Kolissíao

"Sister?" Ikara's eyes shoot up. The boy looked back as if someone had tapped his shoulder. Someone who wasn't there, but there was no mistake, he knew that sensation. He quickly stood up and looked around. "... where are you..."

Katherine and Alfan observed from the cave. They looked at each other with concern. Mourning a loss was one thing, but starting to talk alone after such a traumatic experience was a bad sign, at least from where they were standing. Alfan walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Son... I know it hurts, but they're gone."

He looked up at him, "What.... no, that's not what I." he shook his head. "My sister... the one from my planet. She was talking to me."

The white-haired man furrowed his expression. "Kid..." seeing him like this ached in his heart. Whether it was a delusion from the loss of their family or denial of the situation, he didn't want him to keep a harmful illusion in his head. "that's not- "

"No!" he protested, shoving his hand away with surprising strength, reminding him of the boy's terrifying inner strength. Don't tell me that it's impossible! I know what I heard... I know what I felt!" he growled, anger creeping up on his tone and face. "I'm not crazy! I'm not...." His expression softened, he covered his face, and he let out a sniff. "I'm not...."

He felt his legs quiver. "I'm not... trying to run from the loss... it hurts... a lot... I know that" he whispered and brushed the wetness from his eyes. "But... I know this isn't because of sadness... I know this isn't mourning." He looked back up, gripping his fists and gritting his teeth. "I know my sister is trying to reach me! I have to do something to help her!"

Alfan stared down, shock tainting his eyes. What he just heard could have just passed as a child pulling a tantrum or a delusional desire, but in his orange eyes, there was something, a shine that separated truth from fantasy. Conviction, a conviction that stood unwavering even in the face of impossibility.

"Ikara..." He stopped in thought for a couple of seconds "If there truly is someone who wants to speak to you from another planet... there might be a way."

"Show me!" he responded instantly, brushing the last tears from his eyes. "I need to know... I have to know as soon as possible."

"I knew you would say that." Alfan sighed. He was already aware there was no changing his mind, not when he saw that burning light in his eyes. "At the top of the mountain area, there is a man. Someone who knows the secrets of spiritual senses and contentions." He turned his head towards the landscape.

"Nobody goes there unless they seek guidance, because those lands are devoid of valuable resources." He looked back down at Ikara, his expression reflecting concern. "Survival is a battle in there, more than anywhere on this planet... I need you to understand that." He placed his hands on his shoulder. "This isn't like any other area we've encountered."

Ikara looked at him, nodding repeatedly. "I understand! I know that whatever it is, it's not going to be easy! But if there is a way... any way to help my sister know that I am alive, I have to take this chance. No matter how dangerous it is."

"I know..." Alfan nodded, "I know that you're not going to stop, even if I told you not to go. You won't listen anymore." He kneeled before him. "That's why I can't let you go alone. We will go together."

"What?" Ikara blinked in confusion. "No, you can't do that... mom... she will be lonely for too long if the two of us leave."

"We will work something out. But you can't leave to those land on your known... please, son. Just listen to me on this," He gripped his hands on his shoulders a bit tighter, his worry and trepidation evident in his grip. "We can rest today, and tomorrow we will talk about this."

The boy frowned, he looked away as he pondered his words. He knew he was worried about him, and despite his growing necessity to follow the faint signal given to him, he couldn't bring himself to hurt the people who gave him a home in his most vulnerable time. "Okay... I'll wait until tomorrow, let's rest today, father." He smiled a bit.

That night.

The silent winds traveled on the desolated caves. The night sky was illuminated dimly by the Starfield. Inside the cavern that the bear pack called home, Ikara exited his room, his steps were slow and soft to make as little noise as possible. He passed the empty quarters of those he called family in the past. His palm passed the cold rock walls as he moved forward.

When he approached the exit, someone was already there waiting for him. "Where are you going, Ikara" Katherine stood in front of the entry. Her hands were on her lap and her expression was uncharacteristically stern. It was almost as if she was waiting for him to show up.

He felt a small shiver from surprise. He then regained composure and held his chest. "I have to leave, now." Even saying those words hurt him. "I can't... I can't let you or your father come with me... it will just be a risk of you getting hurt."

Katherine didn't respond, she tightened her hands together. Her mouth furrowed in a frown as she looked down. She could feel an air of gloom tingling around her arms. "Did you not promise your father that you would wait until tomorrow?" she asked, her voice struggling not to break behind her composed mask.

