Is this the end?
I asked myself as I stared into the deep blue sky—now filled with erupting black smoke and falling debris. Anti-ballistic missiles surged upward, intercepting incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from a superpower nation.
To my deepest regret, I thought—how irresponsible, how incompetent were the leaders controlling this country? If only they had not listened to those foolish citizens chanting for war in their protests… then perhaps this destruction could have been avoided.
And yet—
I could only blame myself.
I never pursued public service. I chose the private sector instead. Though I secured a high position, I remained powerless in politics… and in diplomacy.
This is my greatest regret.
I believed in peace—but ignored the reality that a nation requires strength, a military capable of sustaining it. For 47 years of my life, I brushed aside political affairs as if they did not concern me.
And now—
This is the result.
As I tried to gather my thoughts, another barrage of ICBMs tore through the sky—this time heading directly toward my position.
Even the Geneva Convention meant nothing here.
Ruthless leaders have no mercy. No rules. Not when they are stronger than the very institutions meant to restrain them. Not when they wield power greater than entire nations. Not when they act without fear of consequence.
One can only wonder—
Are they even human?
Where is the humanity in a world like this?
In ancient times, kingdoms waged war for land and resources. Now, nations destroy each other over words—over pride. Human lives… no longer hold weight.
As I prepared to take my last breath, I slowly closed my eyes.
Memories began to play—fast, vivid, like a rushing stream of moments I could no longer hold onto. Each one felt real… like it had only happened yesterday.
Tears fell, one drop at a time, onto the rubble beneath my feet.
Behind me stood what was once the tallest skyscraper in the country.
And where I stood—
This wasn't a military installation.
It was a city.
A massive, bustling commercial city.
But now?
Nothing but ruins.
Buildings burned. Streets were buried under debris. Cars were filled with lifeless bodies. Flames consumed everything.
Strangely enough… I was still standing.
Only minor scratches marked my body. From what I could recall, a piece of shrapnel from a drone-fired grenade had struck nearby.
Soon, more missiles approached.
No interceptors remained.
Just me… and a few scattered survivors, waiting.
Waiting for the inevitable.
They came fast—faster than sound itself.
And as they entered my sight—
I accepted it.
I began counting.
Ten seconds.
That's how long I estimated before impact.
Ten seconds… before the end of my life.
Yet somehow—
It felt like an eternity.
I felt nothing.
Strangely… it was as if I were dreaming.
Maybe I was denying reality.
Maybe I simply couldn't accept that this was how I would die.
Standing still.
Waiting.
Then—
A song came to mind.
An old one. One of my favorites.
It played softly in my head as everything around me continued to fall apart.
For those final seconds, I looked around once more.
Everything… gone.
Unrecognizable.
Nothing like the vibrant city it had been just twelve hours ago.
And then—
Snap—
KABOOM!
A deafening explosion swallowed everything.
And then—
Nothing.
Ting—Ding—Dong!Ting—Ding—Dong!Ting—Ding—Dong!
"…Hmm…"
Yawn.
"What a strange dream…"
It felt so vivid—but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall it clearly.
Let me check the time…
"…Huh?"
"What?! It's already 10:00 AM?!"
"Oh no—I'm late!!"
I jumped out of bed.
"Hurry—hurry—where are my clothes?!"
I rushed around, splashing water onto my face, running my hands through my hair, quickly washing up.
"Deodorant—done—wait…"
"…What's that smell?"
A pause.
"…Oh no."
"Merlin?!"
"My toy—!"
"It's burning?!"
"Water—where's the water?!"
I didn't realize it at the time—but when I woke up, my foot had brushed against my doll, knocking it into the electrical socket. While I was washing my face, droplets of water must have splashed into it—
And that caused the fire.
"Got it—!"
I finally managed to put it out.
"Phew…"
I sighed in relief.
But—
I wasn't careful.
My hand touched the exposed wire.
Still connected.
"Argh—!"
Zap—Zap—!
My body jolted violently. Every hair stood on end. My muscles locked—I couldn't let go.
"Ugh—!"
Then—
My grip released.
But by then—
I collapsed.
Everything went black.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
"How's the patient?"
A man in a white gown spoke calmly, holding a clipboard in one hand and writing with the other.
"Pulse is steady. Heartbeat stabilized," the nurse replied. "But the patient is still unconscious, doctor."
