《The Echoedrome》 Part 1 ¡°The first that came, were the first gone. As the walls cracked and crumbled, and the radiant light shone through like the boundless stars from the heavens, humanity''s weaknesses were exposed like a searing wound in the scorching desert sun.¡± - General Sarah Aluri The dark gravel poured down the mountain of rubble as my hands, blackened from the dust, churned through the remains, searching for something of interest or importance. Even the smallest of finds, something barely of significance could keep me going for another few months or give me heat or electricity. The cacophony of stone and metal clanging together and falling onto the ground berated my ears and could probably be heard for a half mile. I didn¡¯t care or look around me for safety; there were no wild animals or marauders left to hear the noise, to sneak up on me and ransack my body after they had killed me. Not anymore. Not since the Reckoning all those years ago; too many to remember, and too few reasons to keep track. I lost count after ten years. Now, everything is like a haze, cloudy and dark. I¡¯ll never forget, but I will also bear the burden of never truly knowing what had happened, what had caused all of this. I didn¡¯t like wasting the few precious hours of sunlight I had each day, but my bones ached and the harsh dust that caked my face was now irritating my eyes. Even without seeing them, I knew they were sore and red. ¡°To see color again,¡± I thought to myself longingly. ¡°Just one last time.¡± I stopped digging in the enormous pile and sat down on a large, cracked piece of stone that seemed stable enough. It could¡¯ve been a fragment of a wall from one of the strongholds, or one of the last remaining cities. I didn¡¯t know and neither did the Earth. Sorrow and pain will etch memories into your core, into your very being that you will always remember, but great sorrow can also make you forget who you once were. The world, once filled with every vibrant color, blooming flower, and tree of every kind, had forgotten its past and took on a new identity, one of destruction, sadness, and remorse. I remained ignorant of the world¡¯s true nature, and it of itself. I brushed the dirt and dust from my face, barely taking off more than I was putting on. My clothes were filthier than my hands, and they were ripped and ragged. With no haircut in over ten years, I once had to push the hair away from my eyes just to see, but after the infections on my scalp, I decided it would be best to cut it all off. The downside was that my face now had no natural protection from the dust. But I¡¯ve learned to adjust. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I surveyed the world from my high perch, my gaze tracing the dull, colorless landscape. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but stone, metal, and harsh terrain. I imagined a time when grass and trees had once grown upon this barren land, although I wouldn¡¯t recognize a tree if I walked straight into it. They had vanished long before I was born, the wars made sure of that. I only know they possessed color, but not which color. I can only remember three distinct colors that I have ever seen; a dull, blood-red marking on stones and pieces of metal that distinguished the different cities and the Sigil of the Founders, our newly established Military at the time, forming shortly after the attacks began; a faded dark blue marking designating citizen only zones, but those were even more rare than food; and of course the green, foaming sea. I¡¯ve heard stories that it was once deep blue and breathtaking, but now, from the war, it was toxic and uninhabitable even to all the sea life that supposedly once lived there. Even stepping in for only a few minutes would kill you within a day or two. As a child, I heard stories of the millions of dead sea creatures washing up on every shore across the globe. No one knew the real reason why the sea was turned toxic and vile, or what advantage it was at the time, but everyone had their guesses, the Nameless. I had never seen one of them, no one had. Those who did were killed too quickly to share the knowledge, and no records remain that I could find. All were either destroyed or the memory was corrupted on every computer drive across the globe. All I know is that they did this. The light was quickly fading as my eyes examined the rough, foaming green waters of the ocean that raged with anger and untamed fury. The waves crashed against the shore and the rocky barricades that ran along half of the beach. Rumors spread that the Nameless damaged the moon, reshaping our waters into this monstrous form, but no one knew for certain. My eyes wandered toward the sky, the usual tan and dark gray expanse, resembling eternal storm clouds that never passed. I had never witnessed the sun, but its feeble light managed to filter through the