Flames dyed the world red.
Not a single sign of life remained.
Only a few beasts fighting over scraps.
Just at the top of that very bridge where it all started,
two figures stood. One stood straight atop the steel beam. He looked like someone in his mid 30s. He was wearing a conical metal hat, dd
And the other bent down, his hands on his cheek,
seemingly uninterested in what was happening.
He seemed younger, nothing more than 15 years old. His orange hair floated in the wind his mouth covered with a mask .
"Hey Lucci, do you think that boy survived?"
The man standing spoke first. He had a deep masculine voice that resonated calmly with the surroundings.
The one bent down just stared at him, then at the broken bridge.
"Who knows?"
"Let's just get back home. I'm bored. Maybe I could get to fight some high-ranked beasts again."
His bored expression soon left in place of a wide grin.
The man sighed and crossed his arms.
"I say we check it out."
"What? Why? Let's just tell boss that this was a failure too. Besides, we can't just—"
The boy hadn't finished when the man jumped straight into the water.
The boy just let out a sigh.
"I'm getting something out of this, old man."
Then he followed.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the shattered bridge…
I had long believed I was dead, but I could hear my own thoughts,
which proved otherwise.
I opened my eyes. I was still drowning.
How deep is this damn ocean? I spoke out loud.
But something wasn't right. I shouldn't be able to speak in the water, but that wasn't the only thing. I could breathe. I could really breathe. I wasn't dying. Or was this my final moments?
Just as I thought I saw a white light. I wasn't going towards it—it was coming towards me.
Once it finally got close, I had a closer look at it.
It was a feminine figure. She had long white clothing that floated seamlessly in the water. Her skin was like smooth jade, almost indistinguishable from the dress.
Almost.
Her most noticeable feature was her ears—her ears were like that of a fox, pure white. Her face was truly beautiful.
I already knew I was dying. My mind had already begun hallucinating.
So this is what it meant by finding the most peaceful memories. I gently closed my eyes.
Peace lasted only a second. A chill crawled up my spine.
Then the creature let out a horrid scream.
It sounded so horrible I opened my eyes.
The creature's face contorting heavily. It wasn't beautiful anymore. She looked evil. Her eyes becoming red, her face turning black, her head becoming three.
Her skin turning black.
That was when I came out of the trance.
It was the beast from before. And right now,
it was chomping on my arm. The crunching sound I felt told me my arm was gone.
I wasn't surprised at seeing the beast still alive.
That was when I realized I could still breathe. I don't know why, but I wasn't wasting my chance again.
At that moment, all the rage resurfaced. I used my other good arm and fought back.
Its other two heads lashing back at me. I kicked one of the heads with one of my legs.
The other I fought with my other good arm. I punched blindly, trying to fight back.
But I was still losing blood. The first head still held tightly to my arm.
My punches became weaker with each jab.
My other hand soon got grabbed, as well as my leg.
If I wasn't dying before, I was dying for sure now.
But just as the beast dragged me deeper into the river,
it let go in an instant and with a frightened yell ilike a dog being beaten,
it ran away deeper into the water.
In my head all I could say was
"come back here, you bastard."
My voice had already faded.
With a sigh I lost consciousness.
Unknown Location, Time Uncertain —
Light.
That was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.
A single bulb hung above me.
I was lying inside some kind of pod.
Slowly I glanced toward my arm.
It had healed perfectly.
Not only my arm—my entire body felt almost brand new.
I pushed against the pod gently and it opened without resistance.
Cold air brushed against my skin as I stepped out.
The room around me looked unnatural.
Everything was metallic. Sleek silver walls stretched endlessly around me, faint streams of light running beneath their surfaces like veins.
I reached out carefully and touched one.
The wall resonated softly beneath my fingers.
I looked down at myself.
White clothing.
Thin and unfamiliar.
Then I touched my hair.
It felt different.
Longer.
I turned toward the reflection on the pod's glass surface.
My hair had changed completely.
It was white now.
Not black.
How long was I here?
I stepped out into the hallway cautiously.
"Hello?"
No response.
The hallway stretched endlessly ahead of me, silent except for the faint mechanical hum echoing through the walls.
As I kept walking, I suddenly heard banging against glass.
I turned immediately.
A man sat behind a glass chamber staring directly at me.
His eyes were wide open.
Unblinking.
He gestured frantically for me to come closer.
I hesitated briefly before stepping toward him.
He wore the same white clothing I did.
His lips moved rapidly but I couldn't hear anything through the glass.
So I pressed my ear against it.
One word.
"Run."
The moment I stepped back, I collided with something behind me.
Not a wall.
Something alive.
Slowly I turned around.
A massive goat-like creature towered over me.
Over seven feet tall.
Its rectangular pupils stared directly into mine before it released a horrifying scream.
Not wasting another second, I ran.
The creature chased after me on all fours, letting out a mixture of broken bleats and distorted screams.
I kept looking back while running until I tripped violently onto the floor.
The creature now stood directly above me.
