I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Prometheus had been walking in the dark for days, lost in thought when a distant light finally illuminated the underground tunnel.

His eyes lit up, and he gathered his strength to straighten his hunched back as he approached humanity's last bastion.

However, the closer his feet took him, the clearer he could see the rising smoke and smell the stench of carbonisation.

'No, no, no!'

With each step, his heart grew colder and his breathing more irregular. His fingers trembled around the cold metallic staff he used as a cane while he imagined the worst. Did the others fail to defend the walls? Will he return to a desolate city despite his efforts to complete Luna's task?

Scared, the noise of his staff striking the rocks reverberated in quick succession as he hastened his steps despite his poor physical condition.

Ten minutes later, he saw the ravaged wall he had defended for five years with Atlas and Luna. The thick metal had been eviscerated in its middle by the creatures' sharp mandibles before being stomped on and deformed by the swarm's relentless charge.

Without wasting a second, he pressed on, praying the creatures hadn't reached the city, only to plop to the ground fifteen minutes later.

"How did it happen?!"

His roar reverberated against the rubble, replacing the once tall buildings. Amplified by his billowing turmoil and mana, his voice reached the other end of the gigantic city.

Alarmed, survivors left their homes one after another. Recognising the voice, they rushed to his location, yelling.

"Prometheus is back! We're saved!"

"Prometheus, we did our best to hold on!"

"Humanity's hero has returned! Come greet him, everyone!"

As an enormous amount of people began to move in his direction, a weary voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"You are finally back. Not lying, but a few more hours and I would have given up..."

His eyes enlarged as he turned and saw the one-armed youth leaning against the wall.

"A-Atlas?" He asked, his eyes trembling after noticing the long scar on his face. But the most shocking thing was...
Enjoy new adventures from empire

"What happened to your eyes?!"

A tremor shook his body when he peered into the two empty holes replacing the once vibrant emerald eyes.

"Oh..." Atlas muttered, lowering his head. "I lost them with my arm trying to protect Mnemosyne, but..."

He didn't finish. He didn't need to. His trembling shoulders, distorted face, and clenched fists spoke louder than any word would. She died. And so did many humans.

Despite his grief about the deaths, he couldn't help but feel an ocean of rage boil in him each time he looked at Atlas. He had lost his power and pride with his eyes. How did it happen? How could the creatures pierce their defenses?

Fortunately, Atlas's next words relieved his confusion a bit.

"Ever since you left, the attacks became more frequent and Luna's warnings less reliable. It was fine at first, but after two months..."

Atlas slid down the wall into a sitting position and took a deep breath before continuing.

"After two months, she warned us after the swarm reached the wall. Many died that day, and it was only the beginning. After six months, she just stopped warning us altogether. With three walls to protect and only five fighters, we could only place ourselves randomly and hope to be in the right place at the right time..."

He exhaled, blowing air as he remembered the terrible last month they had lived. After a few tense seconds, he continued.

"But we weren't. Each time they miraculously attacked the less defended wall until they shattered one. When we returned and restrained them, we had already lost a fifth of the population. The next time we lost a fourth, Tethys and Demeter... Today, everyone died but me. As for the population...

we are less than two million..."

His voice weakened, and his head slumped against his bloodied chest as he shared the terrible news. They had done their best, but humanity would go extinct.

A tear rolled down his cheek as he reached that conclusion.

Prometheus' return wouldn't change anything. He was alone against an unending swarm of monstrous creatures that grew stronger daily.

"No... NO!" Prometheus roared, rushing to grab Atlas by the shoulder.

"Tell me it's a lie! Tell me it is one of the pranks you like to do! Where! Where is Luna!"

Atlas grabbed his tightly clenched hand in response before murmuring.

"I don't know. No one does, but... Didn't you notice? The city is in ruins, yet there are no corpses or carcasses."

Then, he grabbed Prometheus by the neck, bringing his head lower.

"Listen well. I don't know what she plans, but something is clear. Protecting humanity had never been her goal."

Then, he released his hand and retrieved something from his pocket.

"What irony. I really ended up holding the weight of humanity in your absence... You know, even if we had a rocky start and if I always provoked you, I-I... I see you as the cool big brother I never had. So, promise me to protect humanity until the end."

"I will! We'll do it together as brothers!" Prometheus answered, his arm shaking, taken by a seizure.

A grin slowly stretched Atlas' grin in response as he opened his hand.

"Take them with you. If there is an afterlife or if reincarnation exists... I hope we'll forget everything... and become... brothers... again."

As his last words left his mouth, his head sagged, and his limbs turned limp. Gradually, he slid sideways until his body dropped to the ground.

Prometheus watched his only friend's motionless corpse, tears streaming down his cheeks. The annoying brat died, and he didn't even have a chance to help him.

"Idiot. You didn't even tell me your real name," he muttered, his mouth filled with the salty taste of tears. Despite his sealed emotions, he felt that his heart had been cleaved in halves by a scalding knife. Especially after he noticed the items Atlas retrieved.

"I'll use them wisely. Thank you, brother."

He struck his right chest twice in a silent homage before taking the two emerald balls lying in his brother's hand.

Then, he stood and walked towards the city's center, already hearing the approaching citizens' footsteps.