What y beyond the wreckage was deadly silence. Creeping fires, hot dreaded sand, words indescribable as the scene unfolds.

  Throughout the wreckage, there was no form of life, no breath that id waste upon the burnt corpses and metal that id bare upon the dunes. There was no sound, only the whooshing winds of hot lethal air that blew through the scarce region.

  Touch was scarce, hearing was ringing, the taste was gone, smelling was destroyed.

  No sign of life came through, no way of a soul or spirit rising from the ashes from the depths of despair—no, there was the sound of metal thumping coming from one of the debris.

  The sound began to turn from thumping to knocking, knocking to thumping again, and then, a constant increase of loud banging. Banging that didn’t stop, only ever increasing as each grain of sand swept by.

  Pretty soon, the banging stopped. But only for several seconds before a loud explosion came out of the metal shaft.

  The force of the explosion disrupted the sound of blowing sand, and the way the heavy metallic wall of debris that flew only spshed hot sand throughout the lethal dunes.

  And what came out of the metallic debris was one man.

  A man so burdened by luck that no one could have made it out just like he did. A man who went through hell and back to save those that needed saving. A man pgued by horrors beyond any man should go through.

  Was he a soldier? Was he a hero?

  Was he human?

  The man quickly took note of the devastation that was around him. Everything that was not metal was sand, dunes that reached as far as what human’s horizon expected it to be. With nothing but sand, and with a heap of metallic debris that he crawled out of, how will he survive?

  Or rather, how will he prevail?

  (??? thoughts) Just my luck…

  Loneliness and despair was all around the lethal sand dunes. Any normal person would feel horrid by the fact that sand was going to be the st thing that a person would stly die on.

  But the man in question had a sense of purpose despite the odds against him.

  (??? thoughts) I guess this is how it begins…

  The man, with a pn, didn’t panic, nor did he stay and hole up for better survival, but walked.

  If walking was all he could do, then walking is all he would do.

  Through the burning sand, he had a purpose, no matter the cost, he’ll—

  (??? thoughts) No matter what, I’ll save everyone…

  And away he walked.

  No matter what he’ll push forward. Even in hell, even in heaven, he’ll keep moving in the present.

  And as he walked, a burning sandstorm became ever-growing in the direction that he was walking. Noting that whatever happens, he’ll make it somehow no matter the cost.

  For as long as he y breath he will never die, and for as long as he walked—

  (??? thoughts) I will prevail…

  Closer and closer to the burning sandstorm at hand, his sense of loneliness only grows inch by inch, but his sense of despair only shrinks yard by yard.

  That’s because he’s a soldier—no, he’s a hero—no, he’s …

  (??? thoughts) Cause I’m…

  In an instant, the storm of burning sand engulfed him like a mencholic monster.

  And just like that, the man was never heard from again.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Solmonath 28, 56 / 10:03AM)

  (Main Character) Hah!

  In an instant, a boy sprang up from bed, drenched with cold and warm sweat that molted most of his body. His face was pale, followed by the touch of his cmmy hands that pressed his cheeks. His body shivered as it adjusted to warmth rather than cold, as if…

  (Main character thoughts) Was that a dream?

  The boy’s body quickly began to cool down as he looked around the room, noticing that he was still stuck in the same room as he always slept.

  Looking around, he gnced at the number of posters that pstered the walls around his room, as well as gncing at the drawers that were a little messy to begin with. Combined with a few gnces that he took at the video game console that was on the ground, trapped in wires and game controllers away from the room, it was safe to say that he wasn’t the most organized boy.

  (Main character thoughts) I hope Mom doesn’t lecture me again…

  The boy then took a final look at the mirror that was opposite his bed, showcasing his reflection.

  The boy had light brown hair that was overall messy because of his deep sleep. He had a light skin tone that was not pale but not tan, clearly giving off that he rarely goes out of his room. He looked skinny but not scrawny, mostly average for a boy. And most importantly, the boy looked to be 11 or 12, but he looked short for his age. For now, he wore the blue pajamas that he always wore, but some things distinguished him from others.

  For one (or rather three features), he had long but normal ears that he achieved through genetics. He also has a side bang on his right eye. And finally, the boy had almost reddish eyes that aren't seen much in many people.

  Back to the story, the boy then y in bed for a little while before a thought popped into his mind.

