It was a silence so complete that it could crush a normal person's sanity.
No wind.
No sound.
No heartbeat except his own.
Nolan floated in the endless darkness, the Moon slowly rotating beneath him while the brilliant blue planet hung in front of him like a marble suspended in an ocean of black.
His grin slowly widened.
"Oh..."
His eyes gleamed.
"That's actually genius."
He pointed toward the Earth.
"If I can't leave the Moon..."
"...then I'll make the Moon leave me."
He laughed.
It started as a chuckle.
Then another.
Before long his laughter echoed only inside his own ears.
"Hahaha..."
"HAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!"
He wiped a tear from his eye.
"I really am adapting."
He stretched his shoulders.
"So..."
He cracked his neck.
"Let's test something."
Nolan slowly descended until both feet touched the lunar surface once again.
Dust drifted around his shoes.
There was no atmosphere to carry it away.
No breeze.
Nothing.
Only him.
He looked down at the grey ground.
"I've never actually tried going all out."
His fists slowly clenched.
"I've always been holding back."
Not because he feared destroying the Moon.
He simply didn't know how strong he really was.
Now...
There was no reason to hesitate.
His muscles tightened.
Every fiber in his body awakened.
His heartbeat began accelerating.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Tiny cracks formed beneath his feet.
"...Let's see what happens."
He inhaled deeply.
His lungs filled despite the vacuum around him.
Another strange gift of this body.
His knees bent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOM!!
The Moon exploded beneath his feet.
A crater several kilometers wide appeared instantly as Nolan launched upward faster than a meteor.
The shockwave blasted lunar dust into space.
Chunks of stone the size of mountains broke free from the surface.
For the first time in billions of years...
The Moon had been wounded.
Nolan shot into space.
"HOLY—"
His eyes widened.
"I'm still accelerating?!"
His body tore through space at absurd speeds.
The Earth rapidly grew larger.
He couldn't stop smiling.
"This is amazing!"
He twisted his body.
"...Now."
"Can I steer?"
He leaned slightly.
His trajectory changed.
"Oh."
"OH!"
"I CAN STEER!"
He burst into laughter again.
"This body is ridiculous!"
His speed kept increasing.
Behind him...
The Moon slowly drifted farther away.
Ahead...
Earth filled his vision.
...
Thousands of kilometers below...
Deep beneath an enormous fortress...
Alarms blared.
Red lights flashed.
Dozens of mages rushed between enormous crystal arrays.
"Energy spike detected!"
"Where?!"
"The Moon!"
"What?"
"The Moon just lost mass!"
Silence filled the command room.
Every mage stopped moving.
"...Repeat that."
"The Moon..."
The woman stared at the readings.
"...just lost mass."
A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.
"It wasn't an explosion."
"It was..."
She zoomed in.
Everyone leaned closer.
"...a footprint."
Nobody spoke.
One elderly mage slowly removed his glasses.
"...Impossible."
Another crystal flashed.
"Object detected!"
Everyone turned.
"Tracking unknown lifeform."
"Estimated speed..."
The crystal glitched.
"Error."
"Recalculating."
"...Error."
"...Error."
"...Error."
The machine suddenly exploded.
CRACK!!
Fragments scattered across the room.
Everyone jumped back.
The woman stared at the smoking remains.
"...The system..."
"...can't calculate it."
Far above...
Nolan scratched his head.
"I should probably slow down."
"...How?"
He tried flapping his arms.
Nothing.
"Hm."
He crossed his arms.
Still nothing.
"Maybe flying works like..."
He imagined himself slowing.
Instantly—
WHOOOSH!!
His speed dropped dramatically.
He blinked.
"...Seriously?"
"That's all it took?"
He sighed.
"This body practically plays itself."
He looked down again.
The atmosphere was getting closer.
Clouds.
Oceans.
Continents.
Cities.
His smile slowly disappeared.
"So..."
"This is the world."
The world from the novel.
The world he'd spent years writing.
Every kingdom.
Every monster.
Every hero.
Every villain.
Every tragedy.
Every death.
He knew them all.
Or...
At least...
He thought he did.
Because this world had already proven one thing.
It refused to follow his script.
...
Far below...
Noah suddenly stood.
His chair crashed backward.
His breathing became uneven.
Sweat poured down his face.
The briefing instantly stopped.
"N-Noah?"
Oliver frowned.
"What happened?"
Noah didn't answer.
His pupils had shrunk to pinpoints.
He stared straight upward.
Through the ceiling.
Through the clouds.
Through the sky.
His future sight activated without permission.
Fragments.
Broken images.
A man smiling.
Black clothing.
Blue eyes.
The Moon.
Blood.
Cities burning.
Kings kneeling.
A throne.
The Earth splitting apart.
Noah screamed.
"HE'S HERE!!"
The room exploded into panic.
Every hero stood.
"WHO?!"
Noah grabbed his own head.
"He..."
