The war against the Cmities had finallye to an end and the world was on the precipice of a new era. In the span of a single day, several revtions were made creating a storm among the public who didn''t even get the chance to celebrate the end of a decade-long grueling conflict.


    First, they hear that Odin, the man who''s said to be humanity''s savior, was in fact a fake who only cared about his goals. As if that wasn''t enough of a bombshell, they then learned that the multiverse was real and that there are countless worlds out there some far more advanced than theirs.


    The Nephilim were the residents of one such worlds and they were able to wreak havoc on the humans without having to carry the carnage themselves. The only way to stop them was to receive help from the same otherworldly race, which led to another groundbreaking revtion; the Valkyries were sentient beings.


    Just like with everything else, opinions were divided on the matter. Those who supported the Valkyries were exalted by the news finding it much morepelling than the idea of AIs gaining sentience. On the other hand, the side that constantly argued against them grew louder after learning that the humanoid weapons were in fact aliens from another dimension.


    Though one can dismiss their opinion as nothing more than the usual racism, it was very natural to be concerned about the implications of a much more powerful species moving in with them.


    Though some hope was gained after they learned that humans were on the road to gaining abilities on the same level as those aliens, the fear that they might choose to eliminate them still remains, and that''s without considering the threat of countless other worlds.


    The day after the award ceremony, a press conference was scheduled to give civilians the chance to ask the questions guing their minds. Sara Pinkman was one of the few dozen reporters given the chance to participate which was a bit surprising considering that her newspany, Frontline Times, refused to be a part of the propaganda machine.


    "Haa…" Sara could only sigh as she stared at the stage where a long table was ced.


    As her fellow employees went around setting the cameras and microphones, she hunched over in her seat looking like life was sapped out of her slender body. She was a typical woman in herte twenties with no notable features. Her honey brown hair was neatly tied into a single bun over her head and the clothes she wore were proper but in.


    It was clear that she put the minimum effort into looking presentable, but even with the efforts of her makeup artist, the dark circles under her were impossible to hide.


    "I want a smoke…"


    Just as another sigh escaped her, a familiar voice called out to her.


    "Well well well, if it isn''t Ms. Pinkman."


    ncing to her left, Sara saw a tall man walking her way with a huge grin on his face.


    "George…" The name brought out another sigh from her.


    Compared to the exhausted woman, George Schrader beamed with energy and excitement, his pearly-white teeth sparkling as he grinned from teeth to teeth. He was a tall man with a well-built frame sporting an expensive-looking suit with a badge hanging from his breast pocket. As a reporter from the much bigger Today News he enjoyed many privileges the underpaid Sara could dream of.


    "I''m surprised you have the energy to be so loud." Shemented.


    "Hahaha! I on the other hand am surprised you look so gloomy on such an important day!" George replied, his energetic voice contrasting the woman''s. "Aren''t you excited to take part in creating history!?"


    Sara''s eyes lowered into thin slits.


    "What history? With everything that''s going on, I would be surprised if we''re still around by the end of the year."


    "Now that''s a pessimistic take! Come to think of it, you were always a vocal skeptic of the Resistance."


    "Can you honestly say I was wrong?"


    As a reporter for the Frontline Times Sara always had a bone to pick with the Human Resistance. She helped expose many of the corrupt officials and was one of the few who actively tried to expose Odin as nothing but a myth.


    It was quite suspicious for the man who took the lead after humanity was brought down to its knees to remain faceless. Until recently some believed that he was nothing but a fictional character created to boost morals, but even after the supposed truth came out Sara remained skeptical.


    "To tell you the truth, I''m not so sure about this whole thing as well."


    The change in the man''s tone caught her by surprise. It was just on rare asions, but whenever George dropped his cheerful act it was a sign of the matters discussed being serious. Taking the seat right beside her, he directed his gaze to the from and spoke in a subdued tone.


    "Word''s going around that Odin is being made into a scapegoat so the two sides cane to an agreement."


    "Is he even real?" Sara asked.


    "He might as well be fake," George replied. "The new Head General stinks as well."


    "Doctor Sam Sanderson, huh…"


    The name was rtively unknown until he took on the role of the forty sixth base''smander a few months ago.