  (Main character thoughts) I wonder what time it is…

  The boy then picked up the arm that was on the ground near his bed and noticed that the time was not 10:03, but 10:05.

  (Main character thoughts) Oh no. I should probably—

  The door to his room swung open, and what came barging into the room was a woman with sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. She looked to be in her mid-30s, despite not having wrinkles for her age or a couple of white hairs for her age. She had dark brown hair, with her hair wrapping with a ponytail. She had the same skin tone as the boy but looked a bit more tanner. She had a much smaller nose than him, and she was overall, better built than the boy, but she was fairly shorter than average.

  But the only thing that looked distinguishable was the fact that she had long pointed ears.

  (Main Character’s mom) Luke! Why aren’t you coming? Breakfast is ready!

  (Luke) groans … But mom I overslept.

  (Luke’s mom) I don’t care. Breakfast is ready, so hurry up before it gets cold.

  (Luke) sighs … fine

  Luke then gets out of bed before he gets his mother even more frustrated than she already is. When changing out his pajamas, he was still recalling the horrible dream he had of the desert.

  (Luke’s thoughts) What was that dream anyway…

  Instead of ignoring it, he kept questioning himself on why he had that particur dream. Why today of all days one of his dreams kept questioning and harangling him?

  Because he kept taking too long to change, Luke’s mother got curious as to what her son was doing.

  (Luke’s mom) Luke, stop standing there and get dressed.

  (Luke) sorry … hey mom, I have a question.

  (Luke’s mom) Make it quick.

  (Luke) One of my friends wants to hang out with me today.

  As Luke was changing, he talked with his mom as his mom watched him change. Having her arms crossed, she seemed serious with a feminine tone.

  (Luke’s mom) So do you want to invite him over today?

  (Luke) He wants me to go over to his club.

  (Luke’s mom) Luke, you know that’s not going to happen.

  (Luke) But mom—

  (Luke’s mom) You know the rules, Luke.

  As recalled earlier, Luke rarely spends time outside his room, but obviously, it wasn’t him that made him become a mini shut-in.

  His parents were highly protective over him, but why?

  (Luke) Mom, Fred’s my best friend, and I never went to his pce, so why—

  (Luke’s mom) I’ve told you, Luke! I don’t make the rules! You can’t go outside!

  Luke’s mom let her frustration grow to anger since Luke kept on wanting to go outside despite the rules put in pce. Angry that her son was trying to talk back to her, she kept her voice steady with anger.

  (Luke’s mom) You’re not going and that’s final!

  (Luke) Mom!

  (Luke’s mom) I told you to not talk back to me!

  (???) Hey, what the hell is going on here?

  A man in his mid-40s nervously came into the room, looking at how angry Luke’s mom was and how defiant Luke was.

  The man wore a typical fancy suit, clearly giving off a high social status and what his line of work was. He was fairly tall and had a normal build, and he had messy blonde hair that looked simir to Luke's. He had a simir face to Luke, but the only key difference was that his ears were nothing like Luke's, as well as the red eyes that the man didn’t have.

  Nothing distinguishable was within the man, clearly having a slim mustache and beard that suited a man his age. But one thing that the man had was the abundance of tissues that he carried, partially because the man was always sick or ill…

  (Luke’s dad) Mary, why so mad? Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee?

  (Mary) No thanks, honey, I just lost my temper, that's all…

  (Luke’s dad) How about we take this conversation to the kitchen table, breakfast is already ready. Make sure you get dressed Luke.

  Opening the big closet door, it opened to see many bck shirts and bck pants that the boy usually wears.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Guess I’ll go with the usual…

  Soon as he was finished dressing up, he then met up with his mother and father at the breakfast table.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  Clothes can determine the status of a person.

  It’s one of the most universal signs of status and wealth for a person to wear something that not many people can afford to wear.

  Considering that Luke’s dad wears a tuxedo day in and day out, shall we interlude more on this issue?

  Once the family of three was in the kitchen, light was already spraying the rays of sunshine and hope through the windows of the kitchen. But, because of the blinds that block 80% of the rays, it makes the kitchen feel like it's evening, even when the sun is shining at its brightest in the morning.

  In this dimly lit kitchen, the utensils that the family ate with were all golden and metallic, and the ptes were made with extra care. The cups were also gss silverware that seemed hand-crafted as well as handkerchiefs being used as repcements for napkins.

