The endless hours passed while I analyzed every step we had taken together, from the very first to the very last, until I arrived at the exact spot where she vanished.

   There was nothing unusual about it. It was simply the center of an ordinary bakery. I then concluded it wasn’t the location itself, but rather the circumstances.

   I gathered hypotheses, connected ideas, and refined theories until I finally stood before… that thing. An incredibly suspicious man watched me intently during my usual walk toward the bakery every morning.

   I approached him cautiously and curiously.

   The man wore a black overcoat and a formal hat… in the middle of summer.

   I walked until we stood side by side, waiting two seconds for him to say something. When he remained silent, I ignored him and entered the shop.

   As usual, I picked up the items I needed for the day and handed them to the shopkeeper. Ever since the incident, he had been looking at me with pity.

   While standing at the counter, I glanced outside. The man remained in the same position, staring through the bakery window directly at me.

   A chill ran down my spine as I imagined him being one of Drake’s lackeys. I turned back to the shopkeeper and casually asked, “So… is he a regular customer or something?”

   “Who are you talking about?” the shopkeeper asked, while scanning my groceries.

   “The man in the black overcoat outside", I replied naturally.

   The shopkeeper lifted his head to look outside before turning back to me in confusion.

   “Sir… Do you need a doctor?”

   Offended, confused, and fully aware of the situation, I grabbed my groceries and walked outside without answering him.

   This time, I headed directly toward the man who supposedly also didn’t exist. Already losing my patience, I stopped in front of him and asked, no longer hiding my anger:

   “Who are you?”.

   The man didn’t bother replying.

   “Hey… answer me", I shouted this time.

   Suddenly, he turned toward me and leaned down, locking eyes with mine while whispering words I couldn’t understand.

   “What?” I asked, unable to make sense of anything he was saying.

   The man inhaled deeply and opened his mouth again.

   “Creator… we need your help".

   Now completely confused, I stepped back, only for the man to practically lunge at me and grab my shoulders.

   “Our world will be destroyed… please, Creator, we need you", he pleaded with fear in his eyes.

   At that moment, I noticed two women entering the bakery while staring at me, confused by the sight of me bent backward as though distancing myself from an invisible person.

   That only confirmed my suspicions. How could people simply ignore someone that suspicious?

   I took a deep breath, processing the fragments of information I had just received before turning back toward him.

   “Come to my house… we’ll talk there".

   We walked in complete silence for those few minutes that felt like hours.

   His words were strange, and perhaps he was just another well-dressed, drunk and invisible to everyone else, but something about the situation caught my attention.

   If what he said was true… if another world really existed… then Fyie could have been in danger this entire time. And I couldn’t bear the thought of finding her only to realize I had arrived too late.

   “We’re here", I said as my keys clinked together.

   After entering, I pointed him toward a chair, and we sat across from each other at the table. Less than a meter separated us physically, but our sharp gazes suggested otherwise.

   “So… what do you have to say?”, I asked first, breaking the silence.

   “Creator…”, he began.

   “I’m not the creator of anything. Call me Kyros. That’s my name", I interrupted firmly.

   “Creator... you are being summoned to battle", he continued, completely ignoring my words. I sighed in disappointment before continuing.

   “Battle? What kind of battle? Where? Against who?”

   My barrage of questions didn’t seem to affect the cold, broad-shouldered man sitting before me.

   “Start from the beginning", I requested.

   He removed his hat, revealing enough hair to partially cover his face. He carried the aura of an old man, though he couldn’t have been older than thirty.

   “I don’t know how much time we have, but very well…”, he began grimly, as though we were already being hunted.

   “Creator, my name is William. I come from another world… A world currently trapped in endless war. Not against an army, a country, or even a planet… but against a single enemy".

   The conviction in his voice shook me, and I couldn’t bring myself to doubt him. His eyes held no lies.

   “Our crisis has already shaken the entire empire, and we can no longer endure this war and its consequences much longer. Worse still… this enemy cannot be defeated".

   “What does that mean?”, I asked during his pause.

   “After confirming the enemy’s power through the brutal death of the strongest among our ten commanders, several nations formed an alliance and launched a direct assault…”

   He paused bitterly.

