Those Fleeting Sixty-Five Years

'I truly am in the future!' Cain marvelled at the mere thought of time-travelling.

At first, when he opened his eyes, he screamed like a man…or more like a banshee. He was disoriented and covered in goo.

What? How? He frantically searched for his last memory.

...he remembered being stabbed by his father and then left to bleed to death.

He remembered dying of an unknown influence. He could still feel the pain gutting every muscle fibre in his body.

Shouldn't he be dead?

Was this Heaven? 

Or maybe everything had been a prank, and he was now coming to his senses.

He looked all around, trying to find the hidden camera. But all he discovered was the unfamiliarity of his environment. Yet, in an ironic twist, there remained a tiny sense of familiarity.

'That's the Berg Tower. Well, that would be it, if it wasn't cut in half and covered in vines. Aesthetically pleasing, nonetheless.'

'...And that's our city lake! It's cleaner than it was before… maybe? Last I checked, it was brown. Now, it's… reddish?'

Cain discovered more familiar parts of his hometown. 

Now, he could not deny it anymore. It was right in his face.

'It's true. We have been hit by an apocalypse.' His eyes widened as he recalled everything Hawk and Islae told him. 

In Year 2030, the apocalypse descended.

He had fallen victim to a parasitic monster called the Terester. Fortunately, the nature of the monster kept his body in stasis, and when the squad came to vanquish it, he was saved.

He had survived time itself!

'I really got to the future, huh? A time-traveller.' A smile crept on his face as he peered through the window.

His hometown appeared derelict, infested with dangerous monsters. 

The once winding road was now a twisted path lined with cars that had long gained strong reddish-brown hues. The few standing buildings had holes in them—most of them large enough to swallow smaller buildings. And amidst everything, when the sunlight dimmed, it revealed heaps of corpses scattered throughout the roads.

Everything was not as it was. 

The sky hung heavy with a noxious haze. The ground yawned open in cracks, swallowed by the voracious growth of vegetation. And a sense of primordial danger permeated the environment. Yet…

Yet, for the first time, Cain felt a peace like none other.

"Are you done monologuing, little kid? Or do you maybe need a few hours or so?" Hawk's smirking voice chimed in beside him.

Cain glanced at Hawk and muttered, "The world really did end in 2030."

"Yeah, no shit." Hawk smirked, " I wasn't born back then, but the Advent was apparently a shithouse, and what came after was appalling. Even then, I can't imagine how bad it was. The survivors didn't have access to what we have now. It's no surprise it plunged our population."

Cain's outward gaze wavered as he listened to Hawk.

A solemn expression appeared on his face. 'He is right. Only something of that proportion could turn this place into a nightmare. In fact, I'm incredibly sure we are the only humans in the city.'

"Oh shit. Look at me ranting." Hawk shook his head.

He snorted. "Anyway, Zayre asked to check on your mental state. But, let's be honest… fuck it, none of us are sane. That's what it takes to live longer nowadays."

"Oh." Cain nodded attentively.

"Hey, what's with that lacklustre expression?" Hawk inquired as he curiously stared at Cain.

He later shook his head. "Forget it. There are a few things you need to know. Let's start with the first one. We scoured through the database for any matching DNA. Zip. Zero. Nada. Finito. Zerore—"

Cain's head tilted almost instantly. "..."

"What?"

He timidly said, "I don't think 'Zerore' is an actual word"

"It is now!"

"Oh." Cain's face broadened, as if newfound wisdom had descended upon him.

Hawk's face flushed with embarrassment. "Oh, my ass—Ahh, anyway, as I was saying, we couldn't find any matching DNA. But we did find records of a certain 'Cain Blackthorne '- not much about him, actually. We don't have any file on him after the Advent. It's like he disappeared into thin air."

"However, his father Jeshiah survived the Advent along with his family. Jeshiah Blackthorne grew an influence in the lower zones. He partook in the Red War, and ultimately, that cost him the lives of everyone, including himself."

Hawk drew in a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, Cain. Your family is gone."

"...Oh." Cain's response was plain and simple.

Hawk raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is with this 'Oh'? I just told you your family is gone. Dead. Nekros. Morte. Presodo."

Cain shyly interrupted, "I don't think that's an actual word." 

Hawk's frustration ignited like a roaring flame. He looked at the young boy with exasperated eyes. "That's not the point. Totally beside the point. Why is that your first response? Why not 'Oh no, now, I can't live anymore?' or 'My father? My mother? My sister? My great-grandmother? My great-great-great grandfather?'?"

He slammed his hand into his face and sighed. "Ahh, forget it. I'm going to lose my mind if I continue to bicker with you."

"Alright, since you now know about your family situation, there are two more things you need to understand. One, there is something wrong with you. Islae thinks it's a mutation, but there are no adverse effects, and your diagnosis is perfect. So, it might just be a positively quirky mutation. I know it's all Greek to you, but you will catch on eventually."

"Secondly, Zayre has spoken to the higher-ups about your situation. Those old idiots consider you important for their research. So, you will be coming with us to the headquarters. As a matter of fact, get yourself ready. We leave in a few hours."

"That's it. I'm out. See you later, weirdo." Hawk dashed away not soon after. 

'There is a lot to take in. But I think…' Cain's thoughts halted as he assessed his situation.

According to Islae, her group was a squad from the Janissaries. A secret force under New Order. 

'They are taking me to the headquarters? Should I worry? It does sound worrying.'

He had to admit he didn't quite understand this new world yet. 

His eyes beamed as his fingers grazed the glass window. It felt cold, riddled by the dust of time. According to his analysis, he was on one of the few skyscrapers in the city. 

In this elevated perch, he glimpsed snippets of the horrors of the world, and yet, he smiled. 

'What is this feeling? Free? Am I free?'

'Father is long gone. Everyone I know is dead! Hahahaha.'

"I'm finally free."

"Free, huh? This is not a bad feeling at all."