1 The Beginning that Began at the End

"Good Morning, Gunsma!! This is your local news anchor, Stirling Bradfield, reporting to you from the Central Spire." A loud voice beckoned out of a steam puffing, gear turning radio. "Today, we're actually taking a very different turn today by giving a memorial to the world we left behind. Everyone, let's give a few seconds of silence while I retell the story."

"Back in August 9th, 2035.. The first nuke was shot. It was North Korea. They targeted the Islands of Japan. And thus began our history. Where one nation sent missile to the other, and in retaliation, the other to the one. This escalated to the point where old nations like China, Russia and the United Kingdom included themselves into the conflict. The mushroom clouds across the world was imprinted on every young and old within mankind. And countless lives were lost..."

There was a moment of obvious, dramatic silence. As if the news anchor himself seemed to be wiping a tear at the mere memory of a time that he couldn't possibly have lived. "We... were lost. Ragtags of survivors, most of whom were consumed with radiation poisoning and the like. We all probably didn't think that anyone'd survive, I'd wager. But look at us now! We ARE strong! The surviving founders and leaders of big corporations and organizations remade the nations and remade us!" The voice began to be energetic, inciting a sort of patriotism that oozed with charisma. "Now the ten nations live in peace, rebuilding a shattered and broken world. I know that it is not easy, but let's do our best out there. God Bless."

"And now... For some old time classics." After his words, the music began soothing out. A Justin Timberlake's song. I believe it was his, "Say Something" song. How fitting. I had within my ear buds in, but rather than them serving as an obstacle to the sound, it was actually created specifically to allow better audio functionality. Even now as I was reading one of our library books. Multitasking was a skill I had highly developed.

My name is Aviaro J Espinar Sainz. I have been diagnosed with a special type of Auditory Neuropathy. Essentially, it was damage to audio nerves that transfers information on sound to my brain. What makes it so special was that it was due to radiation hounds, whom's flesh and form have been long mutated by the hot spots. Despite the savage attacks, the doctors were able to suture me up. So much so that I had only faint lines webbing out from my ears for scars that were all but invisible and I suppose my ears got a little pointier. It was a general deformity, but it did add a fantastic element to my tanned skin and dark brown hair.

Since the accident, I've been legally deaf to various forms of tones in either ear. There were a few tones that I could hear and the ear buds translates one tone, into a tone that I can interpret. So, I literally listened to a whole different world from anyone else. Where most voices go unnoticed, and even some ambient sounds seem to be unappreciated. Even though I can hear a lot more with the earbuds, there is still one underlying word that I'd use to describe my experience. Silence. Although the ear buds are not perfect, they are enough for me to let be. But what I can't hear compared to what I could hear before the accident... The difference was too wide.

I live on Earth, in the year 2149 AD. Some people have been wanting to rename it as a new era. Where BC and AD martyred and marked the exchange of those eras, we associate PA, Post Apocalypse, for our new era. And it is year 115 PA.

In this world, we have rebuilt much that we have lost from many of the cities. Most of the original build sites were actually small towns that weren't focused with nuclear blasts, which made them perfect places to rebuild a civilization.

Fairview was one of those small towns. As I sat next to the 3rd story window, I could see the expanse of the city. The older buildings spotted here and there. Long, black gleaming spire towers rising like steeples of a church all over the town. Around the edges were massive walls, needed for the safety of the citizens. The interlocking walls had outer and exterior ones, sometimes interlocking like the walls of a gigantic maze and at other times forming the outer perimeter of prominent buildings. The black towers. The spires, as we call them, were made of a rare form of metal. A metal whose reason for creation was none other than the nuclear holocaust.

The radiation fallout and initial explosions of the blasts had actually changed the makeup of the world. One of the biggest changes were places all across the world called hot zones. Dead centers of many nuclear explosions so strong, that the radiation alone caused mass mutation in wildlife, shrubbery and even in the minerals in the ground. It had a massive effect, and it was thanks to an alloy of radiated iron that we were able to manufacture such stable spires. Even most of the newly built houses have rooms or frameworks with this special type of metal and our outer walls have an infusion of it with the mortar that glued the rocks in place. It truly was a marvel in science.

I had sighed, laying back in my chair. I was young. A few days off of being 10 years old, but in this time and age, you end up maturing mentally faster than physically. Me, more so than others. I have traveled with my sister through my younger years with my sister. We traveled through Gunsma and the mountain ranges. It was only due to my injury and the debts that have accrued that we lay rest in here. In fact, we'd been here near on 3 years now, staying in a room of a long abandoned hotel. It was normal now, for such a lifestyle.

CLUNK!

The door slammed. I didn't hear it open, I could hear the translated sound of it sharply slamming to a close. I turned to look back at the door, a soft smile on my face as I saw there my sister. Ah, Annabelle. She was my sister. Our latino culture reflected well in our faces and appearances, but hers more than mine. She had piercing blue eyes that darted about before resting on me, and it softened intensely.

