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~ Planet Earth ~

Sometime in the early 2000s

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He felt as empty as the vacant night that seemed to swallow him whole. There was no moon in the sky, not even stars to guide the lone man as he walked alone into the dark, cold night. Even the wind seemed to have lost its way up in the distant void.

His son didn't know his father left him. He had stolen into the night with a backpack of belongings, unable to bear another night with his wretched wife. It was an unhappy marriage, yet his wife was unwilling to sign the divorce papers, signifying no end to her neurotic thirst to control him and his life. He was done feeling like a stranger in his own home. He would rather be without a home than remain in a home where his heart and soul was constantly battered down and abused, his wife like a long continuous rain that kept digging him further and further into the ground.

Tonight was the end of those heavy emotional rains.

He looked up at the sky, the roads barely lit with dim streetlights. He longed to take his son with him, but he had barely gotten himself out of the house without his wife yelling and screaming bloody murder at him while their son slept safely at a friend's house. Now he was free, and the future was ever so uncertain.

His worn brown combat boots pounded lightly on the pavement beneath his slim lean build. His army green backpack held little precious memories, along with an extra long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He didn't get a chance to pack some food or say goodbye to his son, only bringing a few of his things.

A streetlight shone on his short brown hair, giving way to a fleeting view of his kind hazel eyes and handsome features before disappearing into the cloudy darkness once again. The roads were as quiet and lonely as he was. Not a single car drove by the entire time he walked down the street and into the suburbs. It was late at night with dawn just a few hours away. He hoped to reach the outer city limits before stopping at a bus stop that would take him far away from the place he wished to never see again.

The repetitive walking was starting to wear him out, but he kept going. He refused to stop and allow what he wished to leave behind to catch up to him. He would not rest until he was at least a hundred thousand kilometers away from the home he left behind in Mondlicht, Germany.

A bright light suddenly dropped down on him like a helicopter spotlight, making him stop and shield his eyes with a hand. Stunned, he looked up in bewilderment to see a steampunk style spaceship hovering directly above him. It was about the size of a football field and made absolutely no noise. It looked like an advanced airship with both vintage and modern design. The spaceship was copper brown with cream white and regal purple coloring.

Before the lone man could fully register the huge size of the spaceship, he felt a strange sensation and realized he was being beamed up by a purple beam. For a short crazy moment, he was reminded of a scene in a movie his son was fond of. He looked up, having to squint from the light.

He landed inside the spaceship, his feet touching the solid surface of the floor, as the beam disappeared like a curtain being drawn back into the ground. He looked around in trepidation, wondering what was to become of him.

He turned to face a man who was the same age as he, in his thirties. He was human, had short black hair, guyliner, and dark brown eyes that gave him an exotic appearance. He was wearing a long black gothic style trench coat that fell below his knees. He wore a black long sleeve shirt and slim black pants underneath the trench coat. His black boots made no noise, as still and quiet as the spaceship.

"You looked like you were searching for a future," the spaceship man told him. "You need not continue searching for your future; it is already here." He gestured towards a nearby window.

The lone man watched in amazement as the spaceship began leaving planet Earth, running headlong into a time warp zone directing them towards a portal that led them to a galaxy in another dimension.

"Keth Vasileniy, captain of my ship, the Silent Whisper," said the spaceship man, shaking the lone man's hand in a firm grasp. His voice was just as firm and sure. "And you are?"

The lone man looked into Keth's eyes and returned the handshake. "Vengimi Carven," he told him. "I am Vengimi Carven."