The air was a living thing, heavy with the weight of the unknown, it clung to their skin like a damp shroud, seeping into every pore like icy fingers. The weather had turned merciless since the day the world changed—as if nature itself had declared war on what remained of humanity.
Mimi sneezed, a tiny, sharp sound that cut through the relentless howl of the wind.
"You okay?" Ragna murmured, his voice rough from disuse. He shifted closer on the deck, draping his threadbare blanket over her small shoulders before pulling her into his lap. She burrowed against him, her body trembling despite the layers.
Another sneeze escaped her, softer this time, followed by a quiet sniffle. Tears glistened in her wide eyes as she peeked up at him.
Ragna's chest tightened. He rubbed slow circles on her back, trying to chase away the cold that seemed to come from within as much as possible. Holding her close, he turned his gaze to the endless night beyond the ship's railing.
His wristwatch glowed faintly: 7:34 AM. Yet the sky remained an impenetrable black, the moon a ghostly smear barely visible through the void. No hint of dawn. No stars. Just darkness, thick and absolute, pressing down like a living thing.
If not for the ship's running lights and the low hum of its engines, we'd be blind out here,he thought. What caused this? What were those... things that came before the light died?
Mimi stirred in his arms, her voice a fragile whisper. "Ragna... why is it so dark? When will the sun come back?"
His throat closed. He wanted to promise her it would—wanted to be the unbreakable big brother she'd always known. But the words stuck. He had no answers, only the same gnawing fear that clawed at him in the quiet moments.
He swallowed hard and tightened his hold. "We'll figure it out, Mimi. I promise. Just... stay close. We'll wait it out together."
Outside, the wind moaned louder, carrying faint, distant echoes—scrapes and groans that could have been ice shifting, or something worse. The darkness felt watchful, patient. Closing in.
Mimi pressed her face into his jacket, her small hands clutching the fabric. Ragna rested his chin on her head, his heart thudding against the silence. In this endless night, they clung to each other—their shared warmth the only light left.
Waiting for a dawn that might never come.
mind.
Suddenly, a man burst through the crowds waiting at the dock, his eyes wild with a mixture of fear and desperation. "The world has come to an end!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing off the ship's hull and the terminal walls. "It is all over for all of us!"He stumbled forward, his legs trembling beneath him as he pushed past families clutching their belongings, all desperate to board the last ship leaving the harbor.
"The skies are darkening, the earth is shaking, and the very fabric of reality is unraveling before our eyes!" he cried, his voice cracking with raw emotion.
The people around him stopped what they were doing, their faces pale and frightened. Some clutched their children tighter and looked up at the sky, as if expecting to see the apocalypse unfolding above them again. Others took a step back, their eyes fixed on the man as if he had lost his mind.But the man was undeterred. He raised his arms to the heavens, his fists clenched in despair.
"We are the last generation!" he wailed. "The prophecies are fulfilled, and the world is consumed by chaos and destruction! We are doomed, and all hope is lost!"As he spoke, the air seemed to grow colder, the shadows deepening and twisting around him. The wind picked up, howling through the rigging like a chorus of the damned. Screams rose from the crowd as the light failed, darkness pouring down like a flood.
No you are wrong!
*A man walks into the midst of The crowd*
The man's words were like a spark to dry tinder, igniting a fervor in the crowd.
"This is the lord's doing to reap out the evil doers of this world, don't you understand?" he cried, his voice echoing off the ship's hull.
"It's a sign. Those who have sinned and have continued to sin, shall perish! And those who have followed the rule of our supreme, like my fellow brothers and I, shall walk with head held high above all beings of this world. For we shall be the one to see the light of the day, and the non-believers shall be purged. Non-believers shall be purged, they shall not be allowed to sail on the ship with us, so with the evil doers, they shall be left behind to be feasted upon by the demons."
The crowd began to stir, their faces twisted with fear and fanaticism.
"For this is the day of judgement," the man declared, his voice rising to a crescendo.
The crowd's response was immediate and intense. "They shall be purged!" someone shouted, fist raised in the air. "They shall be purged!" another voice echoed, and soon the entire crowd was chanting in unison. "They shall be purged! They shall be purged!" The chant grew louder and more frenzied, until it seemed to shake the very foundations of the ship. Ragna watched in horror as the crowd's faces contorted with a mix of fear and righteous fervor. Mimi clung to him, trembling with fear. "What do they mean?" she whispered. Ragna had no answer. He knew only that he didn't want to be among those being "purged". The chanting grew louder, more intense, and Ragna felt a sense of dread wash over him. He knew that they had to get out of there, and fast.
A man, his eyes wild with fervor, shouted,
It's a sign from god? The end times are upon us, and only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved!, He waived a bible in the air, it's pages fluttering in the wind.
*A second group, clad in traditional islamic attire, pushed forward, their faces set in determined expressions. One of them, a tall, imposing figure with a thick beard, retorted.
"You fool! Allah is the one true God, and only those who submit to his will will be spared!", He raised his voice, his words echoing off the ships hull.
The two groups began to argue, their voices growing louder and more aggressive. The crowd around them began to surge forward.
Three burly men in navy uniforms stepped forward, their eyes fixed on the disputants. They moved swiftly, grabbing the instigators and pulling them apart, but the damage was done. The crowd had been primed for violence, and now seemed like a power keg was about to ignite. A punch flew, and then another. The two groups clashed, their shouts and curses mingling with the screams of terrified survivors.
Ragna's eyes scanned the crowd, his mind racing with the implications of the fanatic's words. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "This event has given rise to religious fanatics."
He cursed the darkness, the universe, and everything that had led to this moment. As he looked around, he couldn't shake the feeling that the darkness was indeed closing in. The shadows seemed to be deepening, twisting and writhing like living things. The wind howled through the rigging, its mournful cry echoing the fanatic's words. "They shall be purged." The chant still echoed through the air, a chilling reminder of the danger that lurked in the hearts of men. Ragna's grip on Mimi tightened. "Huh," he grunted, his eyes locked on the crowd. "Is it just me, or does the darkness seem to be closing in?" The air seemed to vibrate with tension, and Ragna's instincts screamed at him to get out of there, to find a safe place to hide. But there was no safe place. Not in this new world.
Few days earlier
YEAR 4030,
It was a very sunny day on the farm. As sickles plunged into the soil, sands splattered on the ground. There stood a young boy, who seem to be approaching his twenties soon.