Prologue — The Imperfect Future
The mountain screamed.
Not with a voice, but with the crack of stones breaking and the roar of fire devouring what remained of the sacred temple. Flames rose like hungry serpents, distorting the moon's cold light and staining the sky red.
The temple of Velerithon—erected centuries ago to praise forgotten gods—was now nothing but ruin.
Among broken columns and divine symbols reduced to dust, a young human woman knelt on the blackened ground. She appeared no older than fifteen. Her blonde hair stuck to her face with dried blood and tears. The dress, once white, was now burned and torn, marked by violence and despair. In her arms, she held a baby whose weak cry echoed among the rubble, life insisting on existing where everything had been destroyed.
She wept in silence. There was no strength left to scream.
Beside her, a red-haired boy struggled to remain standing. He appeared sixteen, but his bent body betrayed someone carrying decades of pain. He coughed blood with each irregular breath. The stained sword slipped from his hand, but he still kept it raised. Not to attack. To protect.
"Don't…" he murmured. "Don't come any closer…"
Before them, isolated between fire and debris, stood Alan. His body was a map of open wounds. Blood ran down his arms, evaporating as it touched the incandescent stones. Supported on the ground, the long scythe reflected the fire. Purple hair swayed in the hot wind. His face covered with soot and exhaustion, but his eyes empty of fear. There was only resolve.
Before him, two figures blocked the way.
The first was a woman with pink hair, tied firmly. Her gaze was hard, merciless. She wore a hybrid armor of metal and blue fabric, marked by soot and blood. In her hands, Excalibur shone intensely, vibrating as if recognizing the enemy.
Beside her, a black-haired young man remained motionless. His gaze cold, empty, the giant spear embedded in the ground emanated a suffocating pressure. The wind carried ashes between the three, as if the world itself held its breath.
Alan took a deep breath.
"Stone."
The red-haired boy turned his face.
"Y-yes… Alan…"
"Take Yelra," he said, without diverting his eyes from the two ahead. "Take her son… and run."
Stone's eyes widened.
"What? Alan, no… we can still—"
"Run." The order was harsh, leaving no room for questioning. "As far away from here as possible."
A heavy silence fell. Stone gritted his teeth.
"And you?" he asked. "What are you going to do?"
For an instant, Alan turned his face. His eyes met his.
There was no anger.
No fear.
Only farewell.
"If you stay… everyone dies."
Stone remained motionless. Then, slowly, he lowered his sword.
"…I understand."
Carefully, he supported the blonde girl.
"Come on, Yelra… I'll help you."
She nodded silently, holding the baby tightly. Without looking back, they began to run. The baby's cry grew distant… until it ceased.
Only three remained, beneath the moon.
The pink-haired woman advanced, pointing Excalibur.
"Wasn't all the evil you caused in Velerithon enough for you?"
Alan planted the scythe on the ground.
"You speak as if there were clean choices," he replied. "As if the world worked that way."
"Cities fell. Lives were lost."
"I know. And I know you would never understand my ideals, Julia. So I won't try to explain them."
The black-haired young man advanced.
"That's why I never trusted you, Alan Vindgard."
A brief smile appeared on Alan's lips.
"Hearing that relieves me. Because I never liked you either, Kuto."
The pressure in the air increased. Metallum. Kuto's spear distorted, creaking like living metal, until it transformed into a broad sword, pulsing with energy. He assumed an attack position.
Julia did the same. Excalibur shone intensely.
"The time has come to pay for your sins."
Alan closed his eyes for a moment.
Stone. Yelra. The baby.
When he opened them, there was no regret.
"If this is the price…" he murmured.
Then he advanced.
The clash of weapons tore through the air.
The temple trembled once more, steel, fire, and magic colliding beneath the moon.
That night, among ruins and ashes, the future was sealed. Even though it should never have existed.
This is the story where the main protagonist failed to reach the maximum level of the evolution hierarchy and become a divine being, covered in harem, kingdoms, and all the typical riches of the LitRPG genre, and where the ending perhaps wasn't such a happy one.