What the hell is this place?
Fear finally began clawing its way back into my mind.
The creature stepped closer.
It wasn't moving on all fours anymore.
Now it stood upright.
I crawled backward desperately while my hands searched blindly for anything I could use as a weapon.
As it reached toward me, my fingers wrapped around a metal pipe lying nearby.
Without hesitation I swung.
The pipe slammed against its leg with a loud crack, forcing it onto one knee.
It let out a sharp scream.
That gave me enough time to stand and run again.
Then something grabbed my leg.
I crashed hard against the floor as the creature dragged me back effortlessly.
Something cold tightened around my neck.
Then—
"Hey, can you hear me? Follow my finger."
I froze.
The creature waved a finger in front of my face casually.
I stared at it in disbelief.
Did it just talk?
"You've got a pretty strong arm, kiddo. I can barely feel my leg anymore."
Its mouth moved naturally despite the monstrous face.
Its rectangular pupils remained fixed on me.
"Where… am I?" I finally managed to ask.
The creature stretched out a hand toward me.
I hesitated before grabbing it.
He pulled me effortlessly to my feet.
"I almost grabbed the execution collar instead. That would've been awkward."
I didn't stay to hear the rest.
I immediately started running again.
A talking goat was already beyond what my mind could tolerate.
Then pain exploded through my body.
A violent electric shock surged across my neck and spine.
I collapsed instantly.
The collar.
I touched it instinctively.
Cold metal wrapped tightly around my throat.
I forced myself to crawl anyway.
Another shock hit harder this time.
The goat-man calmly walked beside me while I struggled.
"You really shouldn't run while someone's still talking. It's rude, you know."
He eventually grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me upright.
In one hand was a small remote.
"Don't touch the collar," he said casually.
Unless you got a death wish kid."
That didn't sound like a threat.
It sounded like a fact.
"Shall we?, He gestures his arm as if telling me to move.
I obeyed.
Right now, I didn't exactly have a choice.
"I'm guessing you're confused," he continued while leading me down the endless halls. "But if I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."
He glanced at me with those strange rectangular pupils before speaking again.
"What you're looking at is one of Task Zero's flagships."
"I'm the health expert here. You can call me Dr. Raquel… or Doc Rac if that makes you more comfortable, Devon."
I stopped walking instantly.
How the hell did he know my name?
"That is your name, is it not?" he asked calmly.
"If you're wondering how we know who you are… trust me, that should be the least of your concerns."
I stayed silent after that.
Watching.
Thinking.
Nothing about this place felt normal.
The walls were smooth and reflective, lines of faint light running through them like veins beneath skin.
The floors were spotless.
Too spotless.
A low mechanical hum echoed endlessly through the halls, like the ship itself was alive.
Eventually, Dr. Raquel slowed his pace.
"Flagship?" I finally asked. "What happened to Earth? How did I even end up here?"
The goat doctor paused for a while before turning toward me.
"How much of everything do you remember?"
"I remember going home… I was coming back from class…"
I forced myself to think harder.
"I remember holding onto something…"
"Can you remember what it was?" he asked quietly.
I frowned.
"I don't know… but I think it was important."
"Interesting," he muttered slowly.
Then he looked directly at me.
"Well, Devon… I hate to tell you this."
A brief silence followed.
"But Earth doesn't exist anymore."
What.. what...what do you mean by that?
What do you mean by earth doesn't exist anymore?
I meant what you heard,
Earth exists no longer in your solar system.
I stood there in disbelief.
Earth might have not been the best planet,no to mention the shitty experiences.
But even then, it was difficult to believe a planet that had existed for billions of years had simply vanished.
Everything.
People.
History.
Cultures.
Gone.
"Perhaps you need a few minutes to process all this."
I didn't answer.
I only gave a weak nod.
"Did you guys do it?"i finally asked,
He stopped and sighed,
"What good will telling you do?
You end up building hatred for us?
Not long after, he continued walking.
"The truth is, Devon… the destruction of any planet affects us more negatively than you think."
His voice became quieter.
"From someone who lost his home just like you… I sympathize with you."
He probably thought I was grieving.
But the truth was…
I couldn't process anything.
Hell, I couldn't even remember properly.
We eventually stopped in front of a large metal door.
Dr. Raquel pressed a keycard against the panel beside it.
The door slid open slowly.
Faint murmurs echoed from inside.
Before I could see clearly, he turned toward me, patted my shoulder gently, and smiled.
"You're in good hands."
Then he left.
As my eyes adjusted, I finally saw them clearly. Right Infront of the mechanic door he had opened
A middle-aged man wearing a conical hat and loose medieval-like clothing stood before me calmly.
Beside him stood a younger boy with orange hair and two dark lines running from beneath his eyes down to his cheeks. He was considerably shorter than me not dwarfed just youngerl
Neither of them moved much.
Yet standing near them felt strangely suffocating.
Like the air itself had grown heavier.
After several long seconds of silence, the older man finally spoke.
"Walk with me."