Path of Sovereign

Chapter 2 - The Silvermist Family

On a small piece of land near the public cemetery, a family named Silvermist resided. Before the orb appeared, the youngest member of this family was already in the fourth year of high school. The father was a hired driver, and the mother sold various items to earn a living.

The family consisted of three children—a harmonious trio comprising two lovely girls and a spirited, dedicated young boy. The youngest among them, a vibrant soul named Garner, exuded contagious enthusiasm, dedication, and understanding. He was 5'6" tall, with ash-brown wavy hair, brown eyes, a petite mole 1 inch below his left eye, and pale ivory skin with a dimple on his left cheek. The eldest, Gaia, carried an air of humility and politeness. She stood at 5'0" with curly ash-brown hair, tan skin, and dimples on both cheeks. In the middle stood Nova, a beacon of unwavering determination and resilience. She was 5'2" with ash-brown straight hair, a mole half an inch below her right eye, and ivory skin.

Financial constraints perpetually loomed over the family, their income stretching just enough to cover their day-to-day necessities. Despite their limited financial resources, they managed to navigate life's demands with admirable fortitude.

Gaia, the elder sibling, diligently worked as a sales clerk in a quaint merchandise store to provide additional finance to the family. Meanwhile, Nova strongly risked being a chambermaid, managing somebody's household.

The family's life was just as simple and small.

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As the mysterious orbs appeared, Silvermist refrained from attempting to seize any of them. Instead, they willingly directed attention to these enigmatic spheres. The father, stern in his demeanor, cautioned the trio against any involvement with the orbs, emphasizing the paramount importance of their safety.

When the raging war reached its peak, the Silvermist family was among those who survived. Explosions, guns, missiles, and even nuclear blasts filled the skies. In the midst of such intensity, how could a small and fragile family endure?

Amidst the loud screams of people, the heat of everything burning, and the lingering smell of smoke, it resembled an apocalypse worse than the time of dinosaurs. The sky was painted orange, and corpses lay everywhere.

The Silvermists kept running and running until they found themselves in a muddy river where most of the nipa that grew there had been flattened.

Gaia spotted an orb floating just a few meters away from them but was instantly pulled back by her scared father.

"Don't," he firmly said.

"It will make things worse," he added.

They continued to run until they reached the shore of the river, but a big ball of light struck just in front of them, sending them all flying. Most of the family was bloody, injured, covered with mud, and lost consciousness.

Gaia still had some consciousness left and painfully turned her head to look at everybody. She closed her eyes and slowly turned her head toward the orange sky. Inhaling deeply, she sighed heavily.

"Is this our end? I haven't provided them with a stable life yet," she thought.

As her consciousness slowly faded, a light shining with a yellow hue was the last thing she saw.

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Gaia abruptly opened her eyes, still haunted by the same nightmare that plagued her sleep. It had been eleven years since the war, but her family still remained silent about the horrors they had witnessed.

Miraculously, they had all survived that calamity.

She slowly sat up from her bed and tidied her sleeping space. She carefully folded the burned mattress that had served as her comforter for the night. She slipped her mismatched slippers onto her feet and headed to their small kitchen to wash her face. Stepping outside, she found her father preparing the fishing nets.