bleakness for a few hours each day, illuminating the world just long enough for me to scavenge and make it home before the consuming darkness came. According to my Elder Mother, the sun once dominated the sky long ago, shining for almost half the day, and it was warm and possessed such incredible brilliance, that one would have to shield their eyes just to look in its direction. I¡¯m sure that the Nameless had something to do with that too. Occasionally, I would see specks of light in the middle of the night. I didn¡¯t know if they were remnants of the millions of broken satellites and ships stuck in orbit, or a few distant stars leaking through the haze, but I preferred to hope they were the latter. As the ground began to darken to its usual blackness, I knew I had to get home. Storms came twice a day, once in the night when the colder weather rushed in, and once in the morning when the sun began to heat the ground, and both were as deadly as the Nameless. Part 2 ¡°Human nature is weak and fragile. The unwillingness to prepare for the future is the downfall of every nation; yet this time, it was the downfall of Earth.¡± - General Sarah Aluri The sharp, white light in the corner of my screen blinked at me as if edging me on to start. I stared at myself on the monitor, the camera unapologetically showing my true self. I was hideous. Dirty and unkept, my clothes resembled little more than rags, and my skin matched the pale color of the stone outside. ¡°May as well,¡± I muttered with a shrug. I took a small sip from the dwindling remainder of my recycled water. It wasn¡¯t enough to quench my thirst or even provide a small reprieve from the stinging of my cracked, dirt-crusted lips. Yet, I had no alternative. Luckily, so much broken technology was left behind from both the Founders and the Nameless, that I became quite good at rebuilding things. If I hadn¡¯t, I couldn¡¯t have ever repaired the Hydro Recycler I found in one of the ruins. It took two days to haul it back to my small, broken-down military vehicle that I called home. Then, it took two weeks to decipher its mechanics, and another two weeks to fix it. When it finally worked, I hadn¡¯t had a drink in two days. I barely produced enough urine to recycle into water, but I made it work. If the ocean wasn¡¯t so toxic, I would¡¯ve had a boundless supply of water to recycle. That¡¯s possibly why the Nameless ruined it. We must have relied on it. ¡°All is fair in war,¡± I whispered to myself. I heard someone say that once, but I never knew what it meant. I didn¡¯t think anything about war was fair. Everything and everyone was destroyed. Nobody had won. How is that fair? A small storm began to blow through the holes in the walls, upsetting the makeshift blinds I made from thin metal sheets. They clattered and banged against the side of the metal wall. Though I managed to patch most of the holes, there was hardly enough salvageable metal to cover every inch. Standing up, I stacked a few rocks and stones against the metal sheets to keep the wind from pushing them open. It worked well enough, but the wind still howled angrily outside. I sat back down and looked at the monitor, the camera was still recording. Clearing my throat, I rested my elbows on my knees and sighed before meeting the camera with a steady gaze. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°The year is 2171.¡± I glanced back at the scratches etched into the wall that I had made to track the passing years. I began counting to make sure I was right. ¡°Seventy-one,¡± I finished out loud. I turned back to the camera and stopped. I desperately wanted to say the day, the month, or even the season, but clocks no longer existed as almost all technology was destroyed, and there were no such things as seasons anymore. The weather always remained the same. Undoubtedly, something else to blame the Nameless for. I sighed and continued. ¡°It¡¯s been two weeks since my last recording. I¡¯m almost out of water unless I find something soon. I urinate less each day, slowly depleting my reserves. I estimate that I may have one year before I¡¯m completely out.¡± Outside, the wind howled even harder and the vehicle shook as debris struck against the metal doors. The single light that I had, flickered above my head, the electricity fizzing in and out, as if contemplating whether to succumb and leave me in darkness or persist a little longer. ¡°Food might last another two years, though I wouldn¡¯t count on it. Speaking of which, I think it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Reaching into a metal box nestled in the left corner of the vehicle, I pulled out a small, palm-sized gray package. I gently ripped it open, careful to not let anything drip onto the ground. Opening my mouth, I squeezed a fingernail-sized amount of the thick, colorless liquid into my mouth. Savoring the taste for a few moments, I swallowed. ¡°Look,¡± I said, moving closer to the camera. I poured another small dollop onto my tongue and stuck it out of my mouth for the camera to see. The heat from my breath fogged up the screen. ¡°I found a hoard of it in the tanks along the beach and in one of the cities just a few miles south. It¡¯s military rations. Everything you need in one bag. Without this, I would¡¯ve died years ago. I stretch each bag to last me a week. Found thousands of them.