Ikara averted her gaze, turning sight to the stone floor. "I don't want to lose you..." he gripped the wall, causing tiny cracks in the rock. Small glints of that eventful day. He felt his breathing faltering. "Losing the others... it was my fault... we wouldn't have been there if it wasn't there... everything was my fault."

He took a deep snuffle, forcing himself to stop his shivering before he looked back up at her. His eyes watering but his face refused to break down into full crying. "I am letting anyone die because of me... I have to do this alone. If either of you go with me, it will just happen again. I can't take it... I just can't."

"And what about us?" Katherine questioned him. "What about me?" her voice started to shake increasingly while her arms shuddered. "I've lost... almost everything, all of my children but you... you and Alfan are all I have left." she quivered while walking to him, falling on her knees.

She started to tremble as she placed her hands on his shoulders, only to hug him tightly and bury her head on his neck, her breaths turning into desolate cries as tears cascaded from her eyes. "Please... please don't do this... don't leave me alone," she whimpered in anguish. "don't leave us.... Don't leave."

Ikara grimaced at the dismay in her voice, his frown tightening at the sounds of her weeps in his ear. He took a profound breath, his eyes set on the floor while he closed them after a brief instant of ponder. He then returned the hug, leaning into her motherly embrace. "I already lost my parents once... I can't lose you too... I have to do this on my own."

He gently pulled back from the hug, looking into her eyes, seeing them filled with tears and his watery as well. His mouth twisted into a tiny smile from its corners. "But I won't leave forever... even if where I go far away. I am not going leave you or Father alone... I promise it doesn't matter where I go or what I find. I will come back to you alive."

He brushed his tears away, whipping the drops away before pointing his hand forward. "Remember that!" he exclaimed quietly, despite the sadness and emotional pain in his eyes, his orange eyes shimmered with decision and resolve.

Katherine's eyes opened slightly wider at the determination of the boy's actions. She felt her arms trembling more, but she quickly smiled in return. Sadness still tainted her, yet it was combined with a faint acceptance. Her hands softened on his arms. She leaned down and pressed her forehead against his. She calmed her breathing as he moved her hands to his head. "If that is true... then you have to promise that you will be safe. Even if you do find your sister... even if go to her. Promise you will be fine... that you will be back to us"

Ikara smiled a bit more, he helped her brush her tears away and leaned his head back against hers. "I promise you... I will be okay. And I will be back to see you when I finish speaking to the man Dad talked about." He backed off, his small hands holding hers.

With that, she let his hands go, nodding quietly as she turned to the cave's exit. "Go... Before your father wakes up," she whispered.

His smile softened as he looked at said exit. He stepped outside, the chills of the nighttime wind hitting his skin. After that, he exhaled deeply and gazed back at Katherine one more time. He waved and turned around, starting to withdraw the cavern. His eyes stared into the deepness of the dark space while he moved forward. He passed the makeshift graves of his adoptive siblings; he passed his hands across each one of the small moments. "Goodbye guys..." he turned back on ahead and advanced away from his home.

The mountains stuck out from the distant land as they cut through the star-filled sky, his eyes reflecting their light into his bright auburn orbs. His steps started to quicken while he crossed the rocky wasteland. His walking turned into trotting, his pace quickened across the landscape the more he quickened his steps, the more he could feel his breathing hitching on his chest.

Soon, that trotting turned into running, his feet striding on the ground rapidly while his attention started to shrink to fit the outlying mountains, completely ignoring the space around, solely settled on reaching his destination. He continued to run forward, raising his effort his rush left a cloud of smoke behind his trail. But his efforts were not the only thing that increased with the night's progress, drops of sweat ran down his head, and his steady exhales changed into more ragged pants.

Still, he didn't let the distance or exhaustion deter his race. He concentrated on the feeling that struck him on the last day. The sensation of being close to his lost family in a way that he could only hope for before. He let his breaths escape his mouth, taking as much air as he could through each exhale.

The scenery started to change, the land started to show grass and different rock formations. The desolation of the rocky countryside was replaced with a dim sense of freshness in the air. Ikara's hand soon reached the foot of the mountain, his body leaning against the base of the enormous pile. He panted for air, just now settling in and perceiving the new area he had reached.

