Chapter Six: The Old Man Under the Night Sky

My city was a small one in comparison with others in my country. It could not compare with the capital city, though this was true in most countries, and we could say that there were many other cities which were more renown or important historically and politically. However, economically talking my city was key for the country since it was a commercial and touristy bastion which generated millions of dollars a year in tourism due to many natural and archeological destinations which made the market active the whole year and it was very normal to see people from all over the world walking in the streets while looking for places to see and enjoy. Furthermore, the city was the regional center which was a frontier with two other countries which made it a hub of international commerce and transactions that were like blood for the country.

- "Of course, this was the legal money"- I said with a grin- "we would have many more zeros to that number if we took in consideration the illegal money that entered due to smuggling."

My family had been involved in most economic ventures that ran from stores to political campaigns and after years of good decisions, it had established itself as one of the most reputed family with many connections and well established economically and socially. It was also a very strict and extremely conservative. As such it was expected that all members followed certain code of behavior worthy of a successor of the Milleiros family. Absolute obedience and perfection was expected in manners and behavior in school or public places. Scores should always be in top 10 and it was obligatory that all members were a core part of any sports team. They should bring honor and renown to the family somehow no matter what career one chose. Mind and body peak condition was expected unless you were born with a disability which rarely happened in our family. Even f you were disabled it was expected you don't show weaknesses and find any way to still contribute to the family. Weakness was not allowed and if you were to show it you could be banished from the family.

- "We don't need burdens…"

As someone born in that family, it was expected that I was the best version of myself. More so since my father had decided to abandon my mother and go with his mistress which had caused a scandal and had made my family look my mother in a very negatively way. Unfortunately, this was also passed down to my brother and me. So I had to always present my best side in order to show I was part of this family and not a loser. For my mother's sake I had to be perfect as possible. My aunt Zulema and my uncle, however, did not share the same view of the rest of the family and they treated us well as if we were their own children. Other family members showed disdain for us but at least we had some allies. And so my debt of gratitude for them was boundless. I played my part and I had to continue until a few years after when my family had fallen from grace due to the stupidity of another of my uncles who had robbed and cheated his own family, had caused the death of the matriarch and had provoked the fallen of the family. That's a story for another time though. The point ws that I had hated the family rules and ridiculous expectations, but once it was gone, I felt the lack of protection we had enjoyed all our lives. Ifg my family had been on the top as it was now, we could have had a better situation during the End and even thrive like many other families and organizations did. However, due to the stupid actions of one person my family was doomed and after just two years in the End most of the members had died or disappeared like sheep to the wolves.

- If I wanted to get more chances during the End, my family was key and so I had to ascend to the top of it and have enough power and renown to stop my uncle and led the family in the correct path.

I knew however, how much work I had to put on it. It would not be easy, and even I didn't know how much I could change the future but it was worth the try.

- "Let's start slow and steady."

After that, I went to my room to change clothes and then I started completing the homework I had for the next day. In my first life I had been an average student which at least was good at languages and letters. Mathematics had always been my nemesis and pain. However, I knew I had to excel this this time I took my homework and took it to the aunt's office and started working hard. Mom worked full time in a construction company and arrived late at 6:00 p.m., so while she was working my brother and I stayed at my Aunt's who had a private practice. I finished the homework very fast shocked to see that the exercises were extremely easy. Well, of course it was caused this was elementary school level, it would have been a shame if I could not do at least this much. I had to contain myself from laughing at my aunt's face when she checked the activities that I had finished. I would normally need two or three hours to finish, but today it took me no more of half an hour due to the low level that they have. My aunt found no mistake so she just let me go to my bedroom. I sat down and took the notebook where I wrote my general plans.

- "I need to deal with this body first"- I said as I started to draw a plan to exercise and it took me around two hours to make a logical and equilibrated workout adapted to my present conditions.

I used my past life training program as a reference. The truth is that I had never studied martial arts before the End arrived. I paid dearly and lots of pain for that. I only learned a brute and direct fighting style through many beatings and broken bones. Slowly, but surely I invented a personal system that was based on effectiveness and let's be honest dirty play. I somehow managed to be trained by a master a true master who felt, in his own words disgusted by how I fought.

- "Your style is swallow and without spirit or pride"- he said as I laid bleeding on the floor thinking he would kill me- "looking at it gives me the desire to vomit. The only reason I don't kill you is because even it is a horrible way to fight, you managed to touch me…"

He taught me from the basics and even though I had no talent. My master made sure to dispel any illusion of that idea. He really showed me a new world where a punch, a kick or even the posture had a deep importance in a fight. He was a person who practiced MMA and used different techniques which adapted to his own style.