"...HE'S FALLING!!"
Silence.
Then—
Every alarm in headquarters activated.
WARNING.
WARNING.
UNKNOWN OBJECT ENTERING ATMOSPHERE.
ESTIMATED IMPACT...
ONE MINUTE.
The entire building shook.
Outside...
People stopped walking.
Children looked toward the sky.
Someone pointed.
"What's that?"
A tiny red star had appeared overhead.
It grew brighter every second.
Brighter.
Larger.
Hotter.
The clouds began separating.
The atmosphere ignited.
A crimson line stretched across the heavens.
It looked like the sky itself had been cut open.
News helicopters immediately turned upward.
Broadcasts switched live.
"An unidentified object has entered Earth's atmosphere at incredible velocity!"
"No nation has claimed responsibility!"
"Authorities are requesting everyone remain calm—"
The reporter stopped talking.
The object changed direction.
It wasn't falling randomly.
It was steering.
...
High above...
Nolan folded his arms.
"Hm..."
"Let's avoid the ocean."
He tilted slightly.
His body instantly curved through the atmosphere.
Fire surrounded him.
The friction should have vaporized him.
Instead...
It merely tickled.
"Huh."
"I was expecting worse."
He looked below.
A massive mountain range stretched across the horizon.
"No people..."
He smiled.
"Perfect."
He shot downward.
The mountains waited beneath him.
Like insects waiting for a boot.
The atmosphere screamed.
A crimson streak ripped across the sky, carving a burning scar through the clouds. The air itself ignited around Nolan's body, wrapping him in a blazing cocoon as he folded his arms behind his head like he was lying on a beach chair.
"...Neat."
He squinted one eye.
"I wonder if anyone can see this."
He looked down.
"..."
"...Yeah."
"I think everyone can."
Every major city within hundreds of kilometers had stopped.
Cars pulled over.
People stood in the streets.
Some recorded with their phones.
Others simply stared.
A flaming object was flying across the sky...and it wasn't slowing down.
Inside Hero Headquarters—
One of the operators slammed both hands on her console.
"It's changing direction!"
Oliver narrowed his eyes.
"It can...control its movement?"
"It isn't a meteor!"
"No, sir!"
"It deliberately avoided two major cities!"
The room fell silent.
Oliver's expression hardened.
"So..."
"It can think."
Miles above the mountains...
Nolan scratched his cheek.
"Hmm..."
"I probably shouldn't land on somebody's house."
He banked left.
"...Or a city."
Another turn.
"...Forest?"
His eyes lit up.
"Oooo!"
"Big mountain!"
The mountain range stretched for dozens of miles, untouched by civilization.
"Perfect."
He pointed dramatically.
"Chosen by me!"
He tucked his arms in.
"Superhero landing!"
...
"...Wait."
"I've never actually landed before."
His eyes widened.
"Oh."
"Oh no."
"HOW DO YOU BRAKE?!"
He immediately started flailing.
"WOAH WOAH WOAH!"
"TOO FAST!"
"TOO FAST!"
"I SHOULD'VE PRACTICED!"
He leaned backward.
Nothing.
Forward.
Nothing.
Upside down.
Still nothing.
"...This is bad."
Very bad.
The mountain rapidly filled his vision.
"Hm."
He shrugged.
"I heal."
...
"Good enough."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The world shook.
A deafening explosion echoed across the entire mountain range.
Thousands of trees vanished instantly.
Stone erupted skyward like volcanic ash.
A mushroom cloud of dust expanded for miles.
Birds fled in every direction.
Animals scattered in terror.
Entire cliffs collapsed from the impact.
When the dust finally began settling...
A crater nearly a kilometer wide had appeared.
At its center...
A perfectly intact Nolan lay face-first.
"..."
"...Ow."
He lifted his head.
A pebble rolled off his nose.
"I definitely felt that one."
He pushed himself up and stretched.
His back cracked loudly.
"Oooo..."
"Actually..."
"That was kinda refreshing."
He looked around.
Nothing.
Just broken mountains.
Ruined trees.
Smoke.
"..."
"...I might've overdone it."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"My bad, mountain."
Several kilometers away—
A family of deer cautiously peeked through the trees.
Nolan immediately noticed them.
"Oh!"
His eyes sparkled.
"Animals!"
The deer froze.
He slowly crouched.
"Pspspspsps..."
One blinked.
Another immediately turned and bolted.
The rest followed.
"HEY!"
"I JUST GOT HERE!"
"I'm friendly!"
"...Mostly."
He sighed.
"Rude."
Back in Hero Headquarters—
"Impact confirmed!"
Oliver looked toward the giant tactical display.
"Casualties?"
"No settlements nearby!"
"Good."
The operator swallowed.
"...But..."
"The impact energy..."
She hesitated.
"...was stronger than Bjorn's orbital descent thirteen years ago."
Silence.
Nobody spoke.
Not even Noah.
