Beginning of The End-Part 1

Somewhere on Earth, a young man was on his knees tending to a garden. It was a hot day, hot enough that just tending to the weeds and trimming the lawn and other flora of the garden had him drenched in sweat. Soo wiped his brow, finishing up with the weeds and rest of the garden, thought tedious and dirty, was something he found the upmost pleasure and tranquility in.

Soo's neighbor, an elderly woman, brought out some iced tea to thank him. Yes, it wasn't his garden, Soo knew that he couldn't afford to take care of his own garden, he didn't have the money or time. He had a simple office job that paid well enough for him to have a full belly at night, but not enough for him to pursue certain hobbies so, he volunteered to help his neighbor take care of her garden after her husband passed and her son moved out. Soo always looked forward to having the free time to work on her garden and relax.

"Thank you, Soo, I don't think I could manage this garden at all with my age and brittle bones." Mrs. Yan laughed pitifully at her own self depreciation.

Soo smiled warmly at her, like she was his own grandmother. He sipped his tea and smacked his lips in delight. "Not at all, Mrs. Yan, I should be thanking you. You've given me something to regularly look forward to, even if it's just watering the plants every now and then. I hope to one day have a garden even half as beautiful as the one you managed to grow."

Soo spoke with a sincerity that resonated with Mrs. Yan, she could tell just how much this young man loved gardening, reminding her of herself and how she too had fallen in love with the beauty of the flowers when she first started taking care of a garden.

Mrs. Yan stood up, "Soo, I want to give you something, please wait here." She quickly went inside, not giving Soo a chance to ask, and came back with a baggy that held a single, tiny black seed within.

"What's this?" Soo asked, as he accepted the bag.

"If you'd believe it, it's a seed my grandmother gave me when I was a child, she never said what kind of plant it would grow into, only that it would be something special. How it's stayed perfectly preserved in that little bag for all these years, I'm not quite sure myself. I could never find the right place for it in my garden, I hope one day you'll have a spot for it in your own garden, or you'll have someone to pass it onto."

Soo looked at the seed in amazement, now filled with the same curiosity, Mrs. Yan has had for all these years. "Thank you, I can't guarantee I'll ever have a garden of my own though, but I'll make sure it's taken care of no matter what."

"That's all I need to hear. If you take care of this garden for a while too, I think I could die happy" Mrs. Yan chuckled at her own morbid joke.

Soo wanted to object, but truth be told, Mrs. Yan was old, he didn't even know how old she was, she was old when he moved here, he didn't think he needed to know, and despite her age and somewhat poor health, she always had a positive attitude and Soo saw no reason to not have the same attitude when with her, so he just chuckled with her.

They chatted for a bit longer before Soo got ready to finish watering all the plants, and as Mrs. Yan began to head inside, the Earth shook, not like an earthquake, but like something had rammed into the side of the Earth and shook it hard.

Mrs Yan fell as a result, "Mrs Yan!" Soo called out and started to run to her and before he could reach her, he felt a gust like a small jet had passed him inches away, Mrs Yan disappeared from sight, something wet splattering onto him and the ground.

Soo stood frozen as tears filled his eyes, staring at the spot where his sweet old friend stood seconds ago as her warm blood dribbled down his face and painted the patio. Soo didn't move until he heard what sounded like something trying to cackle, which caused him to snap his head to the side where he saw what he could only describe as a hybrid between a man and a locust as its insect like head quickly shook the blood off.

It looked at Soo for only a moment before its claw like fingers extended again as it got ready to take flight towards him. Soo only managed to catch a glimpse as it launched towards him at a speed he couldn't imagine a living thing moving at, he stumbled back in fear, only barely avoiding being cut into 5 pieces instantly. He did not manage to avoid the claws, though, his chest gashed deeply, and his clothes torn. Soo looked down at the blood pouring from his torso, noticing a ripped bag and a small seed on the ground, he desperately tried to reach for it as he stumbled and collapsed on the brink off death as he bled.

The creature looked back at him only to be distracted by the sounds of gunfire as it quickly took off again, leaving Soo to bleed and die.

As Soo coughed and choked as blood filled his throat, a voice rang in his ears, "Subjects imminent death confirmed, canceling safety transportation." Soo coughed out a chuckle, sure he was really going to die as he heard voices, feeling crazy as he bled out.

Unbeknownst to Soo, who was basically blacked out, the small seed absorbed all the blood flowing into it, growing in size, from a small lifeless seed, to the size of a grape until it grew to the size of a large apple. Soo was forced awake as he heard another voice, a different, softer voice, neither male nor female, "Link confirmed, would you like to replace your heart with Seed of Life?"