¡± Pouring one last drop into my mouth, I tucked the package away in its place. ¡°Here, look what I made.¡± I held up a small, metal statue that I had carved from a laser. ¡°It¡¯s a friend,¡± I said with a laugh. I examined the object for a moment, admitting its crude features. The head was square and barely recognizable, and the body was elongated and imperfect, but it looked real enough. The legs were fashioned from coils I had found at the dump, and I managed to solder two small, triangular pieces of metal onto the body for arms. I looked at my creation and grinned at the camera. ¡°I¡¯m calling him toaster. I heard one of the Elders use that word when I was a child and I always liked the name. No idea what it means, but I think it fits.¡± The walls began to shake harder and the image on the monitor flickered. ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s enough for today. I hope someone is out there and will see this one day. I pray I¡¯m not the last one. Until next time.¡± Part 3 ¡°The surpassing greatness in a people is unity and tenacity. As the High Elders fought and argued amongst themselves, the world around them burned in anguish and fear; fire and destruction.¡± - General Sarah Aluri ¡°Fifteen years. I¡¯ve been alone for fifteen years now. The date is 2173 and I haven¡¯t seen another human being or even an animal or a bug. There¡¯s no life anywhere in the area, except for me. I don¡¯t know if there are any survivors on the whole continent. A while back I found an old, military long-range radio. Every night for three years I tried each and every station in an attempt to reach someone who might be listening on the other side. It was good practice to maintain coherent speech since I don¡¯t enjoy talking to myself, but hope can only last for so long. The storms prevent me from being gone long enough to search other cities on the rim. I can¡¯t travel for more than a few hours in any direction before I¡¯m forced to turn back. Nights are the worst. There¡¯s nothing more dangerous than being lost in a storm during the night. With no moon or stars, the world is pitch black and the winds can reach up to one hundred and thirty miles an hour. The debris alone could be enough to kill you. One brick to your head and it¡¯s all over. There¡¯s no medicine here. Once, the Nameless were the biggest and only threat. Before them, war was extinguished and unheard of for anyone under the age of sixty, thanks to the efforts of the Global Vanguard Army. For those who chose peace, and to be under the rule and subjection of the Global Apex Federation, everyone had plenty of food and clothing. I don¡¯t know why anyone would have chosen differently, but they did. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I wish I could say that something has happened in the past several years, that something has changed, but it hasn¡¯t. The world continues to crumble around me, the ocean, more threatening than before and the grays and tans of the dirt and rocks only become more dull. It happens so slowly that I hardly notice. But I feel it. Yet, something is keeping the world from completely falling apart. It¡¯s as if the Earth has an unknown reason for dredging on, for struggling to stay alive, knowing that if I am gone, that if it loses me, then its memory, its heart, and soul, will be lost forever. Am I holding the remainder of humanity?¡± My eyes trailed off from the screen along with my thoughts. I pondered silently for several minutes before I remembered that I was recording. ¡°Well, anyway. I found these, look.¡± I held up a few patched wires that were frayed and damaged almost beyond repair. ¡°They aren¡¯t much, but my light source is fading again and I think I can fix it with these. The generator is still working, but I¡¯ve had to repair it three times in the past five years. I¡¯ve scoured every inch within five miles. There¡¯s nothing left to salvage in the cities or vehicles. Everything is decayed or used up. Even now, I only turn the generator on every few days to a week. I need more resources and supplies, but I can¡¯t risk traveling aimlessly. I¡¯m forced to start looking further for potential water. Sadly, every map has been destroyed along with every computer and network. A few once attempted to create physical maps from memory, but those were soon lost or forgotten along with their makers who wandered off alone in search of other survivors and food.