In the past, our teachers always told us that the future would be a prosperous time for humanity. Neon lights would line cityscapes, and skyscrapers would be as high as the eye could see. But that was a utopian dream, a mirage in the desert of reality. The future we got was a dystopian nightmare, a harsh reflection of our flawed nature. It was a world marred by selfish ideals, corporate greed, and an insatiable thirst for progress. There was so much blood and carnage behind it all, unfortunate. To think the glamorous lights the rich held for the public, commoners, and those less off had such venom behind the seemingly perfect curtains: so much pain, blood, sweat, and tears. Still, every ambition has a price that comes with it. The path to heaven is paved in blood, and the path to hell is paved with good intentionsâ€"two sides of the same bloody coin. Even one still had to admit that this future was a beautiful masterpiece painted on a canvas of blood. However, that mirage will fade sooner or later, and the future conceived will perish because of the sins and greed of the people who raised it. Mother, behold your son. Many cities weren't exempt from this fate, and Neo Chicago was no different.
A blooming metropolis marred with the advancements of technology was tainted with the greed of corporations and those who still attempted to claw their way to the top. Sinful hands stained in blood tainted this city, and there was no room for purity. You either adapt to each change or go down in flames. That's how life was in this city; Selena knew that fresh out of eighteen years old. After all, she'd been through several mercenary gigs because her father wanted to 'carry on the family business.' Blood and money were the norm in this business, but even she had to step away from the edge occasionally, no matter how much she loved the thrill. Thankfully, there were a few things that could occupy her mind.
Alone in her bedroom late at night in a baggy black hoodie and frayed blue jeans, she unties her blonde hair as it cascades down her back, her gaze focused on the view below the highrise of her apartment. Neon lights buzzed with life as they painted a dark canvas of flickering luminescence. At the same time, skyscrapers met her cold gaze with their stature, which could only belong to one of the many corporations in this city, brimming with an aura of pride and arrogance that always annoyed the young merc. Her mother always called them a fading form of brilliance, beautiful on the outside but flawed within. However, for now, that wasn't her focus tonight. She had something else to attend to.
Or someone.
"You can come out now, you know?" Selina said, her voice a whisper against the rainy night as she glanced at the neatly kept bed lined with violet sheets. "The night's still young. "
For a brief moment, there was silence, with only the low electronic hum of the neon purple lining the bedroom ceiling, illuminating the area in a dark purple hue. Then, a dark figure shifted underneath the bed frame. It was as if the shadows themselves began to move in a sharp pounce before slowly settling down. Little by little, its dark purple beady eyes peered out from underneath, revealing a slender black cat sitting there watching her.
At first glance, it seemed ordinary, unassuming to the commoner, save for those alluring pinkish-purple eyes that slowly narrowed into sharp slits as lightning flashed before them. It was a sign of fear for some, but it was something else for Selina. Something raw and deeper beneath the surface: protection. They shared a bond, after all. Something symbiotic.
"Hey, it's okay. It's just lightning. Nothing to be afraid of," she says to the creature, trying to reassure her better half, but even then, Selina knows that will do little to calm the feline down. There was something deeper.
"I know," the shadowy feline began speaking suddenly, her voice cold yet vulnerable. "I just figured you wanted to be alone after all that's happened lately. Just couldn't shut my mind off."
