2 Before The Rabbit

Before the regression, an apocalyptic event had besmirched humanity's history with loss and suffering in the year 2031. 

Digits of human population swiftly dwindled in less than a year as humanity's might was tested by a sudden, destructive, rushing wave of unprecedented scale.

It was not after a whole five years after that humans began to adapt to the tide.

As if it was only when a huge numbers of humans within the planet were mowed, irregularity from an otherwise common sense and factuality began to sprout within the stormy age.

It's when the truth from the phrase "Reality is weirder than fiction" came into view.

Governing bodies who have invested greatly in secret bunkers and facilities in case of alien attacks, hidden talents and prodigies who were otherwise secluded themselves from societies, martial art sects capable of producing a superhuman through rigorous and decades of training, mystical tribes of people who were outright bending a small portion of reality through willpower, and many other numerous myths and legends that were known to be a tell-a-tale in normal life.

Using all of these, humanity set up their bastions on the frontline, to reclaim Earth into their custody once again.

It was the human race's first unified attempt to prevent their beating hearts being torn out of history since the apocalypse began.

Sciences and outright magics were utilized as weapons, as ICBMs produced using both of those aspects were sent to annihilate titanic monsters roaming the scarred mother nature. The sea was befriended, as a large body of water deterred the otherworldly invader from taking an upper hand.

And around 200,000 special and capables individuals were drafted,

Marching, and fighting within both the frontline and backline alongside 'supreme beings' whose potential was meant to be the impossible.

Those supreme beings in the skin of humans were known as the Deosah, a short wordplay of Deos ab Humanitate.

Which directly translates to "Gods from Humanity."

They were those who bear the prowess of millions on their backs, invaluable, inspiring, and the core of humanity's hope for a better future.

Their whole beings encapsulate the essence of "How" to win against the ordeal. And because of the Deosah's constant breakthroughs and successes, the human race began to reclaim their embers of light to achieve the impossible, along with the courage to achieve unity—something that humanity wasn't easily able to grasp without witnessing Deosah's deeds.

Nagan Ingram was one of the Deosah.

"Hey, we might be able to reclaim the Earth for real this time. So Nagan, my ol' buddy ol' chum, show me some smile to commemorate this, will you?"

"We haven't reclaimed it. We're on the way, in a flight vessel, to close the last portal that makes each of us miserable."

"Just imagine, a world filled with green amongst wisteria! Laid fertile by the corpses of the Godlich we hunted for the past seventy years… Okay, that is a little bit icky of me. Say, do you think Earth will look green or blue from outer space after we're done with this last cleanup?"

"The less the excitement, the less the disappointment, Elos."

Elos chuckled. "That's just a hypothetical question, but is there anything you want to do after this?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, really. Well. I'm not surprised I guess. Out of all Deosah out there, you're the most brooding out of them all, afterall. Care to specify why, though?"

"Because nothing mattered."

"Yeoch."

"... And because nothing really mattered, we are free to do things that we truly want."

"Woah, you're finally smiling now!"

"I'm not, this is a smirk."

"The same thing!"

"You're a good teammate when you shut your mouth, you know?"

"Say, what is this thing that you truly want to do?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, there has got to be something!"

"... Taking care of rabbits, I guess."

"For a muscle hunk like you? Well, I'm not judging. Why, though? Why not cats? Or dogs?"

"They have cute ears."

"Uhuh."

"And unlike you, they don't speak as much."

"Hey! Though, you must be bummed out that we didn't manage to preserve any species of rabbits in our citadel, huh."

"That's why nothing mattered to me anymore."

"Pfft, being you must be suck."

70 years after the apocalypse, Humanity managed to corner their unruly invader into a last stand within the continent of North America, Florida.

Humanity's finest soared into the scene, as the rest of them chanted in union, the hope and prayers they submitted into the Deosah. 

The final raid into victory went well for the side of humanity. Until at the last moment, something crawled out of the portal where they spawn those invaders.

At first, it was only a hint of scaly wall peeking from the fissure, exuding a foreign yet overwhelming radiance. Then, hundreds if not thousands of humongous draconic fingers exited the portal, grabbing on the frame of the portal and spreading the otherworldly gate wide apart from the inside.

The unzipping space of reality stretched broad and high.

The expanse that could swallow anything whole.

It was nothing like what humanity had ever fought or seen before.

The size of this apocalyptic entity was stretching to space above the atmosphere. Its form was benign of the conventional law of physics, for it lay its white claws and white protruding scythes, reaping every life far and wide. So bright yet so empty.

A radiant blank of supreme existence.

Just a mere cry from this entity alone was enough to send a disastrous shockwave that destroyed both humanity's underground post-apocalyptic civilization alongside the those hidden beneath the sea, to the space outposts on the other side of the earth. The vibration of it was also enough to summon numerous apocalyptic events as it greatly affected the planet rotation and gravity.

And in just that instance, humanity had lost nearly everything.

