The tyrant slowly marched out of the cave and stared yonder, sensing the disturbances in the fabric of the fragile, parasitic reality, and waited in anticipation for the arrival of the long-awaited stargazers. Soon the Grand Order would commence and the battle for Humanity's survival would begin anew.
Hollow, self-deprecating chuckles involuntarily escaped, as countless unwanted memories of days gone past once again began to seep into her, but immediately all sentiments were crushed. Emotions dulled the blade and this was a duty that had to be carried out flawlessly. All the pieces on the board had assembled and the last missing piece would soon join. The thespians would act, the puppets would dance and the brawlers would clash in the inevitable conflict and even a minuscule thing led astray would spell the downfall of humanity.
Ah… the last master of humanity had arrived at last. Finally, everything could fall into motion.
The corrupted divine construct of the fae materialized in her arms and began pulsing with mana. A stance without openings was executed and her expressions were perfected. The illusion had to be successful and the part of the villain had to be proper.
As the Defender of Humanity began her act and cast the die, she could only hope and entrust her faith in the heroes and believe that they would once again shine brighter than the stars and manage to defy the odds.
I
As I rose on the podium, I could feel all sorts of stares burning into me. Stares of inquisitiveness, awe, scorn, and various other emotions were being projected my way immediately upon arrival and a pit of nervousness and anxiety soon replaced my stomach.
Stars. Cosmos. Gods. Animus. Antrum. Universe. Anima Animusphere.
The familiar aria was repeatedly chanted in my mind as I quickly applied a bastardized form of half-baked self-hypnosis on myself and soon felt myself calming down. I still took discreet deep breathes anyways to reassure myself of the fact that I still had my composure and then challengingly stared right back at them all. This moment was finally here, and I would not hold back. I would prove to everyone else that yes, I, Olga Marie Asmleit, was worthy of this. That I was able and qualified enough to fulfill my Father's dream. That I deserved all the titles and praises.
Our staredown went on for quite a while before finally, the last candidate hastily managed to scramble towards the seats, to my irritation and relief, and finally, at long last, I could begin. "Good morning everyone and welcome to the very first mission briefing. I, as you all may know, am the Director of the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order: Finis Chaldea, Olga Marie Animusphere, and today we are all gathered here for a momentous occasion. Today, we all will become pioneers of the stars, and etch our legacies in the pages of history! Today, we will become the hands of god that stabilize human history and transform the future into a solid resolution!". The room descended into silence, as I finished my grand introduction. I now had everyone's rapt attention.
"You all have most likely heard of Chaldea's groundbreaking achievements in the fields of Astromancy and Spiritual Evocation with the backing of the Animusphere family and various other brilliant magi. The Phenomenon Recording Cyber-Daemon LAPLACE, the Near-Future Observation Lens SHEBA, the recently completed Spiritron Calculation Engine TRISMEGISTUS, and Chaldea's greatest creation:-the Stimulated Global Environment Model CHALDEAS". A proud smile crept up my face, as I watched the gasps of wonder amongst some of the master candidates in the crowd, as I gestured towards the elevated centre. "Yes. Via utilizing and harnessing a part of the soul of Gaia as the foundation, we have managed to create a near-perfect and accurate replica of the Earth. Although specific observation of every single human is impossible, by utilizing SHEBA and LAPLACE, we can accurately observe and record the past, present, and future of humanity. It is the ultimate observation tool!". Almost everyone in the crowd, save a few were entranced or genuinely impressed by the giant bright neon blue rotating globe. Unfortunately, I reluctantly had to stop the masters from gawking at CHALDEAS and bringing their attention back to the main topic of today. I quickly gestured to Lev to get ready with the coordinates, as he gave me a beaming smile and a thumbs up.
That beaming saccharine smile filled with warmth was enough of a reassurance. Good job, Marie. Keep going.
"As you can see, the globe in CHALDEAS emits bright light on its surface. The presence of the light is of utmost importance, as that light signifies the presence of civilization and humanity. As long as humanity stands, the light of civilization will be shone by CHALDEAS. But there has been a predicament that has recently come to light….", Lev adjusted SHEBA's polarization angle and immediately CHALDEAS became dull and grey. "...Yes, this is the current state of CHALDEAS. Since six months ago, it has become utterly unresponsive, as observed by various personnel. It has become extremely difficult to observe the future beyond a certain point and after countless estimations, according to our observations it has been hypothesized that humanity will be extinct by 2018". Everyone's face swiftly became enshrouded with skepticism, shock, and panic. The tension in the room instantaneously went up several notches, and the atmosphere became strained. This was all the proof that I needed to convince myself of the fact that not keeping this information classified was the right decision. It had helped the current group of people in front of me to finally realize just how crucial this mission was and get into the proper mindset.
