"Where is this place?"
The man looked around in confusion. His surroundings were an expanse of void, dotted with bands of multicolored light that floated in the air. Yet, oddly, he felt as though he was standing on solid ground.
"Huh?" Suddenly, the man realized he was indeed standing—his legs, which were supposed to be paralyzed, were holding him upright.
"My legs… they're healed?" A surge of joy overwhelmed him, but the feeling quickly subsided. He recalled his family's dire financial situation, which made it impossible to afford any treatment.
"So, this is a dream." Remembering that he had just fallen asleep, the man dismissed his initial excitement.
Accepting that everything before him was an illusion, his fear and confusion dissipated. Instead, he began walking, marveling at the sensation of using his legs again in this dreamlike yet surreal realm.
"Being able to walk freely feels amazing," he muttered. Even though he knew it wasn't real, he reveled in the experience of what he had lost.
After wandering aimlessly for a while, the man noticed a structure in the distance. Intrigued, he walked toward it.
As he got closer, his jaw dropped. Before him stretched a vast complex of magnificent temples, their splendor beyond anything he had ever imagined. Majestic and awe-inspiring, the structures filled his vision.
At the heart of the complex stood an enormous temple, encircled by the others as if it were their ruler. Within the temple, he caught a glimpse of a colossal, indistinct figure emanating an overwhelming aura that compelled him to kneel in worship.
The moment he laid eyes on the divine apparition, the entire scene shattered.
"Ahhh—!"
The man bolted upright in his hospital bed, gasping for air. He stared at the familiar cracked and dingy ceiling of the low-budget hospital room.
"So, it was just a dream," he sighed, his heart sinking. His surroundings were all too familiar: the cheapest ward in the hospital, where every amenity was bare minimum.
Pressing his hands against the bed, he tried to sit up. As he shifted his body, a faint sensation from his legs sent a signal to his brain.
He froze. Slowly, he sat upright, then reached out in disbelief to touch his legs.
The faintest sensation of his fingers brushing against his skin reached his mind—a feeling he hadn't experienced since his accident. Tears streamed down his face as he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hey! It's the middle of the night! Do you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to sleep here!"
The angry shout from the next room snapped him out of his laughter. Wiping his face, he tried to suppress his emotions, though his expression remained a mix of joy and disbelief.
Hope, long extinguished, now flickered faintly within him. His legs were regaining sensation, and he attributed this miraculous change to what he had just witnessed.
"A god… It must be a god's blessing," he murmured. He was certain the figure he had seen wasn't a mere dream but a divine entity's presence.
"Why would I receive such grace?" he wondered after his initial euphoria faded. He was a lukewarm believer at best, offering the occasional prayer alongside his devout wife.
"Could it be because of her prayers?" The thought struck him.
When his wife visited the next day, he carefully broached the subject. She confirmed that she had been praying fervently for him ever since his accident.
"Why are you asking about this?" she asked, puzzled by the sudden topic. She noticed a remarkable change in her husband, who seemed reinvigorated compared to the despondent man she had seen just the day before.
"Just curious," he replied with a smile, then made an unexpected request. "Let's apply for discharge. I want to go home."
"You can't leave yet! Your legs aren't fully healed!"
"There's no need to stay here. I'll recover just fine at home," he said, his tone calm but resolute. Though he hadn't tested his legs again, he felt a deep certainty that with enough prayer and devotion, his legs would continue to improve.
"Haha! I'm a genius! Another devout follower added to my collection!"
In a tiny, almost pitifully small divine realm, a translucent golden-haired figure composed of faith energy laughed triumphantly.
Beside her stood another figure identical in appearance but corporeal, her arms crossed as she observed. "Why does the avatar I made from faith energy look so annoying?"
The golden dragoness was lurking within the Church of the Stars' territory, quietly siphoning off followers from the church's artificially created, mindless god. Her plan was to grow her own power base until she could replace the entity entirely.
While the dragoness plotted in secrecy, Muria had already spent three years stationed at the frontlines.
"Jerrods, only three days remain until your three-year term is up. Then you can return to the family," came the cheerful voices of the Douglas family's elders through the communicator.
The family patriarch and elders had been counting down the days until Muria's return, their anxiety mounting. His deployment on the battlefield had been a constant source of worry.
"Alright, I'll return as scheduled," replied Muria, who had seen little action during his tenure aside from minor skirmishes after the initial encounter.
His presence on the defensive line had kept the aliens at bay, their forces unwilling to engage in a futile assault.
"The family is already preparing a grand banquet for your return," the family patriarch said with a broad smile. The event was ostensibly a welcome-home celebration but was also meant to solidify Muria's position as the family's next leader.
"Keep the scale modest."
...
After wrapping up his conversation with the elders, Muria endured three more uneventful days. Then, amidst tearful goodbyes from fellow officers, he boarded a train back to the Federation.
He was accompanied by the family members and soldiers who had fought under him. Of the million troops who had joined him at the start, only 130,000 remained.
"What beautiful weather!"
In a train car racing along its tracks, a dark-haired girl sat by the window, gazing at the clear skies and sprawling fields. The scenery was breathtaking, and her heart felt light.
The passengers shared her mood, their faces bright with smiles as they left the war behind and returned to their families.
But the cheerful atmosphere was soon shattered. The girl's eyes widened in shock as she saw a blot of purple-black light appear in the sky.
The dark mass spread rapidly, like ink spilled across a canvas, swallowing the blue sky. In mere moments, oppressive clouds churned above, faint runes flickering within their depths.
"What is that?" the girl stammered, panic rising in her chest. The sheer presence of the phenomenon was overwhelming.
"Legendary…"
Before fear could take hold, a warm aura enveloped her, banishing her terror. A calm voice spoke beside her.
"Don't worry. It's just an ignorant fool attacking us."
The girl turned to see her brother, the tall, composed man whose presence had kept the aliens from attacking their defensive line for three years.
"Attacking us?" she asked, her voice trembling. "You mean that thing causing the sky to change is alive?"
"Indeed."
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