CHAPTER 18: HOPE

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The cries of a newborn pierced the air, echoing through the once bustling hallways of a hospital now laden with the weight of despair. The aftermath of the fall had left its indelible mark, a scar etched across a world that had crumbled under the weight of destruction. The once vibrant halls were now silent, save for the distant moans of the injured, a haunting symphony of agony.

Among the countless victims of this catastrophic event was the mother of Zephyr, Chloe Everwood a woman barely 24 thrust into the cruel hands of fate. Her husband, Henry Everwood, met his gruesome end in the chaotic exodus from New York. The city, once a lively metropolis, had become a nightmarish labyrinth of crumbling buildings and fleeing souls. It was amid this chaos that Henry, in a twist of horrifying misfortune, became one of the first casualties, struck down by debris from the destruction of air force jets.

The moments that followed were a nightmarish blur for her. Fueled by desperation, she found herself hurtling through the wreckage-strewn streets at breakneck speeds, seeking refuge in the next city. However, fate had more cruel tricks in store. A falling demon, one of many, crashed into the road ahead, triggering a catastrophic pile-up of vehicles.

In the blink of an eye, darkness descended. The world, once familiar, now seemed shrouded in despair. The air resonated with the anguished cries of the wounded, and the distant sounds of gods clashing reverberated like thunder through the earth. It was a scene of apocalyptic proportions, a collision of realms that plunged humanity into untold suffering.

Amid this chaos, a blinding light erupted from above, an eerie beacon in a sea of darkness. The details of this divine intervention were muddled, lost in the haze of trauma. Somehow, Zephyr's mother found herself healed, spared from the clutches of death that had claimed so many. With a heart heavy with grief, she emerged from the carnage, a survivor of the cataclysm.

In the wake of a colossal migration, a sea of displaced individuals flowed toward the newly formed borders of the world. It took an arduous four months, but she finally stepped into the boundaries of the nascent Union of Arcadia. The world had transformed overnight, shattered into irreparable fragments. Trade routes crumbled, and the once seamless flow of people and resources was in shambles. In this upheaval, the Arcadian government, helmed by a council comprised of former rulers from nations like Britain, Switzerland, China, and more, established an unassailable monopoly on minerals, weaponry, and foodstuff. This imbalance left the United Pantheon Coalition and Elysian Union, now at a severe disadvantage, struggling in the wake of the shifting global order.

The decision to merge nations sparked both internal and external discord. However, amidst the dissenting voices, a prevailing realization emerged: in the face of a world irrevocably altered, there were matters far weightier than borders. Survival itself teetered on a delicate balance, and the imperative to assist one another superseded national boundaries.

Driven by the pressing need for collective effort, the demand for labor soared, and as single mother, I found myself opting for a job in the retail sector, a far cry from a glamorous position, yet it ensured I didn't deplete savings left by Henry.

The days flew by as I took care of my little boy at home and stayed focused at work, but my life felt empty.

"We endure, and in enduring, we find hope." That was the slogan of the new world; it was what we told ourselves anytime things got too hard or seemed unfair. It was somewhat of a mental dependency which made it seem like everything was alright, but it wasn't.

Days, Months and Years passed by but the emptiness within just kept on growing. I had managed to obtain a reasonably moderate home in a nice neighborhood and there was an orphanage not too far away. One day when coming back from work it had gotten really late and I had to hurry to make Zephyr his dinner, but in midst of my thoughts I heard the cries of a baby nearby and instinctively went towards it. When I got there, to my surprise someone had dropped of their baby at the orphanage. It was late and no one seemed available, so I took her home instead.

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