Not only this, but the night sky was no more. The sun had already started to rise upon the land, illuminating the mountain's feet and letting him feel its warmth. He panted a little more, taking deep breaths to regain air in his lungs. He couldn't even see the cave from his spot.

He wasn't sure how long he ran over the course of that night, but he knew one thing. He had to keep going. After regaining his breathing, he turned to the mountain. The formation stood tall, a gigantic frame that reached high into the air. Its top was nowhere to be seen from there. "... is this real?"

He shook the apprehension from his mind, slapping his head and turning quickly up. He whipped the sweat from his hands. He then jumped forward, his hands gripping the rocky protuberances from the enormous wall, his feet planted as firmly as he could muster. Upon taking another deep breath, he began climbing, reaching for higher bulges to latch onto.

His fingertips were tightly gripping on the solid surfaces. His head fully turned upwards as he tried to distance how far the end of the mountain was, but there were no notable details yet. He continued to ascend, his hands attaching to higher rocks and his feet landing to support himself. As he escalated higher, he could feel the air getting thicker.

The sun reached higher as the hours advanced, showering the boy in coats of abrasive heat. The sweat returned to his body, the salty drops falling from his forehead into his chest and arms. He puffed out air and continued. He felt his shirt soaked into the dripping liquid produced by the excessive sunlight. Every movement got him farther and farther from the ground.

He looked back for an instant, the land already seemed completely off reach, the small rocks and spots of grad reduced to dots from the overwhelming height he had reached. He gulped and reached for another rock, but his distraction caused him to slip from the sweat on his palm. In a second, his body separated from the mountain. His eyes widened as he started to fall, the wind blowing rapidly to his falling form. He looked around frantically while panicked mutters filled his mind.

'What do I do! I'm going to fall! I'm... I'm going to die...... no! no! I can't let that happen! Think about something! Think! Think! Think!' he looked back at the mountain's slope. He acted on instinct, drawing his fist back and craving it in, planning his feet for extra force. His descent was cut short, his hand buried into the hard stone wall. "Okay... okay... I can do this..." he whispered to himself, trying to evade the peeking fear and pain. He held tightly on the slope with his other hand, then, he pulled. His hand was liberated various rocks flying out while he shouted in pain. He was bleeding, but with gritted his teeth and continued to climb.

The day advanced. His hands were now craving their fingers on the slope, holding tight to not let any possibility of falling again. It battered his hands, and still, he moved on. He passed a bundle of clouds and saw the peak. "Almost... there..." he mumbled between pants, pushing through the crest and letting small fragments fall in his wake.

The sun was nearly at its highest point when his hand reached a flat surface. Ikara pulled himself up, stumbling to the stop and holding his knees as he panted for breath. After he stood back straight, he looked into the sky, it was clearer the baby blue sights in full display. "This... is the place?"

He examined his surroundings, among the rocky floor, one thing stood out. In the dead center, a structure is completely made from rocks. It was like a building, a temple. On its front, a bald figure sat peacefully, sitting with his legs crossed. His attire was a robe, golden but battered and rusty, with black details around it as well as a belt holding it together around his waist.

Ikara walked over, seeing no other being to talk to. "Uh... excuse me..." he stood before him, his body still covered and sweat and his hair disheveled. His hands were covered in bruises.

The mysterious man didn't open his eyes, neither did he move an inch. "Speak, child."

"Are you... are you the man who knows the secrets of spiritual stuff?"

His hands rested on the same, meditation spot. "Why have you come here?"

"I need to know." he looked at his injured hands. "My sister... she's on another planet. We got separated after our home was destroyed, but I know she's alive! I felt it! She tried to reach me!" he balled his fists. "I have to learn how to help her find me...I have to know she's okay..."

The bald man stayed silent. As he stood up from his meditating position, he opened his eyelids to reveal hazel eyes. "Your mind is too clouded, " he pointed at the temple. "If you want to learn, get inside."

Ikara glanced at the temple. After that, he quickly started to run at it. Suddenly, the bald man blinked before him, cutting his path. "What... are you doing?"

"My instructions were clear," he stopped him from advancing, even when he tried to walk past his hold, he simply pushed him back with little effort, causing the boy to stumble back as he tried to land steadily.

He faltered on his feet until he regained a steady stance. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this... I need your help" he tried to approach the temple again, only to be blocked by the man once more.

