It all began the day civilization collapsed. People screamed and ran but the Umbras were faster. Only a few made it to the Arcane bunker. It was the year 9500. There were eight thousand billion people in the whole world and only five hundred and thirty thousand were left.
The world was silent and nature took over the buildings and streets over the years. Ten years after the arrival of Umbras the younger ones had become accustomed to it. But some who had come to the bunker between the ages of 11 and 15 wished to return to the outside world. And that desire would lead them to discover unimaginable things.
One afternoon, on July 18, the young adults were bored in the bunker where they had spent half their lives. Being bored was common since the Bunker didn't have many activities besides the gym and pool. But this afternoon they wanted to do something different, a game they had heard about long ago.
Truth or Dare was very famous for a while, but now in year 10 of the Shadow era. The younger ones and the little ones did not know the game that was invented centuries ago. When Cosmo was a child he heard his grandparents talk about the game as a legend and made sure to learn it or try it.
Today he explained to everyone about the game for which they didn't need internet and artificial intelligence. To what he understood from what his grandparents said, he mentioned that they should challenge the other person with the truth or dare question and since he didn't know if there were any other rules he invented that whoever could stand on one foot the longest would throw the question. And with that invented rule the game began. They spent hours playing until Astro won by standing on one foot for an hour, being the undisputed winner, and began to brag.
When the others got tired of his selfish moment he finally decided who to ask the question to... his best friend, reading an ancient book about some heroes who saved the Elementumx multiverse, was pulled out of her thoughts by a pillow. Astro laughed as she saw her best friend's angry face as she received the blow that knocked her book to the floor. Astro then asked a question... "Truth or dare Crystal?"
She smiled innocently before saying the word that would change her life and Earth's forever "Dare" ... then raised her eyebrows in defiance of her friend.
"Get out of the bunker and find a duck or a sunflower and take a picture of it. Then come back here and show it to me" he said handing her his camera. Crystal looked at Astro like he was crazy. But he was very serious.
The others jumped out of their chairs in alarm and started telling him he was dangerous and Crystal's brothers talked about how she was their youngest at 21 and she was their baby sister. That was it. Crystal stood up and taking advantage of the chaos wrote a note on her Holo Tablet and walked out. She was determined, she was always very independent and that made her proud. She would not accept being called a baby, she was already a woman. Besides the harvesters and scouts went out every day for a couple of hours and most of them came back. Maybe she was too stubborn and risky, but that was her, always making decisions that others considered crazy. And there she goes again... but this time it was something much more serious than she imagined.
She heard her brothers call out to her just before the big door closed. Not just anyone could open it. But she read the journals of her father who was an explorer, until one day he didn't return. Her mother allowed her to keep the diaries without knowing that her husband had written there the key to get out. The others were stunned and Astro began to see that her challenge was going to cost her more than she thought.
Crystal turned one last time, listening to the knocking on the door, before running out with the camera in her hand and her mind in chaos.