¡± ¡°Ah, well I have to go,¡± I said disappointedly. "The generator is blinking angrily at me. Until next time.¡± Part 4 ¡°Control the fear, control the people. The world around us dulled itself gray and lifeless; plants now unheard of and strange as the darkness lurking on the depths of the ocean floor. Those who believed the lies stayed and those who disregarded them were soon mixed with the rubble that was left behind.¡± - General Sarah Aluri The night storm came and went, and the loud, incessant thundering of rocks and debris against the cold, metal walls subsided, giving way like the darkness as the faint, sunlight meandered its way through the thick atmosphere. This storm was worse than the others and lasted three days, but after spending sixteen years alone, three days passed quickly. The heavy, armored door of the vehicle creaked as its rusted hinges groaned and ached as I slowly opened it. Even in the dim light that the sun provided, after three days in the darkness, I was blinded by its penetrating rays. My head emerged cautiously from the vehicle and I gazed at the ground, my vision fuzzy from the light. The surroundings were altered. Old layers of dust and dirt were moved and a fresh coat remained in its place. The ground was littered with new bits of metal and rock brought in from the relentless winds. ¡°This is a perfect day for scavenging,¡± I mumbled to myself. Long ago, I may have even smiled at such fortunate luck, but emotions and feelings soon erode and turn to impassiveness over years of isolation. You become dull, an empty shell like the world around you. The soul reflects the environment it¡¯s subjected to. Even anger and bitterness had no place in my heart. My feet trudged slowly over the uneven ground, my eyes carefully searching for anything to salvage. I had walked several miles to the northeast and found nothing so far. I stopped and unwrapped the protective cloth around my face and sampled the air. With a sigh of disappointment, I sat down on a rock and gazed at the view. Several beads of sweat trickled down my forehead which I promptly collected in a small jar, a meager contribution that I would add to my Hydro Recycler when I returned home. The sun itself wasn¡¯t scorching, but after the war, the atmosphere changed and became thick and cloudy. Something invisible had taken place and the weather became hotter every year. I vaguely recalled an Elder talking about trapped gasses, but none of the remaining children had time to learn about the Earth. Safety and survival were the only skills worth knowing. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Retrieving my water sack, I carefully let ten large droplets of water fall into my mouth to quench my thirst. I savored them, careful not to leave my mouth open for too long and let it dry out. Conserving moisture was one of the first lessons that were ingrained in us. Mouths closed. Always. I put the water sack away, saving the other ten drops for the return journey back. I rose to continue walking forward when I heard a faint rustling to my left like sand gently sifting. My eyes flickered across the ground until they settled on a small pile of mixed stone and metal protruding from the dirt. As I carefully approached and bent down for a closer look at the objects, the soft sound came again and the sand shifted slightly. Picking up a large metal object, I was startled when a small creature darted out from beneath it, making me jump back in surprise. The creature scurried around the sand for a moment or two and paused to sniff the air before disappearing beneath the pile once again. Its tan fur blended with the sky and ground, its tiny form small enough to fit in my palm. It was strange and fuzzy, with a long, hairless tail and four very small paws. As shocked as I was, I refrained from opening my mouth and risk losing moisture. I could hardly move. ¡°An animal?¡± I pondered. ¡°They don¡¯t exist anymore. Not in these conditions.¡± Curiosity gripped me, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the creature was and what it had been concealing beneath the pile. Brushing away the sand, I picked up the large piece of metal. It was shaped like a bowl and I poured out the dirt. An unexpected cling rang through the air as something heavy dropped to the ground. My eyes fell on a small, strange object in the shape of a cube. I brushed the remaining sand off as I picked it up and held it close to my eyes. It was extremely heavy for its size and appeared to be crafted by an unknown substance. Despite the hot sand it was buried in, the metal remained cool to the touch. It was symmetrical, with each corner thick and pronounced, the metal protrusions bearing cryptic symbols, forming an intricate pattern. Lines extended from each corner, converging towards the center of each side, where a mysterious eye was carved into the surface. The eye, with its