This World (1)

God built the world in seven days. But how long did it take for it to be destroyed?

The answer was, "Not very long at all."

By the time word spread to the rest of the otherworlders and they returned, everyone was staring up at a planet that was no longer blue. Thick blankets of ash had covered the globe, hiding the land and sea from our view. Tears dripped from faces that had been watching this sudden approach into doomsday.

The latecomers asked with dread, "What happened?!"

But the solemn faces of their companions told them everything they needed. They held eyes that were lost, speaking of no home to return to, no people to greet them when they returned. That alone was enough to bring a sense of despair to everyone, crushed by reality.

It took several weeks before the spirits of the heroes started to recover.

Some dove headlong into battle, no longer caring whether they would survive. Yet, their powers ensured that they did.

Some placed their sorrows into song and dance, hoping to encourage the others despite feeling crestfallen themselves. Their emotions ran wild, a form of strength created from pain.

But for one man, he continued to plot. He racked his brain to find some way of salvaging his old world. Despite having felt like he lost his way before, there were plenty of recollections of beloved memories. Being away for some time to discover himself was one thing. Losing everything and leaving it all behind was something he couldn't bring himself to do.

"Can't we bring the survivors over here?"

"No, it's impossible, Architect Claude. You know as well as I do that we cannot bring over so many at once. And even if we could, the cores are no longer compatible with those on that planet!"

Claude stared at Sistina, who could connect with any person, even if one was a universe away. Her eyes spoke of a morbid truth. Earth had died. The very soul of the planet had received a fatal injury. And any person living there would slowly die from its lack of bounty.

When asked why the otherworlders on Leguardia were fine, Sistina pointed to the cores infused into them. That made them fall under this world's jurisdiction. There was no saving a people who had lost their home world. Even if someone traveled far, far away from their home, they were still connected to it. And only by submitting oneself to another planet did that bond get replaced.

Claude's plans crumbled between his fingers, the realization that, once again, his work had failed to make a difference. Even with a new lease on life, he was stuck in the same cycle, feeling like fate was out of his hands.

"W-What can we do then?" he pleaded, searching more for a reason to keep going, than any immediate goals.

"First, we protect this planet so that we can find some hope for ourselves."

Sistina's words as she walked by stung his core, but one look from her eyes told him that she needed him. Regardless of how painful it was, everyone was feeling it. Not just him.

They were chosen 'heroes'. They had to fight. Figuring out what to do came afterwards, once the immediate problems at hand were settled.

Claude and the other summoned heroes put every effort into growing stronger and building up the world they were in to protect themselves from the creatures of Leguardia. In particular, Claude dove into the studies of this world, parsing through texts to look for any clue as to why monsters always seemed to spring up.

Sistina saw less and less of him. Instead, Cielle remained the one by his side, dutifully searching along with him, hardly leaving him for a moment. But Claude barely noticed. His head was on the next idea, any potential hope.

One day, months later, Claude approached Sistina with an odd request.

"Can we try to summon one more person?"

"But Claude, the monsters haven't run amuck in quite some time. This world and your companions have advanced far enough that the people are now living comfortably."

"Trust me, one more is needed."

Though skeptical, Sistina felt like she could never not trust her first companion. When he had an idea, it was always for the better. Sistina called upon the magic telescope, looking around for a new planet to call forth a summon.

"Is it possible to find someone from a planet that is on its last legs?"

Sistina paused when she heard that statement and glared back at Claude, his expression stern. Before she could ask him why, he explained.

"The texts that I've read tell of a way to restore a planet that has gone cold. It requires the seed of one compatible with it and an immense amount of energy."

Wide eyed, Sistina realized where he was going with it. She gulped at the prospect. But Claude simply put his finger to his mouth to shush her, looking off to the side to end the inquiry.

"Please, just do it. For me. For all of us. It's worth a shot, but it's better to run a test first."

Sistina gave off a long sigh. She narrowed down the connections that she felt, searching for a planet that was sickly. And after half a day, she found one – a planet split from hatred, caused by a racial divide. Both sides ravaged the other, until the environment where they each lived began to crumble under the weight of their crimes. Fire scoured the forests and towns until only ash remained. Even then, hatred was not quelled. It sparked everywhere it had the chance, until the fuel that drove it became no more.

Cold, empty, and desolate. The world was now a wasteland. The lonely cries of a worn wanderer had pulled Sistina right to her. She was but a child, an elven child.

The flames of war had destroyed the last bastions of each race, leaving virtually no one to survive on their own. The remaining ones died from starvation and despair. But for some reason, this one girl pushed on. She had survived encounter after encounter with death, finding opportune scraps of nourishment, shelter from the harsh elements.

She was lucky to have gone so far. But in her mind, she was the farthest from that. Because she could find no one else.

