"Damn it."
I had a strange dream today. I don't remember exactly what happened, but I was desperate. I had lost something really important, and just as I was about to get it back… I woke up.
"That damn light..."
Sunlight leaked through the curtains of my window. Still exhausted, I tried to sit up, but it was tough.
"...Ugh... nnngh..."
My body felt heavy, heavier than yesterday. It was like I was wearing a weighted suit strapped to every part of my body, and more weight kept getting added each day.
Truthfully, I'm lucky. I recently read that some people with my condition died just a few days after contracting gravism. Their organs collapsed from the accumulated pressure, or their necks snapped from worn-down bones.
In my case, the worst that's happened was a sprain I got the other day while reaching for a teacup in the cupboard. My arm still hurts.
That's been my life for the past few weeks. I'm dying slowly, and every day is worse than the last.
Vrrrrrr.
A vibration. It was my phone, sitting on the desk next to my bed, within arm's reach. With effort, I stretched out and grabbed it, bringing it close to my face.
"...!"
It was a call. My dad was calling. Makes sense. We haven't spoken in days. He's probably worried. He always said that if anything ever happened to me, if I ever got into trouble, I shouldn't hesitate to call him. He would move heaven and earth for any of his kids.
Vrrrrrr.
I didn't answer. I just stared at the screen, the word
"Dad" taking up most of it.
Vrrrrrr.
"...…"
Vrrrrrr.
"My... my... DAMN IT!"
I couldn't take the noise anymore and threw the phone across the room.
Crack.
I put too much force into it. My arm cracked. Probably microfractures in the bone.
Thud.
The phone hit the wall, and the screen shattered on impact.
"Aaagh... huuaaah... huuuaaaggh..."
Sniff. Sniff.
I couldn't hold it in. The pain was unbearable. I started to sob, and then cry.
"This... isn't... hic... this isn't fair."
***
It's been two months, one week, three days, two hours and… uhh...
"It's about four in the afternoon, so... twenty-four minutes and seven seconds since I got the news."
I'm dying. I don't have much time left. According to the doctor, I've got around six months. I've already spent over two of them.
Now I'm sitting on the couch in my apartment, watching cheap comedies and wasting my time, just like I always have. I was trying to think about anything but my slow, inevitable death or the agonizing pain crawling through my body. I just wanted to laugh a little at stupid jokes.
But it only made me feel worse.
Then, out of nowhere, a crazy thought crossed my mind.
"I want to go outside."
For someone like me, the idea of leaving a purified-air environment is borderline suicidal, maybe outright insane. But I wanted to. I just wanted to see the sky.
I got up from the couch and walked to the shelf near the front door. On it was a mask, a model designed to purify air contaminated with gravisom particles. I put on a black coat and some blue jeans, then fitted the mask over my face.
Click.
I tightened it securely. If it wasn't sealed properly, the contaminated air could get into my lungs. In my condition, that would be enough to kill me…
But honestly, at this point, what difference does it make?
I'm going to die anyway.
I left my apartment. The sky was cloudy. If I'd gone out a bit earlier, I might've caught the midday sunlight. That made me even sadder. I wanted to see the sun. To do that, I'd have to travel far across the city. With that goal in mind, I started walking, despite the pain I felt with every step.
***
After a while, I was still making my way through the city. I was surrounded by towering buildings that touched the clouds. Regulus is known for having countless structures that reach over nine hundred meters tall.
The streets were crowded. Everyone wore masks identical to mine. That's due to the city's district division. The city of Regulus has protected sectors where humans can live without fear of monster attacks. Houses, apartments, and schools were built there. Everything was developed within a specific zone of the city, known as the Human District.
It's the only place inhabited exclusively by humans. In fact, the tallest buildings in the entire city are here. Just one of these skyscrapers, nearly a kilometer high, can house thousands of people—each with plenty of space… assuming they can afford it.
Those who can't end up building camps in the alleys.
"...!"
While I was lost in my internal monologue, a hand touched my shoulder. When I turned to see who it was, I was surprised. It was an old man, about eighty years old. He wore dirty rags barely containing his fat belly, and an old mask that didn't even fully cover his white beard. However, his most striking feature was a red hat—the only piece of clothing without stains.
[Hey, kid]
I knew this old man. His name was Klaus, a vagabond I had once given money to buy me beer.
[How are you feeling? Still dying?]
He's not rude—just ignorant and a bit naive.
[I'm… fine. And yeah, still dying]
By the way, these masks don't just block air from coming in—they also prevent it from coming out. The internal filters are so powerful they clean every breath, meaning that if I tried to talk, the filters would distort my voice into a whistle. That's why these masks have a text projection system. Every word I say is displayed in front of my face as a hologram, so others can read what I'm saying.
[Oh… that's a shame]
[Want me to get you more alcohol?]
I got a little flustered. I'm still underage, and if someone read the old man's screen, we could get into serious trouble.
[Uuuh… no. I'm good for now, thanks]
Maybe later, when I'm feeling worse.
[Oh, then how about I find something else? Something stronger]
"...!"
