Serian woke up slowly, feeling an unfamiliar weight in his chest. The air felt thick with something he couldn't quite place. As his eyes fluttered open, he felt something strange under his feet. Water? It rose just to his ankles, a shimmering golden hue swirling around his legs. Small golden specks of glittering dust danced through the air, floating gently like fireflies. He blinked and gazed ahead.
There, in the distance, towering above him like a great guardian, stood Ygdrassil—the Divine Tree. Its ancient roots spread out, touching the earth, while its branches stretched far beyond his sight, into the cosmos. He hadn't visited here in a long time.
His long silver hair trailed behind him as he stepped closer, the robe he wore floating gracefully with each movement. His violet eyes reflected the starry skies above, a galaxy of endless possibilities.
The weight of this world… the strange, tangible feeling of reality, pulled at him. He stopped for a moment, lost in thought. Why had he been sent here, to this world of humans, of struggles, of fleeting lives?
Before he could get lost in his thoughts, a shimmer in the air caught his attention. He looked up. Gods. From different mythologies, standing tall and silent. Each had a figure that was both familiar and foreign, like echoes from long-forgotten times. Some had ancient, regal appearances, while others were more ethereal, like whispers of forgotten legends. They waited for him, quietly. He could feel their gaze on him, heavy with expectation.
Serian was puzzled. He had never had so many visitors in this place, and certainly never from so many different stories. It was unsettling. Was this some kind of trial? Was this why Ygdrassil had called him?
A hand reached out from behind him, gently but firmly, guiding him forward. He turned to see the figure, another god, an enigmatic presence. They wore robes that shimmered like the night sky, with eyes that seemed to carry the weight of time itself.
"Come," the god said softly, pushing him closer to the great tree, to Ygdrassil.
Serian took a deep breath and stepped forward, his steps echoing softly in the silence. As they reached the base of the tree, the gods remained still, watching him. He glanced upward, his violet eyes scanning their faces. They were waiting for something. But what?
He was silent for a long while, as if expecting them to speak first. Finally, one god—the one closest to him, their presence commanding—took a knee. Their figure was tall and regal, their golden armor reflecting the light of the stars. Their face was ancient, yet their eyes were filled with the weight of many lifetimes.
"Please, Serian," the god whispered, their voice like a breeze in the night. "We ask for your help. The world is dying, and we cannot save it. We need you."
Serian blinked, caught off guard. He didn't answer immediately, his mind still racing. The world? The humans? He had seen countless worlds fall before, and each time, he had stood silent, recording, untouched. Was it fair to intervene now?
The god continued, "It's not fair to ask you. I know. But we cannot fix it without you. You must choose."
Serian looked at the god, and then he glanced around at the others—silent, waiting. Some of the gods had their hands clenched in frustration. Some had their eyes downcast, as if they knew the answer before it was even spoken.
"I see no reason to fix this world," Serian finally said, his voice calm, devoid of anger. "If I save it, others will still fall. Why this one?"
The gods remained silent, and then, one of them stepped forward. They were older, their body like a mountain, their face carved with the wisdom of millennia. They held out their hand. A single leaf, fallen from the great Ygdrassil, drifted down and landed gently in their palm.
"It is a story," the god said. "A story of a young man who struggles against monsters, against infection. He fights with his friends in a world ravaged by apocalypse. His name is Edward Rutherford."
Serian's heart skipped a beat. Edward?
He didn't understand. What did it mean? Why was it Edward of all people? He didn't know him well, but Edward was no hero. He was just a young man, like so many others.
The god placed the leaf in Serian's hand. It felt strangely warm, as if it held the weight of all the potential futures that could be. He could feel the story, the lives, the choices contained within it. But still, it didn't make sense.
As Serian stared at the leaf, he saw the faces of Edward and his friends. They were fighting, struggling, fighting against impossible odds. And then, he saw the end. They would die. They would all die.
Serian's heart clenched. He couldn't explain why, but there was something about their struggle that moved him. He wasn't sure if it was empathy or something else entirely, but it felt like something was pulling him, compelling him to act.
The gods' eyes remained on him, filled with hope and desperation.
"Please," they whispered in unison. "Fix this world, Serian. The trial must end, and you are the only one who can do it."
Serian stood silently, feeling the weight of the moment. His eyes glanced at the leaf in his hand again. He could feel it. This world, its people, their fate was in his hands. And for the first time in a long while, Serian hesitated.
