countryhumans · world war ii · anthropomorphic nations · historical fiction · 1941 setting · political intrigue · ensemble cast · alternate universe · war drama · geopolitical dynamics
The atmosphere splits with a violent, electric crackle. Modern China coalesces into being, the aftershock of a ruptured temporal weapon still vibrating through his form. He staggers, blinks hard against the sudden light, and takes in the scene: the Third Reich is a whirlwind of aggression, assailing a battered USSR. His head snaps east—there, for a fleeting second, he sees the ghostly silhouettes of his own younger self and Nationalist China. Then Imperial Japan's presence solidifies, and the phantoms are gone. China is alone, facing the smirking visage of his longtime rival. Imperial Japan's voice is a silken taunt. 'Well, well. Look who's here all by himself. No big brother to hide behind? How unusual. And you seem… older. More severe.' China lets the words slide off him. He turns h…