  Combined with the fact that most of the decorations around the kitchen are heavily materialistic in terms of how crafted they were, it made the kitchen feel like it was worth a million dolrs.

  Yet the kitchen felt so … empty…

  Simir to how empty Luke feels when speaking to his tyrants.

  (Luke’s Dad) Mary, you have done it again! These bacon and eggs with white rice sure are delicious, but try to keep the oil down a little…

  Luke’s dad was eating his freshly made breakfast that his wife made. Having a friendly smile upon his carefree face.

  (Luke’s dad) So Luke, do you mind telling me what you did to your mother?

  (Luke) I just wanted to hang out with Fred, that’s all…

  (Luke’s dad) Why not just invite the fellow over then?

  (Luke) But dad, he wants me to come over to his pce though.

  Luke’s dad quickly stops eating his breakfast and looks at his son Luke directly, making eye contact. The father erases his carefree mood to that of a strict and serious role model.

  (Luke’s dad) No. You won’t be going.

  (Luke) D-Dad—

  (Luke’s dad) If your mother says no, and if I say no, then it’s clear that you won’t be going.

  (Luke) …

  Luke remained silent as his demand to go out dwindled by the two role models he calls mom and dad. Luke was frustrated that for a middle schooler, he thought that his parents would just at least let him live a little.

  (Luke’s dad) You’ll understand what I’m talking about, and besides…

  Luke’s dad got up from his seat, not even finishing his pte. He then looked at Luke with a serious face that could make any kid remain silent.

  (Luke’s dad) You’re not ready…

  Luke’s father then left the kitchen and decided to put on his bck coat and hat, clearly going to work for the day despite it being a Saturday.

  (Luke’s dad) I’ll be back early today, I hope you don’t go anywhere Luke, for your own sake.

  (Mary) I’ll keep an eye on him, Joseph.

  And opening the only door to the outside world, Luke’s dad, now named Joseph, left the building, blowing his nose on the way out. Feeling like he was lost somehow, Luke looked down and shut his eyes, burying his frustrations deep down in his heart.

  As for Mary…

  (Mary) Ow, I’m going to use the restroom, I’m still constipated from yesterday…

  Mary as well got up from her seat, barely finishing her breakfast. Since Joseph left, she also cleaned up his breakfast and hers but left Luke’s breakfast alone since he still had a lot on his pte.

  (Mary) Please promise your dad you won’t be going anywhere.

  Luke remained silent, not wanting to listen to his mother anymore, trying to block all the words and sounds that belittled him. Even though Mary was constipated, she decided to let Luke’s behavior be, since it’s clear that Luke always wanted to hang out with friends but never did.

  While ignoring his mom, he turned on the TV to look for anything fun to watch.

  (Mary) No matter how much you’ll ignore me … You’ll always be my son …

  From there, Mary left towards the bathroom, trying to handle her stomach issues, while Luke watched from a boxed TV.

  Surfing the channels, looking through something pleasant to watch, it all looked boring for him at the moment.

  (Bunny Human News Reporter) Uh, more reports of kids going missing all around the Azazel subtropical region, some say that it is linked to a cartel named Los Cerdos de—

  Luke changed the channel, looking through the History Channel.

  (Human Historian) In Khazuan Territory, there is clear evidence that the people there may not be the only ones—

  Luke changed the channel again to the sci-fi channel.

  (Human Astronomist) You know, Terra is a weird pnet for us humans and beast humans

  (Dog Human Astronomist) How so?

  (Human Astronomist) Well, for one thing, many evidence suggests that our pnet may be artifi—

  Luke then turned off the TV, not wanting to watch a bunch of conspiracy theorists that are pying the roles of journalists and scientists.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  Luke then went out to the balcony that overlooks the city.

  Because of the amount of wealth that his father has, the family lived a luxurious lifestyle, and since he wanted to maintain a safe environment for Luke, the family lived in a penthouse.

  Overlooking the city on the top floor, the wind whooshed the balcony with carefree morning air.

  Cars, people, smaller buildings, street poles, high-tech billboards, a city enthusiast pyground.

  While Luke just watches.

  (Luke) Why can’t I go out for once? I could handle myself. Nothing ever bad happens in Cstine…

  (???) Tell me about it, dude.

  Hearing a random stranger coming from behind him, Luke quickly looked back to see a man who looked to be 18 or 19. The old teenager wore all bck, from a bck hat to a bck mask that covered most of his face and hair, and a bck jacket and pants as well.

