“Oh, you already woke up. ‘Me’ of this universe,” a white hair middle-aged man said while showing his back to me. He’s roasting the deer meat, it’s smell entice me to approach and sit beside him.

“Yes, I am,” I said calmly while swallowing my saliva and I ask, “Can I have some of those meats.”

He stunned for a moment and says, “Yes, of course, but it still not tender enough.”

“Well, I can wait.”

I look at my surroundings and realize, this place is exactly my spot when I hide from my father. The only place where I can calm down and not thinking about anything. Other than that, nobody around us except little animals like rabbits, frogs, and cicadas.

“…n, …than,… Nathan.”

I didn’t realize this middle-aged man calling me, because of my daydreaming.

“Yes?” I said while observing at the middle-aged man.

He has white hair and beard, complementing his bluish eyes deep like an ocean and has wrinkle between his eyes, very contrasts with me right now. A question popping out of my mind, Is this how I look at the future?

“The meat is already cooked,” he said and give one full plate of deer meat.

I immediately gobbled it down, like homeless who didn’t eat for a week. Well, technically it is longer than that but whatever.

In just two minutes the plate is already empty, but I still hungry. Even after licking the plate, my stomach rumbling again. Damn, this is the most embarrassing scene after I got in this world. Well, technically it is just about ten minutes ago but whatever.

“Well, there is still enough for we all,” he said, and offer another full plate of the meat.

I received those meats and gobble it once again. These meats are the most delicious thing I ever ate after coming to this world. Well, technically, ah screw that, I gobble another meat again and then burping after my stomach can’t be stuffed by another meat.

“Thank you,” I said, thanking the old man beside me. Well, he is the one who made me attacked by those crazy soldiers and got sent to nothingness, but an appreciative feeling still must be said.

“Well, don’t mind that,” he said while rewinding time in cooking place. After that those deer meats become intact again.

“Why you don’t try escape when seeing me here?” he asks.

I think for a moment, sighed and says coolly, “Maybe I already tired of running.”

I tried to look like a wise man who already been through hell, looking at the beautiful sunset.

He raises his left eyebrow and said, “I have an ability to reading your mind, you know.”

Dammit, I have some suspicions but didn’t expect it really true. Well, whatever, I just answer as it is then.

“If you can read my mind you already know my experience in the green world right?” I asked.

“No, I don’t. I'm just reading the surface of your mind. I never really like ransacking other people minds.” He says while shrugging his shoulder and continues saying, “But, I know the experience in the green world from my minions.”

“After I come here, I can’t call out the system. I didn’t know if this place is reality or another limbo inside that green world. If this is another hell, I must get out of this place, but from my experience, there is no rush to escape.”

My belly rumbling again and I slice another piece of meat to gobbled again. After I ate those I continue explaining my thoughts.

“If this place is the reality, from the fact that I sitting here right now, it indicates you already kill or at least defeat those who attacked me. I can’t think they just left me here to be resurrected again, they must have some way to get me to stay dead for eternity. However, that doesn’t happen, look I resurrected.”

I look at him but he still listening while eating his share of meats.

“That’s mean you stopped them for whatever they want to do with me. Which imply you are stronger than all of them combined. Well, that fact is obvious when looking at their desperate attempt to kill me. Anyway, It’s foolish to think can escape from you when I can’t even run from one of them.”

I stop for a moment and ask for water, this conversation is making me thirsty, I’m sure it is because of this conversation not because of meats.

“So either way, I better ate some delicacy before I try to escape,” I said, “Or die, whichever pleases you.”

He looks dumbfounded after hearing my explanation. Nah, it’s impossible, maybe just my feeling. I shook my head and continue to eat again.

He looking at me and chuckled, “You really remind me of my past self. Normal people usually have a mental breakdown after getting out from that damned place.”

“Well, maybe my mental strength is higher than normal people,” I mumble without thinking.

“Yeah, maybe you are,” he nodded, hearing my mumble.

“You know, something is bothering me for a long time, what is that green world actually?” I ask whilst chewing meat in my mouth.

Hearing my question he explains some of Senwyn’s abilities, one of them is creating separate space like the green world. It suppresses my willpower to escape and have extreme time dilations, one second outside is more than one year inside. She using it to accelerate her ability to erase me from this timeline and cut off the link between me and fate’s string. However, their plan falls apart because 'me' come to this universe too. His story quite unbelievable and look straight from a fairytale, but as the person involved, I can’t help to listening carefully. Of course, I take his explanation with a grain of salt.

He looks at me, knowing what I am thinking, “Well, you still skeptical. But what I said is true.”

Dammit, why he can read my mind, that’s not fair. I can’t bluffing my way out like this.

“Oh yeah, what happens with the people who attacked me?” a question popped on my head, “Are you kill them?”

“What do you think,” he said.

“No.”

He stunned for a moment and ask, “How did you know that?”

“I didn’t. I just hope, my chance to live is better if you can spare them,” I said honestly.

He laughs after hearing my answer. I look at him, confused about what funny. Well, at least this is a good sign, right?

After satisfied laughing, he says, “This reminds me with my past personality.”

“So, what’s gonna happen to me?” I ask carefully while looking at his face.

“Guess,” he says with a grin on his face.

“You will let me go back to earth and give me a legendary weapon to protect myself.”

“Take another guess.”

“Dammit, my instinct is right. You will kill me right.”

“Nope”

“I knew it. Wait, what, then what are you gonna do to me?”

He chuckled looking at my reaction and says, “Not so fast, we still waiting for another guest.”

Just after he saying it, a crack appears in the sky and a man flying down from that place. Wait, scratch that, it’s two people, a man, and a woman, the man is flying down and the woman tied up by something like a glowing rope.

After a closer look, I can see both of them bruised all over their body but nothing fatal. There no spike of reaction in ‘my’ face, so I think they don’t come to attack us, even if they are, ‘me’ can handle it alone.

“Finally you come, Dahr. The sun already set,” he reprimands the man.

“She’s tougher than I thought.”

“Didn’t I warn you before, to not underestimate her.”

After hearing his reprimand, the man apologizing with red ears, is he angry? no, it’s embarrassed expression. Well, nothing to do with me.

I look at the woman in front of me, her face is beautiful yet unfamiliar. When I hear a guest coming, my first guess is a member of those crazy soldiers or even Senwyn, the leader. But, it seems I wrong.

Is this person is his enemy so he decided to erase her now?

“A very beautiful woman, right?” I hear ‘me’ talking behind me.

“Who is this person?” I ask.

“She has many titles, but in my timeline. She is my best friend who always encourage me in my rock bottom and my teacher who always guide me in my darkest time.” He says reminiscing the past.

Why you instruct your minions to beat her then.

However, without answering my monologue he continues talking, Well, it’s probably because he can’t go himself. I look at the woman again carefully and convinced that I never met her.

“But my ambition to conquer put both of us in different side. She sees what I do as evil and tried to kill me,”

Well, classic backstabbing story, and because he still standing here that means,

“I run from her for many years, and in the end I finally kill her, I never felt that hollow before.”

Gotcha.

“Dammit, can’t your monologue be more sensible.”

“Sorry,” I apologizing instantly then ask, “So do I know this woman?”

“Yes, she is your system,” he said halfheartedly.

Well, I didn’t see that coming.