Somehow, the expressionless man seemed slightly confused by my question. He likely expected something far more complex regarding the war that supposedly involved me, so he ran a hand through his neatly trimmed beard while thinking about what I had asked.

   “No… I don’t know anyone by that name", he finally replied and I clicked my tongue in obvious disappointment.

How was that possible? Everything pointed toward it. Everything made sense. Her existence had been erased, and she had simply vanished. I discover the existence of another world, and she isn’t there either? Then what was I supposed to do?’

   ‘Well… I suppose I had no choice but to search for her on the other side’, I thought.

   “How?” I asked without bothering to phrase the question properly.

   “How what?” he replied, mirroring my bluntness.

   “How do we get to your world?”, I asked in the most serious tone I could muster.

   “I don’t know", Will answered with remarkable conviction, almost proud of his own wisdom.

   “Then how the hell am I supposed to save your world if I can’t even get there?” I snapped, raising my voice as I stood up.

   “And how should I know? The only thing they told me before sending me here was to find the so-called ‘Creator’… They didn’t even give me a damn description", he fired back, standing as well and finally venting everything he had been holding in.

   “Then how did you come here?” I asked, lowering my voice to calm both of us down.

   “I came through a portal created by the Priestess", he explained, sitting back down.

   “Actually… how long have you been here? You speak as if it’s already been a while".

   “About four days…”

   I paused, mentally calculating how much time remained.

   “Didn’t you say you had less than a week?” I asked, resting a hand against my face.

   “We gathered our remaining forces after the last attack, and we had to choose between launching a final offensive or pursuing another possibility… The Priestess revealed the existence of someone who could fight for us… the Creator".

   After confirming that Fyie likely wasn’t in his world, I still refused to discard the possibility that she had somehow been dragged there. If an entirely different universe had just been revealed before my eyes, then what was stopping countless others from existing as well?

   We spent more time discussing less important matters, country names, political and economic structures, combat systems.

   Leaning over the table with my eyes closed and my hand covering my mouth, I let my mind wander through endless possibilities, each one hitting with different intensity, some comforting, like her suddenly opening the front door at that very moment and others… far worse… like never seeing her again.

   After a long stretch of silence, I finally felt the exhaustion from our conversation settle into my body. For someone who barely exchanged words throughout an ordinary day, a discussion of this complexity demanded far more mental energy than I expected. Several hours had passed, and all I had done was burn energy trying to absorb an endless amount of information.

   Unable to ignore my growing hunger any longer, I stood up to prepare dinner. While cooking pasta with my back turned to Will, excitement finally came knocking. My heart began pounding violently while my breathing became uneven.

   I refused to show weakness in front of someone so important sitting behind me, so I synchronized my silent breakdown with the sounds of boiling pans and sizzling food.

   Half an hour later, I placed a full plate in front of the bearded man, who now stared at the food with the focus of a hawk spotting his prey.

   Unexpectedly, he pushed the plate away, visibly salivating while pretending to be difficult.

   “I require nothing beyond military rations", he claimed.

   The sentence triggered something in my mind, reminding me of a detail I had overlooked.

   “By the way… how have you been eating this entire time? You said you’d spent several days here, but you also claimed nobody besides me could see you".

   I innocently asked while enjoying the delicious dinner I had prepared with my own hands.

   “We learned how to recycle energy during times of crisis", he replied confidently.

   “What does that even mean?” I asked, now even more confused.

   “I can use my energy to nourish my body. Well… it only provides the bare minimum needed to survive".

   He still hadn’t directly answered my question.

   “You… haven’t eaten anything for days?” I asked, imagining the torment he must have endured.

   “Nothing… substantial", the powerful soldier answered casually.

   “Then eat already. Consider it a reward for your efforts, Commander", I joked lightly, while sliding the plate back toward him with a faint smile.

   The broad-shouldered man cautiously pulled the meal closer, swallowed dryly, picked up the fork, and finally took a bite. He chewed for two seconds and then, for the briefest moment, a small tear rolled down his face while his eyes remained fixed downward, showing the suffering he already had for one lifetime.

   Seeing that he wouldn’t stop there, I immediately stood to prepare him a second plate.

   We remained silent, but somehow, I could feel the immense weight crushing his heart.

   Night had already fallen, and after finally filling our stomachs, we began discussing combat strategies.

   “You claim I’m the creator of your world. How exactly would that help me defeat a monster capable of destroying nations?” I asked, recalling our earlier conversation.

   “According to the Priestess, as the Creator, you are responsible for shaping past and future events. Theoretically… your presence alone could alter the course of the history”, Will explained.

   “That makes no sense… Against a demon powerful enough to annihilate nations… even if I am some important figure, powers don’t simply appear overnight…”

   I stared at the ceiling, desperately wishing for an answer that sounded even remotely concrete.

   “The Priestess believes the monster may be a type of anomaly… something beyond our reality", the man continued grimly.

   “That Priestess… she’s the most suspicious part of this entire conversation", I stated while staring deeply into his black eyes.

   “Suspicious?” the commander repeated coldly, though his tone now bordered on anger. He clearly admired the woman.

   “She’s possibly the only person who knew about the existence of a ‘Creator.’ And even if that were true, why wait this long to bring up such information?”, I continued before he could interrupt.

   “Furthermore… a Priestess capable of creating dimensional rifts implies she already knew about this world, long before anyone else. The only logical explanation I can think of, is that both the creature and your leader may belong to a third world… one where things like this are possible".

   “Well… considering everything that’s happening, a third world doesn’t sound that absurd anymore", Will admitted.

   After talking a bit longer and realizing there was truly nothing we could do besides wait, we decided to rest.

   Still worried and incapable of removing Fyie from my thoughts, I laid down wishing she would somehow appear beside me again, just as suddenly as she had vanished.

   I was nearly asleep when a thunderous crash came from the front door.

   Will, who somehow hadn’t even noticed it, continued sleeping peacefully. I kicked him awake and called him outside, knowing it could be important.

   We stepped out only to find a white portal adorned with golden details. Its structure was completely illogical by the standards of my world… yet to Will, it represented salvation.

   We exchanged glances for a few seconds, and without saying a single word, we stepped inside knowing this might be our only chance.

   A blinding light swallowed us and the moment my feet touched the ground on the other side, I heard voices celebrating nearby.

   “So that foreign woman actually succeeded, huh?”, said a female voice.

   “And who would dare doubt someone so powerful?”, another heavier voice replied.

   My vision slowly returned, and eventually I could make out three silhouettes. The instant we fully crossed the portal, I saw our allies clearly.

   First, a short girl clad in heavy armor, wielding a sword somehow twice her own height.

   Next, a tall and muscular man covered in scars that marked the path of a warrior. Yet, the katana at his side created a strangely delicate contrast against his imposing physique.

Then, I paused when I saw the third figure in the back... A girl with short silver hair.

   Her black eyes traced me like an enemy waiting for the first move.

   I froze while looking at her, though I quickly noticed the subtle differences between her and the one i search.

   “You really do look alike… but your gaze is completely different".

   The girl in the back widened her eyes for a brief moment. Then she closed them and calmly approached me.

   Once we stood face to face, she locked eyes with mine and asked… “Have you already met Catherine?”.