"If you want to learn. Get inside." He stated firmly. His hands moved behind his back as he looked down at him resolutely.

Ikara sneered in retort, he looked down at his palms, still aching from his unorthodox climbing method. He then shook his head and gripped his fingers again. "Fine!" he charged at the bald man, jumping and throwing a sidekick at him, which was blocked by his forearm with little effort.

He scoffed, attempting to throw a fist at the mysterious man's face, yet all of them were parried by the man's forearm, moving rigidly to stop each attack. Ikara fell back, his hands planted on the ground and sweeping with his leg to kick his feet.

The bald stranger sidestepped, a moment that Ikara used to run at the temple as fast as he could. But he was quickly caught by his hand and pulled back, lifted into the air momentarily. The mysterious man tossed him into the air, drawing his hand back ready to strike.

Ikara's eyes widened in panic. He quickly covered himself with his arms, receiving a straight palm strike that released a moderate wind wave as he was pushed back and thrown into the ground. Grunts of pain escaped his mouth after his back hit the rigid stone floor. He stood back up rapidly; his arms were still shaking from the attack.

The stranger resumed his position, his hands returning to his back as the dim currents of wind blew around his robe.

The boy shook his arms, forcing them too rigid up again. He ran at him once more and formed another fist, planting his feet on the ground and throwing it at his stomach. The mysterious man caught his fist, tossing his hand aside and using his impulse to throw him off. Then, he sent another palm strike aimed at his side.

Ikara barely avoided the attack, falling back and watching as the misfire of the palm discharged forceful gusts of wind. He jumped back on his feet, his legs faltering for a split second before he hopped to attack again, He gripped his fists and threw a barrage of fierce attacks.

The hazel-eyed stranger moved his palms on a steady tempo, catching each fist and throwing them off their trajectory. He looked at the boy, examining his attacks while his stance did not move an inch. He then used the back of his palms, throwing his arms back and leaving him open for another devasting attack.

His eyes broadened. But instead of trying to regain control of his arms, he threw back his leg, launching a kick with force to clash with the stranger's palm strike. Wind waves shoot out from the clash and the pressure makes Ikara fly back, crashing back into the ground and making small cracks.

The mysterious man closed his eyes and lowered his hands. "Come back when you are ready." He turned around, taking a couple of steps to return to his place. But then, he felt a sudden shift, it wasn't just the sound of the boy standing up. Something in his presence was fluctuating.

Ikara's legs shook as he struggled to stand up. His hands bleed as he balled them into fists. His teeth grit while his eyes tighten with anger-induced pressure, "no..." Remembrances of losing his siblings attacked his mind, and combined with flashes of his planet's extinction, his eyes glint started to shift into a deep violet color.

His breaths were replaced by growls. "I won't... stay without doing anything again... I'm going to stay helpless again..." The rocks beneath him trembled and the floor cracked. He took a step, his muscles tensing and his aura could be felt as a burning wave.

The stranger turned around; the pressure was undeniable as if a raging bear was awakening. He dashed at a blinding speed, fading from seed and appearing in front of the boy, before his anger could fully explode, he launched a deep palm strike, a boom resounding into the air and emitting a break on the sound barrier, shaking the mountains peak with its power.

Ikara coughed out the air in his lungs, his eyes becoming blank his aura dissipating in a second, his body falling limp. The mysterious man kneeled beside him, placing his fingers on his neck. His heartbeat was steady, his breathing was slow. Despite everything, the boy was alive.

He let out a sigh, both of relief and disbelief. "What kind of child are you..."

Hours later.

Ikara's eyes shoot open. "I can do it!" he blurted out frantically. When his vision set in, he realized he was inside a building, his hands and leg were bandaged. "What..."

"you're not the first one coming here to seek me." The stranger called out. He was gathering items on a wooden box, placing it inside a drawer made of rock. A majority of the space's items and furniture were made out of stone. Not that there was a lot to begin with, only one table, a couple of chairs, and some drawers connected to the walls.

"Did I make it?" the boy looked at him in confusion.

"Not exactly." He turned to face him. "Two days ago, I felt a surge of energy coming from the jungle. A burning aura that should not be possible, two minutes later, it disappeared." He crouched down towards him. "That was you, correct?"

Ikara's face dropped from surprise to discomfort. "Yes." He looked down, holding his arm in his hand.

