Xtreme Saga - Book One: The War for Rig

Chapter 3 - Her Name is Mera

It had been more than 2000 years since the last time orphans had struggled to survive on Rig. Under the leadership of the royal family, all children, whether their parents were alive or not, had always been cared for. It was a foundational belief in Rig culture that children were sacred above all else. The idea of a single child being left at the wayside of society was unacceptable to every single member of Rigan society. No one would ever consider allowing such a thing. The people cared so much for one another that orphans were rarely even reported to the appropriate government agencies. Communities simply took care of needy children on their own. Sadly, this benevolent, loving society had eroded over the course of the Cult of Ios' occupation.

Orphans had slowly become more commonplace over time. Especially in Rig's major cities. Everyone noticed it, but no one wanted to talk about it. As more and more people wasted away and died from Verge overuse, the number of orphans began to grow rapidly. As the struggle for resources became worse and social services began to dwindle, orphans stopped being a social problem and slowly became an individual problem. In other words, for the first time in Rig's recorded history, orphans were forced to fend for themselves.

Mera was an orphan of Pylon City. At age 12, her father died in what was declared an accident. There was no clear evidence of what had actually happened but it was ruled that no foul play had transpired. The investigation and judgement had been handled by members of the Cult of Ios, as they were "impartial judges." Stricken by grief at the loss of her husband, Mera's mother died soon after. Mera was left to fend for herself and her younger sister, Adara.

Luckily for Mera, she didn't have to worry about finding a place to live. Her family had owned their small home for three straight generations, so it would forever belong to their bloodline. Mera and Adara always had a place to sleep. But acquiring food and other things the two girls needed was a much more difficult problem to solve.

For four years, Mera did whatever she needed to in order for her and Adara to survive. When they were hungry, she worked. When she couldn't get work, she stole. When she couldn't get away with stealing, she fought. She was willing to do anything to take care of her sister; and after a few days without food, anything becomes a viable option. By the time Mera turned 16, in ATO years of course, none of it phased her anymore. It was simply the cost of survival.

Mera and Adara were not the only ones struggling to survive. Orphans may have been common, but criminals even more so. You didn't have to be a child to be hungry in Pylon City anymore. There were those so desperate that they were even willing to steal from children in order to feed themselves. Because of this, Mera was forced to learn how to defend herself and protect her sister. She was not a particularly good fighter, but she did learn how to hold her own.

Though it was not what Mera wanted, Adara eventually joined her in their fight for survival. She too learned how to do what needed to be done. At only 14, Adara was stealing and fighting other desperate Rigans, right alongside Mera. The two were inseparable, always ready to sacrifice everything in order to protect the other. They had no one else, so they would do anything for each other. Even fight the Cult of Ios if need be.

Times were hard for Mera and Adara, just as they were for so many others. Nevertheless, the sisters tried their best to be happy. In many ways, they were. Though their lives were hard, they always had each other. The two had plenty of struggles, but they also had plenty of fun. The Verge Network provided an endless supply of entertainment. Mera and Adara's favorite pastime was video games.

There were so many games available on Verge. As the Cult spread through the galaxy, they absorbed information from each planet they captured. The history, science, art, culture, and entertainment were all taken and added to their expansive database. Then they took whatever seemed harmless and distributed it to new planets via the Verge Network. It was a great way to keep new conquests distracted and complacent. If not for their greedy machinations, the Cult would actually be responsible for the greatest exchange and dissemination of knowledge the Valorus Galaxy has ever known. How thin the line between good and evil really is.