She set the groceries down, strode across the hallway and just pulled me in her arms. I sighed there, smiling as I wrapped my arms loosely around her. She always wanted to pull me in a hug when she saw me, we were that close. As my hands wrapped about her, it had grazed across a metallic piece poking from her neck.

'Ah, the Aeu Drive.'

It was a device that had been implanted in many people as they come of the age of 10. It was more of a civil right. You see, the Aeu Drive connects all people to the Virtual World. The Virtual World was an expansive Full Dive Virtual Reality where all conflicts are resolved in. All conflicts that need to be resolved should be resolved within the Virtual Reality. As children who didn't have an Aeu Drive and kids under the age of 16 were considered minors in this world, they were not able to dispute or be disputed until of age.

The first Virtual World was founded in 15 PA, and it was literally meant just to resolve conflicts. Of course, the Creators designed a storyline and made it similar to a Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game, it was still within the foundations of a legal precedence.

At that time, if there were ever an argument, dispute or conflict then it would be resolved in the Virtual World : New Hope.

After 20 years, a brand new version was released that would be able to allow greater functions in and out of the Virtual World. Even going so far as providing physical and mental support to those who trained and studied in the second Virtual World, called Arch 2.

After that, there was a pattern. Passed down similarly to a tradition. Every 20 years, a brand new version of the Virtual Reality would be introduced.

The third one essentially introduced a scanner that allowed you to scan in items from the real world to the Virtual World at a cost sometimes worth more than the item. In addition to the quality of functionality increasing and greater plot depth within the game side of the Virtual World, it also managed to increase the quality and scale of the landscape and developed a uniquely formed renaissance persuasion. That one was called Zenith.

The fourth one evolved on the synchronizations of physical and mental aptitudes that could be gained or trained from the machine, even letting some people hone certain muscles and senses as they were used more inside the world. However, it seemed only capable of training muscle memory and senses in the final scheme of things. The fourth was Pokai.

The fifth one went a step further, completely debugging the fourth and allowing an Iris UI both in the world and in the Virtual World. It even went back and completed Zenith, allowing scanners to be used both in and outside the Virtual World, and allowing items from the Virtual World to be then scanned into existence within the real world. That one was called Perfection.

Now, it was the last day of January and my 10th birthday was coming up. And on the 16th, the new Virtual World version would replace the old one. Not only that, but I'd be able to start in the new world as everyone else was starting, so that was a win-win. It's actually quite lucky to be born when I was considering that the change of a Virtual World provided a lot of advantages to those who could start out as it started out. One of the biggest was that it was an even system.

The thought that I'd soon enter the Virtual World that was at the moment hidden from me, excited me. A sort of wanderlust that was ever present in my eyes seemed to gleam stronger. Eventually, I did pull away from my sister's embrace to move hand and arms with certain facial expressions to speak with her.

She smiled, and responded with the same.

This went on for a bit. It was our special signing that was similar to how they now teach it to those of the less-abled hearers. However, it differed in certain ways. Sign language was just like any other languages with different types of accents and likeness to their speech. And since we developed it while being really chill, it certainly did differ from the standard.

Our conversation was quite basic though.

'How was your day, Sis? Was work fine?'

'Yeah, it was so-so. Work is sooo long.' My sister's expression seemed to exasperate the struggle that she was facing before it melted off as she glanced at me, and seemed to giggle randomly. I was clueless, but her hand was soon stretched before me.

By the time I could react, it was too late.

I was too slow to move.

Too slow to react.

Her hand... Suddenly tickled me at my weakest point.

I was soon in a fit of giggles and my body convulsed about in a way that made me yell out, "Stoooop! SIS! Stoooooop!" I couldn't even hear my own voice, but I thought I was quite loud and desperate.

Finally, the fiend that I call my sister had let me go. And I had to take long, deep breaths to calm down. Eventually pouting at my sister whose eyes were cheerful. Then I got a mischievous thought and as a likeness to that thought, my mouth smirked open.

'Is that all you got?' I signed fearlessly.

I knew then that I had sealed my fate.

For about half an hour, I had been submitted to rigorous, ticklish torture.

After that, she had brought out her grocery spoils and we shared a light meal of bread and some diluted apple juice. Before finally heading off to bed.

As we had only the one bed, we shared it. She pulling me into a comfortable niche nestled against her body as if she was protecting a teddy bear, or someone quite dear to her. I could only sigh. Annabelle had a lot on her plate. I was her only living relative and she had to take care of me and make sure we had some food. Not to mention the debt from the hospital bills. Sometimes, I wondered if I was more of a burden in her life. Having to take care of a mute brother and paying off debts and being forced to work a second job. Was I really worth it?

But then I see her smile. I know that she smiles for me, or perhaps I help her smile. Either way, it makes me know with surety that I shouldn't throw in the bucket who was still looking at me like that. There's no point in leaving if it hurts the people you care most about more than it helps them. That's how I saw it at least.

But perhaps someday, someday I'd make it up to my wonderful big Sis. Hopefully, I can make your life easier, Annabelle.