- "Using techniques that are not fit for you is like trying to wear a suit that was made for another person."- he said one day while we were resting- "you should study different styles and find the techniques that you feel more comfortable for you…"

And so I did. I found people who could teach me different styles and techniques. In the end I used muay thai as base, I learned how to kick from techniques from Savate and Tae-Kwondo. Brazilian Jujitsu for grabbing and fighting on the floor. There were many others, like boxing for reflexes and some Ninjitsu for killing techniques. In the end, the result was a personalized system which allowed me to fight bare handed or with multiple weapons

- "Your style is still incomplete and has a lot of weaknesses"- said my master when I returned to him some years later- "However, now it only makes me feel sad and not vomiting so it's much better"

I culd not deny that fact. Truth was that my system, I never called it a martial art, was still raw, dirty and ugly. However, it was not important as long as it kept me alive. It did a good job. What use had a fighting style that was "beautiful" if in the end it would lead you to your death? My system was practical, direct and deadly. Three factors which were absolutely necessary during the End. It was not invincible and many times true masters mopped the floor with me and I had to run with the tail between my legs, but I must proudly say that even them did not end up unscathed after fighting with me. I used some of the techniques on my fight with Kori, but of course I did not use it at 100%. First because I would have killed him… Just a good hit on his trachea or a well accommodate kick on his femoral artery and it would have been over in matter of seconds. However, he must also admit that the other reason was that this body felt strange and completely out of shape and not fit to fight. Even though it had been some hours, the pain in his muscles was already hitting hard and he did not want to imagine how it would be next day.

- "I had planned to knock out Kori faster"- I said to myself looking at my thin noodle arms.

Even if my fighting system was good, it would not be of any use if I did not have the sufficient strength and agility. Even if he used the genetic medicine, it would be wasted had I not had a good foundation in my physique. I was 8 years old so I could start with basic exercises and practice to increase my strength, agility, stamina, and foot work

- "I need to be patient…"- I reminded myself, It took me many years to polish my body and get to the pinnacle of my power. It was hell, but now I had time and a clean slate- "My body had the necessary time to grow and reach maybe a new level."

I will start the real training since tomorrow, for today I should activate my muscles with basic sets. My house has a big yard on the first floor and a small one on the second just outside our rooms. I do not want to attract much attention so I used the small yard while doing warm up exercises and stretching. After that I do some light work out and get my mind to also exercise by remembering the fight I had to Kori and find better ways to have dealt with it.

- "Every action starts in your mind"- my master had said- "training the body is indispensable, but training your mind is also a matter of survival."

Visualization was powerful so when you went out the gym and you got your mind into the workout, somehow you got better results than the fools who read their social media during their rest time between sets. I had done these moves so many times that it was muscular reflexes at this time so I could let my mind workout in a different manner. This way both my body and mind were working out.

- "I see, even with this body I could have ended the fight in half the time…"- I concluded after an hour of exercise- "I need to get used to it once again. Sigh* Puberty will be a pain in the neck…"

This body is definitely weak, even after justa n hour of very light workout it is already exhausted and my muscles have a tingling which I find satisfactory. In the End where there are not many things to do and where even resting was impossible due to the "Dread Drowning," physical activity was one of the last pleasures mankind had which also could bring benefits. This, plus the need to become strong in order to survive, had made most people obsessed with working out. The feeling of becoming stronger, faster and more agile was extremely addictive and now I had the chance of constantly have that beautiful sensation with this small and younger body full of potential.

- "Cristian!"- my mother arrived after I had washed myself from the sweat and she had a worried face which told me that my aunt had already told what had happened- "show me your hand."

- "It's already treated, mom"- I said showing the bandages- "I don't think my aunt would be happy if I retire the bandages without her permission."

- "Tell me what happened?"- she demanded with fiery eyes proper of a lioness ready to protect her cubs form any danger.

I sighed and repeated what happened which was simply I had been attacked by a bully and defended myself. I had hurt my hand by punching the poor bastard to oblivion.

- "Are you sure you don't have more wounds?"- she asked while trying to undress me to see any marks on my body.

- "Please mom, it's embarrassing and of course I have no marks"- I reassure her showing her my arms, legs and back- "your son is strong and can defend himself. The other guy ended more injured."

- "You know violence is not the answer!"- she said firmly and I noticed my mistake of sounding as if I had done something good. Obviously she did not see it that way.

- "She insulted you, mom"- I said with a firm tone- "He can insult me if he wants but I won't let go of anyone who dares to insult you. I prefer to be taken to the emergency room than allow that to happen."

This comment softened her features and I could see how proud and happy she was at these words. However, she also seemed to be trying to stop those emotions to show. I imagine she was thinking they were not things a mother should encourage on her son so I decided to mentioned other thing.

- "He also dared to threaten me saying he would hurt Joseph… how did you expect me to stay cool after that?"

This comment reignited the dangerous flame on her eyes. She really loved my younger brother and I must admit that sometimes I even believed that she loved Joseph more than me. A selfish idea of course since it was impossible for a parent to love a child more than other. They just loved all their children differently since each one had different needs.

- "When you are a father, we'll see if you can love a child more than the others"- was something she once said when I stupidly accused her of not loving me as much as my brother.

- "Who is it?"- she said with a voice that sent a chill to my spine- "and whose child is he?"

- "Luis Firendis"- I said and immediately I could see my mother recognized the name,

- "That gangster?"- she said and for some reason she grinned and I could not help but detect a hint of sadistic drive on her- "it seems the idiot doesn't know how to repay goodness… I think it's time to remind him."

