Chapter Two: The Followers

The village at night was tranquil and peaceful, nestled among the mountains, so that its surroundings were filled with the pleasant chorus of insects and birds. Overhead, the sky was ablaze with countless stars, while the bushes around the village were adorned with tiny fireflies, their glow creating an almost perfect scene.

Tetsuya struggled up the nearby earthen slope, raising his head to gaze at the star-studded sky. The stars here were far more beautiful than those seen from any metropolis. His gaze fell upon the fireflies, those charming little creatures whose tails shone with light. Tetsuya extended an index finger, and they alighted gently upon it. This was because his fingertip radiated a warm, milky white glow; though insects often roamed in darkness, some were always drawn to light.

There was a trace of confusion in Tetsuya’s eyes. He was nearly omniscient, yet he also knew nothing at all.

He was aware that he existed thirty million years ago. He knew that war would erupt between the giants of light, that eventually the dark giants would arrive, and that Diga would betray the darkness, join the light, and seal away his dark comrades. Yet, he knew nothing. He had no idea which era he truly found himself in, nor could he be certain that he would survive in this world relying only on himself.

He was an orphan; his parents had died at the jaws of a monster before he could even remember them, and the entire village had nearly been destroyed in that disaster. Afterward, an elder from the village adopted him. The villagers often said that the ancient god had saved them. Through the elders’ descriptions, he gradually understood.

The so-called ancient god was, in fact, Ultraman.

A crystal appeared in Tetsuya’s palm—the core of the system, the very one Santa Claus had given him, in its original state. The diamond-shaped crystal emitted a milky white glow, attracting swarms of fireflies to dance around him.

But Tetsuya was troubled; he could not use the crystal to transform. Giants existed naturally within this world’s cosmology, so logically, the crystal should enable transformation. But reality proved otherwise; he had simply been overthinking things.

“Knew it—the damned system never lets me take shortcuts…” Tetsuya grumbled, putting the crystal away.

“I wish I could go back… The Nexus world—when will I finally get there…”

Staring at the star-speckled sky, he gradually drifted into sleep. Here, there was little danger; humanity’s greatest threat came from monsters, and if monsters appeared, their massive tremors could be sensed even kilometers away. As for humans, Tetsuya never worried. The villagers were warm and united, perhaps because of the pressure brought by the monsters.

For peace always breeds internal conflict, and sometimes even civil war.

“Grandfather will come call me soon…” Tetsuya shifted comfortably, slowly closing his eyes. Whenever he grew sleepy, his grandfather would emerge, leaning on his cane, to call him home—almost every day.

In his dreams, he seemed to see Sara Mizuhara, Nexus, and even Zagi and Noah.

All of it weighed heavily on his chest.

“Tetsuya!” An old man stood at the edge of the village, calling loudly with his cane.

“Tetsuya… You rascal, hurry up and come home!”

Yet, though the voice carried far, there was no answer.

The old man’s face, creased with wrinkles, grew cautious and worried—something that had never happened before. A shadow seemed to settle over his heart. Rumor had it, children from other villages had gone missing mysteriously in recent days…

Could it be…?

The old man abruptly turned, intent on finding the young men of the village to search the area together. If he found that rascal, he’d break his legs! Did he not realize what kind of world this was, daring to sleep outside the village—utterly ignorant of danger!

If…he couldn’t find him…

He thought silently, quickening his pace.

“No… no!” Tetsuya suddenly jolted awake from his dream, in which he had seen Zagi appear, unable to stop the devastation and destruction he wrought. And in that disaster, Sara Mizuhara…

“Wait…” Tetsuya realized, to his shock, that he was currently wedged in someone’s arms, being carried swiftly toward the mountains. The stranger’s arm clamped tightly around his chest.

No wonder his chest had felt so cramped and painful.

“Who… who are you!” Tetsuya did his best to mimic a boy’s panic and fear.

“Heh heh…” Despite running at full speed, the stranger showed no sign of breathlessness, and even had the energy to answer Tetsuya’s question.

“Never thought a kid like you could wake up from a faint, heh heh…” He laughed wildly, then said, “This is for your own good. That power of the ancient god—do you want it?”

“Ancient god?” Tetsuya frowned, thinking rapidly. The ancient god was Ultraman; could it be that humans had managed to manufacture that power?

No… If so, why was he acting so sneaky? If one could wield Ultraman’s power, it should be a glorious thing. Why, then, use such means to steal him away from the village?

“The power… the power of the ancient god…” Tetsuya maintained his tone of amazement, coughed a bit, and said with difficulty, “Stop for a moment… I… I can hardly breathe.”

“If… If it really is the ancient god’s power, I’ll go with you!”

“Heh heh…” The stranger slowed his pace, still holding Tetsuya tightly as they continued on.

“How can you prove what you say?”

The man chuckled, pulling several glowing stones from his pocket and waving them before Tetsuya’s eyes. “You may not know what these are. I can tell you—these are stones of light. With them, you can become an ancient god!”

“Really… It doesn’t look like you’re lying…” Tetsuya smiled, placing his palm under the stranger’s armpit. A small burst of light flickered between his fingers, and the man’s body suddenly stiffened as if struck by lightning, instantly immobilized and losing all strength. He collapsed to the ground. The light had briefly paralyzed his cells; his eyes widened, arms slack, and Tetsuya slipped free.

“Seems the Light Shock still works pretty well…” Tetsuya praised himself with a smile, then stood before the man, rifling through his pocket for the glowing stones. Under the moonlight, he examined them; their glow was dim and bluish, the stones shaped like cones and polished smooth.

“Who are you, really?” Tetsuya poked at him, his face showing an innocent smile in the moonlight—surely the man had never expected to be outwitted so easily.

Standing before him, Tetsuya could see more clearly. The man wore a black robe, blending into the night, impossible to distinguish.

Tetsuya drew a small dagger from his leg, waved it before the man’s eyes, and grinned, “You should always suspect people’s ruthlessness. If you don’t talk, I can’t imagine what I might do.”

“Follower…”

“Follower?” Tetsuya smirked, squatting before him like an old detective, even tapping the man’s cheek with the flat of his blade.

“Who do you follow? Who do you serve? Where is your organization? What do you do day to day?”

“Tell me everything, detail by detail…”

“Or else… heh heh heh…”

The young boy raised his dagger, smiling and revealing a pair of tiger-sharp teeth.