The man’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing before his eyes. The place that he used to call home was now completely flattened. The ground was littered with ash, and the grass was burnt to the dirt. There were still a few tiny fires here and there, but his home may as well be a nuclear wasteland. Everything was demolished, and there was nothing he could do about it. His family, friends, and neighbours were probably dead. For the first time in his life, the man was completely and alone and helpless.

The man’s world was shattered. His house was gone, and so was the family he loved so much. Everything was gone. There was nothing left. For a few minutes, he sat on the ashy ground, sobbing. But he decided that it would be better if he didn’t sit there sulking. He had to figure out what happened to everyone.The man began walking down the destroyed street. looking for anyone who might still be alive. After about thirty minutes of trudging through ruined neighbourhoods and devastated towns, the man gave up hope. He sank to the ground, falling into a deep sleep...

The man awoke after a long twelve hours of sleep. His stomach was aching, and immediately he realized that he needed to eat food. He managed to get up after a few minutes, but he could barely walk. His stamina had been drained out of him, and eventually he would be fatigued to the point where he would just collapse and die. He spotted a small snake slithering around in a house only a few feet away. Next to it was a loaf of bread. Food! The man quickly walked over to the loaf and picked it up and shoved it in his mouth. He found a few apples and oranges on the ground, too. He scavenged through the houses, finding fruits, bread, and whatever was left that wasn’t rotten.

The man continued to wander through vacant towns, looking for any signs of life, but it was hopeless. It often scared him that he was the only one left on Earth, or at least in this area. His food stash kept him well-fed, though it wasn’t the best tasting. He maintained a daily routine of looking through houses for more food to keep himself replenished. After about a week of wandering around, the man started to feel like someone was out there who was still alive. He tried to ignore it, but it kept tugging on him, so he continued to look.

The next morning, the man woke up like he normally did and searched for some food. He was able to find some bread and a can of soup, but not much else. Food was starting to become more scarce as he ventured into the countryside. All of a sudden, something tapped him on the shoulder. The man was instantly terrified. Nothing had touched him for weeks. Was it possible that someone was right behind him? He was too afraid to look, but he couldn’t resist the urge to do so. He slowly turned around, and each second he turned his heart rate increased. Standing before him was a woman. She had dark, brown hair and a face covered in dirt. Her clothes were crumbled. It appeared that she was as surprised as he was.

“Um... hello...” the woman spoke. Her voice sounded dry, but that didn’t really matter. She had somehow survived the disaster and probably hadn’t spoken in days.

“Hi...” the man replied. He was speechless. He too hadn’t spoken for over a week, so his voice was just as dry.

The woman slowly studied him from down to up, and then stared at him for a moment. Then she spoke again, “You are...” she paused. “You are...”

“Yes?” the man was a bit confused as to what the woman was trying to say. “You are... John?” the woman looked at him curiously.

“What...?” John was unable to speak. His mind was flowing with with a bunch of different thoughts like Who was this woman? and Can I trust her? “Who are you?”

The woman tilted her head and asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, do I know you or something? I don’t think I recall ever meeting you,” John replied, more relaxed than he was a minute ago.

“Oh...” the woman trailed off. For a moment John saw a sinister look on the woman’s face, but it disappeared as quick as it appeared. Something was wrong here. “I am a survivor, just like you.”

I know that, but what’s your name?” John demanded.

“My name...” the woman hesitated. “My name is Anne.”

“Huh, that’s weird. I’ve never met an Anne before,” John looked up and scratched his chin curiously. It was loo late, though.

A long sword, a katana, appeared in Anne’s hand. She looked at it for a moment, and then lunged at John. Luckily, he had time to realize what was happening, and he ducked. Then, he grabbed her wrist and slammed her into the ground. He snatched the katana out of her hand and stabbed it into the ground between her legs. For a few short seconds, there was complete silence. Then, her whole body turned red as she began to transform into a dragon.

John didn’t know exactly what was going on, or why this lady who had approached him was turning into a dragon, but he didn’t need an explanation to know that this was the same dragon from the Bright World. It towered fifteen feet above him. Its massive red wings were spread out, like it was ready to fly. How was he going to defeat it this time? The last time he had fought the dragon, it was easy. However, this time there was no lava, and it would be more intelligent than to run straight into a lava lake a second time anyways. The dragon started to ascend into the sky, and a fireball was already forming in its mouth. John was afraid this would be the end, but he couldn’t let himself die. He sprinted forward, hoping that the fireball would miss. There was a loud boom as the fireball crashed into the ground. The impact caused the earth to shake, but John managed to keep his ground. He glanced behind him and saw a small crater about thirty yards away.

John’s heart was beating faster than ever, but he continued to run. All of a sudden, a huge ball of fire appeared in front of him, and then there was a big explosion as the second fireball landed. The force threw John backwards. He landed on his back, knocking the air out of him. Once he recovered from the blast, he sprang up onto his feet. The dragon wasn’t done yet, though. Another fireball, larger than the previous ones, was forming in its mouth. John instantly dashed ahead. He needed a plan, though, or else there was no way he could defeat the dragon. Then, he remembered something. The katana that Anne had wielded when she had first attacked him was lying about ten yards away. John ran towards it and swiftly picked it up. The dragon looked at him furiously, and then dove down straight for him. However, John was one step ahead. He raised the sword, blocking the dragon’s flight path. The dragon flew straight into the katana, forming a gash about fifteen yards long on its belly. It crashed into the ground. Blood was pouring out of the gash, but John’s plan wasn’t over yet. He leaped onto the dragon’s side, and stared at it for a moment.

“Why...” it said softly. “Why did you do this to me?”

John replied, “You destroyed my home, my family, and my world. Now, I will destroy you.”

John lifted the katana, and then thrust it into the dragon’s chest. It screamed in agony as it slowly turned into ashes. Then, the world was silent. The dragon’s screams had ceased. In the distance, a shadowy figure appeared.

“Hello,” it spoke. “We meet again.”

John recognized the figure as the god of the Bright World. “You...” John started. “Why did you send me here?”

“I do apologize for not telling you in advance, but...”

“But?”

“This was the true test. It was made to see if you were prepared to survive on your own, and if you were prepared for surprises. Of course I will send you back to your family, now, but remember the war. It will come in approximately three months, so enjoy your time with your family while you still can. Anyways, I’ll be leaving now. I’ll go ahead about warp you back to reality. Goodbye, and good luck.”

John woke up to light pouring into his eyes. His whole family surrounded the bed, staring at him in shock.

Then John said, “Come on everyone, we’ve got no time to lose. There’s a war coming soon.”