“You can't be serious.”
Lance was in shock, staring at the screen in front of him.
For a moment He stared ahead. Then he laughed.
“Ok, Colin, buddy pal friend, your joke is going too far this time.”
‘He's rich. He probably paid the hotel staff to prank me. He's getting back at me for the money i spent Today’
The screen showed Hong Kong, the very city Colin had said he was going to.
The laughing slowed as the news coverage panned over several Rankers fighting some sort of massive dragon. The dragon was the size of many city blocks , and it was shooting flames everywhere, melting the city down.
Lance spoke again, desperation in his voice.
“Seriously Colin, I get it, the Rubber Ducks in the bathroom were funny and all, but this is… this is…”
Lance quickly turned up the volume.
“Reports are coming in from all across Hong Kong, as multiple dungeons have simultaneously broken, including an SSS Rank that spawned as a Cataclysm Variant.
As you viewers may know, a Cataclysm Variant is when a Variant dungeon not only has multiple Variant effects, but also applies those effects to all other nearby dungeons.
The current dungeon was already a Variant, Spawning at a terrifying SSS Ranking, and became Cataclysmic by Breaking immidiately. One possible Variant pattern is 1 week less on the typical 4 week Break period, so 4 weeks early is a whopping 5 Variant Cataclysm."
The female reporter, the one speaking first, took a break to breathe before continuing.
"The named boss of the SSS Dungeon, Storm Dragon Flare, is currently being held off by 4th place SSS Ranker Shohei Yagumo as well as U Ranker Benjamin Fox, who was in the area for a meeting.”
Another reporter spoke up.
“Surely if a U Ranker is involved, this cataclysm is as good as solved, even at SSS Rank. I estimate perhaps 10% of the city will be burned by the ensuing fires, but that can all be rebuilt over the coming year given advances in China's Construction Sector.”
The first reporter spoke again.
“Let's turn to financial analyst Jim Walker to see if he agrees with this opinion.”
A bald man flashed on the screen.
“Yes, it would seem that with the arrival of-”
Lance turned away from the TV and pulled out his phone. He dialed Colin’s number.
It rang. It went straight to voicemail.
Again.
It rang. It went straight to voicemail.
Again.
Same result.
Lance slammed down his phone.
“Why isn't he answering?”
Lance was on the verge of a panic attack.
Quickly, he grabbed his phone again, searching for Hong Kong Ranker Academy.
That was the place Colin would have last been, along with his sister and mother.
He read the first article under the new headlines.
“Guan Academy has been evacuated to the Hong Kong Bunkers. Currently, the evacuations have been completed.”
Lance breathed a sigh of relief. They were fine. They had been evacuated safely.
“-and everything is exceedingly-”
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The TV tuned back into Lance's hearing as he heard a shocked cry.
The Japanese News Reporters Looked shocked, as did the bald analyst.
“S-Shohei Yagumo, the Sword King is unresponsive! I repeat, the Sword King is down!”
Silence continued for a moment, before the Dragon suddenly began glowing.
“I-It appears the Storm Dragon Flare is charging up an attack! Benjamin is-”
The screen behind the reporters went red, then white, then black.
“S-Switch to the Choppers on the South China Sea! Quickly!” A person offscreen shouted.
“O-On it!”
The screen showed a ball rising in the sky. A fireball, to be specific.
It was blue, white, and red in color, and appeared to be rising on a pillar into the sky. The ball then began expanding.
Soon, a strong wind hit the cameras, which began shaking as the helicopter holding them struggled to keep in the air.
Then, the expanding fireball reached it. Again, the camera went white and black.
One of the Reporters, the female one tried to start running, stopped by the male one.
She began kicking and screaming.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH, MY NIECE WAS IN THAT CHOPPER, YOU SAID SHE WOULD BE SA-”
The feed cut out, and the channel went black.
Lance was too stunned to change it, having dropped his phone on the floor and fallen to his knees.
His knees were now Drenched in red wine and his legs were cut by glass, but Lance didn't care.
“C-Colin? S-Surely he was fine. The Bunkers… They…”
Hours passed.
The news feed resumed, but Lance didn't care, letting it zone out in his ears.
“Benjamin Fox has been reportedly found dead, alongside fellow Rankers Shohei Yagumo, Tien Guan, Lacey Rose, Arthur Morrigain, Chen-”
Over 20,000 Rankers had died in the incident, all up in flames. 13 Total were S rank or higher, the biggest loss of Rankers in Human history.
The Bunkers had been burned to a crisp, and now were a molten tomb for everyone who tried to hide.
There was no hope. There was no salvation.
There was only loss.
The only reason the incident didn't go any further was a lucky accident. Benedicte Boneparte, the 2nd Place U Ranker, had heard the news and felt the need to investigate himself.
He cast a spell just in time to prevent the Fireball from expanding any further.
On the screen, the Savior of the day looked to be breathing heavily, clearly not smiling or pleased with the events of the day.
Slowly, he approached The microphone, grabbing it.
Benedicte spoke with a gruff Tone, his accent heavy as he breathed haggardly.
“Today, we lost Hong Kong. Tomorrow, it may be your home that's next. We can never predict dungeons, we have become complacent.”
The man's black hair was a mess, unfitting of someone with the power to destroy large mountains. His shirt was torn, and covered in soot.
“I have lost a good comrade today. Many comrades. We must be prepared for next time. That is why…”
Benedicte paused before continuing.