"That kind of power, where did it come from?" he questioned him.

"I don't know..." he avoided his gaze. "I saw... a lot of people I care about dying. And I couldn't do anything, just like I couldn't do anything when my planet was destroyed." He tightened his shaking fists. "I was helpless... and that made me feel so angry... I didn't want to feel helpless ever again."

"I see." He rubbed his chin. "Well, whatever it may be. You cannot rely on a power that blinds your mind. Especially not if you are going to learn spiritual projection." He stood up.

"I can't just ignore it! If I don't use it, I'll just lose people again!" he stopped himself short after realizing what the stranger said. "Wait, that means you're going to teach me?" he returned eye contact, his orange orbs staring with a glint of hope.

"I will teach you to clear your mind and let yourself contact your spirit." He placed his hands on his back "You have perseverance. If guided correctly, it can be an unwavering weapon."

"That... sounds amazing!" Ikara jolted back on his feet. "I want to do that! I want to learn everything you can do!" he grinned, apparently forgetting about the pain his body had been subjected to. He placed his hands together and bowed his head "Please teach me! Mister... uh... what was your name, sir?" he looked back up nervously.

"You may call me Yamaguchi." He stated, turning to a drawer and taking a bowl out. "Let's go, we shouldn't waste the remaining hours of this day." He began stepping out of the temple.

"Yes sir!" Ikara hurried behind him.

Once outside, Yamaguchi turned around. "Did you see what I was doing when you arrived?"

"Sitting?" he titled his head after stopping beside him.

"Not exactly." He sat down once more, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his ankles after setting the bowl on his side. "This is a practice known as meditation, the alignment of body, mind, and spirit, and the key to mastering spiritual projection."

"So... I just have to sit like this?" Ikara mimicked his position, looking up at him. Curiosity and confusion danced around his eyes.

"It is more complex than that. Meditation starts by clearing your mind, yours is evidently too clouded." Yamaguchi pointed at his forehead. "We will have to start with an exercise for you to clean it from the thoughts that make you lose composure."

Ikara nodded, "What do I have to do then?"

"Close your eyes." He responded, watching the boy follow his instructions. "Take deep breaths, don't think about anything. Let your mind become and space, a canvas where you can explore as you, please."

Ikara listened to him while he attempted to do as he told him. He slowed his inhales, letting the current of the mountain's air fill in his lungs, it was lighter, purer than what he had experienced before. His mind attempted to push away the clobbering thoughts and left a blank slate. But still, his brain continued to flash memories from those traumatic events, the more he attempted to focus on nothingness, the more his brain fixed on that feeling of helplessness.

His hands gripped his legs subconsciously, his face tightening in a sorrowful scowl. His head shook as he felt the searing heat of rage creeping up on his chest. Quickly, he shot his eyes open, gasping for hair and panting for deep breath, leaning back and holding his chest.

"Hmmm." Yamaguchi got up. "You steel let those memories make you feel helpless, don't you?"

"It's not like it's easy to forget." He caught his breath, furrowing into his upset expression while he stood up. "I don't want to stay still again..." he looked at his hand, still shaking slightly from the flashing trance.

"You need to repel that fear." He leaned down to take the bowl. "If you don't believe you can move past those failures, you will never achieve alignment with your mind and spirit." He moved his hand inside the container. "If we want to clear your thoughts, you must have full control of your impulses. Watch closely."

Ikara nodded, returning his attention to him.

Yamaguchi took his hand out of the basin, holding a bunch of leaves. He threw them into the air. After that, he slid his hands across the bowl's edges, causing it to spin, suspended in the air. Subsequently, he struck each sprig with his palms, each hit precisely to destroy them into bits. He broke everyone and took the vessel before it could stop spinning.

"Woah..." the boy's eyes sparked in wonder.

"Now it's your turn." He took a second handful of greeneries. "We will begin with this."

Ikara nodded and pumped his fists.

"With your palms." He looked at him

"Oh... okay" he opened his hands.

Yamaguchi threw the leaves into the air. As they began to fall, Ikara threw his hands in the form of palms at the leaves, trying to break them just as instructed a couple of seconds back.

However, none of them ripped apart, they merely danced away from his hands and flowed down until they reached the floor once more. He looked at them, then at his hands in disappointment. But Yamaguchi did not react in any meaningful way, he merely took another handful of greeneries. "again" he threw them into the air.

