50th of Treelus, 2992
6750 days to the Cataclysm

During the late hours of the night, when a gloomy blanket of darkness ushered the Zilevans into a well-deserved slumber, a hooded figure made its way through its silent streets. As if hiding from someone, it regularly took cover and eventually found itself in front of a small crooked house under a flickering streetlamp. The figure slowly pushed the door open and slid inside. The very moment it shut the door, a seven-year-old boy burst out of a room.

"SISTER!" he screamed as he jumped onto her.

"You made it for my birthday!" he said, looking up into her eyes.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Alexander," she replied.

"Who is it at this time of the night?" echoed a man's voice from the bedroom.

Alexandria gently placed her excited brother down and looked in the direction of the voice. It belonged to a man walking out of the room, rubbing his eyes. His messy blonde hair and disfigured face set him apart from the rest, but not his eyes. His unmistakably red eyes.

"FATHER!" exclaimed Alexandria.

She ran to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"I've missed you," she said, with tears in her eyes and a smile across her cheek.

"HOWARD! WHAT'S GOING ON?" said a woman as she walked out of a different room.

"Olivia, look, our daughter is here," he said, turning towards his dark, black-haired wife.

"Oh, Alexandria!" she said as she gave her a hug. "Why aren't you at school, though?"

"I was able to sneak out for Alexander's birthday. I wasn't going to miss it."

"But won't they notice you're gone?"

"I'll be back before class starts tomorrow."

"School is important, okay. We'll let this slide for your brother's birthday," said Howard.

"Sure, father." 

"Sister, I have to show you something," said Alexander. He dragged her into his room and shut the door behind him.

"She can't be skipping classes like this goddammit, we spend every last penny on her education," said Howard to his wife.

"It wouldn't be our last penny if you didn't fucking get caught stealing from your boss."

"Olivia, like I've told you before, it was necessary. But nonetheless, I'm sorry. I really am and I don't know how to convince you my regret is genuine."

"And like I have mentioned before, your apology doesn't change shit. Our 10 year old daughter acts like she's 25 because she is forced to 'provide for her family' and our sweet little son doesn't even remember the last time he went to bed on a full stomach. And you think you're apology helps with any of that? News flash, it fucking doesn't."

"Olivia please. You know I mean well for all of you. I'd kill myself if it would get you one full meal, I swear!"

"Again, with the useless promises, but to be completely honest, you should actually do it."

"Do what?" asked Howard, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Kill yourself," said Olivia, giving him one last glare before she retreated into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

He thought of stopping her but the fallacy of it stopped him. He sunk into his beat-up couch and stared at the ceiling wistfully. He remembered how beautiful it was that day, 11 years ago, on the Isle of Fyci, the most beautiful place on Eros. It was a small island in the middle of the Panemorfian sea, mainly known for its endemic flora. The majestic Arctus trees that covered the island stood over 50 feet tall and ended in leaves of every color. The violet of amethyst, the indigo of sapphire, the blue of topaz, the green of jade, the yellow of scapolite, the orange of opal and the red of ruby. Over thousands of years, as new leaves replaced the old, the latter spread over the island, giving one the illusion as though walking over a rainbow.

It was on this island, standing on a small platform, he saw his wife for the first time in her white wedding gown. Her long dark hair flowed like a stream of water under the moon of a thousand nights. Her beautiful green eyes that brought him insurmountable joy was paired with a smile that lit up his world. As they exchanged vows that he thought would last a lifetime, he knew that was the happiest moment of his life, until the birth of his daughter, Alexandria.

Holding his daughter for the first time, triggered an array of emotions. Affection, for this pure soul that knew nothing but to love. Responsibility to shield this helpless child from a cruel world. Fear, for if he wasn't deserving of such a blessing.

Two years later, it happened again, this time with his son. At that moment, his life was perfect. He had everything a man could desire. Family, respect, and money. It didn't take long, though, for life to bare its ugly fangs. 3 years later, that incident cost him. Everything. In his heart, he knew he had to do it, he just had to. The fate of the world depended on it. Theft was the only option. The world wouldn't know what he sacrificed for them, and maybe they shouldn't. The very nature of what he stole could wreak havoc. But was it worth it? Was it worth sacrificing everything he had for an ungrateful world? Doubt and regret sent his mind into a downward spiral while Alexander was busy showing Alexandria his artwork.

