“I wish my sanity remained intact.”

- Excerpt from Lieutenant Hans Hoffman’s Journal Entries.

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+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Unknown

Hans opened his eyes.

And he was breathing raggedly. With his eyes dilated. The ghost pain on his arm was still there as looked at it, his other hand touching his neck in an almost frantic manner. What the hell had happened? Why was he here? Did that happen? Did he…did he…

There were soft, peaceful breaths in front of him. Hans looked forward and realized that he was on his mech. Alizée seemed to be sleeping peacefully on his lap, and she almost nuzzled herself in her arms after she felt Hans’ distressed movements. Taking control of his deep breaths, Hans almost wanted nothing but to hug the kid to comfort himself.

He did not of course.

What the hell just happened? I was…

He almost choked, still feeling that raw…flesh, warm blood flowing from his own neck. But there was nothing. It was intact. No matter how many times he touched it…there was nothing there. None of that searing, painful slice that he felt in his final moments. It was…okay.

0633 Hours.

Indeed. He was inside of his mech, with Alizée still asleep, right on that hour. Just before he met Adelyn. But that didn’t make sense. Why was he here? Why was he alive? It all…it all felt too real. Was it…nothing but a vision of the future? He didn’t know. And he started breathing in an ever worse fashion.

“Hrng…” Alizée opened her eyes. For a second, Hans was frozen. He just screwed up and woke up a sleeping girl. Great, right when she needed rest. Alizée gave a cute yawn, that for a moment, almost wiped the sheer terror that gripped Hans. She looked behind her. “Sir Hans…it’s morning huh? Hmm…are you okay, Sir Knight?”

Hans forced a gentle chuckle off from him as he ruffled her hair. “Good morning, kid. Had a good sleep?”

Of course, Hans knew she didn’t understand it, but he felt nice that Alizée merely accepted his patting. He really felt at ease now. How could all that happen? He would not let Alizée…

Her scream.

That…that scream that imprinted itself on his mind.

I…I am sorry.

I am sorry.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

“In comparison, I’m okay, kid,” Hans said, as he tried keeping his expressions calm in front of her. “I’m okay. I’m sure of it. Nothing at all happened. Must…must have been bad dreams. Hah…guess that’s what happens when you’re in a different world, no?”

Hans smiled at her.

It was alright.

Everything was going to be alright.

It was nothing but a vision. A very vivid vision, yes, but merely a vision nonetheless. He was alright. And she was safe. She was alive, and Hans was sure that Adelyn was too. It would be alright.

There was nothing wrong at all.

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“She doesn’t seem hurt,” Adelyn said. She was checking Alizée on the side of her mech, hidden from Hans. Hans, for his part, was merely standing alone on the road, looking at the rising sun…the same direction to the town, at least, from his visions.

“Told ya,” Hans replied, as normal as he could. Meeting Adelyn at the exact location he found her in that…dream was surreal to Hans. Especially when right now, everything that had happened was happening the same. Almost as if he followed the vision down to the letter, things might not be too far from it.

He felt…wrong. Looking at Adelyn’s intact self, he couldn’t stop remembering how it felt when he caught her. It was…so vivid. Way too vivid for his comfort. The way her body dropped to his arms as if she was a tossed doll. With her blood spraying in all directions, bathing his uniform with her fresh blood.

But right now, again, she was alright. As if none of those happened. Adelyn didn’t even show any signs of distress, as far as Hans knew. And neither did Alizée show any signs of distress. They were, in all sense, perfectly alright. Not sliced in the belly like Adelyn. Not whatever happened to Alizée…

Technically, he was also…fine, yes. He had no injuries.

But he…he…he could see it all vividly. He shook his head. This wasn’t the time to despair for some nonsense. If it was a vision, then he needed to get his act together. He needed to start preparing for what could be the inevitable. And so, he started running his thoughts back on that creature. The night wolves, yes. Was it perhaps close to that?

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But it was pitch black. That must mean it was of a different species. But he wasn’t able to check it with a [Target Status Check], so he wondered how exactly he would know what it was. Were levels perhaps connected to it? Then that’d mean he was dealing with an enemy with possibly way too high of a level compared to him.

But it’s the only route forward. Retreating…would that be an option if this route was a sunk-cost fallacy? That could certainly be something he could do…probably. If he could rush right now without caution, he’d most likely reach it within a few dozen minutes. Perhaps, without the advantage of nighttime, he would be able to get his machine guns locked into it and kill it fast.

All assuming that those visions are real. Otherwise, I might just be fighting childish imaginations.

To describe Hans as some sort of a man who believed in dreams was the furthest thing one could do. If he barely believed in spiritual nonsense, faith, and other mystical concepts, the idea of a dream becoming true was something that sent him an increasingly severe sense of discomfort. And so, Hans rejected it. It was impossible! Dreams could not predict the future.