Sistina could see other survivors scattered about, but there was no hope for them. The core that she held reacted to none of them. These people had already decided to die with the planet. But this one girl alone was different.

She hoped. She dreamed. She continued to beg for life. And the core responded to that intent.

Sistina cast a pathway right before the girl, letting her choose her destiny. To her surprise, the girl immediately crawled and reached out for it. There was no hesitation when it came to saying goodbye to her world.

The pale, deathly elven girl that laid upon the summoning hall's floor held a peaceful smile. Immediately, Claude cast a spell to analyze her characteristics, finding out that her name was 'Chrysanthemum'.

It felt ironic, for one named after happiness and well-being to go through such tragedy. Sistina went over to care for the child who looked not even 10, but Claude was already at her side. He gently brushed the golden locks of her hair.

"Magicians, please see to it that she is well nourished and healed. She will become quite the help."

Despite the kind words of seeking aid for her, Sistina backed away from them. It was not until she saw Claude's eyes that she knew why.

They were cold and hard. Like he was looking at something in the distance and calculating what his chances were. She had seen that expression many times when he gazed at his constructed plans.

But never towards a person.

Swiftly, Claude turned away and walked out of the room, leaving Chrysanthemum to be cared for. Sistina could only hope that those plans of his would help everyone, like he always tried to. She hoped that she was mistaken.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sistina kept a watchful eye on Chrysanthemum. After all, she was the only 'elf' in this world. Her long ears made that obvious. However, few could treat her any differently. Her bubbliness and kind mannerisms endeared people to her.

Even Claude seemed to crack a smile every so often in her presence. For a time, Sistina felt like things would return to normal. They fought back monsters, improved the lives of people, and got stronger – only with a new companion added to their group.

"We're sending her back."

Claude's statement to Sistina took her by surprise one day. She wondered why he would suddenly request such a thing, as they were getting along with her so well. But Chrysanthemum approached her as well, a look of determination in her eyes. It clicked what they were asking of her, recalling why Claude had summoned her to begin with.

"I want to save my world. If it's in my power to do so, then I don't mind becoming the 'seed'."

Claude wished to restore Earth, but he didn't want to risk it on an unknown ritual. But if it was another planet…

Sistina shot him a dirty look. It was obvious that he was using her, not telling her what might happen if it failed. But before Sistina could open her mouth to object, Chrysanthemum clasped her hands and begged.

"I don't care if I sacrifice myself. I'm tired. Of being alone and different. If there is hope, I wish to pray for it."

Sistina gave in. She opened a gateway to her dead planet and allowed for Chrysanthemum to return. And when she did, the divine power that brimmed from her core fought to rejuvenate the desolation around her.

Grass sprung up, a lush green supported by mana from her little body. She had become strong in her time on Leguardia, and she would use every bit of it to support her home world.

However, the otherworlders watched as she collapsed minutes later. The lush green around her only covered a fraction of her world, not even one tenth. And after she collapsed, the green started to wilt and shrink again.

"Bring her back! Hurry!"

A dead world was like a sponge, sucking up every bit of mana it could, leaving all it touched dry. It amassed that energy in its center, until it possibly gained enough to revive again. The amount that Chrysanthemum gave was far from enough, and far too unstable to act continuously.

Sistina called her back. The elven girl reappeared in the summoning hall, pale and spent. But there was an expression of bitterness on her face. She knew that her all wasn't enough. Not yet.

There was a sober atmosphere in the room. By now, everyone knew of the plan to restore Earth, but if a single one of them wasn't enough, then what?

Claude was the only one with a smile upon his face.

"We must work together. It's quite simple."

Eyes looked around the room at each other. Their glances teased of thoughts for combining their powers, but maybe, that wouldn't even be enough. Moreover, they were a group of virtually strangers, only held together by a common goal.

All at once, their eyes shifted over to Claude, who was their de facto leader. The pressure in the room all pointed toward him, which he sighed and gracefully accepted.

"I will figure out a way. I'm the 'Architect' after all. Devising something is my specialty."

Sistina should have taken that weird atmosphere as a sign, but she was too concerned about Chrysanthemum's recovery. The fact that he didn't bother to approach the young girl while the others did should have tipped her off.

Claude was never uncaring before, not to her. Not to anyone else. Not unless… his head was in the clouds.

The pressure of needing to succeed. Of feeling helpless when one couldn't. That coldness traced the tips of his fingers and coated the tone of his words.

And Sistina didn't realize it until it was too late.

By that time, she started hearing another voice in her head, faint and fleeting. She looked around, thinking that she might have gone mad, but a dull hum of energy accompanied it. It was all too familiar. It was that of their enemy.

The world of Leguardia was now calling out to her. Not with animosity like she had seen before, but with a somber tone – reserved, almost begging, the kind when a person makes a last request.

The planet they were standing upon was also dying as well.