Pitch black. That was the only way Alex could describe where he was at the moment. He stood alone, surrounded by complete darkness.
"Where am I? How did I get here?" Alex asked, confused. He tried to recall the last thing he remembered, and after a brief moment, it all came rushing back.
"I was told to close my eyes... then suddenly, I felt a sharp pain inside me. After that, I couldn't control myself, and my eyes wouldn't open again. Did I just die?"
The thought of death flashed through Alex's mind, and panic began to set in. His heart raced, his breathing became uneven, and his mind swirled with fear.
Just as his panic was about to spiral out of control, his surroundings started to change. The darkness around him began to crack, like pieces of glass shattering. The pitch-black space broke apart, revealing a clear blue sky overhead. For a moment, Alex felt relieved by the sight of something familiar. But then, he noticed his surroundings even more clearly.
He was standing in the middle of an open street, but everything around him was in ruins. Houses were burning, crumbling to the ground. Some buildings were reduced to rubble. The cars scattered along the street were gray and twisted, as if they had been destroyed long ago.
The ground rumbled beneath Alex's feet. In the distance, loud explosions echoed through the air. It felt like the world itself was being torn apart.
"Where is this place? What's going on?" Alex whispered, his eyes scanning the destruction around him. He looked further down the street and saw tall skyscrapers, most of which had already collapsed or were on the verge of falling.
Suddenly, Alex heard something behind him. It sounded like footsteps—fast and frantic. He quickly turned around, just in time to see a large man running straight toward him.
Alex's heart jumped in his chest. There was no time to move out of the way, no time to think. He braced himself for impact. But when the man reached him, something strange happened.
The man didn't crash into Alex—he passed right through him as though Alex wasn't even there. The man didn't stop or look back; he just kept running down the street.
Suddenly, he stopped and thrust his fist forward, releasing a large ball of fire that soared off into the distance.
"a Paragon? Is this the battlefield of a Paragon? And why can't he see me?" Just as Alex was pondering these questions, the man abruptly turned, fixing a wild gaze on him. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward Alex, gathering another fireball in his palm.
"Wait... Can he see me now?" Alex barely had time to think before the man was upon him. Just then, a flash of yellow energy illuminated the scene, and the man froze mid-stride.
In an instant, his body was sliced in two, spilling his guts across the ground.
"What just happened?" Alex was bewildered. Everything was unfolding too quickly, and the man who had been charging at him was now dead.
"Come on, Rooney! The elders have summoned us back. It seems they have decided to take this seriously," one of the newcomers called out.
At that moment, Alex turned to see two figures clad in white battle robes. Each held a katana in hand, ready for action.
Though Alex didn't recognize the face of the one who spoke, he did recognize the second person. 'Isn't that the elderly man who was supposed to examine me? He looks much younger now,' Alex thought, noting the change.
As the two figures began to leave, Alex felt an urge to follow. He understood that the man who had just died was unaware of his presence for some unknown reason, but seeing a familiar face ignited a spark of determination within him. He started to tail the elderly man.
However, there was a problem; the two were far too swift for Alex to keep pace. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from his sight.
Just as Alex was contemplating his next move, the scene around him began to shift, as if he had been teleported to another place entirely. The world morphed around him, colors and shapes blending together, leaving him disoriented. Thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to grasp what had just happened, his heart pounding in rhythm with the uncertainty of the moment.
It was a meeting room, and several older men were already seated there. There were four of them in total, all dressed in white battle robes. The atmosphere was tense, filled with unspoken concerns.
Not long after, the door to the meeting room swung open, and the two individuals who had outrun Alex entered.
"Elders, you called us!" they said, bowing respectfully as they entered.
"Get up," one of the elders replied. "Although we are older than you, we share the same bloodline. Now is not the time to worry about such things." The two men stood up and took their seats at the table.
"As you are already aware, we are at war. The reason for this conflict is that those damn divine beings have gone back on their word. Somehow, the outer real beings managed to convince them to join forces against us. From the looks of it, they are doing so with full force, and it is every single one of those nine divine beings," one of the elderly men explained, his voice heavy with concern.
