Chapter 100: The Fractured World
[ A Moon Too Bright ]
_
My steps were slow.
Heavy, but steady.
The cold asphalt reflected the light.
Not from the streetlamps.
From the moon.
I stopped.
Looked up.
The moon was... too big.
Too bright.
Its color wasn’t the usual pale white.
It was more... dense.
Like something hovering far too close.
...
The night breeze blew softly.
But it wasn’t cold.
Strange.
I started walking again.
Step by step.
The sidewalks were empty.
No sound of traffic.
No sound of people.
Only the sound of my own shoes.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Like an echo.
_
I arrived in front of my apartment.
The building stood exactly as it always had.
But it felt... different.
I didn’t know what had changed.
I went inside.
The stairs.
The hallway.
The door.
203.
I raised my hand.
Touched the doorknob.
It was cold.
Click.
The door opened.
Silence.
Not a single sound.
I stepped inside.
Took off my shoes.
My eyes immediately swept across the room.
Empty.
_
"Yuna..."
No answer.
I walked to the center of the room.
The table.
Empty.
The futon.
Neatly made.
No creases.
No trace.
"Yuna..."
Softer this time.
I opened the bathroom door.
Empty.
I opened the closet.
Empty.
_
I stood still in the middle of the room.
For a long time.
A very long time.
Why...
Is it empty?
My hand slowly rose to my head.
Pressing against my temples.
Thinking.
Yuna...
She should be here.
She was always here.
Or...
Was she never here at all?
_
I took a step back.
My eyes stared at the table.
No books.
No stationery.
None of the little traces of her life.
Had it...
All this time...
I furrowed my brow.
Trying to remember.
Yuna eating noodles.
Yuna studying.
Yuna calling my name.
Or was that...
Just...
I let out a small laugh.
Dry.
"Haha..."
The sound felt foreign to my own ears.
"Don’t be ridiculous..."
I wiped my face.
If Yuna had never existed...
Why did I remember all of it so clearly?
_
And if she did exist...
Why wasn’t there a single shred of proof?
I turned toward the TV.
The remote was on the table.
I turned the TV on.
Click.
The screen flared to life.
But it wasn’t a normal broadcast.
Every channel was the same.
A red background.
Bold text.
The blare of a siren.
_
"NATIONAL EMERGENCY WARNING"
A woman’s voice.
Flat.
Emotionless.
"World War III has begun."
My eyes froze.
"The territory of Japan has come under a large-scale military attack."
My hand slowly dropped.
"Citizens are advised to seek immediate shelter—"
_
BOOM!!!
The entire room violently shook.
The floor trembled.
The walls cracked.
The glass shattered.
I reflexively turned to the window.
Light.
White.
Too bright.
BOOM!!!
A second explosion.
Closer.
The building rocked.
"—immediate shelter—"
The TV cut out.
I didn’t even have time to move.
The sky fell.
CRASH!!!
Everything shattered.
Dark.
Heavy.
Hot.
_
Something was pressing down on my shoulders.
Hard.
I couldn’t breathe.
Dust filled my lungs.
I coughed.
"Kh...!"
I tried to move my hand.
I couldn’t.
Heavy.
Too heavy.
I gathered my strength.
My whole body tensed.
_
Why am I still alive?
My hand shifted slightly.
Push.
It didn’t move.
Push again.
A crack.
I stopped.
Realizing something.
Why am I... able to do this?
I took a breath.
Deep.
And pushed.
CRACK...!!!
_
The rubble... moved.
Slowly.
I got up.
Dust fell from my body.
Massive slabs of debris shifted.
I stood up.
Amidst the ruins.
A red sky.
Black smoke.
Fire everywhere.
The sound of crying.
One by one, I heard them.
Then more joined in.
Until it echoed everywhere.
_
I looked at my hands.
They were the same.
But...
Why was I still alive?
I looked straight ahead.
The air there... was vibrating.
Like a tear.
A crack appeared in midair.
And then—
It opened.
Pitch black inside.
Swirling.
_
The sound of small footsteps.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Someone... stepped out.
Small feet.
Shoes.
A cane.
I stared.
But before I could see their face—
SHHHRRRRRR—
A sound tore through the sky.
I looked up.
Fighter jets.
One.
Two.
Dozens of them.
Streaking past.
___
[ The Fire That Swallowed the Sky ]
_
And then—
BOOM!!!
The sky at the far edge... exploded.
A shockwave hit.
My chest vibrated.
Like being punched from the inside.
"Kh—!"
I was dragged half a step backward.
Dust flew.
The air turned hot.
Light.
White.
Blinding.
I couldn’t see.
_
BOOM!!!
A second explosion.
Bigger.
Closer.
That heat...
Approached.
Slowly—
Then all at once.
My skin felt like it was burning.
The air was like fire.
_
"Mana Shield."
A small voice.
Beside me.
I turned my head.
The magical girl.
Her hand was raised.
Her wand pointed upward.
A circle of light appeared.
Thin.
Transparent.
In an instant—
We were enveloped.
A sphere of light.
_
The explosion arrived.
CRASH!!!
The shockwave slammed into the shield.
The world outside... burned.
Fire swept away everything.
Buildings.
Streets.
Even the air itself.
I could see it.
All of it... destroyed.
But in here—
Silence.
_
The dust slowly settled.
The light faded.
The outside came into view.
Flattened.
There was nothing left.
Only earth.
Blackened.
Scorched.
In the distance—
A mushroom cloud.
Tall.
Slowly expanding.
_
"Buff... physical defense."
That voice again.
"Buff... physical enhancement."
Her hand moved.
Small circles appeared.
And then—
Sank into my body.
From my chest.
Spreading.
To my shoulders.
To my hands.
To my legs.
The pressure—
The one crushing my chest earlier—
Vanished.