    "There are several inconsistencies in the stories we heard about him." George continued. "The most mind-boggling one is that he once imed to be able to create Valkyries, but now he''s telling us they''re beings from another dimension."


    "Yeah, I wonder what excuse he''ll use to exin that," Sara smirked, recalling how she nned to use that fact in the uing conference.


    Several recounts from the soldiers in the forty sixth base confirmed that the man in question did indeed announce that he had ns for creating Valkyries, iming he was confident that he could produce something better.


    Looking at how he put an end to the war soon after it was difficult to dismiss it all as lies, but it was for that exact same reason that everything else he said was put under scrutiny.


    "One thing for sure is that he''s hiding something." As she spoke, the reporter reached into her pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. "The way he gathered all the Valkyries under his name, the Council suddenly bowing to him, the Nephilim backing down after everything; there is definitely more to the story than what we have heard so far."


    Just as she put one of the cigarettes in her mouth she remembered that smoking wasn''t allowed in the conference room. George caught on to that and understood that she would leave for somewhere else, that''s why he decided to bring their conversation to an end.


    "Well, just be careful what questions you ask." He said before standing up. "I don''t want to wake up one day and hear that you disappeared."


    "Weren''t you talking about creating history a couple of minutes ago?" Her lips curled into a smirk. "Disappearing will guarantee that no one will forget my name."


    Today News yed things safe by reiterating whatever they heard from the source, unlike the Frontline Times which worked hard to peel away theyers of lies and expose the truth. It was more foolishness than thews that once guaranteed the freedom of the press were long gone, but even with that being the case some still held on to their ideals.


    "I''ll be back."


    Unable to resist it anymore, Sara got up and walked toward the exit, making sure to inform her crew that she was going for a smoke break. There was still quite a bit of time before things started so she wasn''t in a hurry. Sadly, it seems she wasn''t the only one who decided to light one as they waited so the smoking area was densely packed.


    With no other choice but to look for another ce, She walked to the elevator and headed for the underground parking lot. With so many guestsing for the press conference it only made sense for it to be full of cares, but Sara paid no mind to that. She found herself in an empty corner, took out a cigarette and lit it up.


    "Ha~"


    Her shoulders rxed soon after the first puff left her mouth. Unlike ten years ago, smoking was a luxury very few could afford. It was understandable; with the threat of Cmities looming over their head, the surviving humans didn''t have the leeway to cultivate something unnecessary like tobo.


    "Let''s hope the prices fall soon." She muttered, looking at the half-empty pack in her hand.


    Now that the war was over people could finally get back to rebuilding their world. Of course things would never be that simple so she would probably have to wait a few years.


    "Are you sure about this, Ingrid? We might get in some really serious trouble."


    "C''mon, what''s the big deal! We''re just going to take a look!"


    Sara had thought she was the only one in the area so the pair of voices came as a surprise. Not that it mattered. It had nothing to do with her so she just had to mind her own business.


    "I don''t know… Doctor might get really angry…"


    "Stop being a baby, Juni. Do you really want to wait in that room all day?"


    Though she tried to ignore them at first, Sara was quick to recognize the second name which caused her eyes to shoot open. The ashes fell from her half-burnt cigarette as she stood frozen, unable to decide what to do, but after a few seconds of thought, she quickly put it away and walked over to the source of the voices.


    "Just think about it; do you think we will get another chance to visit a human city?"


    "But…"


    "Don''t worry, we will be back before anyone…"


    Though she knew what she was getting herself into, the reporter was still speechless when she saw who it was that hid behind the corner. Two girls barely past their teens, each wearing a hood that covered their heads. Though they had face masks on as well their effectiveness was reduced drastically by the simple fact that the girls had their eyes exposed.


    The eyes were big and colorful, simr to a human''s but at the same timepletely different. The moment those eyes fell on her Sara felt a chill envelop her body, but it was quickly reced by an overwhelming desire to take advantage of the current situation.


    Quicklyposing herself, Sara stepped toward the two girls.


    "Hi there! I didn''t mean to eavesdrop but…" making a calcted stop, she pretended to check their surroundings then leaned in to whisper. "Could it be that the two of you are Valkyries?"