Philippe startled awake, cold sweat drenching his body.
"Hey, Philippe!" A girl's voice, filled with relief, greeted him. She sat beside the bed, letting out a long sigh. "You're finally awake. Thank goodness you're okay."
Philippe, who is that? he wondered silently, struggling to remain calm. He tried to recall. The last thing he remembered was returning home from work, exhausted, and falling asleep instantly. Now, he was here. Is this a dream? he asked himself. Yet, the sharp reality assaulting his senses was undeniable.
He glanced around; the sight that met his eyes was anything but peaceful. Numerous people lay scattered, groaning in agony. Doctors rushed back and forth, frantically tending to wounds. Clearly, this was no ordinary scene. A war was raging, its presence heavy in the air.
His gaze shifted to the beautiful girl who had been watching him in silence all this time. Philippe swallowed hard, then asked, "What's the situation?" He forced himself to act like the Philippe she knew.
The girl sighed. "I thought you'd lost your memory." She continued, "It's dire. The wolfhounds have breached the border. The leader wants you to fall back for now."
Philippe attempted to rise. "Then we need to leave right away." His legs trembled, and he collapsed, but the girl swiftly caught him.
"Don't overexert yourself." She gazed at Philippe's injuries, her face etched with worry. "You're severely wounded."
The moment the words "severely wounded" left her lips, a buried pain surged forth as if unleashed. His entire body screamed in protest. Philippe bit his lip until blood trickled onto his tongue, fighting desperately to stifle a cry.
"Rest," she urged. "Take it easy. Even though things are like this, it doesn't mean we're defeated." The girl flashed a radiant smile.
"Heh," Philippe managed a faint smile. "You're awfully optimistic." He added, "Fine, I'll take your advice and rest."
The girl stood after seeing Philippe settle back down. "I'll step out for a bit."
As she took a few steps away, Philippe called out, "Wait!" He paused. "Be careful."
Her smile widened, bright and warm. "Of course. Get well soon."
Philippe watched her disappear into the distance until her figure faded from view. I didn't even catch her name… he sighed inwardly, regret gnawing at him. He exhaled deeply. The sky beyond the window loomed pitch black.
Yet, right before him, a translucent blue screen hovered in the air.
It seems she can't see this either… Philippe murmured to himself.
…
The door swung open, and a man burst in with brimming energy. "Hey," he said, scanning the room before locking eyes with Philippe. "I heard you were badly hurt." He studied Philippe's face, then slowly inspected his legs, before returning to his face. "Are you alright?"
"Hey, don't just barge in like that, Armand! Have some sympathy for Philippe!" The girl from earlier stepped in behind him, scolding the man. She stood at Armand's back, then offered Philippe a kind smile.
Philippe propped himself up, leaning against the headboard. He returned her smile. "It's fine." He paused briefly, searching for something to say. "Isn't this pretty typical?"
"Hmmmm." The man tilted his head. "Has your personality changed too?"
Philippe let out a hollow laugh, cold sweat prickling down his spine.
"Just kidding," Armand said with a chuckle.
Philippe sighed and swiftly shifted the topic. "What's the situation like?"
Armand replied, "It's safe for now. Rest up—they won't attack again anytime soon."
How do you know they won't attack again? Philippe longed to ask, but he restrained himself.
"Good. Then I can rest for a while."
"Oh, right!" The girl interjected suddenly, as if struck by a thought. "I brought you some food and a book. I'll leave them here."
She set the food and book beside Philippe. "Hehe, I figured you'd be bored."
A book? What for? Philippe pondered briefly. Does the person whose body I'm in enjoy reading?
"Thanks, I'll read it later."
"We'll head out now!" The girl tugged Armand's arm. "Come on, let's give him some rest."
Armand waved at Philippe. "Get better soon. Don't let death snatch you away."
Philippe gave a faint smile. Heh, could I already be considered dead? After all, I'm not the Philippe they know.
He stared at the transparent blue screen in the air and sighed. "I figured they couldn't see it."
Philippe pulled the blanket over himself, lying back while fixating on the screen that refused to vanish despite his repeated blinking. "Might as well read the book," he said, sitting up to grab it and reading by the light source.
In that moment, it hit him. He knew the man's name, Armand, and his own, Philippe. But the girl? Philippe shook his head and resumed reading.
…
Time flowed much like it did on Earth. Philippe pieced this together from the book and his own observations. Even ancient records confirmed it. This led him to wonder, Is this still part of Earth? He found no evidence to support his hunch.
Asking the locals didn't seem wise. What if his questions raised suspicions? What might they do to him? The thought flickered through his mind, though he deemed the odds slim—less than ten percent. The people here were preoccupied with the onslaught of creatures called wolfhounds, wolf-like monsters capable of slipping into other dimensions to move.
"What would happen if I entered the space they create?" Philippe muttered under his breath.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" The girl's voice jolted him from behind, a pat on the shoulder making him jump.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Emilie." The girl, Emilie, seemed like someone Philippe had known for ages, though only as a friend. He'd learned her name just days ago when Armand called out to her.
"Hehe, sorry. You looked so intense just now," Emilie said. "So, what were you thinking about?"
"Nothing much. What about you? What brings you here?" Philippe asked, curious.
"Looking for you. My mom cooked way too much, and there's no way we can finish it all. Help me out, will you?"
Where's your father? Philippe wanted to ask, but he kept it to himself.
"Sure, I'd be glad to." Philippe stepped ahead of Emilie. "What about Armand?" he asked, fishing for conversation as they walked.
"I tried finding him, but no luck. He's such an oddball," Emilie said, then added, "By the way, how was the book? Did you like it?"
"I finished it in a day. Sorry, I forgot to bring it along."
She shook her head with a smile. "No worries. I'll drop by again tomorrow." She glanced down briefly, then quickened her pace, stopping in front of Philippe.
Philippe halted too, meeting Emilie's gaze. Her stunning eyes held him spellbound. He looked aside.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "What's up? Why the sudden stop?"
Emilie closed her eyes and smiled. "After we eat, would you keep me company for a bit?"
Philippe opened his mouth, then smiled. For a split second, I thought she might confess. Guess I'm getting ahead of myself.
"Sure, why not?"
...
A/N: Hi guys, we meet again. It's been a while since I published a chapter for the next story. But lately my intention has been gathered so I will be excited again. Don't forget to drop by Patreon so I can be more diligent xD
If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
https://www.pâtreon.com/Junxt
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By the way, don't forget to throw a power stone and leave a review to motivate me :)
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