unsettling yet captivating design, contained additional enigmatic symbols. My gaze locked on the cube and even the thoughts of the creature now retreated to the depths of my mind. I had never seen something so strange, so beautiful. I carefully stowed the cube into my scavenging bag. It wasn¡¯t a necessary find, but something inside of me couldn¡¯t leave it. As I tied the ends of my bag shut, something even more strange occurred. In the far eastern sky, something seized my attention that I had never witnessed in my life. A vivid, instant burst of color lit up the eastern quadrant. It was one of the only three colors I knew...red. Part 5 ¡°The cannons roared and the ships hummed through the air. A mix of chaos, metal, and blood stood between the final end or a new beginning; the latter seeming to lose its grasp of reality the further we descended into hell.¡± - General Sarah Aluri The faint, white light reflected off of my face as it blinked on the monitor screen, illuminating my darkened, harsh features and a fraction of the blackened, dirt-covered walls. ¡°The year is 2175 and everything has changed. It all started with this.¡± I held up the strange, metal box that I found the previous year. It was still unopened and no amount of fiddling with it or attempting to pry open one of the sides was successful or even left a single scratch. It was flawless in design, whatever nature that may be. I looked at the cube, then at the monitor, and back at the cube. It was beautiful. I couldn¡¯t take my gaze off its form. My fingers caressed the edges and markings, the gentle, cool touch on my skin. My voice was quiet and focused. ¡°This box¡­it¡¯s the key to everything. The key to the end. It all began with the lights. After I brought the box home, strange things took place. It made the light flicker and pulse as if an unknown energy was flowing through these very walls. Initially, I thought it was the storms, but then I soon realized that the storms had also changed. They no longer pounded against the walls like furious waves against the rocks. The storms now went around the walls, circumventing them as if this box provided an invisible shield of protection. Tranquility replaced chaos. Every day I went out searching for the red light in the sky, while each night I fell asleep, dreaming and wondering what it may be, and whether other survivors existed beyond my solitude, that perhaps I wasn¡¯t alone after all. But I never found anything. Then, one day, it came to me. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Determined to find more answers, I decided to bring the cube along with me to scavenge and see if I could find others like it, other materials not made by human hands. I tried desperately to find the exact spot where I had discovered it earlier that year, but the landscape is an ever-changing beast that never shows its face twice. Defeated, I knelt in the dirt and pulled out the cube from my scavenging pack, and cradled it in my hand. As my fingers tightened around it, the world seemed to dissolve and instantly spin until the lights became a single blur and everything faded. My mind was taken back to a time and place outside of Earth. I witnessed what I thought to be another world, another race, a history that no one else knew. I no longer felt like I was inside of my own body and mind, but instead, I was one with another, melding with a different consciousness. I saw shadows of strange figures, beings I did not understand, birth and death alike, one almost indistinguishable from the other. And then, the light abruptly came back to me, my mind returning to my body in an instant flash, and I awoke where I was just a brief moment before. My breath caught and I struggled to regain my composure. It felt as if I had witnessed an entire lifetime in a brief, mind-altering moment. Whose existence had I witnessed? What unfathomable things had I experienced? My gaze lifted and looked towards the eastern sky, where another red light burst through the air. It was calling me. Someone, something was calling me. But who? And then it hit me. I wasn¡¯t alone.¡± Leaning back in my chair, my face hidden in the shadows, the monitor light still blinking, I fell into a prolonged silence. ¡°This is the last time you¡¯ll hear from me. I have made one thousand and seven recordings over the years, and this will be my final one. May someone discover these and know what happened to me, to know that they aren¡¯t alone. Within this computer lies everything I am, and everything I know; the final remnants of mankind. May it serve to reshape humanity if it still exists.¡± I kissed my fingers, pressing them gently to the camera. ¡°May this desolate land become a mere shadow of what it once was, and may the Earth find its way back to who it is.