“This forest is… quite wierd…”

His first impression was confirmed as they followed the soldiers to their hideout. At one point the trees created a ceiling over their head blocking sunlight and causing the temperature to drop. Their growth was abnormal, and so far none of the species he saw were normal.

The cause was most likely the weapons the Nephilim used in their crusade.

Recently he had a lot of things to deal with so he never had the time to study their effects. Otherworldly energy must have some very unique effects that couldn’t simply be limited to nuclear contamination.

“So, Sergeant David.” Sam began. “You said you only recently started going out.”

“Yes. We… stayed hidden for a long time.” The soldiers replied.

“So you don’t know how the forest became like this?”

“Well, one thing for sure is that there was no forest around here back in the day. We were surprised as well when we first saw it.”

“So a lot of things changed around here, huh?” Sam said. “You had no contact with the outside world in the last twenty years?”

“As far as we know. The elder stated that we were barely avoiding the angels’ radar, that’s why it was the law that no one should attempt going outside.”

“Sounds like this elder knows a lot of stuff. Is she some kind of fortune teller?”

At this point Sam was convinced that the woman they were talking about this entire time has the power to see the future. He doubted it was perfect when she led the soldiers to believe things were safe when his group and the Olympians were around, but after some thought he began to wonder if she intended for that encounter to happen.

‘If she knew we weren’t an enemy, why didn’t she send an invitation from the beginning?’

“Um… was it something I said?” David asked with an awkward smile.

“You basically told them earlier.” Karim said, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

David wasn’t really paying attention to what he said despite being surrounded by strangers who he considered their enemies a couple of hours ago.

“Th elder invited them.” Jacob joined the conversation. The way he looked at Sam and the others told him he was still far from trusting them. “She wouldn’t have done so if she wanted to keep things a secret.”

Though he said that no one was willing to tell them the details of the elder’s power. Or to be more accurate none of them knew how they worked exactly. According to David the elder predicted the disaster a good decade before it happened so they had time to prepare themselves. It was only natural to wonder why they didn’t warn the rest of the world about it, instead choosing to save only themselves. The soldiers seemed to have had the same question before but none of them received an answer.

“Say, aren’t you afraid?”

Nino asked in a low voice.

Karim, who was walking beside her, glanced in her direction for a moment before returning his sight to the road ahead.

“Of what?”

“Of us.” The Japanese doll adds. “Aren’t we the same as the angels that destroyed your world?”

“Well…” the boy went silent for a few seconds. “I wasn’t born yet when the war started. Never got to see them or what they did so it’s all ghost stories as far as I’m concerned.”

“So… you aren’t afraid?”

“Not really. I mean, you say you are an angel but… you look like a normal girl to me.”

Going silent for a moment, the boy turned to look at the Valkyrie beside him.

“W-what?” Nino asked, feeling weirded out by his empty eyes.

“Well, it’s just that we don’t have many pale people here.” Karim replied. “I saw girls like you in movies and stuff, but this is the first time I’m meeting one in person. It’s somewhat weird.”

“I think it’s weirder that you’re so calm when walking beside a Valkyrie.”

“Is that so?”

Having noticed their conversation Sam continued to listen making sure they didn’t notice. He found it quite impressive that the boy was talking normally to not only a stranger he just met but also one of the entities who threatened the lives of his people for decades. It was also impressive that Nino was having a normal conversation with a human despite barely having any interaction with them. He expected her to be a bit awkward but she was handling the situation pretty well. 𝒱xt.𝑐

After about an hour the group reached what Sam assumed was the entrance to the sanctuary. A large metal hatch hid an opening in the ground that led into a large tunnel. Thankfully they didn’t have to walk after that point as two trucks were waiting for them there, but it took another fifteen minutes before they reached the destination which showed how far it was from where they met the soldiers.

As expected a welcome party was awaiting their arrival. Among them Sam spotted a frail old woman in a wheelchair. She appeared to be barely holding on to life, her skin clinging to her bones with more wrinkles than one cares to count. For a moment her mood seemed to lighten up when she saw him climb out of the truck, but the next moment her eyes went wide with shock.