  The man in bck looked to be up to no good if you recall that the penthouse is on the top floor of the tower…

  (Luke) W- Who are you?! Where did you come from? Why are you here? W-When d-did you come here…

  Luke was scared that some random teenager just popped out of nowhere and talked to him like it was nothing. As if the teenager spoke to him as he knew him…

  (???) Rex kid, I ain’t going to hurt you. You seem pretty weak anyway though.

  (Luke) W-what?

  Luke was taken aback by how nonchant the masked man was, as well as how much of a little jerk he was too. The masked man is a teenager though, so it makes sense.

  (???) I mean, you’re a kid, so it’s proven that you’re weak. Like come on my dude, I’ve seen tougher—nah, I’ve seen tougher girls stronger than you.

  (Luke) Can you please be quiet?

  (???) Haha, you can’t even tell me to shut up, how much of a pushover are you man…

  The masked man kept on ughing while Luke inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly. Despite being a teenager, Luke thought of him as a young adult, despite the man acting childish.

  (Luke) … Why are you even here?

  The masked man stops ughing and looks at Luke, shifting the tone from a childish and jerkish young adult to a more normal one that an adult would talk to a kid.

  (???) Personally kid, you don’t want to know, but what I do have is a proposition for you.

  (Luke) A p-proposition?

  (???) Yeah, a proposition. I’m surprised you know that word for a 12-year-old … Anyway, here’s the thing, I have two choices you could take.

  (Luke) Oh ok…

  The man then kneeled on one knee, signaling that he was unarmed or didn’t have anything cooped up in the oven. Looking at Luke directly, Luke noticed that the man’s sungsses that blocked his eyes were reflecting the sun's rays at Luke.

  (???) Here’s the first choice. You could simply y back on this balcony, drink Copsi or Squirte, py on your Gamegirl console or whatnot, or…

  The man then stood up, revealing the absolute height of the man he was.

  (???) You could choose the second option, in which you could explore the city if you go out through that door.

  It was a bck-or-white type of question. The choice between completely disobeying his parent's promise of not going out and fulfilling his need for living, or just indulging in the betterments of luxury food, with survival not even a thought for him.

  Luke started sweating, his hands now cmmy but not to the level when he woke up. He always obeys things that people ask him to do, even though he gets frustrated or a little angry when people make a fool of him.

  Was it his dream to go outside? Is he going to go outside and completely dismay his parents' promise?

  (Luke) I … I don’t know—

  (???) Bro, it’s a simple yes or no question, do you want to get out of the penthouse or not?

  (Luke) I…

  He didn’t want to lose his trust in his parents, but he was always living under their careful watch 24/7. Even the amount of money that his father brings him isn’t enough to satisfy his needs, he doesn’t mind the games, TV, or the abnormal bookshelf in his room, what he wanted was …

  (Luke) I want …

  His heart, trying to bring his motivations and words out, was being held back by his vocal chords that tried to chain him down. He was trying to speak, but he just couldn’t say those words, no matter how hard he was stuttering.

  (Luke) I w—

  (???) Are you ok bro?

  Luke began sweating even more, clearly in conflict within himself as he was fighting with his vocals to say those words. Luckily, Luke had some help.

  (???) For God’s sake bro, hurry your indecisive pushover ass up! Are you going to live with your heart or with your shadow?

  A st push that Luke desperately needed, he said the words that he always wanted to say loud and clear.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  As Mary got out of the bathroom, she was drenched with sweat from the turmoil that she endured in her fight with her stomach.

  (Mary) I think that’s the st of my constipation…

  Mary then decided to check up on Luke, hoping to see if Luke was in a good mood for both mother and son to talk. She wanted to apologize and hoped that she could let him choose dinner for today as an apology.

  But Luke wasn’t watching TV.

  (Mary) Luke! Are you in your room?

  Mary then went to Luke’s bedroom to see that he wasn’t there either. Her heart beating faster, she started to check the closets, the balcony, the kitchen cabinets, anywhere...

  (Mary) Luke! Come out now!

  After not finding Luke anywhere, Mary then noticed that the main door to the penthouse was unlocked.

  (Mary’s thoughts) Joseph locked it when he left…

  The puzzle was solved.

  (Mary) LUKE!!

  Thus continued Mary’s search for Luke.

  And thus begins Luke’s exploration of the city!