"Glad to see you all have sensible responses. According to our observations, there should be absolutely no reason as to why such a calamity of unprecedented levels could occur without any viable world-changing events. This is why we at Chaldea started reviewing the Human Timeline of the past 2000 years and managed to eventually find out the cause of this strange phenomenon. We have discovered an unobservable zone that did not exist at all in proper human history up to the year 2017. After many many discussions, the researchers at Chaldea alongside the mystics from Atlas, have concluded that this distortion in time may be the cause of humanity's end. We have decided to call this 'Spatial Singularity F' and this singularity has manifested itself in the city of Fuyuki, Japan in the year 2004".
I then outstretched my hands, pointing at them and proclaiming, "With explicit permission from the U.N. and in cooperation with all the branches of the Mage's Association, and sanctioned by the Director himself, an investigation of the highest order has been set in motion to inspect the singularity and resolve it via rayshifting, thus correcting the Human Timeline, as disastrous consequences might occur if left unchecked, as foreseen by CHALDEAS…... And thus, this is where you all come in! All of you have been handpicked by the Association, the U.N., or even scouted by Chaldea itself for your unparalleled rayshift aptitude or amazing quality circuits. You all have been designated the role of "Master" and will aid Chaldea in resolving this singularity. But. Do not get ego-inflated. Although some of you may come from privileged backgrounds or have unique talents, none of you are special and are just still inexperienced rookies. Therefore, you are all starting at the same starting point, regardless. In my Chaldea, personal achievements and family heritage are of no importance! You are all to be reborn as cutting-edge mages, in an unprecedented fusion of magecraft and science. Which is why, follow my orders diligently, with absolution, and I promise I shall lead you all to higher places. Come, let us save humanity together!".
As everyone politely clapped, I huffed. I admit, I had gotten a bit too passionate during the last few moments of the speech and had projected some of my personal preferences near the end. But the point still stood. I was already an established mage, and a successor-in-line for the lordship of Animusphere, so it was given that they all should follow my lead and take any help they can get. And it totally was not because I wanted to flaunt my position.
Of course, some protests and complaints rose amongst the crowd with some claiming about how lineage was the most important aspect of a mage, and others groaning about the pressure of their duty but it was mostly the minority. But seeing some of them still making excuses amidst such a dire situation made me a bit angry, so I immediately shot them down by suggesting that they were free to walk out if they did not like being part of this important mission and were not a necessity in my Chaldea. That shut them up for good, and after addressing a few more technical questions, all remarks whittled down.
"Now-I am sure that all things have been cleared up. You all shall travel 13 years in the past, to this space-time anomaly, and help resolve this as soon as possible. The first Rayshift experiment will soon begin in an hour, and we will at first be sending Team A, consisting of the top 8 scorers who have already been active and in training for a month, to scout and set up a basecamp. Team B through D will be on standby to monitor Team A and will be sent in the later phases of this experiment and after that, we will begin exploring the singularity. Now, if you all do not have any more questions, get a move on! Quick, quick! Get into your positions and start your preparations.". As I clapped my hands and everyone started to get a move on, someone tentatively raised their hand amidst the crowd. I expectantly looked towards them.
"Um. Won't changing the past affect the present in many ways? And is time travel even possible?". I gaped at the boy in the front row, who had been attentively listening to me and nodding in all the right places all this time. Wait?!...was this a setup for a prank or some cheap trick to demean me? Because this question was at the same level of stupidness as going to the last day of a Calculus course and asking about addition. But I could not hear any snickering amongst others, and everyone else was also staring at him, flabbergasted. "Hmmmmm, Master Candidate Number 48, right? Are you trying to pull my leg? It was nice of you to try to lighten up the mood, but that was a pretty bad attempt at a joke.". Not seeing the genuine confusion even abate slightly in his bright, blue eyes, I continued on. "Or are you trying to tell me the term "Singularity" means nothing to you? Have you forgotten basic spacetime theory? Do I need to recount to you the Laws of Kairos? Or the magical experiments of Ephesus?". Seeing his eyebrows scrunch cutely while he semi-pouted at me, while also somehow managing to cluelessly scratch the back of his head really told me that he had. No. Idea. At. All.