She’s supposed to be able to see the future so he could only wonder why the Valkyries being there was such a surprise for her.

“Greetings, travelers from another world.” The old woman said. “Welcome to our humble sanctuary.”

“It is quite a pleasant surprise to meet the people who managed to cheat death.” Stepping forward, Sam introduced himself once more. “I’m Sam Sanderson, commander of the forty sixth Resistance base.”

“So you are the Doctor.” The old woman said. “I see you decided to wear your lab coat.”

“I realized it’s a part of me at this point,” Sam replied jokingly. “Same as with these glasses. It just doesn’t feel right if I don’t wear them.”

“Pfft.”

Zero Three let out a giggle and CS did the same. The latter was reminded of the time she failed to recognize him without the glasses so his statement made much more sense.

“Indeed. This way it feels more natural to refer to you by that title.” The old woman said. “My name is Ramla Zadzisai. I am the one they refer to as elder, the supposed leader of this community. There is much that we need to discuss so if you would please follow me.”

Without saying a word the group surrounding her dispersed leaving only one woman who began pushing her wheelchair.

“We’ll be taking our leave, then.” David said as he retreated with the rest of his men.

“They sure trust your judgment.” Sam said as he walked beside the elder. The four Valkyries had taken place a small distance behind him, having judged that the situation was safe to do so.

“Of course they do.” The elder said with a weak laugh. “We wouldn’t have made it so far otherwise.”

“I expected a bit of… resistance to us being here. Even if they trust you it still is a bit strange that no one said anything.”

Most of the people they met so far were adults. Sam saw suspicion and wariness in their eyes, some fear as well, however none of them had hostility. Well, at least not the kind born from hatred.

“Doctor Sanderson.” The elder began. “Am I right to assume that you know some of the details of what happened on this side.”

“Yes.”

“Then you should know that the war waged by the angels’ started and ended in a single day. The truth is one can hardly call it a war, it was more like an extermination.” As she spoke, there was no hint of anger or sadness in the old woman’s voice. “There was no time for grudges to build; those who saw the angels didn’t live to tell the tale. As for my people, we were already in hiding when the name Odin appeared in the news.”

“So what you mean to say is…”

“Yes. Most of us here didn’t suffer from the war, nor do we know much about the angels.” Glancing his way, she let a small smile form. “You have already guessed my power by now, correct? Thanks to my warning we were able to prepare for the inevitable way beforehand. The rest is easy to guess.”

By the time Hela led the Nephilim on their rampage the people in the sanctuary were already living there for quite some time. Because of that most of them didn’t know how to feel when seeing the Valkyries for the first time.

It’s like how Karim had described it; since they didn’t experience the war for themselves, the Nephilim were more like ghost stories to the survivors.

‘Guess it was only me jumping to conclusions…’

it never crossed his mind that those people might not want revenge for what the Nephilim did. They managed to avoid total annihilation and as long as they didn’t have a connection with the outside world they had no reason to risk their lives for it.

“I did try to warn the rest of the world, just so you know.” The elder said. “No one believed me, and immortality was too tempting for those who did.”

“Human greed knows no end.” Sam said with a sigh.

“Indeed.”

After arriving at a well furnished room, some tea was served for Sam and the others. Three and Nino took the seats on Sam’s side while Five and CS stood near the wall. Once the elder was in her place, the woman who pulled her wheelchair left without saying a word. Once again Sam felt it was quite strange for them to be so careless, but then again there was nothing they could do to stop a Valkyrie if she decides to do something.

The old woman, Ramla Zadzisai, blew on her cup before taking a sip. Savoring the taste for a moment she placed it down and returned her sight to Sam, the relaxed expression she had before having disappeared.

“Now then, I would say it’s about time we discuss why I invited you here.”

Sam braced himself for what she was about to say. As a fortune teller, Ramla knew of the future and if it was a good one she wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of contacting him. Whatever she had to say, it probably wasn’t anything good.

