The year was 2100. High above a broken country, a man clung to the side of a fighter jet as it cut through the sky. He looked down at the ground far below and said one short thing.
"Found it."
The next moment he let go and leapt, cutting through the air in a rapid fall.
Meanwhile, on the ground, a young man was running desperately along a crumbling road, stones and concrete breaking apart under his feet. He screamed hysterically.
"Anyone? Is anyone here?"
Tears streamed down his dirty face, mixing with the dust. The next second a huge monster landed right in front of him with a deafening roar. Its face was distorted and twisted, as though it had melted and set again.
The young man froze in horror as more and more creatures began to emerge from the rubble around him. He fell to his knees and, choking with fear, began to beg for salvation.
"Anyone!"
He clutched a photograph of his family convulsively in his trembling hand and cried out through his tears.
"Idiots turned the world into this. Somebody has to avenge them."
And at that very moment the man dropped to the ground beside him with a sharp jerk.
He did not waste time on words. With one powerful blow of his fist he smashed the head of the distorted one, and it flew off to the side.
"Sorry for the delay," he said quietly.
The young man, still trembling all over, looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and exhaled hoarsely.
"Who—who are you?"
Then, as if his strength had suddenly returned, he stretched out his hand and shouted.
"Ah — yes. Finally."
His voice broke into a sob.
"Finally people will be able to take everything back, right?"
He lunged forward and grabbed the man's clothes, as if afraid he would disappear. The man nodded calmly.
"Now you can calm down."
Only then did it become clear that a huge jagged wound gaped in the boy's back. Through clenched teeth he whispered.
"Thank you."
And, exhausted, he collapsed to the ground.
The man closed his eyes for a moment, silently looking at the lifeless body, and then felt someone approach him from behind.
"Cedo. They didn't make it in time after all," Kagura said quietly.
He adjusted his glasses, and Cedo finally looked at him.
"It looks like he was the last survivor in the area. It's time to give up, Cedo. You just have to accept it. Humanity has come to an end."
He paused for a second and then continued.
"Due to constant environmental pollution, the planet gave birth to the distorted ones — monsters with incredible regenerative abilities. Even nuclear weapons couldn't stop them. People kept fighting, experimenting on themselves, looking for a way to counter the threat. But in the end we were too late. There's no one left to save."
Cedo slowly shook his head.
"There's still something to save," he said quietly.
He took a step forward without looking back. Kagura watched him go.
"Do you really think there are any survivors left?"
Cedo stopped, but did not turn around.
"No. I'm talking about the future."
He turned his head slightly and added, "About the nanomachines you invented. They can not only destroy the regenerative abilities of the distorted ones, but also restore the planet's environment. So one day the Earth will return to its former beauty. And when that happens, a thriving civilization will rise here again — the way humanity did."
Kagura chuckled without humour. "It sounds like a pipe dream."
Cedo moved forward again, putting his hands in his pockets.
"So be it. Even the slightest possibility is enough. My strength may be needed again in the future, and perhaps it is exactly that faith that will save the generations to come. I only need to preserve the possibility."
Kagura nodded silently. He walked over to the special capsule and carefully placed Cedo inside. The system responded without feeling.
"Cryosleep activation."
Years passed. Mutations continued to evolve. Nature lived its own life. And so a hundred million years passed.
Finally the system spoke again.
"Access key confirmed. Defrosting from cryosleep begins."
At that moment Hakama ran forward, breathing heavily, her hair flying over her shoulders. A huge distorted one chased after her, its claws scraping the floor. Dano, barely keeping up with her, cried out.
"Is he really here?"
Without slowing down, she shouted back, "Yes!"
Shandi, stumbling, could hardly keep pace with them, and muttered breathlessly, "But if he's not here, then we're all going to die."
Hakama stopped abruptly beside the massive door, clutched the key hanging around her neck to her chest, and looked ahead.
"Guardian God! You have to be here!"
They burst into the room, Hakama throwing the door open with all her might. Dano froze on the threshold and cried out in confusion.
"Hey — this is a dead end!"
Hakama looked around in horror, her gaze darting from wall to wall until it fell on the cryosleep pod. At that very moment the distorted one burst into the room. Shandi saw it and screamed in panic.
"What do we do now?"
Hakama pressed herself against the wall, closed her eyes and began to whisper, and then screamed.
"Please save them, Guardian God!"
And the next moment the pod began to open. A calm voice came from within.
"As you wish."
A bright flash of energy rushed forward, pierced the monster's head and tore it apart.
The man emerged from the capsule, his silhouette wrapped for a moment in a glow. He looked at the three frightened people and spoke calmly.
"You see? All you had to do was believe."
He extended his hand, pure energy condensing in his palm.
"In a possible future."
Then he looked around and said, "As expected of a storage facility built by Kagura. My clothes are here, just as they were."
With that he opened the drawer, then glanced at the many monitors along the wall. A hundred million years have passed out there, he thought. Wow. Most of the data is corrupted. It's amazing this place hasn't fallen apart. Perhaps I should thank the nanomachines dispersed in the air.
He then looked at the cube on the shelf. I'd like to know what the world has become, he thought. But all I have left is Kagura's message.
After that he turned to the planet's current inhabitants.
"I'd like to hear it from you first."
He was standing there naked, and Dano abruptly clapped his hands over Hakama's eyes. The man looked faintly embarrassed.
"Oh. Sorry. I spent a hundred million years without clothes. I got a little confused."
Then he put his clothes on and remarked, "That's better. This is how I usually look."
After some time they went outside, shielding their eyes from the bright sun. He looked ahead at the horizon. So this is the world a hundred million years later, he thought. Completely different from before.
The next second Hakama took him by the sleeve. "Guardian God." She pointed to the side. "This way."
He should follow them, then. But he glanced at his companions and thought: people? No. Humanity died out a hundred million years ago, so something else has evolved here. These creatures are similar to people and yet different. Apparently they were shaped by the nanomachines. The fact that even after so many years they speak the same language is proof enough of that.
Then he smiled. "By the way, I still haven't introduced myself. I'm Jin Cedo. You can just call me Cedo."
Hakama gave her name in return, and the others introduced themselves as well.