I pinched my temples and inwardly groaned at this new complication. Had he been placed in the wrong department or something? I demanded him to give me his I.D. and quickly flitted through it to check his details…...and the sheer outrageousness of it all was enough to once and for all crumble my composure. "What?! Did the higher-ups finally lose any sense of rational thoughts in their brains? What were they thinking giving the U.N. chosen civilian with no proper training or any background in magecraft a spot as a Master Candidate?! This experiment is meant to be a First Order!". This could not be allowed at all! The life of an unassuming, unknowledgeable civilian could not be risked nor could such an immature element be allowed to be implemented at all in any capacity at such an important situation that required meticulousness and care. I immediately shouted for Lev.
"I'm right here, Director. What does the commotion seem to be about?". Lev quickly hurried out of the control room.
I deadpanned, "What went wrong during the administrative process? How does even a civilian with no background or experience end up as a Master Candidate?!"
Lev 'ahhhed' and nodded in understanding. "Oh, so that's it?...Director, they are a chosen master candidate, so there probably is undoubtedly a reason for their selection. Isn't it a bit rude to immediately dismiss them?".
I jabbed a finger towards the boy's direction, who was now nervously fidgeting while playing with the hem of his uniform shirt. "Does he look like someone with a plan? I had not noticed till now, but is he not the Master Candidate who had entered late, and was floundering like a snapper out of water since the beginning of the briefing? To top it all off, his only knowledge of magecraft is with the fundamental basics. By all accounts, he should have been nothing more than an intern in the Technology Department!".
Lev raised an eyebrow and cradled his chin in thought. After a few beats, he acquiesced, "Oh, well, let's leave him out of the mission for now and let Romani handle him. Let's decide what to do with him afterwards."
I nodded in consent and stared as the befuddled boy was soon led out of the room by Lev, and escorted to his room by a volunteer. The mission had not started yet and already complications were starting to show up and frankly was a bit worrying. It felt foreboding. I hope nothing more goes wrong.
II
Mother used to always say that, "To be a Magus is to walk with Death", every single time after my daily afternoon magecraft lessons. It was apparently a phrase that she had picked up from Dad and now loved quoting it. Somehow that phrase had also managed to stick with me even though it reminded me of my Dad, and left a bitter taste in my mouth whenever I said it.
It had become my mantra, just because of how true it was. Every single day we magi broke down our body, and danced the fine line between death and life, conducting countless experiments and researching the wonderful mysteries of the world in search of an ever-fleeting dream: a chance to even get a slight glimpse of the Truth. Which is why that line gave me solace every time. I already walked with Death daily. I could easily overcome any trivial problems that I faced. I could overcome any danger.
But, even that phrase was not enough for me to distract myself from the absolutely mind-shattering pain that coursed through my body. The never-ending feeling of agony, as the sentient-like magical blue-red flames consumed the parts of my body not yet squashed under the falling chunks of the wall and ceiling, made me feel like everything was a dream.
Sometimes, it felt like my body was being microwaved from the inside out in a blast furnace, and sometimes it felt like someone had stripped me naked, and left me freezing outside in the Arctic. Sometimes it felt like I had stubbed my toe on a shitty Lego piece and smashed my face by falling headfirst, and sometimes it felt like someone was tearing away my muscles with precision via chopsticks, one ligament at a time. The constant shifting of pain, as it became more and more indescribable, left me at a loss for words; this had long since crossed the threshold of my understanding and tolerance of pain. Was this pain even real? Because it felt like a nightmare, a dream. Was reality even possible of creating such a hell on earth?
The resounding answer of "Yes, this is real" instantly reverberated through the core of my soul, as more chunks of debris fell as the world shook, while the pained and horrified screams of all those that didn't turn into ashes in the immediate explosion rang a sick melody of suffering in my ears. The screams stuck on replay, as I slammed my eyes closed. I didn't want to stare at the hellscape anymore.
Unbiddenly, as soon as I closed my eyes, the face of my prodigious mother, the longest standing apprentice of the Wizard Marshall, came to me. Normally, I would just feel apathetic towards her presence. But for some reason, imagining the thought of her researching away in her workshop, with her "woe-is-me" attitude, while I lay here dying, filled me with rage. And thinking about her naturally made me remember my Father, and that in turn made me spew out more curses. All the small things that I hated about them had somehow managed to snowball into this bundled mess of hatred that caused me to scream out in rage.
