𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐘

𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓, 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐈

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃? 𝐀 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐘.

So, this chapter is a bit of important lore/backstory for our MC. I'd recommend going back and rereading the flashback portion in Chapter Ten to potentially better understand what happened in the past our MC can no longer remember! 

"I said no!"

Her voice reverberated throughout the empty hallway, the raw emotion in her eyes mirroring the despair that gripped us all. Her bright, ocean-blue eyes were filled with a desperate concern that cut to my core. My clenched fists dug deep, crescent-shaped moons into the inside of my palms, the pain grounding me in the harsh reality we all faced.

Our world... It was dying.

It started with the classic signs one would normally assume happens with the end of the world.

A gradual rise of the seas.

The relentless shrinking of our once-thriving forests.

As humanity advanced, it seemed our world deteriorated ever more rapidly. A devastating plague swept through, claiming countless lives and leaving behind nightmares that haunted one's dreams. However, from the ashes of despair, a handful of survivors emerged- bearing newfound powers. An enhanced immunity that bestowed upon them the ability to manipulate the elements. They became the world's protectors, guardians of the fragile beauty that remained.

We won battles against external threats and triumphed over those who sought to bring about our world's demise. Hope had blossomed like cherry blossoms in the spring. It was as if the painful memories of our past were gradually fading away.

But hope... It wasn't enough.

The core of our world had begun to fracture, a catastrophic breach that threatened to unravel everything we held dear.

How does one stop something as monumental as the impending doom of our world? How do you halt an existential crisis of such magnitude? It couldn't be resolved with a simple victory in battle. Our once-beautiful world was fading away, and it felt like there was nothing we could do to prevent it.

Or... so we believed...

"Someone has to do it, though..." I stressed, whispering softly, hiding my own fears. The prospect of dying terrified me to my core. However, if my death meant saving our world, I was willing to endure it a thousand, thousand times over. She ran her fingers through her snowy-white hair, exhaling a strained sigh as she massaged her temples. I looked away, focusing on the cold, hard ground. Anything to avoid the pain that was surely in her eyes.