After a really long, good‑quality sleep, I woke up to the sound of my mother's footsteps in the house. I looked beside me to find Suzy still sleeping. I got out of bed, greeted my mother, then took a cold shower. I dried myself, and I put my clothes inside the shower.
Following that, I found everyone at the breakfast table, already eating without me. I greeted them all, then ate a delicious egg while having a conversation with everyone. Later I went out to the backyard to breathe some fresh air and to look at the dark sky. Suddenly Stella stood beside me, staring upward. I stared at her; she glanced back without speaking. The vibe was weird, and the darkness didn't help, so I broke the charged mood and said, "You're not like you used to be. Where's that arrogant tone?"
She looked at her feet, then replied, "I'm not arrogant; it's just my tongue. I speak like that." She brought her hands together and continued, "What are you planning to do?"
"My priority is taking care of my family," I said, squinting through the gloom.
"Yes, that's what I thought. But are you sure you don't want to know about all of this, about what happened and what's happening to the world?" she asked.
"No, I'm not interested. What about you?" I said, shifting my gaze forward.
"I'm planning to kill your family, torture them, make them suffer, just as he said," she answered, laughing with an evil smile; her voice shifted to a man's. I spun, but she was gone.
I burst into the house. Three Derolocs stood there, each playing with a limb that belonged to someone I loved. They had killed my family. I couldn't breathe; saliva stuck in my throat. The creatures stared at me, joy gleaming in their eyes. Terror and grief tore through me. I attacked, begging them to kill me so I could join Suzy and the others, but they ignored me and moved toward the door. One spoke: "We only did what we were told. You were fooled by my delusion."
It wasn't Stella yesterday; they fooled me. "Idiot," I cursed myself. Rage erupted. My blood wanted to explode. I didn't hold back. A jet of blood shot out, severing one of Deroloc's hands; he collapsed, screaming. I charged; they met me head‑on. Fists flew. I stepped back, then fired another blood spear. One blocked with tree roots; the other slipped behind him, extended an open palm, then clenched it. Invisible claws dragged across my body; every scar screamed. I strained, but the grip was brutal.
The wounded Deroloc's eyes glowed crimson. Suddenly, I woke up in the same bed as this morning. Suzy slept peacefully. I greeted Mom, took a shower, and met everyone at breakfast. Was it real, or were they tormenting me further? In my head, a voice laughed: This is your end. For a moment I accepted it, but revenge sparked. Inside the illusion, I stabbed myself with a knife to force a wake‑up.
Snapping free, I blasted the illusionist's skull with concentrated blood. The other two froze; I lunged, ripping one heart out and lopping off the other's head, then crushed both hearts for good measure.
Silence fell. I tried to process the carnage. Why did this happen? What had I done to deserve such suffering? I'd been hurt my whole life; every time I felt happy, tragedy struck. My family didn't deserve this death; I wished it were me instead. Grief surged I sobbed, letting anger, sadness, guilt, and the weight of responsibility spill out.
I gathered my family's scattered remains and hugged them. For one last time, I spoke to them, promising we'd meet in the next life. Then I retrieved the weapon I'd bought earlier. "Goodbye," I whispered, hoping they forgave me. I couldn't bear living anymore.
Finally, some quit. Later, I opened my eyes in a vast palace, sitting on a throne and dressed like an old Asian emperor. I was surrounded by many beautiful women in traditional robes. I thought I was in heaven. I looked for Suzy, but I did not find her. I searched for every dead person I knew, yet none were there.
I asked one girl where I was. She replied, "You are home, my Lord," her expression confused.
"This doesn't look like home, and it doesn't look like heaven either," I said, matching her confusion.
"What's wrong, my Lord? Are you unwell? Shall I fetch a doctor?" she asked, face serious.
"No, I'm fine. May I go outside, please?" I answered, rising from the throne.
"Yes, my Lord, but you should take guardians with you and prepare," she advised.
I ignored the suggestion and wandered through the huge palace. It was built of black and white marble and decorated with strange shapes of dragons, Greek myths, and other mythical beasts. In the center was a large pool divided into two halves: one cold, one hot. Countless rooms branched from every corridor. Everywhere, people in medieval‑style armor stood guard, swords, and shields ready. Each time someone saw me, they bowed their heads and stared at the floor.
Is this a dream, I thought in my mind. I punched myself to ensure, but it was real, I'm not sure; I think that I just went back in time. I came back to an ancient era. I needed to know where I was exactly. Finally, I found a way out, but the place was surrounded by trees and mountains; it was in the middle of nowhere. Yet the sun was in the sky. I felt happy, so I went back inside and started looking for a library, and after a long search, I eventually found one.
I entered and began searching for any text, book, or manuscript that would tell me where I am and what time. After a long search, I found nothing useful, until something grabbed my attention: a large manuscript containing strange shapes, maybe a map, yeah, I think so. It contained four shapes. In the middle, two continents were separated, but if you put them together they would look like a circle or an egg, both cut in a wavy, inaccurate way. In the north, there was another rectangular circle with random borders, and in the south, one much smaller than the others, like a stain left by spilled liquid.
I took that map and left the library, searching for someone who could explain it. Instead, I found people running, panicking as if something was happening. Suddenly a man grabbed my shoulder, then lowered his head. He spoke: "My Lord, they are attacking us." I stared, shocked, not processing his words.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to understand.
"Devils, my Lord, our biggest enemies." I followed him, asking a few questions so as not to raise suspicion. I donned a shield, readied myself, mounted a horse, and headed outside.
A huge army waited, at least ten thousand men, nearly all with Asian features. Armed with various weapons, some wore armor, others did not. They carried black banners decorated with yellow symbols I didn't understand.
They all stared at me, waiting for my command. One wrong word could get me killed; that thought ran through my head. I relaxed, then spoke: "I know this is hard. Many will die, maybe I will die, who knows? But one thing is certain: we die with honor, fighting like men, not running like cowards. We will die for our homes, our wives, our land, and our children; we fight for the right to live, no one can take it from us. We fight to defend, not to invade; we have a reason to fight!"
Cheers and horse neighs rose everywhere. I felt oddly happy. If I truly had traveled back in time, then Mom, Suzy, Steve, Grandma, and Olivia hadn't been born yet, maybe a thousand years later or two. That meant they would be safe without me.
We advanced in organized ranks, horses stepping through dense trees and towering mountains. I rode in the front row. The man who had grabbed my shoulder rode beside me and said, "We will win, my Lord."
"Yes, yes," I answered, then asked, "Where will we meet the enemies?"
"They destroyed two villages and are marching toward the palace, but we will surprise them first. I have a plan to win with the least losses." I nodded and kept riding, still unsure where we were going.