“FUCK YOU”

Pens dropped, books fell, and many of the students turned their heads to look at the source of the voice, with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

The classroom was designed in the style of an auditorium, with ten desks in each step and a total of nine steps with desks arranged in a semicircular sequence.

A young man in his early twenties, dressed in a plain white t-shirt and faded blue jeans, stood in the far corner of the room’s left side. His hair was ruffled, his breathing was rough, beads of sweat dripped from his creased brows, and his eyes were puzzled as he looked around the class.

Many of the students were staring at him in awe, but his pupil constricted when he noticed a woman standing on stage. She was dressed in a black skirt and a floral-patterned shirt, and she appeared to be in her twenties. Her black hair was neatly tied back, and she wore gold-rimmed circular specs.

“Ethan?” the woman yelled, her face flushed with rage.

But Ethan appeared to be rooted to the spot, his heart skipped a beat, his body quivered, lips trembled as his gaze shifted behind the woman to the image projected on the screen. It was the ruin of some temple and archeologists excavating it.

“Ethan?”

A ragged voice jolted him out of his reverie, and his gaze was drawn to the woman who was glaring at him. His throat became parched, and his voice cracked. He wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Unable to take it anymore, he quickened his steps and came down and looked at the woman for a moment before exiting the class.

....

A few people in ragged, torn, and dirty clothes were sleeping on the ground in a dark alley filled with garbage bins, and a strong pungent smell lingered in the air.

A young man in a white t-shirt, faded jeans, and sneakers leaned against the wall, his eyes lost, and a half-burnt cigarette was clamped between his two fingers.

Ashes from the cigarette continued to fall to the ground as his thumb rubbed the butt of the cigarette unceasingly.

He doesn’t even know who he is anymore. Whether he was Slade Einar from Ebeisia or Ethan Harrison from Earth?

Whether he lived that world-shattering war or if it was all a dream?

Is the Goddess Nefetera able to help him escape the clutches of death? If he was really Slade Einar, this is nothing short of a miracle.

Just a few minutes back, he was in the war and he finally dealt with the Dark General with the poison he got from Hell’s Pond. The poison was so lethal that it was said that even a GOD would perish if afflicted by it, let alone the Dark General. It was the last trump card he had saved for dealing with the Dark General. He accepted the fact that if he wanted to deal with that Dark General, he would have to die.

And now he is living in a completely different world.

As he took a deep puff and exhaled, he let out a helpless chuckle. He looked up as grey smoke filled the air.

If he was Slade Einar, he couldn’t help but wonder if anything had changed after he delivered the final blow to the Dark General. He felt a twinge of regret that he couldn’t witness the Dark General’s death. It was said that he possessed the ability to command an unimaginable army of dark creatures and that if he died, almost every dark creature would vanish into thin air.

About the war, it began abruptly when there was a sudden increase in the number of dark creatures, and all those races joined that side and began attacking the Seven Temples of the World of Ebeisia.

It was said that after the Great War in the past, only seven GODs remained alive in the world. And those Temples were dedicated to the Seven GODS, who would occasionally bless the chosen ones.

And he was also the chosen one who was blessed by the Goddess Nefetera, the Goddess of time and life.

But the question was, who exactly was he? Slade Einar or Ethan Harrison?

He could remember everything about Ethan Harrison. He could recall everything that had happened in Ethan’s life. From the joy of making friends at Play School to the heartbreak of seeing his crush going out with the other boy to the agony and despair he felt when he learned that his parents had died in a plane crash, he felt it all.

But what about the woman and the image of the temple he saw in the class? It was the ruined statue of the Goddess Nefetera. But a gruff voice broke his thoughts.

“Life is full of questions, ain’t it, young man?”

The Young Man’s pupils constricted, and he turned to see an old man in dirty and ragged clothes standing beside him, leaning against the wall. The man was half bald, with the remaining hairs disheveled and mud brown, his face covered in dirt and dust, his face full of wrinkles, and his long beard cluttered.

The old man looked like a homeless beggar.

The beggar turned his head to look at the young man and smiled, revealing his black teeth. His gaze shifted to the cigarette in the Young Man’s hand.

“Can I have a cigarette?” he asked, gulping slightly.

The Young Man said nothing, just looked at the beggar for a moment before pulling a packet of cigarettes from his pants pocket and offering it to him.

The beggar took a cigarette from the packet, placed it under his nose, and inhaled heavily.

“Hah, what a pleasant smell,”

He put the cigarette between his lips, took an old matchbox from the pocket of his tattered clothes, lit it up, puffed deeply, and exhaled.

The beggar looked at the Young Man, “I haven’t had such a good cigarette in a long time. Now tell me, young man. What are your problems?”

“Did your bitch abandon you to be fucked by another dog? Or maybe someone stole your phone. Heh?”

Hearing the beggar’s words, the young man suddenly chuckled, shook his head, and started walking away.

“Hear this, young man: life is always a bitch in the heat trying to get fucked. It’s up to you how you deal with the bitch. Will you fuck her or let others fuck her?”

“You will have moments when you question your existence in this world. But remember one thing, boy: you will always be yourself in your heart, no matter what. I used to be the king of an entire world, but things have changed, but I still live like one.”

“Believe me, boy. The past is irrelevant, and the future is uncertain. Everyone has a purpose in life, and it is up to you whether you fail without regret or succeed while flying high.”

But the beggar’s next words made him stop. “You could have come from another world. But don’t let it take over your life. You will always be yourself. Keep in mind that everything and everyone has a purpose.”

His eyes widened, and he spun around, but he was surprised to see that the beggar was nowhere to be found; only grey smoke lingered in the air.

He dashed into the alley in search of the beggar, but he was nowhere to be found, as if he had vanished into thin air.

However, his feet clashed with some trash cans, waking up some other beggars who were sleeping in the alley, and one of them yelled angrily, “Do you think I’d beat you up so badly that your momma wouldn’t recognize you? Fuck off from here, don’t disturb me.”

But the young man didn’t mind and looked around for a few more seconds, but it was futile. There was no sign of the beggar. The other beggars glared at him as if he didn’t leave right away. They’d definitely beat him up.

The young man shook his head in defeat and walked away. However, the old man’s words continue to ring in his ears.

His gaze was absorbed in thought. “I am who I am. I’m Slade Einar, and I’m Ethan Harrison, but for what purpo...”

But his words came to a halt as his gaze was drawn to the massive billboard across the street, the last word of the ad catching his attention.

“Defeat the OVERLORD”