   “There were fifty thousand soldiers. Every one of them could destroy a house like this effortlessly. But… the beast extended its arm, and a black stain swallowed the battlefield. Half of the army vanished… bodies, clothes, weapons… Everything was erased".

   The story sounded increasingly absurd, yet, deep down, I knew I had to believe it… for her sake.

   “The remaining soldiers lost all hope. They realized they survived only because the range of its attack hadn’t reached them… or because the beast simply chose not to".

   For the first time since we met, William displayed emotion, and i saw the pure disgust toward that creature he hated.

   “It remains motionless…”, he stopped upon noticing my confusion.

   “The monster remains completely motionless for about a week, while recovering the energy spent in that attack. Once it fully recovers… he flies toward another nation, lands in its capital… and uses its power again".

   “What kind of power?” I asked, fully immersed now.

   “We don’t know exactly. He raises its palm toward the sky and forms a black energy within it. Then suddenly, it explodes, consuming everything around it. Within seconds, an entire nation is annihilated… people, animals, races, ideologies, religions… all erased without distinction".

   His voice trembled more with every word.

   “After that, it becomes motionless once again… until it recovers… and continues the massacre".

   William stopped when he noticed me shifting in my chair.

   “And what if…”

   “If we attack him in that state, everyone dies, the weekly countdown resets and he simply move on to another nation".

   Silence settled between us for several seconds.

   He seemed to understand I needed time to absorb everything.

   “How many countries joined the alliance?” I finally asked.

   “There were four".

   “And now?”

   “We are… only one".

   “How many soldiers remain willing to fight?”

   “Fi… Five".

   “Five thousand? Then you still have numbers".

   “No" - he corrected - “Three men and two women. Five soldiers. Everyone else fled to the mountains or to neutral nations untouched by the attacks. Those bastards ran away hoping to live happily while abandoning their homes…”

   He slammed his hands against the table. I gave him a few seconds to calm down, then asked:

   “If ordinary soldiers could destroy houses casually, how strong are you five?”

   “I am the strongest among the remaining generals. With enough effort and my sword, I could carve a path from here to the place we first met. As for destruction… I could demolish this entire place without lifting a finger".

   He stared directly into my eyes while saying it, almost like a threat.

   I still didn’t understand why he came for me or why he called me “Creator", but I was now certain that refusing his offer to kill a monster and save his world would likely get me killed.

   “I have two more questions, Will", I said, trying to calm him.

   In response, he gave me another look of disgust at the nickname.

   “Commander… what exactly do you want from me?”

   “We… want you to follow into battle and help us defeat that monster… in one final confrontation".

   “So you’re asking me to follow you into a suicidal battle in the hope that we might injure this thing", I asked and he didn’t react.

   That silence alone confirmed my theory.

   “Listen… I may be stronger than a average human, but I cannot harm beings capable of erasing entire nations".

   “You can", he insisted.

   “I… can’t", I replied, sharply.

   “Creator…”

   “This war has nothing to do with me" - I interrupted coldly - “And what does that title even mean?”

   “It has everything to do with you… because you are the creator of our world. The being once called God".

   Over time, I had developed abilities that placed me above others… behavioral manipulation or the ability to detect lies through eye contact were among them, and still... I couldn't see lies in his eyes.

   “G-God?” I muttered.

   “The priestess aiding us is a mage capable of using ancient energy techniques. She placed my body under an illusion and only the Creator of our world would be able to see me".

   Strangely, everything he said felt like a distant truth, enough to make me question my own sanity.

   “That’s… impossible. I was born human, and I don’t possess the power you believe I do".

   “The priestess has never once failed in her prophecies. You are the Creator… whether you realize it or not".

   My mind went blurry for a second, and then, she returned to my mind. If William was telling the truth… then Fyie might be on the other side.

   I had once been judged by the very creature humanity worshipped as divine. Being compared to that thing made my body tremble as memories of that day resurfaced.

   “Then… Commander William, I have one final question".

   I carefully observed him for any reaction, but his expression remained unchanged.

   “Does the name Catherine… mean anything to you?”