“Even among my people, only a few know about this.” The old woman began, closing her eyes as she recounted what happened so far. “Odin waged his one man war against the world, but it was far away and we didn’t have to fear it. Then came the angels and wiped the world clean, we barely managed to survive their wrath.”

Even without her saying it, Sam could already see where this was going.

“We survived both of those events.” The old woman opened her eyes. “However I’m afraid we won’t have much luck with the next one.”

Nino twitched in her place. For some reason the elder was looking at her and she seemed quite uncomfortable because of that. She reached for Sam’s arm and held on t his coat. Her delicate fingers were trembling and for a moment she only looked like a scared weak little girl.

“Madam Ramla. You knew of us not being from this world.” As he spoke, Sam took Nino’s hand into his. That seemed to surprise the young Valkyrie, but a moment later she seemed to relax a bit. “Am I right to assume you’re aware that we aren’t the only invaders?”

“Indeed.” The old woman nodded, pausing for a couple of seconds. “If I had to be more precise, my powers don’t actually allow me to see the future.” She explained. “I can observe a multitude of potential outcomes to my actions. That’s why I was able to choose which path I had to take in order to survive.”

“Hmm…”

Though he didn’t let it show on his face, Sam was quite impressed. The elder’s powers were way more convenient than he thought. if she’s able to see the potential futures of her actions, it would be way easier for her to survive than if she simply saw one future and tried to change it.

“Sadly, as you can see, I’m no longer able to take any actions myself. I can only rely on the reports brought in by those who follow my orders, but if there is no one left then…”

“… I see…”

There was no path ahead. It was the end of the road for her and her people as well.

“Um… doctor…” As the silence went on, it was Zero Three who spoke next. “I don’t fully understand but… wouldn’t it be for the best if we went back to our world?”

She was grabbing onto his coat as well, a terrified look on her face. Having listened to the conversation she must’ve understood that the people of the sanctuary aren’t the only ones whose future the elder saw. Sam and the others were there, she could use her powers to see a future where they follow her orders. If the path is still blocked even with them taking the lead the danger ahead is simply too much for them.

“You are right, young girl.” The elder said, her eyes on Zero Three. “If we remain here the only conclusion that awaits us is death. That’s why I have a favor to ask of your Doctor.”

Turning her eyes to Sam, the elder bowed her head slightly and made her request.

“I want you to open the gate for my people and send them back to your world. It’s the only path that doesn’t end with their demise, however…”

Sam waited for her to follow, but a moment later he understood what she wanted to say.

“You can’t see the outcome.” He said, his face twisting in a grimace.

“That’s right.” Ramla said, a small smile forming showing her resignation. “Five days from now my life will reach its natural end. Anything that happens beyond that day is a mystery to me.”

Her powers allow her to see the potential outcomes of her actions, including the reports others make after following her instructions. It was a convenient power, but it had its limitation. She couldn’t see anything that had no direct connection to her, and that included the future where she was no longer with them.

“The farthest I can see is when we are about to enter the light pillar.” The old woman continued. “The path ends there. It’s far from the best conclusion, however we will still survive and that’s all that matters.”

Sam crossed his arms and went into deep thought. He came to this world to investigate what happened to Nephilim, knowing full well that he might have to confront the Olympians at some point. Other than her own death, the elder foresaw a number of futures where her people would be massacred. If the only way out is for them to travel to another dimension then whatever was about to happen is too big for them to avoid.

“Madam Ramla…” Looking up at the elder, Sam asked the obvious question. “What did you see?”

The old womanclosed her eyes. Her skeletal hands grasped the armrest of her wheelchair and her whole body began to tremble. Even when she said nothing, Sam could still see the pain she was going through.

After a few silent moments, the elder exhaled and forced herself to calm down.

“Madness.”

When the words left her lips, a chill ran down Sam’s spine. He didn’t think he would ever experience such a feeling, not after gaining his new body. He didn’t understand the reason, but that single word was enough to fill his chest with terror.

“All I saw was madness.”