Ikara did as told, attempting to hit the leaves with his hands open and trying to copy the effects of the mysterious master's strikes. Again, his blows did little damage to the leaves. He scowled a bit as he glanced at the ground. "... it would be helpful if you explained how you did that thing with your palms."

Yamaguchi simply took another pile, "again."

"That doesn't help-"

"Again." He stated firmly.

Ikara huffed in irritation, turning his head back at the falling leaves and tightening his hands while he started throwing his palms onward again, he used even more force, but the result was the same. The plants landed on the ground unscathed. "This isn't working, can't you just tell me how-"

"Again." He cut him off as he grabbed a new bit of foliage.

"Don't just say that!" Ikara glared with a low growl, his hands gripping on fists once more. "You can't expect me to just know what to do just by"

With a blistering movement, he pointed his finger at the boy's forehead, a deep gust of wind blowing his hair back. "You are letting your lack of patience obstruct your conviction." He stared at him with a calm yet strict gaze. "If you focus your mind on that rage rather than on your goals, you will not be able to align yourself."

"I can do it!" he protested and shook his head. "It's just... it's not easy!" he sighed.

"Focus on your strikes then." He moved his hand back, opening his palm. "don't try to empty your mind just yet. Don't try to jump into the last step or think about what you cannot do at the moment. Put all your attention on the task at hand." he grabbed another bunch of foliage. "Ready?"

Ikara stared at his hand, his eyes softening but still troubled. He pondered on his frustrations for a brief instant, then, he let out a small exhale. "I'll do my best," he loosened his hands and watched as Yamaguchi launched the greeneries into the air.

He watched them fall, his brain setting on them and them alone. He pictured a target on each of them, looking for remembrances of Yamaguchi's actions and intertwining them with the images of the grasses. From the movement of his shoulders to the pressure of his arms and the tension applied on the palms to the very tip of the fingers.

He pictured those moments as if they were happening in real-time, his hands moving in tandem with the images painted on his head. His eyes relaxed, losing the scowling glare and giving way to an absent-minded serenity. His shoulders moved, then his forearms, his muscles tensed on his arms. Finally, he formed a palm on each hand.

5 consecutive strikes were delivered. Each one landed on a leaf and tearing them apart in contact, booming echoes with waves of wind spread faintly around the area. Ikara's eyes opened wide once more, sparkling excitement surging once more, after that, he turned to him with a smile. "I did it! You saw it right!? I did it a few times!"

Yamaguchi watched the pieces fly into the flowing airstreams. 'He reached it for a second... what a perplexing observation power.' He moved his gaze back at him. "Do not get comfortable yet. I expect you to strike them all next time."

"I will!" Ikara nodded repeatedly.

As the sun descended, the rigorous practice continued. Over and over again, Yamaguchi let the greeneries fall for Ikara to attack, the sequence of the previous attempt replayed in his mind, as well as Yamaguchi's showcase of the ability.

5 leaves. "Again."

The sun started to fall from the mountain's speak

7 leaves "again."

It left the mountaintop's sight, the sky darkening.

9 leaves "again."

The blue sky turned into an obscure plane.

14 leaves

Stars shimmering in the sky.

19 leaves.

The moon projected its pure light into the mountain's peak. Yamaguchi watched as the last bits blew away and Ikara panted from exhaustion. "We're done for today. Time to rest."

"What?" Ikara glanced up at him between tired huffs. "n...no wait! I'm fine! I can keep going! I'll get them all next time!" he objected with desperation and stubbornness.

"We are out of leaves." He began stepping to the temple. "you'll have to wait until we get tomorrow. Besides, you'll do yourself no good if you're too exhausted to train properly."

Ikara frowned, and he glanced at his hands. The bandages were ripped and he could barely feel his arms, his legs were no better. He exhaled again. "Okay..." he followed him into the temple. 'I'm going to do this... please... stay safe sister.

In a desolate world, a sea of corpses decorated a wide landscape. Their blood trained black from a putrid, infectious essence, its blackened roots expanding on everybody, not a single light, or life. Not a moving grace, in the center a mangled frame sat on its knees. It was small and completely soaked in the black, sickening substance.

Its head perked up, white voids opening in the form of eyes. It gazed into the stars. "Huh... how funny." A wicked grin cracked open; in the wasteland of that world, a callous terror was nesting.

To be continued.