Oliver slowly stood.
"Dispatch Team One."
The three reincarnated heroes immediately stood as well.
Oliver continued.
"No unnecessary fighting."
"We identify it first."
"If it's intelligent..."
"We establish communication."
"If it's hostile..."
His gaze hardened.
"...we eliminate it."
Meanwhile—
Nolan wandered through the crater.
"Huh."
He picked up a weird-looking purple flower.
"...Pretty."
He sniffed it.
"..."
"...ACHOO!"
The flower exploded into glitter.
"..."
"What the..."
He stared at the glitter now covering his jacket.
"...This world is weird."
He flicked it off.
As he walked, he noticed something else.
"...Wait."
He looked toward the horizon.
Trees.
Mountains.
Clouds.
The smell of dirt.
Wind.
He stopped walking.
"..."
"So..."
"This..."
"...is Earth."
Not his Earth.
But still...
Earth.
He slowly looked around.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
He wasn't staring at endless gray rock.
There was color.
Green forests.
Blue skies.
The warmth of sunlight.
He closed his eyes.
"...Nice."
A small smile crossed his face.
"...Way better than the Moon."
His stomach suddenly growled.
"..."
"...Right."
"I haven't eaten."
He blinked.
"...Ever."
He looked down at himself.
"Do I even need food?"
Another growl.
"...Apparently yes."
He sighed dramatically.
"Step one."
"Find civilization."
"Step two."
"Figure out money."
"..."
"...Step three."
"Steal—"
He paused.
"..."
"Nah."
"I'll improvise."
High above—
Three figures shot through the sky.
Oliver wasn't with them.
Instead...
Noah.
The blond pirate-like hero.
And the cloaked black-haired man.
All three flew at incredible speed toward the impact site.
Noah still looked pale.
His future sight hadn't stopped.
"...He's there."
The blond hero glanced over.
"What does he look like?"
"..."
"I..."
Noah frowned.
"...can't remember."
"What?"
"I see him..."
"...then I don't."
The cloaked man spoke quietly.
"A perception ability?"
"No..."
Noah shook his head.
"It feels..."
"...wrong."
Back on the ground—
Nolan found a river.
"Oooo."
He crouched beside it.
"So this is fresh water."
He poked it.
"Yep."
"Wet."
He splashed his face.
"..."
"Oh."
"This is nice."
He stared at his reflection.
"Huh."
"I still look cool."
He gave himself a thumbs-up.
"Nice."
Suddenly—
His ears twitched.
"..."
"Hm?"
Something was approaching.
Fast.
Really fast.
He looked upward.
Three tiny dots.
"They're flying?"
He tilted his head.
"..."
"Cool."
He waved enthusiastically.
"HEY!"
The three heroes immediately slowed.
The blond hero blinked.
"..."
"He..."
"...he's waving?"
Noah stared.
"...That's him."
The cloaked hero frowned.
"Doesn't exactly scream world-ending threat."
Nolan cupped his hands around his mouth.
"YO!"
"You guys know where the nearest town is?"
"..."
The heroes stopped nearly two hundred meters away.
Nobody answered.
Nolan blinked.
"...Hello?"
More silence.
"..."
"Awkward."
The blond hero quietly whispered,
"Should...should we answer him?"
The cloaked man didn't move.
"No sudden movements."
Noah simply stared.
His instincts were screaming.
Every future he had seen...
Every vision...
Every nightmare...
Started with this man.
Standing casually beside a river.
Smiling.
Nolan scratched his head.
"...You guys okay?"
Still nothing.
"..."
He pointed at himself.
"I'm kinda new here."
"I got lost."
Technically...
That wasn't even a lie.
The blond hero finally spoke.
"...Who are you?"
Nolan smiled.
"Oh."
"I'm Nolan."
He extended a hand as if introducing himself at a party.
"Nice to meet you."
The three heroes didn't move.
Nolan slowly lowered his hand.
"..."
"Tough crowd."
He shoved both hands into his pockets.
"So..."
"Which way's civilization?"
The cloaked hero narrowed his eyes.
"...You came from space."
"Yeah."
"..."
"..."
"...Wait."
Nolan blinked.
"You saw that?"
The blond hero deadpanned.
"...The entire planet saw that."
"..."
"Oh."
"...That explains a lot."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"My entrance was louder than I thought."
The three heroes exchanged glances.
Something about him...
Didn't match the terrifying pressure they had prepared for.
He wasn't threatening.
He wasn't attacking.
He wasn't declaring himself a god.
He looked...
Like an idiot who had accidentally crash-landed on the wrong continent.
Noah, however...
Still couldn't relax.
Because every instinct he possessed...
Kept whispering the same warning.
Run.
Even though Nolan himself had absolutely no intention of fighting them.
He simply wanted to know where the nearest town was... and hopefully find something to eat before figuring out what exactly he was going to do with the world that one day would kneel before The Grand Regent.