She stood beside the bed, dressed in pink, monitoring the machine.
"Alright," the doctor nodded. "Record everything. Then contact his family."
He handed over the file.
The nurse adjusted the equipment before leaving the room.
And the patient—
Was the same one electrocuted earlier.
Inside a Dream…
"Christopher! Christopher!"
A man in a tuxedo and formal slacks called out, standing near a desk.
Christopher sat at the far end of the office, slouched in his chair.
"…Huh? What—why?" he muttered, eyes half-open.
"Relax," the man said with a grin. "Come here—look at this headline. It's actually funny."
He gestured toward his monitor.
"…Can't you just send it to my inbox?" Christopher replied, though he was already standing and walking over.
The man was his assistant.
And Christopher—
Was the team leader.
They worked in a private corporation, currently in the middle of finishing a project.
But lately—
A certain news article had begun spreading across the country…
For a moment, I just stared at it.
Then.
I almost laughed-
War? Filis Andes?
It sounded absurd.
Our Nation had no elite military. No advanced defense systems. What we had were aging warships, relics from the 1970s. The fact that they were still operational in this era was nothing short of a miracle.
And Yet—
We were declaring war against Great Shi.
A Superpower.
A nation whose naval fleets were built with technology decades ahead of ours. Their Oldest Ships dated back only to the 2020s, while the majority of their forces were mass-produced around 2047, marking their rise as a dominant global power.
They weren't just stronger.
They were also unmatched.
Even former superpowers like the U.S.A, Ruzzia, the EU– pales in comparison to what Great Shi had become.
Receiving this news meant only one thing
And that is the end of Filis Andes.
And the end of Civilian Life as we knew it.
Weeks passed.
The news spread across every platform— every screen, every voice, every corner of the nation.
Then came the orders.
All able-bodied men were called to arms.
Those who had never taken ROTC during college had already fled the country. But those who had–
Had no choice.
They were enlisted, given firearms, taught the basics, and sent to the front lines.
I was one of them.
An ROTC graduate from the 2030s
One of the older reservists.
Because of that, I was assigned a higher role compared to the others, many of whom remained as NCOs.
But rank meant nothing.
Not in a war like this.
Even with every reservist mobilized, Filis Andes lacked the capability to defend itself. We were an archipelagic nation, scattered islands, stretched thin defenses, and long-disputed maritime borders.
Especially in the West Sea.
Where Great Shi had always been present.
Always watching.
Always pushing.
This war— was never meant to be fought.
It was escalation driven by voices that never understood its cost. Media Manipulation, Political pressure, and reckless nationalism forced the government into a decision that should have never been made.
It is a death trap.
A suicidal Act.
And those who shouted for war?
Gone—they were the first to leave.
Fleeing the country they had pushed into destruction.
Leaving behind the Brave Soldiers.
The civilians.
The consequences.
To their Credit…
Most of the executive officials, including the president, stayed.
They tried to manage the situation.
But it didn't matter.
Great Shi moved with precision.
Within three days—- Most high-ranking officials were eliminated.
Strategic strikes. Coordinated attacks. With no Hesitation.
It was ruthless.
A clear violation of the Geneva Convention.
But rules meant nothing to those who held overwhelming power.
Their first campaign established total air dominance.
Waves of UAVs filled the sky.
Supersonic jets tore through any resistance.
Every attempt at interception was crushed instantly.
Nothing could slow them.
Nothing could stop them.
It was a disaster.
No
Worse than that.
It was annihilation.
Within a week
Everything I had worked for was gone.
Reduced to ash.
Sometimes, I couldn't help but think
Being born in this country was a curse.
Then
Everything snapped.
My eyes opened.
Light flooded my vision—too bright, too sharp. It burned.
I flinched, instinctively turning away.
A second later
Pain struck.
My head throbbed violently, like needles piercing through every vein. My thoughts blurred, slipping out of reach.
I raised my hands—one to my forehead, the other to the back of my head.
It felt heavy.
As if I were carrying something far greater than myself.
If I remembered correctly…
I had been dreaming.
A future.
But now
The details were fading.
Blurring.
What once felt real now seemed like nothing more than imagination.
And yet
My body trembled.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Like I had just come back from war.
Like I had stood at death's door
And somehow returned.