, his body in a very rough state, he had wounds everywhere, his armor broken, and his mana almost depleted, but the rest was cut short when he sensed a powerful presence above him, and he saw it.
A towering, humanoid creature hovered in the sky, its very presence radiating pure evil, it had four hands, each wielding a blade that was radiating a dark, corrupting energy, one eye and no mouth, its head adorned with two pairs of horns that stuck out like fangs, and on its back, a pair of wings made of pure darkness.
"Knight class..." the man said, his voice a grim whisper.
The creature raised one of its hands and slashed down, creating a wave of pure dark energy that launched towards the man, the power of it warping the very fabric of reality.
The man dodged, his movements now sluggish, and launched a counterattack, shooting at the creature, but it had little effect, the bolts of energy absorbed by the creature's dark armor.
The knight class creature continued to unleash waves of pure energy, each one a devastating blow, the man was forced to dodge them all, his body reaching its limit, each blast creating explosions that shook the earth.
Then, one of the energy waves was heading towards the cave, the very place Valentina was, seeing this, the man moved, with a burst of speed, and without any hesitation, he threw himself in front of the blast, taking the full force of the explosion head on.
The blast sent the man flying, before crashing against the outer cave wall, his body crumpling to the ground, a grotesque image of defeat, where he lay still and unmoving.
The knight class creature slowly descended, creating a crater as it landed, before walking towards the man, his very form radiating a powerful desire for death and destruction. As the creature approached, the man moved, his body suddenly twisting as he thrust a mana blade, through the creature's hand, piercing his flesh.
The creature, startled by the sudden attack, quickly retaliated, parrying the mana blade, cutting off the man's left arm, before kicking him through the wall, sending him crashing into the wall next to the cave entrance.
The man leaned against the stone wall, blood gushing through his severed left arm, with no strength left in his body, his mana depleted, his body broken, but his spirit unbroken. He looked down at the Judgment of Ignis in his right hand, his grip tightening, his eyes radiating a determined expression, he was still ready to fight, ready to give his life. He looked up at the creature, his eyes wide, but filled with a defiant rage, challenging it to come closer, to end it all.
As the distance between the creature and the man closed, the man was ready to activate the Judgment of Ignis's sword mode, knowing that using it now would mean his own certain death, but he did not care. He was done losing the colleagues he had come to see as a family, and he would take this creature with him.
As he was about to activate the weapon, he suddenly heard a sound in his head, a voice commanding, yet kind, "Stand down," the man's eyes widened in surprise, and his body seemed to relax against the wall, a peaceful smile gracing his lips, and a sense of relief washing over him. "You're late, commander," he whispered, his voice a whisper, but with a hint of hidden glee.
As the creature finally approached, raising its sword to finish the man, a streak of pure purple light shot across the horizon, like a falling star, a trail of ethereal purple flames marking its path. The creature seemed to sense the danger and turned around, but before it could react, it was struck by an incredible force, piercing through its chest, sending it to the ground, its body instantly disintegrating, falling apart in an instant, before it could even register its own death, a display of pure, raw, unyielding power.
When the dust settled, Adam's vision shifted, his gaze now fixed on the weapon that now stood before him: a sword surrounded by an ethereal purple flame, the very air around it shimmering from its raw power, its very existence a paradox of destruction and creation.
'Wrath of Finality,' he thought, his heart pounding in his chest, recognition washing over him. Then, from the purple flames emerged a man wearing black armor from head to toe, the same figure that Adam had seen in his dreams, the legendary Aether Knight. He walked up to the injured man and spoke with a commanding yet kind tone. "Good job," he said, his gaze behind his helmet looking directly towards Adam, a piercing stare that was both chilling, and oddly reassuring.
Then, the image began to blur, and Adam felt the familiar sensation of being pulled back, away from the dream. With a gasp, his eyes snapped open, and he was finally back in his own bed, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind reeling, and the world he knew was once more within his grasp, and a whole new set of questions were now begging to be asked.