While thinking about his blond Valkyries they passed by some of the survivors having the last meal they’ll be able to eat in peace. As expected, his presence drew quite a bit of attention, but thankfully the looks he was getting seemed to have much less hostility in them. Well, for the most part, at least.

“Hey, is it just me or are some of the men…”

When he looked more closely, Sam noticed that most of the not so friendly looks came from the men. While there were some women who shared their emotions, a lot of them seemed neutral or even happy to see him around.

“Ah, well, I guess you could say it’s jealousy.” David said, scratching his left cheek with a smile. “Apparently your popularity has increased quite a bit among the women, and the men aren’t really happy about it.”

“I… see…”

Apparently, during the interviews he had with the awakened children and their parents, Sam somehow managed to charm many of the women he spoke to. The rumors spread from there and now he was the main conversation topic among the female survivors.

The men Don’t seem to like the fact that an outsider, and a white one at that, was receiving so much attention from their women. Not only that but they were jealous of him having a harem of the most beautiful creatures in the world all to himself.

“Actually, I’m a little angry too.” David said with a wry smile. “My wife seems to be captivated by you as well. I trust her enough that I know she wouldn’t betray me, but I don’t know about the other women. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope that you would keep your distance from our women. Not that we could do anything about it if you decide to.”

Sam was a bit flabbergasted, not having expected things to turn out this way. He did predict that the men would be jealous of him having all of the Valkyries for himself, but he never even considered that the women might find him attractive.

Sam remembered something Ramla had told him and his uneasiness increased from there. After a moment of thought he came up with a plan that would hopefully put out some of the flames that were starting to burn.

“Sergeant David, did you know that the Nephilim, or the Angels as you call them, are all females?”

“… What!? Seriously?” The soldier looked quite surprised by the revelation. The survivors had lived in the Sanctuary long before Hela and her Nephilim went on their crusade. It wasn’t strange for the soldier to not know anything about them.

“Indeed. They’re a race made entirely of females, and they can’t reproduce. They can’t have children.”

“I… I never even considered something like that…” The Sergeant said. “Well, I guess that’s to be expected. I mean, they’re something like gods…” Pausing for a moment, he turned his eyes to Sam, his curiosity peaking. “What about you, Doctor? Well, I hope it’s not rude to ask but… what are you, exactly? You said the Angels are all females so…”

“Me? I’m a human.” Sam answered curtly.

“Huh? But you….”

“Ah. You know how I said we had a war on my world as well?”

“Um, yes…”

“Well, a couple of months ago I received a rather severe injury that almost took my life. I had to replace most of my body with machines and… well, this is the result.”

“I… I see…” David’s astonishment only increased after hearing Sam’s story. He was about to ask another question, but then a voice came from behind startling him quite a bit.

“So you’re a cyborg?”

Turning around, Sam saw Karim standing behind them. The fact that he never noticed when he got there sent Sam on high alert. Three and Nino were following them from a short distance away and they didn’t seem all that worried.

The boy was David’s son so maybe the two didn’t consider him a threat, but still, Sam couldn’t help but get a sense of uneasiness from his dark eyes.

“A cyborg? You could say that.” Sam answered, carefully observing the boy.

“Did your life change from before?” He asked. “You look like a normal human, and most wouldn’t notice if you don’t tell them. I can see you blending in society just fine.”

“You have a point.” Sam nodded. “I might’ve said that I replaced most of my body with machines, but the truth is I used nanotechnology to do it. You can imagine how it works, right?”

“What about your brain?”

Once again the sense of unease he got from the boy returned.

The last question was like a gun pointed directly at Sam’s head. The philosophical concept behind it was something he was trying to avoid ever since he awakened in his new body. There were many ways to look at his situation, and not everyone would have the same interpretation, which would impact the way they perceived him.

Sam felt extremely uncomfortable about the question, and something told him that lying wouldn’t work. The boy continued to stare at him, and Sam refused to look away. 𝔬𝐕xt.𝓒𝗈𝔪

After a while, something clicked in Sam’s head. The boy’s strange behavior, though his father did say it wasn’t anything unusual, the eeriness it birthed was something that couldn’t be considered normal. He was way too calm for a child his age, and the way he spoke showed that he perceived things not even the adults could notice.

After the incident with the children and the subsequent interviews, Sam learned that something was affecting the minds of the children. With that realization, he killed all of his emotions, forcing himself to think purely on logic, making a guess based on everything he has learned so far

“Hey kid…” Sam narrowed his eyes. “Since when were you able to use the Runes?”

David’s eyes turned into saucers and he began looking between Sam and his son. The other two ignored his presence, continuing to stare at each other until the boy decided to give an answer.

“Probably right before you arrived. Though I can’t say for sure. I have yet to give it a try.”

“Then how do you-”

“The whispers.” Karim interrupted. “They have been around for far longer than you think, but recently they have been getting stronger, and much clearer as well.”

“Karim…” David dropped down to one knee and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulder. “… Why… why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what? That I’m hearing strange voices in my head? Wouldn’t you think I’m crazy?”

“No! I-”

The boy ignored his father and returned his gaze to Sam.

“Something is coming.” He said. “It has been on its way for years now, even before I was born, but ever since that red tower appeared, it’s been getting faster and faster.” Pausing for a moment, he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. His eyes then wandered to the other survivors, and for a while he remained silent. When he opened his mouth again, what he said was supposed to be something obvious. Even so, hearing it from the boy made it much more foreboding, his voice having conveyed the inevitability of the end gradually approaching them.

“Once it arrives, everyone will die.” Karim said. “You can’t do anything about it. It’s too late.”