What was left of humanity had been reduced to their surviving 54 Deosah.

A fight of incomprehensible scale broke out for a month, as the Deosah pushed forward with eyes closed, for they had nothing behind them to protect and fight for. It could be even said that this effort was a desperate attempt for them.

34 Deosah died amidst the struggle, leaving only 20 of them from this point onward.

But they kept on going, until the godly beast ripped space and time with its scythes to harness the power beyond this universe.

The information about the event that transpired afterward was removed from any kind of conceptual and practical cognition. Even if there was a book that records every history of the past and the future from every possibility conceived, the event itself would simply be non-existent from it.

Yet there was something that was certain.

Those 20 Deosah regressed 72 years into the past. 2 years before the apocalypse. But because two of them weren't even born yet at this moment, only 18 Deosah remain to ponder about their current situation.

With the memory and wisdom of the future, the living Deosah managed to contact one after another, erecting a foolproof plan for the inevitable future that humanity will face.

"Are you kidding me now!??"

"I've already said what must be said."

"This is not a joke, Nagan! The future of humanity rests upon our shoulders, with yours being one of them. You, the Deus of Eternal Solstice! Moreover, losing just a single Deus is comparable to losing millions of humanity!"

"I didn't become a Deus because I wanted to."

"And you're giving up now?"

"Life gave me a new lemon. Instead of squirting it on my eyes, I want to properly enjoy my lemonade this time."

"A false sense of peace, that's what."

"Heh. you probably have contacted everyone, now that you decided to contact me." A ticklish giggle could be heard on the phone. "Then, you should have known that I will be the hardest to convince, Elos."

"Nagan…"

"Unlike you and others, what drives me to fight forward is nothing but the emptiness of what the world has been giving me. To see the meaningless path within the empty road, and walk through it…

"But now? The path is no longer empty. Now, I have three adorable little critters that I have been meaning to care for and give custody to. I'm no longer empty, and I want nothing more."

"A light that only lasts a year and a half is not something that you must hold onto!"

"In contrast to my 70 years of throbbing beside the cold pavement? It's worth it." Nagan wryly laughed. "Besides, I no longer possess the power that I cultivated throughout the years. And unlike other Deus who's strength lies in their soul, mine have abandoned me completely. I'm just a normal human now, Elos."

"You… must be daring to assume that I forgot your capability to attain all of your legacy back in less than three years."

"And I shall assume that you didn't come here in person so that you could respect my decision, regardless of the outcome." Nagan got startled when one of the rabbits jumped on him, before continuing his sentence, "Otherwise, you would have beaten me to pulp."

"... I hate how you know everything about me."

"Thank you, Elos."

"Heh… If that is how it is then." There was a moment of defeated acceptance behind the voice. But nonetheless, it was that of sympathetical acceptance. "I will promise you, all of us, the Deosah will make sure that Humanity will attain its peace and victory!" A defeated laugh could be heard, and so did a grateful laugh that erupted after. For he knew that their friendship was still an unshaken bond. "So, what's your plan for this peaceful moment of humanity? It needs to be something exciting for a Nagan's standard. Otherwise, I'll null your retirement."

"Being a normal person, I guess. A normal wage slave, a normal citizen. In just two months, if all is well, I can build a large penthouse for my rabbits, and probably adopt more rabbits after another two months. Then I'll start to incrementally save up for my parents' new headstones."

"I'm sure that your parents are grateful knowing that you aren't in the same place with them for the last seventy years."

"Ahahah! It's certainly a nice way to end my retirement. Just be sure to give a call if you're done with whatever shelter you're coming up with."

"It will always be an honor to house a friend. Still, this is something that you must know about our current timeline…"

"Hmm? Shoot them."

"Merry and Talas found out that it's not absolute that the Apocalypse will be arriving on the same date. It might arrive earlier, or it might not arrive at all. We certainly don't possess the means to determine that."

"Well, if they really dare to disturb my retirement." A sudden pause consumed the conversation, before Nagan broke it with a large smile on his face. "It might be hard to notice back then, but I always lay my emotion like a mourning wreath."

Time went on like the passing of clouds amongst the gale pushing the boat's dense-as-nail sail. 

Nagan was able to assemble the large rabbit penthouse of his dream. 

While some of the Deosah didn't like what Nagan had chosen to do, at least half of them respected his choice as a human and their friend.

Regardless, every Deosah appreciated their first moment of peace since their never ending struggle to move humanity forward from the root shackles that were chained to them after the Apocalypse.

It was unfortunate that their peace didn't even last a year.

Albeit a little bit sudden, the active gods of humanity prepared for this and began their movement of resistance alongside the grasped support from multiple bodies of governments. They might not be able to save every person in the world due to the lack of time that was given to them, but they have already put their foundation within the new timeline as they already began to use their capability and influence to drive the human race forward.

And just like promised, Elos attempted to contact Nagan of their location. Not hearing any response, he decided to go to the region and began to search for him.

There was no sign of Nagan after seven days of search.