From there on, it devolved into me cursing everyone I knew. I cursed them for everything I could think about, from their fashion sense to them not passing me the sauce during dinner. I began cursing small children, grandmas, pets, the trains, London weather, and everything else that I could think of. I cursed everyone else for existing, while I lay here suffering. Gradually the cursing turned into crying, then sobbing, and then to full-on begging, as I asked to be saved. I prayed to all the Gods that I could think of. I yelled at the top of my lungs. I started making baby and animal noises. I muttered all the names of everyone that I could remember at Chaldea. When that didn't work and more time passed on, I again returned back to cursing and saying "Fuck You" to everyone else, while slamming my non-debris buried hand against the ground irregularly.
Hearing me be this pitiful, as I blubbered onwards as snot and tears streamed down from my face, made me feel extremely disgusted at myself. But I couldn't help myself from shaking with hysteria, as I continued yelling mindlessly for someone to save me. For anyone to take me away from this hell. But no matter what I did, no matter how much I screamed to get attention towards me, nobody came. Was this what hopelessness felt like? I broke down bawling like a baby.
IdontwantotdieIdontwanttodieIdontwanttodieIdontwanttodieIdontwanttodieIdontwanttoDieIdontwa
The edges of my vision were dimming and darkness was slowly creeping up...
Idontwant to dieidontwa nttO dieidonTww wantdiewidOntwntpleade dDIiesa vedontwa nTTodIDeIDELease W Odoj ntWasn tToDiPLeaseSEB me dontWanT toDieeaa PlesseDieDntDi
I felt freezing coldness envelop my body, as all the pain was quickly numbing out. This wasn't good…
I DON'T WANT TO DIE!
NO. I refused to go away like this. I slammed my teeth on the tongue. As I began choking on blood, awareness returned to me, and the fogginess cleared away. I spat out the glob of blood and flesh and flared my magical circuits. I kept circulating magical energy throughout my body and slowly reinforced it, as I slowly tried to flop out of the debris like a fish. Each second stretched into eternity, as I painfully crawled out, one inch at a time.
After somehow managing to get my mangled upper torso out from the wreckage, I sighed in exhaustion and fell facedown to gasp for breath and get a short break. And a while later, as I looked up and prepared myself for more crawling, I met a Goddess.
I still vividly remember the moment when she outstretched her hand towards me. I recall studying her for what felt like forever, drowning in her emotionless golden eyes that were almost covered by her hair and gawking at her pale, gray face. And after a while laughing out loud deranged, at the happiest moment of my life. Finally, my pleas for help had been answered. Without hesitation, I reached out my hand to grab her.
That day I died. And was reborn again in the flames of hell, as I discarded my past self to take the hand of my new God, my new proof of existence.
III
I rinsed off my hands and quickly skipped out of the toilet, already salivating over the piece of extra fudgy chocolate brownie I had managed to nick off the kitchen. The best thing about the new chef, who had managed to miraculously survive Olga's hellish standards, was the fact that he was an absolute sweetheart. He gave everyone freebies whenever he could, and I absolutely loved it. I blessed and prayed for him to have a happy and successful life, as I dug into the heavenly tasting sweet. Aau~ nothing beats dessert after a hard day at work. And even the Master briefing was probably going on now, so I could slack off as much as I wanted! Truly, this was paradise.
I propped myself against the stack of pillows I had built, and slowly savoured the delicious brownie. Ah, I wish there was also a new Magi Mari video to watch to transform this "really-good" day into an "amazing" day. But I had to make do by playing all the cover songs that she had. As her melodious tones soothed my soul, I found myself leaning more and more against the fluffy bed, as my eyelids started to droop. Ah, is this what floating in clouds feels like?
But like a fleeting dream, the atmosphere of my safe haven was destroyed when I heard the electronic beeping that signaled the opening of the doors. I quickly shut off the music and tried to scamper away tryi- OH MY GAWD I DROPPED THE BROWNIE ON THE EXPENSIVE SHEETS! I screamed like a little girl and dashed towards the drawers to get some tissues and paper towels. Oh no. I would get killed for this, wouldn't I? I hopelessly tried to save the sheets to no avail. Instead, somehow I managed to destroy them further via the water I had sprinkled on the mess left by the brownie. The stains had also spread more because of the vigorous rubbing. As I lamented over the mess, I, unfortunately, heard someone clear their throat behind me. Ragnarok had come early.
