"Why?"
A girl with pure white hair, dressed in a tattered gray dress, was running for her life from something.
In a dark tunnel filled with wrecked cars, some were on fire, others were with bloody corpses inside, or worst of all... the gruesome sight of people burned alive in the cars they were in.
At least, at the end of the dark tunnel, there was a light, just a few hundred meters away from this darkness.
"Why... do I have to run for my life like this??"
The girl continued running, hoping to reach the other end of the tunnel, even though the ground she was running on was rough and covered with shards of dark, unidentifiable crystals. But that wasn't something she cared about. All she aimed for was to run to the end, her only way out in this tense moment.
Booomm!!!
The deafening sound of exploding car wrecks in the tunnel echoed closely behind her. It was as if a massive object had violently slammed into the car debris, or perhaps possessed immense power, easily crushing them until they exploded.
And that was the reason she was running away.
"Th-that monster?! T-it's catching up that fast?! This is insane!!!"
A gorilla-like monster with sharp, black crystals covering its back was chasing her relentlessly. Its size was almost as large as the tunnel itself, so it was no surprise it possessed the strength to easily crash into anything in front of it.
It destroyed everything in its path with its brutal charging force, its sole target being the white-haired girl in front of it.
The white-haired girl ran as fast as she could, even though she desperately wanted to rest.
"J-just a little more!! And I'll bet my life on dodging to the left at full speed!!"
With immense effort, running forward at full speed without looking back, she finally reached the end of the tunnel.
The light at the end of the tunnel was blindingly bright as she ran through it. When she opened her eyes again, her heart sank. What she saw before her was enough to kill her instantly.
"Whoa?! This is...a ravine?! No! The road has split open that far?!"
The road ahead of her was cut off. Dozens of meters away, there was no way to go but a deep ravine below. Too deep to jump and might end up suffering serious injury or possibly death.
But if she turned back now, that dark monster would surely crush her too.
"There's...There's no escape..."
The sound of exploding wrecked cars grew louder in the tunnel. If she didn't do something now, she might die...
But what other options did she have?
"I...I guess I'll have to try that method!"
She turned back to look into the dark tunnel once more...and decided to pull something out of her almost tattered jacket pocket.
It was a sharp piece of car glass. She held it, trembling with fear.
The roaring sounds from the gorilla in the tunnel grew closer. It was estimated that in a few seconds they would reach the end of the tunnel where she stood.
"Alright... This is going to hurt! B-but it might work!"
*Slash!*
Her last resort was to use that shard of glass to slash her right hand with all her might, sending blood splattering.
But her blood... Was something completely straight out of a fantasy world.
Her blood was…
•••••••••
••••••
•••
•——Year 2070 ——•
Even though World War III ended in 2050, caused by global shortages and corruption that led to annihilation wars against weak nations, many countries have begun to recover. However, some have disappeared from the map...
The world has continued to function for the past 20 years thanks to extraordinary technology.
This is largely due to the discovery of mysterious minerals from Mars that can create fuel even more efficient than nuclear power.
[Inanisium]
This pitch-black crystal mineral, found beneath the Martian surface, has been storing solar energy for billions of years. When used as a substitute for oil, even a small pebble can power a spacecraft back to Earth at full capacity, demonstrating its incredible potential as a fuel—even more powerful than nuclear energy!
This discovery has the potential to easily change the world. Currently, vehicles, smart tablets, electricity, and various other forms of energy rely heavily on inanesium. A future without shortages is no longer a dream!
However, this very discovery also marks the beginning of a catastrophe that humanity has overlooked…
[When you are sinking into darkness where no light shines, do not merely search for a glimmer of hope that may be just an illusion. Look down at your own shadow. Once you see it, look in the opposite direction of that shadow. That is the true way out.]