"We have been trying to hold them back for a while, but it seems we cannot hold out much longer," the man continued, his brow furrowing.
"How could this happen? Is it because we aren't as strong as we used to be, or have the outer beings given them some power that boosted their confidence?" another elder questioned, his tone filled with frustration.
"It's alright. We will find a way to solve this," another elder interjected, looking at the others who had not yet spoken. "After all, we have managed to reawaken the bloodline power. With it, we should be able to end this war, right?"
"We can't win..." one elder said, stunning those around the table into silence. "I know what you are thinking. We are already a strong faction without our bloodline power, and now that we have it, it is expected that we should win. But how long have we truly had it? It still needs time to sync with our bodies," he argued, his voice grave.
"Besides, I feel that the nine divine beings are preparing to make their move. I can sense it—a strong storm of energy is approaching. With the power we currently possess, we won't be able to battle them and emerge victorious."
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table clenched their fists, the tension rising.
"What are we going to do? Should we run and wait until we grow stronger?" one of the elders asked, his voice shaky.
"No, that's not who we are. We are the great Pendragon. Running is not our way. Our forefathers accomplished great things, and I am certain we can pull through this," the elder declared, his voice resolute. The others nodded in agreement, a glimmer of hope flickering in their eyes despite the overwhelming odds they faced.
"I am not planning to run from this battle, but we need to ensure this bloodline survives, no matter what. Even if only a single member makes it through, that's acceptable to me," declared the man everyone looked up to with unwavering resolve.
"Then how about we let the new generation escape? We can stay behind and hold the enemies back until they successfully get away," one of the council members suggested thoughtfully.
The room fell silent, and then there was unanimous agreement with the plan. Alex watched as five young children were called into the hall, their ages varying slightly—a mix of four boys and one girl.
Their appearance spoke volumes; their clothes were tattered, and their faces were weary, a testament to their involvement in the ongoing war.
Alex found it hard to comprehend. Children, barely into their teenage years, forced to fight in a war. For what purpose? He was at a loss for answers but continued to observe the unfolding scene.
A strange sense of familiarity tugged at Alex's mind, but he couldn't pinpoint why.
The elders meticulously explained the plan to the children. As the reality sank in, some burst into tears, particularly the girl. The boys, on the other hand, were visibly upset, trying to persuade the elders that they could fight and win.
One shorter boy stood out, his anger more pronounced as he clenched his fists, his face contorted with determination.
The elders, however, seemed to focus their attention on one child in particular, offering him encouraging words, one after another.
With the explanations concluded, one of the two individuals Alex had followed into the meeting room was assigned the role of guiding the children to safety.
There was a palpable desire among the group to say more. The children yearned to bid farewell to their fathers, uncles, nieces, and numerous other family and faction members. But their farewells were abruptly interrupted by a thunderous bang that echoed through the hall.
"They're here! Quick, open the portal," the older man instructed urgently. The group quickly gathered their energy at the center of the room, and a bright ring of light appeared.
One of the elders, using his power, waved his hand, and an invisible force pushed all five children and the young adult, Rooney, into the portal.
At that very moment, another, more powerful bang shook the room, causing the walls to crumble and revealing nine figures shrouded in golden light.
"Are the great Pendragons trying to escape? I guess this is the end for your entire bloodline," one of the intruders taunted.
The bright glow enveloped their bodies so completely that Alex couldn't discern their faces.
Meanwhile, the four remaining elders, along with the last young adult, turned to face the intruders.
They all wore smiles, and soon the portal behind them closed.
"Today, you'll learn why we, the Pendragons, were the most feared family in the universe; today, you'll understand the consequences of challenging a dragon," the older elder proclaimed. At that moment, a brilliant energy surged from the five elders, heading straight for the nine intruders.
---
In a different place, at that very moment, a boy who had been lying in a hospital bed suddenly sprang up, sweat pouring down his face.
"Did... I just live someone else's life?" Alex wondered, bewildered.