But before he could answer, the vision faded, and he woke up.
His surroundings were calm, the familiar world of the human world once again. But the questions remained.
What should I do?
As he sat up, his mind raced.
*****
It was an unusually quiet morning. Edward was rubbing his eyes, feeling groggy as he tried to wake up fully. The past few days had been exhausting, and the weekend had felt strange. Something had shifted in the air, but he couldn't quite place it. He turned to see Serian, sitting by his side, his violet eyes intensely focused on him. The gaze was unblinking, almost too calm, like Serian was studying him.
Edward shifted uncomfortably, yawning. "What's up with you today, Serian?" he mumbled, not quite awake. "You're staring at me like I'm some kind of rare bug."
Serian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he slowly picked up a piece of bread that had been set aside for breakfast, inspecting it with a seriousness that bordered on comical. Then, he took a cautious bite, chewed it slowly, as if trying to determine if it was poisoned. After a long moment of silence, he nodded, as if satisfied by his examination, and then silently pushed the plate toward Edward.
"Uh... okay?" Edward said, still half asleep, eyeing the bread. "I mean, if you say it's fine..."
Serian said nothing, only watching Edward with his intense, curious gaze. Edward hesitated, then picked up a piece of bread, taking a bite. As soon as he did, Serian's eyes locked onto him, waiting for a reaction. Edward blinked, confused by the strange behavior but shrugged it off. "I'm fine, you know," he said with a chuckle, swallowing the bite. "It's just bread, not poison."
Serian nodded slowly, his gaze never wavering. It was as though he were waiting for some deeper meaning behind Edward's actions, something he could not grasp.
Edward frowned. "Alright, seriously, what's up with you? You've been acting... odd lately."
But Serian just shrugged, completely unbothered, as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. "It's nothing," he said, his tone too casual. "Just observing."
"Observing me?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow. "I swear you've been following me everywhere. Even to the bathroom. Are you my bodyguard now?"
Serian didn't answer. He simply nodded, as if that explanation was sufficient.
Edward froze mid-step as he processed what Serian had just said. "Wait, hold on. Are you... serious? You actually follow me everywhere? Dude, I get that we're friends, but... you need to take a break sometimes."
Serian didn't seem to understand what was so strange about it. "I am here following my friend."
Edward's eyes widened slightly, and then he smirked, scratching his head. "Man, if you think I'm in some kind of danger, maybe you should just let me get some space." He chuckled lightly, trying to brush it off. "I'm not that important, Serian."
Serian's expression was unreadable. He tilted his head, still studying Edward. "You are important," he said in his usual calm voice, which only made Edward feel even more uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay," Edward said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "If I'm that important to you, I guess you can keep watching me… just not while I'm in the bathroom, alright?"
Serian nodded seriously, not picking up on the humor in Edward's voice. "Understood."
Edward blinked, unsure if Serian was joking or genuinely unaware of how weird it all seemed. As Serian continued to follow him around like a shadow, Edward couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. He had always thought of Serian as a calm, collected person, but recently, it was like he was acting... different. Like he was trying to figure something out, something that Edward didn't fully understand.
"What's going on with you, Serian?" Edward muttered as he grabbed his jacket, glancing back at his friend. "You've been acting so strange. First the bread thing, now this… are you... are you checking if I'm going to disappear or something?"
Serian didn't reply right away. He just stared at him, as if pondering the question. "I just need to observe," he said finally, his voice steady.
Edward felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Serian didn't elaborate further, his gaze remaining as intense as ever.
"You're the one who's been acting strange," Edward muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "I mean, you're the one who's been following me around like a puppy. Shouldn't I be the one asking you what's going on?"
Serian only blinked, his expression unfazed. "I am here to understand."
"Understand what?" Edward asked, more curious now than annoyed. "Seriously, what are you even trying to figure out?"
But Serian said nothing more, his focus unbroken as he silently observed Edward, watching his every move. Edward, despite his growing confusion, couldn't help but laugh, albeit nervously. "Alright, man... whatever you say." He turned and started walking, but Serian remained glued to his side, like a silent shadow.
This felt like one big misunderstanding to Edward. It was funny, in a way, but also kind of eerie. And as much as he wanted to ask more questions, something in Serian's gaze made him hold back.
For now, though, he decided to let it go. Whatever Serian was thinking, he wasn't going to get answers today.