¡± The camera¡¯s light continued to blink as if waving goodbye as it watched me wrap my face with my covering, sling my pack over my shoulder, and close the heavy door behind me, the cube held tightly in my hands. The Final Chapter ¡°Change requires sacrifice, and sacrifice requires death. With the eruption of a blinding green light searing past the stars, and waves of every color, powerful and dominant, the universe became still and silent. For five seconds, the raging tempest calmed and all was peaceful¡­before every soul was wiped away.¡± - General Sarah Aluri I ventured Eastward, neither knowing what lay ahead, nor what I was seeking. Both day and night were equally harsh. In the afternoon, the scorching heat threatened to turn me into dry ash and steal what small amount of liquid I possessed. As the first night descended, the air became chilled and frozen, my bones feeling like brittle stone, easily cracked upon little pressure. The weather threatened to force me to turn back, but there was no turning back. Not now. Yet, the strangest and most bewildering phenomena was the storm. I walked through the winds of the oncoming storm, desperately seeking shelter before it struck, but only discovering broken walls and remnants of shelters, too small and shattered for even a refugee like me. Unable to prepare for the first storm that approached, I stopped where I was. Huddled within my coat and wrappings, my arms tightly embraced my legs that protected my head that was nestled between them. The storm, howling like a wild animal, with the ferocity of the ocean and the speed of a Starling Ship charged toward me. Holding the strange cube, I braced myself for the inevitable, ready to become one with the Earth. The winds raged like a beast, coming to devour me, hurling scattered remnants of stone and metal through the air like they were nothing more than weightless dust. Eyes shut tightly, lips pursed, and my small, thin body tensed, I awaited the impending storm that was closing in from behind. It arrived. The storm crashed onto the rocks around me, effortlessly pulling them along, yet no force pushed me along with them. Shocked, I dared not move. Slowly, my dirt-crusted eyes tentatively opened, wary of the swirling sand that could tear through them like a sharp knife to young skin. To my amazement, I sat untouched in the midst of the storm. Glancing behind, I witnessed the storm stopping mere inches from my back, splitting into two enormous walls on either side of me. A silent laughter reverberated within my throat as I refrained from unnecessarily opening my mouth and breathing in the dry air and dust. It was then that I noticed that the cube had subtly transformed within my hands. Its usual cool touch changed to a warm, comforting feeling, heating my palms and radiating through my body as if by some strange science. It was protecting me. Bowing my head between my legs once more, I waited out the storm. The cube continued to keep me safe as I journeyed further into the east of the vast Echoedrome. Twice a day, I survived the storms, the cube protecting me as if it harbored a desire to keep me alive. When the storms approached, the cube would become warm and shelter me, and as the storm subsided, the coolness returned. Days turned into weeks as I ventured further and the landscape gradually began to change around me. The first city I encountered was one of the later constructed cities, built during the final years of the war. It was smaller than I would¡¯ve imagined, empty, and in ruins. Yet, this was the first time that I had ever encountered a city and its appearance was still very large. I was accustomed to caves and modest, square stone buildings housing twenty to thirty people when they could only comfortably fit ten. This would¡¯ve fit hundreds. Scorch marks marred nearly every stone and beam of steel, and the uneven ground was broken like shattered glass. Not a single skeleton or trace of life remained to hint that humans once lived here. Stepping through the ruins, I stopped in the center of the city where a large stone square displayed fractured metal protruding from the top of it in all sorts of twisted angles, clearly the remnants of a statue that was ripped away. My gaze shifted downward, revealing something that I hadn¡¯t seen in a very long time. So long in fact, that the memory had nearly faded until now. The color blue. On the front, bottom side of the stone was an old, weathered symbol that I had only seen once before in my childhood; a mark on a stranger''s shoulder patch when they had passed through our caves. The seal of the Blue Crested Mulnark. Some thought it represented freedom, while others, death. It was many days before I found another city, nearly five times larger than the first. The once-strong walls and enormous size indicated that this was a Bellatora, a warring city, meant for the defense and protection of its people against the Nameless. All were quickly destroyed in the war. Every wall lay