Okay, okay Roman! Act calm and authoritative! I squeaked out "Who's there, huh? This is an empty room! This is where I slack off-". I wilted under the person's unimpressed stare. He wore the standard Master candidate mystic code and sported an extremely pissed-off face. "I was told this was my room."
"Oh, I see! Aha hahaha haha..so I guess you are the last Master candidate?". He sighed, "Yes, I am. Anyways, what ar- nevermind you already told me that. So, who are you?". I stood up straight and dusted off the lab coat to get rid of the wrinkles. Even though the chance for a good first impression had gone down the drain, the time was still there for a proper decent introduction. GO! GO! ROMANI! I puffed myself up and beamed at him. "I'm the one and only, almighty and underappreciated head of the medical department, Romani Archaman. But my friends call me Roman! That sounds much easier to pronounce and has a nicer ring to it, no? It also sounds cool and vaguely sweet.", he nodded and proceeded to give me a formal bow. Uwaa~ So uptight. Was he of the same species as Olga Marie? Dear Lord, I was going to get chewed out now, wasn't I?
"Oh, so you're the fluffy type? Nice to meet you, I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru. Former Master Candidate 48", he let go of the frown he had been keeping in his face and grinned at me brightly while giving out his hand. Phew. Never mind, he sounded like a totally chill person. I shook his hand. "Ah, you mean my hair, right?...Finally someone gets it! It looks nice, doesn't it? I am always too busy to bother styling it, so after a while, it just grew big, and now I have this.". I flicked my ponytail. He hummed in acknowledgement.
I then realised that he had been cradling and petting a ball of fur this entire time. I gasped. "WOAH, isn't that the mysterious creature I've heard so much about! Mash always tells me about him, but I didn't think he really existed and was this cute… Hey, why don't I teach him some tricks? Hey~ hey~ Come come. If you shake my hand, I'll give you snackies. Here~ here~ Little guy. Come on~...". My dreams and hopes and heart had never been as quickly crushed as that moment when the white, fluffy bipedal squirrel-like creature stared at me with his eerie purple eyes with a pitying look and promptly ignored me; choosing to instead scurry and nestle himself in Ritsuka's shoulder. Ritsuka grimaced at me and patted my head, as I felt my heart crack to pieces.
"Hau~ life is so sad. But, before that! I just remembered! Shouldn't you be at the very very very important briefing right now, Ritsuka? Hoh~ are you slacking off as well? Hmm, hmm? You scoundrel!". I impishly tittered at him and poked him with my elbow. But the jovial mood completely dissipated as soon as I mentioned the briefing. His expression darkened, and he muttered about a "stuck-up bitch" under his breath. Oh dear, I knew who he was talking about. Because only one person in Chaldea could earn that title so quickly by the recent arrival.
I sympathetically nodded at my kindred spirit. "So, you already managed to get into the Director's bad side, huh?". He abashedly chuckled when he realised I had heard him. "Don't worry, mate. You and I are in the same spot. Even a veteran like me still hasn't managed to get used to her temper and properly know what ticks her off. You know the Rayshift experiment, right? Almost the entire staff is helping out, but as my job is only to take care of everybody, I had nothing to do. And the machines are more accurate anyway. So, when she saw me chatting with Lev, she threw me out by yelling 'When you're here, everybody slacks off!'. Since then I've been coming here every day to sulk, wind up and relax.". Ritsuka laughed at that. "Glad to know, I'm not the only one screwing up. Thanks, doc!". I fist-bumped him, glad that I'd managed to lift up his spirits.
Then all of a sudden a light bulb went in my head, as I put two and two together. This was my chance! "This is what you call a blessing in disguise right? Since we both have nowhere to go, why don't we spend time together and deepen our friendship! Ritsuka intentionally stretched the silence dramatically, before adopting a snotty, bratty-like tone. "Hmph, sure. This is my room anyhow." I answered in kind. "'Tis my honor, milady…. And woah, doesn't that mean I'm visiting a friend's room?! Woohoo! New friend get!".