"Look look, this one I drew a long time ago. It's about Jupiter," he said.

"Wow, this is so nice," exclaimed Alexandria, trying her best to stray away from the truth.

Alexander kept showing off his drawings for quite some time but fell asleep just before his sister could feel the warmth of the morning sun on her skin. She stroked his black hair and carried him to the bed, where she slowly placed him down. With a quick kiss on his forehead, she tiptoed out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She saw her father asleep on the couch in a rather comical position that made her chuckle.

Her attention then turned towards the window, through which the blinding sun shone invitingly. As she walked out of the front door, the reality of her living condition was made painfully apparent. The streets were lined by dirty, crooked houses. The sewers were undeveloped and open, filling the neighborhood with a nasty odor. She walked through these grotesque streets, deep in thought.

She was always one for adventure. Experiencing the unknown gave her more pleasure than anything else. Back when she used to live in a large mansion, she would often sneak out at night only to be found the next morning by their butler, miles away in places most would dare not to enter. Her mother was strongly against this behavior, but her father took great amusement in her antics. "Nothing can stop my fighter," he used to say, much to her mother's dismay. She would go to the densest of forests, the highest of mountains and the deepest of lakes. She often referred to the wild as her 'second home', but after that incident, everything changed.

She still remembered that day, when the law enforcement broke down the door and handcuffed her father. That was the day everything changed. She didn't see her father for months after the incident. It was her mother who revealed that her father had stolen something from his boss. Her mother didn't know what it was, she didn't know why. All she knew was she loved that man and trusted him with all her heart. Eventually when her father did come back and told them they were exiled, Alexandria knew things wouldn't be the same again.

They had to leave their mansion behind and were forced to live in a slum. As time passed, the love her parents shared started to break apart. It went from silence to disagreements and finally, hatred. Amidst her crumbling home, the girl who once lived her life in the wild was forced to mature. She gave up her passion for exploration to study and eventually get a job so that she can support her family. She only has a vague memory of the time she spent exploring the wild, all she remembers now are books, studies, jobs, and other things children of her age usually doesn't concern themselves with.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Olivia just woke up and walked out of the room. She looked at the couch and saw a note on it. It read;

"I'm going to search for a job again today. I'll see you soon. Give Alexandria my love.

- Howard"

Olivia scoffed and tossed the note into the trash. She went to Alexander's room and slowly opened the door. She saw him sleeping peacefully and closed the door. When she turned around, she saw Alexandria entering through the front door.

"Where were you, daughter?" she asked.

"Just went for a stroll."

"Ah, I see. Would you like something to eat?"

"We both know there isn't anything in the kitchen. That will change soon though. I promise, once I start workin-"

"My love," interjected Olivia.

She sat down on the couch and signaled Alexandria to do the same. She hugged her daughter tightly and said;

"You don't have to worry about all that, okay? Your father and I are taking care of things here."

"Are you though?" asked Alexandria.

"What do you mean?"

Alexandria took out three folded pieces of paper from her pocket. She unfolded a piece and showed it to her mom. Olivia took it and her hands and smiled.

"This is one of Alexander's  drawings, right? He's really passionate, but not that good to be honest. He drew the three of us as stick figures," she chuckled.

Alexandria didn't reply. She quietly showed her mother another drawing.

"What's the difference in this?" Olivia asked, confused.

"Father isn't there in this."

"Oh my god, my love. You don't have to look too deeply into the drawings of children. You're just 10 years old, you don't have to worry about family matters."

"So you're saying there's nothing to look into? Then what about this?" she said, handing over the last drawing.

"Tell me, mother, why is father drawn in red?" she continued.

Olivia stared at the drawing for a moment, trying to take in this truth. She then looked away, as if caught.

"Mother, look. I may be ten, but we both know I don't act like a normal ten-year-old anymore."

"Because of your damn father," snapped back Olivia, crushing the drawings.

Alexandria got up and knelt in front of Olivia, cupping her face in her hands.