broken and torn, except for two pillars and an archway marking the entrance. The city''s name, spelled out in metal letters clung to the archway¡¯s remnants. Only a few letters remained on either side, a ¡°Br¡± on the far left and an ¡°en¡± on the far right. At least five or six letters were missing in the middle. Drawing the cube from my bag, I held it in my hand. This time, it was much colder than before, almost unbearable to hold. My palms began to ache, prompting me to put it away. Peering into the midst of the city, I looked carefully and longingly to glean what I could from here. There were no visible flags or indicators of which group of people or military faction once controlled this Bellatora, but a strange feeling swelled in the pit of my stomach, urging me to move on. The air hung quiet and still, and I knew there was no danger within, but I recognized that this was not the end of my journey. As weeks turned into a month, my bag lightened considerably. The last remnants of my water were almost gone, and I only had a few days left. This morning¡¯s breakfast marked the end of my rations, but I knew that I could survive another two to three weeks without sustenance. The world around me had changed into a desolate wilderness of nothing but dirt and storms. Cities, wreckage, and any other lingering signs of past life had been erased, reduced to less than even mere shadows of their former existence. Lost in an unknown expanse, I remained oblivious to my location or the distance I had traveled, yet I knew that I had not reached my destination. Despite my dehydration, weary legs, and growling stomach, I refused to die in the wilderness after coming this far. The persistence to press forward, even without water surged within me; an inexplicable force pulling me towards something more, something beyond the skeletal remains of the Earth. I will not stop until I take my final step. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Over the next four days, the very life within me began to wither and fade. The last drops of water had been greedily consumed a day earlier. The raging heat, ever more relentless, seemed to grow fiercer each passing day as if threatening the world that it would be inevitably consumed by engulfing flames. Two more days had passed and my vision was fading along with my weakened body. The world morphed into a blinding haze of light, its shapes nearly vanishing into indistinguishable forms. My hands, when only mere feet from my eyes, blur into obscurity. My lips have begun to crack and bleed uncontrollably. I ripped off several large pieces of dried skin that clung around my mouth, offering no further use or protection. I tossed them to the relentless winds. The scorching heat beat upon my back, enveloping me like a blanket. Though the cube still protected me from the storms, even this strange phenomenon would not save me. Not anymore. I recognized that with the approaching nightfall storm, I would succumb to the elements, and lying where I fell, I would leave my body to rest eternally as the last vestige of humanity. Stumbling even on the relatively flat ground, I struggled to maintain balance and strength. Every few feet, I collapsed to my knees, struggling to lift myself back up. For the past hour, my eyes had remained closed. I dared not waste the strength required to keep them open. I could feel the coolness of the air changing, and I knew that the sun was descending behind the horizon. My final night was approaching all too quickly. I yearned to die, to be released from this endless pain, yet, I resisted the urge to give up. If death were to meet me tonight, he would be forced to rip my soul from my body, for I would not part with it willingly. With a groan of agony, I staggered forward, managing only two more steps before collapsing onto the ground. Dirt and dust spewed into my face, and it seemed as though all my efforts had been in vain. Discouragement threatened to overwhelm me, yet all it could muster was a single tear. Even my tears appeared to have dried up. ¡°This is not how it ends,¡± I muttered angrily, gritting my teeth. Summoning every ounce of remaining strength, I pulled myself to my feet and took three more steps before my body crumbled beneath its own weight. However, as my knees touched the ground, the strangest thing happened. The sun vanished instantaneously, replaced by a cool, refreshing shade that enveloped me. Wiping the crust and dirt from my eyes, I raised my head and beheld a city whose walls soared higher than the sky, resembling a mountain before me. I had collapsed within its protective shadow, and the sheer size of the city left me awestruck. My gaze wandered to the left and right, revealing an endless line of demolished walls except for a singular spot in front of me like an oasis. A minuscule glimmer of hope rose within my chest, giving me a spark of