The Earth After Rebirth

He turned slowly and smiled widely trying to convey oblivion and innocence, "what? Why?"

"It's been six months you idiot! You can't just leave for that long. You know Harbingers have started coming out of dungeons?"

"Whoa. Wait, what? It's been six months in the real world?"

"That's your only concern? No, it's been seven days in the real world!"

Kiro rolled his eyes and continued helping people cross over, until the last one came through, which was Hubris.

"You're being a little too dramatic Hiro, shouldn't you be asking where these people come from? Why they're here, how."

"I'm not dumb, you obviously found other worlds." He wasn't exactly excited, the situation was urgent they needed fighters not people who still needed training.

"That obvious?" Kiro whistled.

"In any case, you've missed seven tournaments!"

Kiro arched his eyebrows, confused. It seems a lot had happened since he journeyed with his mount. If only they knew it had been more than a year for him. Yet they were complaining about seven days.

"Since we decided not to run dungeons, Harbingers have been filing out of them. We needed to fast track the process, so every day is tournament day." Hiro commented feeling a little overwhelmed.

He wasn't only overseeing the tournaments but he was also training the craftsmen and they were not making him proud if he was honest.

The rest of After Dark came outside to see the commotion. Kiro used this as a chance to explain the situation to them, how Hubris created a gateway that connected the worlds. Everything he knew and theorised.

"So, if I go over there, I'll lose the ability to fight? why?" Ishaan wasn't a fan, if they were to protect this world they'd end up dying.

"I reckon it's Chronos' doing. You remember how our world met its downfall right? Maybe the gods took measures so that no being can ever get power. It's also possible that, connecting them to Asgard triggered this." He shrugged.

There was nothing that could've been done. They needed fighters and there was only one way to get them back.

"I think maybe our world is the centre and these worlds surround it, connecting them to Asgard will keep them safe. While this game serves as the battlefield." Kiro said more to himself.

"Huh?"

"What I mean Ishaan is, it's like a spider's web we're at the epicentre while these worlds I can visit are the threads that decorate the web." He answered absentmindedly.

"That's a lot of worlds."

"Yeah, one of them didn't even have life yet."

The newcomers were walking around the grounds still mesmerised by another world and how behind theirs was.

"Now I need people who will train them, they use Kaos like me but its not too different from magic. Oh and, give Miles, the boy over there and that granny over there a true blood potion."

"Right. You should logout, I have a feeling there's much your parents need to talk to you about."

"Loki? That little shit."

If he didn't need to take a break for his own health, he would've stayed as far away from his family at the moment. He would've went straight to another world.

"Hubris I want you ready when I come back. Hiro, please find them somewhere to stay for the time being and find them a teacher or something. Someone like Nikolai maybe."

Kiro logged out before Nikolai uttered words of protest. Everyone had to pull their weight, they had to do things they didn't want to for the good of humanity.

When he woke to the real world it was midnight. He was glad of it but his stomach complained, not having eaten in a week. He walked downstairs to get something to eat.

He was glad that he wouldn't have to deal with the now. Kiro had a lot on his mind, like what would happen if all the worlds are connected. The uncertainty scared him, what if connecting them made them vulnerable instead.

"Being a leader is a pain the ass."

"I'm sure it is." A deep voice said from behind.

He practically jumped on his chair, "dad! don't sneak up on me like that, you scared me half to death!"

"I didn't think anything could catch you off guard." He chuckled.

"I may be humanity's leader but I'm still only a human." He complained biting into the juicy chicken leg he was holding.

"Ki, I know about the sanctum."

Kiro's eyes shot him a look of skepticism, he choked on the meat he was eating. Coughing for a while, he took mouthfuls of water in one go. He didn't know whether he was stalling to pretend he didn't didn't know anything or it was just shock.

"And I know you know about them too."

'What, Hiro didn't say anything about this.'

His hand raised slowly and gestured for his father to be quiet, his other hand gestured that it wasn't safe to talk about it here.

"That's alright, Wilfred sweeps the house once a day, it's completely safe." He sat beside his son.

"Aren't you gonna ask about Loki?" He tried changing the subject.

"That's your mother's department." He smiled, "in any case, I need information about the mine. Wilfred can't find anything unfortunately. We've been waiting for you to come offline."

"Dad, it's dangerous. You saw what they did to Hiro's dad, I can't lose you too." He didn't know where they were coming from but he was suddenly on the verge of tears.

"It is dangerous but its more dangerous to harbour this all on your shoulders. You have the world to save, let me be your father. You needn't do this all by yourself." Sekani squeezed his shoulder to reassure him.

But the trauma of losing his family was too deep rooted. He couldn't bare to go through something like that again, he swore it.

'Then, why do I feel like I can trust him with this?'