Light.
Too light.
I moved my hand.
Fast.
Faster than usual.
I clenched my fist.
It felt strong.
"This is..."
I looked at my body.
Unchanged.
But it felt... different.
_
Up in the sky—
A massive shadow.
I looked up.
Something was blocking out the sky.
Huge.
Impossibly huge.
A mothership.
Dark.
Massive.
Like a flying island.
Covering most of my field of vision.
I stood in silence.
Is this what they call it.
Modern warfare.
An era brimming with technology.
_
"Papa."
That voice...
I turned my head quickly.
The magical girl—
I stared at her face.
"...Yuna?"
She gave a small smile.
"Yes. It’s me."
The world felt as though it had stopped.
"Where have you been...?"
"I just stepped out for a bit."
The crystal on her wand spun slowly.
"To get my gear."
"I don’t understand."
"I’ll explain later."
She looked up at the sky.
In a flash.
Her expression turned serious.
"For now, we stop this."
_
I followed her gaze.
The ship—
Opened at the bottom.
And things began to drop.
A tank.
Hanging from a parachute.
Then—
Two.
Then—
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Descending endlessly.
Heavy metal falling from the sky.
And—
Another figure.
Larger.
A mech.
Descending slowly.
The earth trembled as it touched the ground.
_
"Let’s go."
Yuna floated.
Upward.
Soundlessly.
Gliding forward.
Fast.
"Yuna!"
I ran on reflex.
The first step—
Felt light.
The second step—
My body lifted off the ground.
"...?"
I stopped.
Looked down at my legs.
"What is this..."
I bent my knees.
Pressed down.
The ground cracked.
WHOOSH!!
I shot forward.
The air split apart.
I accelerated.
Every step—
Shattered the earth.
It was like... flying.
_
Up in the sky—
"Firebolt!!"
Yuna’s voice.
A magic circle appeared.
Flames took shape.
BOOM!!!
A tank was destroyed.
Like paper.
I landed.
There was a tank right in front of me.
Its engine roared.
The barrel swiveled toward me.
"In that case..."
I lowered my stance slightly.
"...my turn."
WHOOSH!!
I didn’t have time to stop.
I slammed right into it.
CRUNCH!!!
The metal crumpled.
My body pierced through it.
Shrapnel flew everywhere.
I came to a halt.
My chest felt tight.
For just a second.
I looked at my hands.
Not a single scratch.
"This body..."
"It’s like steel."
I ran again.
WHOOSH!!
Another tank appeared ahead.
My leg thrust forward.
Piercing through.
CRUNCH!!!
Without slowing down.
_
Above—
Yuna kept attacking.
Fire fell like rain.
One by one, the tanks exploded.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
I closed in on another.
Kicked.
SMASH!!!
The metal split apart.
A blast—
BOOM!!
Hit me square in the chest.
I stopped.
"...?"
No pain.
Just a slight pressure.
I turned toward the tank.
Walked over.
Lifted it.
Heavy.
But I could do it.
I threw it.
CRASH!!!
It smashed into another tank.
An explosion.
I kept moving.
Without stopping.
___
[ No Need for Explanations ]
_
I stopped.
My breaths were still heavy.
Dust still swirled in the air.
I looked around.
The tanks—
Motionless.
Their engines still roared.
But their treads had stopped.
Slowly...
The gun barrels rotated.
In unison.
I followed their aim.
All of them were pointing at—
"Yuna!!"
She looked back.
Up in midair.
She assessed the situation.
Yet her expression remained calm.
"I’m fine, Papa!"
She raised her hand.
"Mana Shield."
A circle of light appeared.
Instantly—
A transparent sphere enveloped her body.
The next second—
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
Dozens of shots were fired.
Converging on a single point.
Yuna.
There was no time to think.
My feet kicked off the ground.
CRACK!!
The earth shattered.
WHOOSH!!
My body shot forward.
_
The air split apart.
Time seemed to slow down.
The blinding light of the explosions drew closer.
I reached her.
My hands pushed against her.
Her small body was thrust upward.
Up.
Away.
And then—
BOOM!!!
Everything slammed into me.
Light.
Heat.
Pressure.
My chest felt like it was being crushed from all sides.
"Kh—!"
My breath caught.
My body lost all its strength.
Falling.
THUD!!
The ground slammed hard against my body.
The sky seemed to spin.
I lay there.
My vision blurred.
_
A shadow descended from above.
Fast.
"Papa!!"
She landed beside me.
Her hands lifted my head.
Gently.
Placing it on her lap.
"Why...?"
Her voice trembled.
"Why did you protect me...?"
I looked at her.
She was a blur.
But I knew it was her.
I gave a small smile.
"Why...?"
I raised my hand.
It felt heavy.
So heavy.
Touching her cheek.
Stroking her hair.
Gently.
_
"Isn’t it obvious..."
My breathing was ragged.
"...because you..."
I paused for a moment.
"...are my daughter."
Her eyes widened.
Tears began to well up.
"But..."
Her voice cracked.
"I’m not your biological daughter..."
"I was the one who forced my way in..."
"I was the one who came to you..."
"I was the one who stayed..."
"...You never chose this, Papa."
I let out a small laugh.
Weak.
"Haha..."
"What difference..."
"...does that make..."
My hand was still on her cheek.
"The truth is..."
"I’ve already accepted you..."
"...as my daughter."
I took a breath.
"...and my friend."
Silence.
Only a distant sound—
From the machines of war.
"So...?"
"...what more do we need..."
Yuna bit her lip.
"Papa..."
My hand—
Went limp.
And fell.
Drained of strength.
But I could still speak.
Softly.
_
"...without you..."
"...that home..."
"...would be empty."
A heavy breath.
"...my life, too."
"...maybe... forever..."
__