I Refused To Be Reincarnated

After leaving the conference room, the original retraced his steps through the brightly lit corridor. Assailed by the bright light, he lowered his head, pondering the situation and the solution found by what was once the most powerful country.

'Technically, it is unrivalled now... Since it is the last one standing,' he thought, exhaling through his hideous mask in bitterness.

Countries didn't matter anymore. Nationalism did not either. They were all brothers and sisters fighting against a common enemy. Past grudges had to be buried and forgotten. That's why they renamed the country.

He didn't know if it was to show the world that unity was the only solution, to make them understand the dire situation, or if they did it to spite the invaders and claim loud and clear that this world belonged to humanity.

He sighed again. For a world belonging to them, the lands they possessed were meagre at best and laughable at worst.

After the first hydrogen bomb was fired and upon realising how dreadful the threat was, the various nuclear powers became more proactive.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Unlike what happened in his small country, they evacuated their cities in advance, stacked all the citizens in the capital and nuked the creatures before they could reach them. Once again, it worked... at first. But then, the creatures evolved by devouring their dead, gaining a moderate resistance to radiation. To summarise, they scorched the lands and polluted the air in vain.

And now, humanity could only hide deep underground to protect themselves.

However, hope still shone in the darkness. Some individuals, just like him, mutated in bizarre ways, gaining mysterious abilities. From what he heard, one of these individuals excavated the ground to create the living space they were using. Another could turn the rocks into fertile soil, saving them from starvation. Yet, none of them suffered as he did. None was as destructive, either.

Even after five years of self-discovery and battle, he didn't know the extent of his own powers. However, he knew they were closely related to atomic rays. With a thought, he could create small blasts using a mysterious energy coursing through his veins. The most surprising thing was that his strikes didn't emit any radiation. Well, it wasn't that surprising when he thought about it.

After all, he didn't use any fossil material to create them.

Anyway, he discovered another specificity. The energy he used to fuel his blows was dense... extremely dense. The conflagration it created could bypass some of the creatures' resistance, melting their shells and charring their insides.

Reaching this conclusion, he slipped his hand under his mask to massage his brows.

'I'm still not proficient enough with it.'

He felt he could do so much more. But he also felt stuck in quicksands, dragging his understanding in their depths. Clearly, the strange patterns burned in his flesh gave him radiation immunity. He could also absorb them consciously to convert and replenish his energy. That's how he survived on the devastated central continent alone.

That's also how he deduced that something was missing for him to grow stronger.

However, before he could continue his introspection, a sudden voice cut through his flowing ideas, dividing his river of thought in half.

"Humph. I'm not done speaking with you!"

The angry feminine voice resounded in his ears. However, this time, its owner stood before him, her elegant military garb illuminated by the corridor's light.

He raised his head, squinting his eyes in a semblance of protection to gaze at her face. It struck him. Not as beautiful only, but as... ethereal? Dreamlike?

Her hair was uncommon, too, flickering with the entire spectrum of colors in a fascinating dance. Her pupils were the same, sparkling like multifaceted jewels that reflected the world in vibrant hues

"Pretty..." He muttered under his mask, his sunken eyes brightening for a moment.

"What? Who are you calling pretty, masked bastard!" answered the woman, pointing her index finger towards him vindictively. "I have a name, Luna! Not cutty, not beauty, and not pretty. Understood?"

"..."

Unbothered by his silence, Luna continued.

"Now, introduce yourself, too, and follow me!"

Seeing her move along the corridor, he hesitated for a moment, a storm raging in his mind. Yet, his steps moved on their own before he could consciously choose.

'Seems like a yearned for company...' he thought, shrugging. He wouldn't change his mind, and spending a few hours with a fellow human couldn't hurt, anyway.

"I don't have a name. I buried it with my country's ashes five years ago," he answered, his voice solemn and eyes firm.

Luna turned to him, frowning and seizing him up and down with a grimace.

"What's the relation between your name and your country's fate?" Then, she slammed her fist on her palm, her eyes lighting up. "Oh! That's one of the stupid things men like to do, right? To affirm their resolve or something? Hahaha."

After laughing for a few seconds, she concluded.

"If you buried your name, I'll find you a new one!"

"I don't need one. Keep walking, or I'll blow up this complex's walls to leave," said the original, brows twitching and veins bulging.

"No! I don't want to call you, hey, or dude all the time! You need to have a name for our duo to work!"

Your journey continues with empire

He heard the seriousness carried in her youthful voice, causing his frown to deepen. There were five other mutants in the room, each with valuable abilities. So why was she targeting him? More importantly, why was she unafraid?

"What do you want?"

He asked bluntly, unwilling to exchange too many words with her.

However, his muscles tensed the next second as her lips curled into a smile. Somehow, he sensed that this simple gesture carried more warmth than the sun's rays and was more soothing than a vibrant forest. It was a genuine smile, devoid of hidden intentions and was... beautiful.

"Together, we can preserve Earth. That's why I need you."

Yet, despite her words, his eyes remained glued on her face as a sudden jolt struck his dead heart like an electric current, making it beat once again in his chest.