new energy and life. I pulled myself to my feet and walked through the crumbled sections of the wall into the heart of the city. To my left was an enormous airfield, strewn with broken aircraft, while on the right, endless training grounds sprawled out. Directly ahead, on the front of the crumbled and destitute city, was a colossal symbol in dull blood-red paint, the Sigil of the Founders, the Archangel. This was the first of the War Cities. The greatest, the largest, the first to witness utter destruction. I could almost imagine the battle as it took place so many years ago; golden bullets flying through the air, cannons bursting into the stone, exploding with fire and death, the Nameless, taking no captives and destroying all life without reason. I stumbled through the wreckage of the once-mighty city, making my way towards the rear wall. As I approached the city¡¯s edge, a faint glimmer of light beneath some rubble caught my eye. Clearing away a few small stones, I uncovered a golden pin hidden beneath. I dusted it off and held it close to my face. It bore the depiction of a woman adorned in military clothing, and underneath was inscribed, ¡°To Live Without Honor Is To Die Without Worth.¡± The Founders¡¯ Motto. I had heard it before as a child. These were now empty words. The pin dropped to the ground with a soft clink as I continued walking to escape the city. I did not have the time nor the energy to care whose likeness was on the pin or to carry it with me. It was time for the end. I climbed over the rear wall, its structure completely torn down, and knelt on the ground to gaze at the Earth one last time. The sunlight was nearly gone and the coldness was bringing in the storm. My eyes hungrily absorbed the vast, empty land before me. Unwrapping my head, I discarded the wrappings onto the ground, not caring if they became even dirtier. This marked the final occasion they would serve any purpose. The weight of my pack seemed heavier than ever. Seeing no further need for it, I unstrapped it from my shoulders and let it fall to my left. As its weight touched the earth, an unfamiliar sound, unlike any I had heard before reached my ears; a small, soft crunch. I moved my pack aside, discovering the most unlikely of things. Something that no longer existed. A single, dried-out plant. Laughing in amazement, I allowed my mouth to open while in the elements for the first time. ¡°This is a suitable place to die.¡± I moved my pack away from the plant, allowing it space to grow, and looked forward, welcoming a sense of peace to wash over me. In that moment, I suddenly remembered that I had never discovered what I had set out to find. Could it be this solitary plant? To realize that perhaps the Earth did have a chance even in my absence, that its memory will live on? My body¡¯s strength waned to the point where I could hardly keep my eyes open. Ready to spend my final moments in harmony with the world, I retrieved the cube I had found. To my surprise, it felt hotter than usual, despite the storm being far off. Lying down, I cradled it tightly to my chest, and as the strength was leaving my body, the cube became warmer and more radiant. With my chest slowing its rhythm until the last breath escaped, the cube became overwhelmingly hot, and a light, more radiant than the sun, instantly appeared before me. I was forced to cover my eyes from the intense brightness. Sitting up, I still grasped the cube whose heat was almost too warm to hold. As my eyes adjusted to the brightness, a singular tall shadow emerged from within the light before splitting into five distinct shadows, dispersing the brightness. ¡°This must be a dream,¡± I mused to myself. The shadowy figures drew nearer, their forms still mere silhouettes. Though they remained silent, something within me knew who they were. These were the strangers I saw in my vision. This was the purpose of my journey. They were here, for me. My eyes shifted to the cube that was now glowing as if it contained a star that was desperately trying to break free from its prison. This was theirs. It belonged to them and I was meant to deliver it. One of the figures extended their arm, prompting me to surrender the cube. Slowly, my hand stretched towards theirs, and as the cube neared the stranger, it began to shake violently. The stranger touched the cube, and it erupted in a blinding, powerful white light. In that fleeting moment, I witnessed the beginning and end of time, overlapping in a single entity, the birth and death of the universe, both events as one and the same thing. I beheld stars forming and exploding in a beautiful display of every color, the majority of which I had never seen. Space and time accelerated past me at a pace beyond my comprehension, hurtling towards a new light, brighter and more dominant than all of the rest. And as I reached it, everything plunged into darkness.