"Whatever he did all those years ago, I'm sure he had a reason, okay mother? I trust him with all my heart."

"Yeah, whatever," replied Olivia, rolling her eyes.

After a brief moment of silence, Alexandria got up and said;

"I have to leave now, mother."

Olivia gave a silent nod, and Alexandria left. She got up and walked into the kitchen. She opened the cabinets, but all of them were empty, leaving a few rats that made it their home. Shadows began to swirl around her, and numerous spikes cut right through their heads. She gathered all the dead bodies of the rat and skinned them, separating the flesh from bone and tossed the meat into a cauldron of boiling water. As the house grew silent, and the water bubbled, she found herself alone with her thoughts.

She remembered how beautiful her wedding was. Walking over a rainbow and exchanging vows with the man she fiercely loved, ending the ceremony in a kiss that solidified their devotion to each other. "Why couldn't things just be like that?" she would often think. The day of the incident, when her husband came in, panting and scared, she knew things wouldn't be the same again, but at least her love wouldn't fade away, right? No matter what happens, her heart would always belong to her husband, right? In her mind, no other question came close to being as confusing, but little did she know, the anwer was quite simple.

No.

At first, she trusted the man she chose to live with, honoring his every decision, but as time passed, she realized love alone cannot fill the stomachs of her children. Eventually, the trust turned into disappointment after disappointment as Howard was rejected at every job interview, and that was the trigger. She stopped questioning herself and started questioning her husband, and it didn't take long, for the vows they once exchanged to become nothing but a vague memory in a colorful dream. The love they once shared, was now, hatred.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone entering through the front door.

"He's back already!" she said under her breath. "There's no way in hell he's getting even a bite of this." 

She closed the stove and bolted out of the kitchen.

Hours later, Alexander woke up and yawned loudly. He left the room and called for his mother.

"MOTHER! I'M HUNGRY!"

The kitchen door opened and his mother came out, breathless and sweating profusely.

"Just wait at the table son, your father finally got some of that meat you always wanted to try."

"REALLY!" said Alexander, all excited with a broad smile across his face. He waddled up to the table and sat in anticipation. About 10 minutes later, his mother came out holding a plate of steaming food, closing the kitchen door behind her.

"Where's father?" asked Alexander, looking around.

"He went to get some more meat for tomorrow," she replied.

"Oh, okay," he said as he dug into the food.

Watching her son have a good meal gave Olivia the kind of happiness she never thought she'd have again.

"This is so good mother," said Alexander, multiple times throughout the meal, each time getting a subtle nod as a reply. Soon after the meal was over, Alexander gave his mother a tight hug and said;

"Can I go out and play now, mother?"

"Sure son, enjoy yourself."

Alexander smiled and left the house. Olivia watched him leave and gave out a sigh of relief. She smiled to herself a little and went into her bedroom. Hours went by and Olivia fell asleep. Not much time later, Alexander snuck into the house, bringing a friend along with him, Raynard Beckett.

"Where is that thing your mother made," he asked.

"Keep your voice low. It's in the kitchen. I think," replied Alexander.

The two boys slowly tiptoed towards the kitchen and carefully pushed open the door. It was dark inside, and neither of them could see a thing. The floor was wet, and both of them found it hard to keep their balance. After minutes of close calls and sliding through the kitchen, they finally made their way to the fridge.

"The fridge should be around here," whispered Alexander, blindly reaching out in an attempt to feel the fridge.

"Why is the floor so wet, though? Did your mom forget to close a tap or what?" Raynard asked.

"I don't know. Either way, you cannot tell anyone about this, okay? Mother doesn't like me bringing friends to the house."

"Yes, absolutely. Now I want to taste some of that food your mother made."

Alexander finally found the fridge and smiled.

"Okay, here it is," he said.

He opened the fridge, and a cold blast of air forced his eyes shut. The sight he saw, as he opened his eyes, would scar him for the rest of his life and turn him into the man he has become.

He saw his father's red, lifeless eyes, staring right back him, with the rest of his body chopped up and hastily stuffed into the fridge. Blood oozed out of his flesh and spread over the entire floor.

He fell back, screaming, as his father's head rolled out of the fridge and stopped right in front of him, gently resting against his leg.