The next few minutes passed by a blur, as we surprisingly bonded over our mutual interests. I was totally caught off guard by the fact that he was an "authentic" and actual Japanese person, and was really happy I got to geek out more about my otaku hobbies and also learn more about how he felt about them! It honestly surprised me, as he spoke fluent English and was able to communicate and understand my jokes and references perfectly fine. I also managed to teach him a lot as his senior and explained about all the intricacies of Chaldea, including where the best spots and cheats were. He also seemed really fascinated by the various game-changing magical and technological things that Chaldea boasted. "So, that's the structure of Chaldea. It does sound like an architectural atrocity on paper, doesn't it? But don't worry. You'll get used to the loop-de-loop hallways and unevenly proportionate surroundings eventually. Magi are really old-fashioned people and don't have an eye for these sorts of things. Oh, also you have got to check out the cafeteria menu o….". Beep. Beep. A transmission from my receiver sliced off our conversation partway. What was with this hilariously terrible timing?!
I sighed, accepted, and Lev's oily, jovial voice permeated the air. "Romani, we are going to be starting the singularity soon and the Director has abruptly requested your presence back in the briefing, stating that your presence is required in case of an emergency. Team A is in perfect condition, but the less experienced teams are displaying slight abnormalities, most likely due to anxiety and the claustrophobic nature of the Kleins.". Whatever conflicting, unknown emotions that I felt over Lev immediately dissipated as I winced at the plight of the less experienced teams. May Lord bless those poor souls, because boy oh boy must the Coffins be unpleasant if they felt as bad as they looked. "Damn, that sucks. Why don't I go and administer them some anxiolytics?". Lev replied positively. "Yes, hurry up, will you? The infirmary is not that far away, so I expect you in 2 minutes." I nervously nodded and cut off the connection. There was no way I would be able to make it in 2 minutes.
Ritsuka "oho" -ed at me. "So you're just hiding, slacking, and neglecting all those that require your care? What kind of doctor are you, huh?". Ouch. "OI! Don't you say it like that!... Well, whatever. It's going to take 5 minutes to go there anyway and they probably won't say anything, and A Team's fine as well. It feels pointless for an ordinary doctor like me to be there, but hahhh~ guess I gotta go if I'm summoned. Well, thanks for talking with me, Ritsuka. After you get settled in, do come and drop by the infirmary. We'll chat more and I'll treat you to cheesecake. Ciao for now.". With that cool, slick ending, I tried to exit the room in an overly dramatic fashion, but that all came to a halt when as soon as I stepped out, everything fell into darkness. Black-outs were not meant to occur in Chaldea. And even if by some huge stroke of bad luck, that did happen, backup generators and lights were meant to kick in immediately. I thought that was it when instantaneously afterwards, the explosion occurred.
The "boom" was the roar of a mighty beast, prone to make you deaf. The resulting tremors were earthshaking and made me lose my balance, as I staggered in the darkness blindly. Ritsuka was panicking, so I quickly reassured him, and opened the comms device. Its bright, blue light provided us enough illumination to see each other, and just as I was about to assess and comment on the situation, the blaring red lights interrupted me. Why was the world so keen on cutting my conversations today?
Obnoxious red emergency lights flared up everywhere outside in the corridors, and the blaring robotic tone of the emergency alert blasted through the speakers. "EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. A FIRE HAS BROKEN OUT IN THE CENTRAL POWER STATION AND THE CENTRAL COMMAND ROOM. THE CENTRAL AREA'S CONTAINMENT WALL WILL ACTIVATE IN 90 SECONDS. ALL STAFF MUST EVACUATE FROM GATE 2. REPEAT TRANSMISSION. EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. A FIR-"
This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. I yelled out at the control panel in the center of Ritsuka's room. "Was that an explosion just now? What on earth is happening? Monitor, show us the command room! Is everyone okay?".
As I saw the image of the flame-drenched command room, with CHALDEAS being bright orange and debris falling everywhere, I could not help but think back to that vision.
The world was burning in flames. No, it would be more accurate to say that the world was being incinerated, and restored to its primordial state. Here and there were glimpses of various civilizations that fell to ruin, as a star shone brightly. Everything ultimately fizzled out of existence, and soon enough the world itself withered away, leaving only a dark void of darkness.
As the sight of the burning room overlapped with that of the vision, chills ran down my spine. The fire that I had foreseen had finally come. The dreadful premonition had come true. The end of the world that I had envisioned had arrived.