Please, don't say what I think you're about to say.
[What if I get you dr—]
I waved my less-injured arm in front of the hologram, trying to block that word—the kind of word that could get us a year in prison by itself. The city's laws on illegal substances are extremely strict. If I get caught trying to buy something like that, I'll be arrested… and probably have my legs broken.
[No, thank you, Klaus. I'm… I'm fine for now]
There was a pause between us.
[…I'm glad]
I couldn't see his mouth, but I bet he was smiling.
I met this old man not long ago, but he's shown genuine concern for me. He didn't even accept payment when I asked him to buy me beer. He just said, "drink carefully and enjoy every sip." He's a good person. Always ready to help me whenever we run into each other. I hadn't met someone like that in over ten years. I had almost forgotten what it felt like.
"..."
Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve his kindness.
[What are you doing out here? Your exams for that prestigious academy don't start for another two months. Going to watch one of those movies with cheap jokes?]
He's also very good at reading people.
[No]
[Then where are you going?]
When Klaus asked me that, I didn't know how to answer. I just wanted to see a blue sky, but there were too many clouds over this part of the city. I knew exactly where I had to go to achieve that goal. But that place was dangerous for someone like me. Even so, I no longer cared what might happen to me. After all, my body was already too damaged.
[I'm going outside the district. To the superhuman sectors]
The atmosphere around us changed instantly—not just for us, but for the people who happened to read my screen. They stopped and stared at Klaus and me, perhaps wondering what story lay behind those words.
[I see]
Even Klaus sounded worried.
[Be careful]
With those words of support, I continued on my way.
***
I walked for almost two more kilometers, until I reached a portal station. The name says it all. I stepped into the massive building. I couldn't help but feel dizzy from the technology used here. Sometimes I can't believe things like this exist. If I didn't see them with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe them.
I went to the reception desk to pay for portal access. Then they took me to a room where other people were waiting for the next portal to open.
Beep
[Thank you for waiting. The portal to Elarion Station will now open]
A robotic voice echoed through the room. Then, people lined up in front of a yellow line with the word "caution." Ahead of that line, a quantum energy reactor collapsed specific regions of space, creating a curvature that connected to the distant Elarion Station. In other words, there was a flash, and a blue, three-meter-wide oval appeared—a doorway to another place.
***
When I stepped into the other station, I exited immediately. And then I finally saw it.
The sky. It looked so clear. The clouds, instead of hiding it, decorated it. It was a sight that delighted my eyes.
"..."
If the mask had allowed me to speak, I would've said something like "finally."
Although I had already fulfilled my goal of seeing the sky, I didn't want to leave yet. I wanted to explore more of this part of the city. It was a bold idea, but today I felt incredibly cheerful.
BOOOM!!!
Suddenly, an explosion shook the entire area. People began moving toward safe zones. They didn't run—just walked briskly, as if they were already used to situations like this.
Just when I start to feel a bit of peace, fate shows up to remind me of my place in this world.
***
[URGENT ALERT]
A 57-meter-wide metallic dome has crashed in the residential zones of the superhuman sector, north of Regulus, 12 kilometers from Elarion Station. The object is composed of Vultraneum, an alien metal registered as a weapon used by the Vultrack species.
[17:58] Impact confirmed.
[18:18] The dome has opened.
Reptilian entity released.
Attribute: Unknown.
Status: ACTIVE THREAT.
SSSHHHRRAAAAKKKHHH!!!
The northern streets of Regulus trembled under the weight of an indescribable terror.
In front of them stood a monster with a serpentine appearance, nearly fifty meters long and three meters thick. It was no natural creature, but a biological weapon created by the Vultrack—designed with one purpose only: to exterminate superhumans.
BOOOM!!!
CRASH!!!
The city began to suffer the consequences. Explosions, collapsing buildings, smoke, and screams blended together as the colossal serpent advanced without pause. Its slithering motion through the streets triggered seismic waves, as if the ground itself couldn't bear its weight or its speed.
"Damn lizard!!!"
The greatest weakness of superhumans was their own arrogance.
A group of brave fighters stood in the creature's path, shouting at it, insulting it, trying to draw its attention. They were people who had seen monsters before… and believed this would be just another one.
When it stood right in front of them, they didn't show fear. On the contrary, they dared to provoke it even more.
"Take this, you wretched freak!"
One of them, gifted with superhuman strength, lifted a car and hurled it like a baseball. The vehicle shot through the air at high speed, headed straight for the beast's head.
The serpent stared back calmly.
FUUUOOOOSHH
Everything happened in less than a second.
The creature whipped its tail with such violence that the car disintegrated on contact—pulverized by the sheer force of the strike.
But that wasn't all.
The shockwave from the blow spread like an invisible bomb. The air was compressed, buildings collapsed, and the street split in two.
CRASH!!!
BOOOM!!!
Even two kilometers away, the results were devastating.
Ravaged streets.
Entire structures reduced to rubble.
Lifeless bodies buried beneath concrete.
And then, everyone understood.
This was no longer just another attack.
It was no longer a containable threat.
No one was safe.