“...We must Unite together, to face the threats that may still linger in the shadows.”
Benedicte cast a spell, an illusion of a spinning globe. It was very detailed, but a pittance of power for someone of his calibre.
“Today, we need to prepare for tomorrow. I have begun Speaking with the leaders of your- our world's governments to enact a plan. A plan to slowly but surely unify our World against the monsters so we can push back at full capacity.”
There was suddenly a lot of noise as reporters began scrambling to take pictures and as questions. Bonaparte raised a hand and yelled.
“Silence.”
The room went dead quiet on the tv. Benedicte shuffled his jacket to re-cover his burned arm.
“I know this is a tough request, and we shall follow legal processes for this. But take heed, we NEED this. Without your support, humanity will not survive.”
Benedicte turned his back, his coat waving.
“That is all. Goodbye.”
The news reports continued, buzzing with either info of the devastation or criticisms of Benedict's speech.
Lance was still zoned out when the door slammed open. Clothes burned to a crisp, a man shuffled in.
For a second, Lance's hopes rose, until he saw the look on his friend's face.
Colin's eyes were empty, devoid of anything, any spark.
Lance rushed over, hugging his friend, crying.
“I was so worried man! Do you have any idea how hard it was to watch everything on the news!?! I called you 30 times and you didn't answer once!”
Colin didn't respond.
Lance's tears dried. He let out an awkward laugh.
“I uhm… may have spent a little bit on the card. Hope you aren't mad…”
Colin was silent still.
Lance tried to speak again, getting desperate.
“W-What happened? How did you manage to escape? I-”
“I failed.”
Colin finally spoke.
Lance sat silently for a moment.
Finally, the brown haired man asked the question on his mind.
“What do you mean?”
Colin's eyes began tearing up, still blank and dead inside.
“I couldn't save them. I failed. My mother. My sister. Everyone. I failed.”
Lance sat in silence, before tying to speak.
“You couldn't have-”
“I knew.”
Lance sat in confusion. Colin continued.
“I knew this was going to happen. I've seen it all before. Experienced it all before.”
Colin laughed in despair.
“I had every bit of power to try and stop it, but I failed. It's my fault. I couldn't save anyone but myself. How worthless is that?”
Lance couldnt proccess what he was hearing, so he didn't. He simply hugged his friend, hoping that somehow, this might help.
Colin continued crying.
“I COULDN'T DO IT. I COULDN’T. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ME THAT WAS BROUGHT BACK? WHY NOT ALICE? WHY NOT MOM? WHY ME?!?”
He sobbed.
“Why… me…?”
…
Days passed, and the duo returned home. They didn't spend time partying as planned, as nobody was in that mood, and they booked the first flight home they could.
Once he got back, Lances’ family was waiting outside, desperate to ensure he was ok. Colin simply smiled sadly in the distance as Stella rushed in for a hug and Edith cried tears of joy.
“W-We were so worried! Don't do anything like that again big brother!”
Lance, shocked, simply patted his crying sister on the head.
“I'm fine, really. It's ok…”
Stella cried even harder, as Edith joined the hug circle. Lance spoke again.
“Everything is going to be ok.”
By the time Lance got free of his family's clutches, Colin was gone. He left a note, thanking Lance for his friendship, and leaving behind a recommendation letter for an Academy in Pennsylvania.
Nobody knew where he went, so Lance couldn't track him down. It was like the man had never existed to begin with, and that made Lance feel regretful.
Karmine Ranker Academy in Pittsburg was the #23 Ranked Academy in the U.S. it was a surprisingly high rank academy to get a recommendation for.
Turns out, Colin was actually a B Ranker, despite his age, and B ranks or higher can recommend candidates to schools around their level.
‘What a monster’ Lance thought. A billionaire, a B ranker in secret. Even… something else.
The things Lance heard in the Hotel living room had finally been processed.
To think his best friend was the one with a cheat skill all along.
“Regression is popular in novels, but they really don't tell you how traumatic it would be to fail your task.”
Lance pondered this. Regressors existed, people even beyond time itself. If that was possible, what else could be done? What else could happen by chance.
The thought scared Lance more than he liked to admit.
He originally wished he could be like Colin, like a protagonist, but… Is it really that easy? In the real world, things are never simple.
All Lance knew was he missed his friend, and he hoped that maybe someday he would return. It seemed unlikely, though. He was probably far away, and it seemed like Colin didn't want to see anyone right now, or for the near future.
…
It had been a few months since the incident at Hong Kong. Things had calmed down somewhat, the world revolving as it always did. Always continuing forward.
Lance glanced down into his hands at the recommendation letter. It was his final gift. Lance strolled forward through the gates of the academy and quickly found himself at the reception desk.
The Entrance Exam and Ceremonies were tomorrow, and things would get much more busy as the year progressed.
He thought back to his family, their sad yet proud faces as they heard what he had accomplished, and that he was now an Academy student candidate. Tightening his fist, Lance walked forward, instantly running into a girl by accident, falling to the floor with a thud.
Lance quickly got to his feet and reached down for the girl, shocked and apologetic.
“I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to- eh?”
Looking the girl over, Lance recognized her, and his stomach dropped.
The girl on the ground smiled.
“I remember you, do you remember me?”
She stood up.
“I'm Ceilia Vernon. I hope we can be good friends, Lance!”
Lance frowned.
‘Maybe this will be a rougher few years than I thought?’
