Gently, I opened my eyes.
Where am I? a thought popped into my head. The sky was dark, stars shining all over. Then I noticed something.
Besides me were sticks of wood set together with a burning flame at the center. A campfire? a question surfaced within me. I sat up straight and looked around.
I was surrounded by the ruins of demolished buildings. How did I get here? I whispered to myself when I began to hear a voice coming my way.
"Oh, the soldier man came running home...
He was armed to the teeth, but not to his soul...
Oh soldier, came home to his wife and kids...
A tale he kept on saying to himself, he forgets they were all killed..."
What kind of song is that? I wondered. Immediately, I stood up and grabbed one of the burning sticks from the fire.
"Uhn? Are you awake?" the voice said as it came closer. I held the stick firmly and pointed its burning edge in the direction of this unknown person.
"So, how are you… hey, what are you doing?" the voice spoke as the speaker stood in front of me.
Uhn! Not what I was expecting, honestly.
Standing before me was a young boy. He was tall, with black hair and grey eyes. He wore a blue shirt, brown long trousers, and white sneakers. His clothes looked rough, and at a glance, one could tell he hadn't washed them for a while. His complexion was fair, and on his ear were some piercings.
"Who are you?" I said, still pointing the burning stick at him.
"Well, since you're asking so politely, my name is Kael Toshibawa," he answered, taking a majestic stance. "I'm 27 and probably the most awesome person you'll ever meet. And what about you?" he asked.
For a second, she paused, then looked at Kael. "I think my name is Echo," she replied, staring at the band on her wrist. "For some reason, I can't remember anything. It's like I forgot myself," Echo said, turning her gaze toward me, then dropping the burning stick she held in her hand.
"Oh, that's okay. We live in confusing times. I totally get it — you're not in the mood to talk about yourself," Kael said as he gradually sat down on the ground. "Are you hungry? I managed to get some food. It's not the best, but at least it can keep us full," he said, handing out a bowl of food toward Echo.
Echo looked at the food in front of her. It appeared to be a sealed bowl, with the lid still intact. It was medium-sized, and from it came an aroma that smelled tasty and enticing. Then she asked me, "Why are you helping me?"
"Hmmm, well…" I began as I opened another bowl of food to eat. "I was passing through the next village scouting for food supplies when I suddenly heard an explosion. Immediately, I came down there hoping for free supplies from whoever must have killed themselves, only to find you."
"You were there, lying on the ground with scars all over. So I discovered you were still alive, then patched you up, and here we are," Kael said with a smile on his face, eating his food.
Echo looked at her arm in confusion as she couldn't remember what had happened earlier. Then it hit her. "Ahhh!" she yelled, falling to the ground.
"Oh shit, are you okay?" I got up and ran to her. "You had a deep wound on your shoulder, so if you put any stress on it, it's going to hurt a lot. Luckily for you, I found something we can tie it with, so it won't get infected as it heals." From my pocket, I brought out an old blue piece of fabric. "May I?" I requested. She looked at me, hesitated a little but later gave a gentle nod, indicating I could go ahead. I held her arm and began to wrap the injury with the piece of fabric.
"Wow, you sure do have nice skin," I commented, staring at her arm. Then I realized she might misunderstand what I meant. "I mean, your skin is smooth and the texture is very good for a person living in the current conditions of the world. You're lucky," I said, trying to overcome the awkwardness.
"Lucky?" she murmured.
"Uhn?" I turned to her face, and she turned to mine. For an instant, we locked eyes.
Her eyes were black, so was her hair. Not too big, but they expressed the purest of intentions. Innocent and calm, like those of a newborn. It was like I stared into the eyes of a girl who the world had not yet corrupted. Then my face turned bright red, and so did hers.
And we turned away instantly.
"Uhhh! So, ohm, how've you been? How old are you?" I began to speak out loud to break the awkward moment.
In a calm tone, she answered, "I'm 26, and stop yelling. Kael, can I ask you something?" she said, holding the bowl of food between her palms.
"Sure, why not," I replied.
"What ever happened to this place? Why are there no people or animals? And why does everything look abandoned?"
"Oh!" Kael stated, his facial expression turning gloomy.
"Well, Echo, I wouldn't blame you for claiming to not remember anything, because who wouldn't want to forget?"
"Well, this is the effect caused by man wanting to play God," Kael said, turning his gaze toward the starry sky.
"This is the CATACLYSM EFFECT," Kael added. "And it all started two years ago."
The world was going on as it went every day.
Then one day, a rumor began to spread of an upcoming event that would put the earth on its knees. They said beings from another world would come to this one and take over, and this began to put the world gradually in a chaotic state. But the governments were able to calm the panic by saying it was just going to be a flu outbreak, nothing much.
Our ignorance prevented us from investigating further into these rumors. All we cared about was the assurance that everything would be okay.
A month later, the world governments had an idea. If eventually, there was going to be a threat, at least there should be insurance of a winning method set on the ground. So they created the Bio-Human-Enhancement-Organization. It was a big company somewhere in Noshimami.
By using ores, elements, and enchanting materials from the earth, they were able to create a serum that changed the whole perspective of human theories.
Just imagine, how would it feel if even for a second you had the chance to live forever? Or if you had the opportunity to choose whatever life you dreamed of? No matter how wayward your original life went. It was a serum so amazing that with it anybody, no matter how wasted, could have the knowledge of the ancient and future all at once.
Do you know how it feels to know everything? To know even how your own life would end? Indeed, it was a discovery that broke the greatest research ever known by man. But one day, something went wrong.
Nobody even saw it coming. There was no sign, no signal, not even a hint…