Ryan watched the memories play out with grim expressions all over his face.
More and more districts fell. More and more of the great houses were wiped out as well.
Including his. He watched as his father and mother were buried after a recent confrontation with one of the horsemen who attacked district 5 with one of the abyssal kings that was still alive at this point.
The war that had at one point been in humanity's favor after two of the abyssal kings were killed, was now vastly against them.
Most of the sovereigns had been killed by now. Even I.R.O.N, the federation's military, was mostly destroyed as the heads had been killed.
And a moment that sent chills down his spine as a mind numbing sadness hit him. Currently, he stood over the dying figure of a lady in her early twenties.
She had long pitch black hair tied up in a ponytail, with beautiful brown eyes. Currently a spear jutted out of her stomach as she lay breathing heavily against a boulder.
Her clothes were rugged and her body was battered and riddled with injuries. Several corpses lay around her. Both Inhuman, human, and beasts.
"Don't cry." She muttered, seemingly using all the energy she had in her to barely mutter those words.
Despite her trying to comfort Aaron, the tears still flowed down his face as his sword clattered to the ground and he fell to his knees.
Ryan felt the grief of Aaron rush into him but even without Aaron's grief, he himself was shedding tears.
The person dying currently was his estranged childhood friend, Monica Van Astrea.
"M-Monica." Ryan mumbled, his hands trembling. Even though he knew. He expected this would happen.
Afterall, humanity was basically wiped out at this point, but even then, knowing something was going to happen and seeing it actually happen were two different things.
"Aaron, do you remember how we first met? At the academy?" Monica asked in a struggling tone.
"Y-Yeah. I remember." Aaron said, tears falling from his eyes as he forced a smile on his face.
"The line at the café was incredibly long so we had to wait. Then those jerks barged into the place acting like they owned it. Haha. You sure showed them didn't you?" Aaron added, as he tried to force a joke but even he couldn't fully laugh at his own joke.
"Yeah. Do you remember? One of those jerks was Ryan." Monica said, resting her head against the boulder her body lay against.
"Oh. Ryan huh?" Aaron muttered, his expression changing at the mention of Ryan's name.
"Still dislike him don't you?" Monica asked, a soft smile on her face as she faced Aaron.
"Yeah. He was a bully. He harassed countless students. Even you. At least he tried to." Aaron said.
"Yeah he was. He wasn't always like that you know. I remember a time when Ryan used to smile… genuinely." Monica whispered, her breaths becoming shallower.
Aaron blinked, taken aback. "Ryan… genuine?"
"Mhm…" She nodded weakly. "Back then, before the academy… before the pressure of the being the heir of his family came. Before he found out he was giftless. Before my father..."
Her voice quivered as she spoke. "He was a kind kid. Someone who wouldn't hurt a fly. He was someone who enjoyed having other friends to play with. Regardless of status. I was the one who broke that kind kid who was already hurting."
Ryan stood frozen in place, just watching. Not breathing. Not blinking. Tears just slid silently down his cheeks.
Monica continued, her voice trembling, "After my father died… I blamed him. I know shouldn't have. I just… I needed somewhere to put my anger. And Ryan… he was right there." A pained smile tugged at her lips. "I pushed him… and pushed him… until he never came back."
Aaron's gaze softened. He shifted closer, holding her hand carefully, as if it would break. "Monica… you don't need to think about him right now."
"No… it's alright." She whispered. "I just… want someone to know. Ryan… he wasn't born like that. We made him that way." Her eyes fluttered, growing duller by the second.
Ryan clenched his fists in anger and sadness as he felt a wave of emotion hit him.
Monica's attention slowly drifted back to Aaron. "Hey… Aaron?"
"Yes?" he answered instantly, leaning closer.
"Thank you… for being there. For always showing up. For not giving up… even when everything kept being taken from you." She coughed, blood staining her lips. "I'm sorry… I couldn't stay longer."
Aaron's face twisted with pain. "Don't say that. Please… don't. Monica, stay with me. Please."
Her trembling hand reached for his cheek, brushing away his tears. "Aaron… come closer."
He leaned in, and she wrapped her arms weakly around him. He held her—gently, desperately—as if trying to anchor her to life.
"I… I love you, Aaron…" she breathed.
Aaron broke. "I love you too, Monica. I always have."
A soft smile formed on her face—peaceful, relieved.
And then… her hand slipped from his cheek.
Her eyes dimmed.
Her body fell still.
Ryan fell silent, his tears dripping onto the blood-soaked ground as the memory faded into the background.
Many different events followed, but Ryan could care less. He was currently sitting on the ground, his body shaking and bubbling with pent-up rage.
"Enough." He muttered, his voice so quiet and low that even in this place where he was alone, his voice could still hardly be heard.
Then—
"Enough!" He screamed out in pure rage this time, slamming his fists against the ground.
"I don't want to see anymore of this. Let me out!" He demanded, his eyes red from crying.
[It is not advisable to let you do so. You are yet to finish viewing the memories. If you leave now, you will lack critical intel for your future endeavors. I urge you young one, bear through this. Whatever future you see, know it is one that CAN be changed. So please bear through it for you are the only one who can save your planet and your race.]
The voice said, both urging and pleading with Ryan to finish the memories.
Gritting his teeth, Ryan turned back to face the memories.
Right now, a few weeks had passed since Monica's death, and humanity was on the edge of annihilation.
Out of 10 districts, eight had been wiped out and completely taken over either by the inhumans or the dungeon monsters as gates had been frequently opening up since the start of the war.
I.R.O.N was destroyed. The Federal government crushed, and the inhuman army marched on towards the remaining two districts.
And just now, Aaron and the others learnt an almost devastating secret. The horsemen weren't the strongest of the inhumans.
They had a monarch they served.
A scout from the frontline had delivered this message to them shortly before he was killed.
'Their monarch is awake.' That was all.
"Fuck." Aaron muttered, his voice tired, as he fell to his chair with the remnants of humanity's leaders.
"We've lost already. Let's just surrender." One of the men in the room suggested.
"Seems like you don't get it. Their goal isn't the conquest of humanity. Nor is it to drive us off this planet.
Their goal is to exterminate us. They wish to wipe us out. Have you forgotten how the Federal government died?
They went to negotiate the terms of surrender and were met with the blades of the inhumans. They won't accept our surrender." One of the women in the room pointed out to the man who suggested surrender.
"But still, it's not like we can win at this point. Eight districts have been destroyed including the one that had the highest concentration of explorer guilds in it. What chance do we have if even I.R.O.N and the rest of the explorer guilds couldn't even stop them." A short, portly man pointed out as well.
"Even then, we have no choice but to fight. Afterall, they won't accept a surrender." Aaron finally spoke through the tiredness.
"Ok. I should prepare the troo—"
BOOOMM!!!
A loud explosion resounded in the area shaking the building they were in.
Aaron and the others rushed to their windows and saw that the barrier protecting the city had been destroyed and the inhumans were piling in.
In the center of it all, was an inhuman who's aura far eclipsed that of any inhuman Aaron had ever fought before.
Even the horsemen.
'The Monarch.' Aaron thought. Ryan recognised him instantly from the first vision he had. And suddenly he understood why Aaron looked so familiar.
He was the one he had seen earlier. And if he was the one, he knew how this would end. And it ended just like that, with the death of earth's last sovereign and humanity's last strongholds.
And so spelled the end of human civilisation.