Chapter 1: The Cause of the Apocalypse
[The planet [Earth] has entered the abnormal state [Apocalypse].]
[You have failed in saving the Earth. The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rewinds the world’s time.]
Everything in existence turned into ashes as lava filled the earth. Lava slowly flowing in bulks steadily erased the stain it created in its flow and returned to the place it came from.
The world’s clock started to slowly rewind itself. This was the sixth time. Humans, as well as the Earth had faced the Apocalypse, yet again through the hands of the dragons.
A man, Yu Jitae stared at the sky painted in crimson. When the end approached him, he decided to carefully think back on the previous Apocalypses as he had always done.
It all happened when the hatchlings (baby dragons) left on an Amusement. While they were off in their adventure, the dimensions being disjointed by accident was the source of trouble.
The world they had been living in was different from the Earth but the young dragons did not know that. Thus, they naturally did not know what kind of results their actions would bring. They lived freely, just like how any other dragon in the alternate world would have enjoyed their Amusement but the following results were close to the worst case scenario.
“…”
All adult dragons had the duty to protect their hatchlings and this protection would sometimes be in the form of revenge. When hatchlings died in someone’s hands, the dragons, even if they weren’t a direct kin, would still gather and ask for the price of the blood.
This was why Yu Jitae’s clock had been rewound six times.
He was not weak. Living close to hundreds of years, he had travelled through countless battles for at least dozens of years. He had all the Authorities and Blessings that an existence could have and now, he could even stand against the entire world as an individual.
However, even such Yu Jitae could not protect the broad Earth against tens of dragons.
That was beyond his control.
“…”
Once, there was a time he found the repetitive regression tiresome. It would be great if he could die along with other humans but the Authorities and Blessings that made him the strongest in the world had a firm grip on his life without letting go.
In the end, the only thing he could do was to sever the reason for this repetition, by stopping the Apocalypse.
Then what were the causes of the Apocalypse?
There was one that lost control of itself in the madness of war and bled to death in insanity.
There was one that stopped its own heartbeat after realising that it could not accomplish the task given to its life.
There was one that was buried in overflowing malice and unable to withstand that, it crumbled.
Such three results slightly intertwined or disjointed and led the world to an Apocalypse. On average, the years it took were between 15 to 20 years, which was also the allocated time of Amusement that was forced onto the dragons.
[The world’s time will soon begin.]
The Republic of Korea that had been completely rewound appeared before his eyes.
His indifferent sunken gaze glanced across at the roads covered in asphalt, buildings rising up above them and people carrying umbrellas in quick steps. Black and white cars dashed across as sounds of horns reached his ears and perhaps due to a recent rainfall, the sky was coloured in a dull gray light.
Within the world filled with achromatic colours, a man in a darker shade of ash gray remained standing. His lips were bent into a faint arc. It perhaps won’t be an easy journey, but this time, it would be different.
He finally had a gist.