But…it did predict this very moment. He felt as if he lived through it. The first time he met Adelyn again in this world. Her reaction. Her reactions to Alizée. It all lined up too disgustingly well. Which again, but worried and disconcerted it. What exactly could be the explanation for that? And what exactly could he do now to avoid it if it was true?

The priority must shift then. Hans thought. I cannot allow the two of them anywhere close to that area. My Wanderfalke is designed for rapid deployments, reconnaissance, and armor elimination. I should do my job.

Clear the path for them. Fast and efficient. Without worrying about their safety. If he could go in alone, put the beast down, or sufficiently check the area for its presence, and allow Adelyn to pass through without a hunch, he’d succeed. Now…all he needed was to find an excuse for Adelyn to go forward.

Alone.

Crap. She hates these kinds of ideas.

He turned back. It seemed that Adelyn was checking the girl’s mouth with her flashlight. Hans wondered what the hell came to his Captain’s mind to do that. Dental health, at this time and moment?

“Ah, there, just keep it open, we need to make sure that there’s really nothing—”

“Captain,” Hans interrupted, and Adelyn turned and stood up.

“Yes, Lieutenant? What seems to be the problem? You look troubled.”

Hans waved it off. “Anyone would be in this situation. Captain, I’d like to volunteer to check the route forward. Considering that you have a child that would be in your vehicle, as we agreed to, I believe it would be dangerous for you to continue forward in a possible ambush. Let me check first.”

“Lieutenant,” Adelyn frowned. “I am a soldier of the Confederacy. I can defend myself. Perfectly well.”

“I’m not saying you cannot,” Hans said. “But my Wanderfalke is designed for fast recon. I’d just be doing my job.”

“We can recce the route together,” Adelyn said. “You just need to be first in the column. So if a Murat MBM shot you dead, your Captain will be just behind to save you.”

Hans laughed.

“What?” Adelyn said. “It’s not a bad idea. It’s just the two of us here left, so we have to stick together as much as possible. I mean, look at her. She doesn’t understand us. Sure, she’s docile, well, she’s a cute kid after all. Harmless. But imagine if some of the locals see us….”

“Look, I’m not gonna start trouble, Captain—”

“Sure he says that,” Adelyn said. “But I know that you’re too reckless at times. Always getting in trouble. Always in the frontline of every battle. Always the last to retreat.”

“I…” Hans fell silent.

“Yeah, see. Cat’s got your tongue. I’m right again,” Adelyn said. “I’ll be behind you. Let’s get this child back to her home.”

Hans sighed. Well, he tried what he could. Perhaps he could propose it again later when they were closer to that town. If it existed. Defeated, Hans walked back to his mech. Behind him, he heard the faint giggles from Alizée. He looked back. Adelyn was already toying with the girl, as she repeated her name to her again and again. Of course, his Captain and her childish tendencies.

Though, I suppose that’s why she’d be better at handling a child. Hans laughed a bit inside. He was truly never trained for it. That kid needed to feel comfortable after being…well, orphaned by a goddamned monster wolf. And what did he do? Give her chocolates. That was it. Truly, a fine performance from him.

Well, I’m a soldier. Not a damned daycare worker. Maybe in a different world, I can handle children. The best I can do is to prevent them from getting shot.

Yet…

Remembering his dreams…he looked down at the legs of his Wanderfalke. Could he even do that job? Should the worst come this time again, could he defend Alizée from that fate? Or would he just hear that…that…scream of hers…

Again.

Hans shook his head and climbed his Wanderfalke. He looked at his turret…a peace symbol. That was his name. The Peacemaker. He always liked the sound of it. Fighting for peace. But…it was an oxymoron, perhaps. There were so many kill-rings on his main gun. He was a damned killer. He certainly didn’t live up to his name.

What more if I tried being a daycare worker?

He dropped back into his cockpit, as the displays booted up. Taking a deep breath, he wondered again how he could beat that thing should it come to kill them again. He defeated those night wolves so easily. But not that thing. For some reason.

That tail. He felt a bit of a cold chill. That tail sliced through our legs so easily.

This vehicle. His guns. The weapons he held. The technology of his people. Defeated by this place’s fauna. If it was true…the implications…

He looked back at Adelyn. Even she was beaten.

His current skills might not be enough.

If a mere animal could do that thing to them, Hans feared about actual thinking beings.

If need be, I’ll get stronger. I’ll get better.

He was fighting with the assumption that he was fighting tanks or mechs. Not organic life forms. He needed to find a way to change his style of fighting then.

For his survival.

And for their survival.

He pressed the microphone button.

“Captain, let’s get a move on,” he said over the speakers. “We shouldn’t waste daylight. Not in this situation.”