- "Where are you going? Please I don't want you to be in problems because of me"- I said trying to stop her.

- "Did you ask my permission to fight your battles? No"- she said firmly- "so why should I ask you permission to fight mine? Don't worry, Cristian. Let adults manage adult problems and don't worry… problems? Us? Do you forget what your family is? It seems many have forgotten so this will be a good chance to remind them."

The woman in front of me who could be as loving and sweet as an angel was now showing a demonic aura. I tell you, women are scary when they want and I hadn't forgotten what kind of family I was in. As I mentioned, my family was considered a powerful one. We had started as great landowners with thousands of people as workers. Then, one day a stupid president decided to divide all of our lands and give it for free to many people who ended up losing it anyway in gamble and stupid investments. You know the type, anyway. Said president did not last very long due to some "political scandals" which made him end up in prison until the end of his days. Some rumors said that he had received the visit of certain group of people just as he arrived in jail. The new government had stopped the ridiculous partition of land, but the damage already done was irreversible. However, my family managed to recover much of the land by making the new proprietors resell them. Many of them were drowned in debt due to stupid decisions and poor choices so my family had decided to "help" them, not only recovering the land but even graining the gratitude of these people who still greeted my grandmother, the matriarch who had saved them, every time they saw her in the street. My grandmother had been the one along with my grandfather who had returned the family to a great heights and who had made sure all my male uncles establish themselves in positions of power in all the government and also private structures of the country.

- "Hello, Patrick"- my mother said as she called my uncle Patrick from the kitchen telephone- "we have a problem…"

My uncle Patrick was a lawyer who had recently gotten a seat as a magister in the high council of the National legislation House. He was a political genius and had fought great battles against powerful people and had topped them down one after another until reach the pinnacle. For him, someone as Kori's father was a small insect he could squash with a simple call. Even I felt bad for the poor bastard and more for Kori, who would no doubt about it become the venting tool of his father. Maybe I should have make him go into a coma. He would take care of it, However, since he was also the future responsible of the fall of our family, I had a bad taste in my mouth when my mother asked for his help.

- "Have you eaten?"

Mom return to her sweet side but this was a good reminder of treading carefully with her. We had dinner together along with my brother and after that I just got out to the yard and spent the next hour looking at the beautiful night sky. It had only a few stars due to the street lights and all the houses around, but for me this was still the most beautiful scene in my life.

- "So strange to be able to do this… but I'm so happy"- I said and I culd feel some tears trying to escape my eyes- "I'm really becoming a cry baby…"

Before the end, I did not consider the night sky of any importance. I was not the only one of course. Many people just took this scene for granted and not many spent time appreciating the stars, and yet we all humans seemed to have a fascination for them. In a few years, when "YuChube" became the number 1 streaming service in the world, I saw some videos about people showing the stars with telescopes to people and they all transformed into children with innocent eyes fascinated by the things that were up there beyond our reach. However, most people just preferred to stay behind their doors watching videos and writing comments in social media rather than going out and experience first-hand what life was. Of course, I was one of them so I could not criticize them since I had no moral to talk.

- "You don't appreciate it until you lose it…"

I remembered the detestable All-present "Red sky" which did not change being morning, afternoon or night. Always there no matter the station or the year. Not only was present up there, but it also illuminated all the surface in the same color which was like an eternal reddish color like the one we had at Dawn. The Sun and the Moon had disappeared behind it and so the only way to know if it was day or night were the clocks since even the temperature was the same cold at all times.

- "Depressing…"- I whispered as if I had the fear to summon the terrible sky once more.

It was already depressing per se, but the sky had another nasty surprise. We used to call it "Dread Drowning," Just by the name, many of course should already have at least an idea, and it was simply an effect that you would have if you stayed too long under the red sky. A deep sense of dread and hopelessness that was constantly in your mind. If I had to describe it, it was like a constant reminder that you would die soon and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Others described it also as if you had done something terrible and your conscience was constantly nagging you about it. For others, it was like a constant buzz in your ears which did not go no matter what you did. I had so many different versions off it that I seriously think it was a personal effect that varied from person to person. However, one thing that everyone agreed on was that whatever effect it had on you, it would increase dramatically if you dared to stare directly to the Red Sky for too long. If you did, the first group would simply feel like the worse scum in the universe and tried to off themselves, the second group would feel as if they had committed the worse things and they would believe they deserve to die to pay for their sins, and the final group would simply start hit their own heads against a wall to stop the piercing buzz. So the rule was never in your life dare to look at the Red Sky directly and people accustomed to walk looking always down. That was how dangerous it was, and people were really driven mad by it. I remember a religious fanatic who had been arrested close to me being completely convinced that the Red Sky was a punishment against mankind for eliminating all religions.

- "Fear and tremble, lowly sinners!"- he was shouting as he laughed maniacally- "God has taken of you the blue sky and the stars that you all wanted to reach!!! Hahahaha! You dared to touch what is God's so now he will take your dreams and future! Crawl and roll in the mud as the ungrateful pigs you are! Since you don't want to accept God, then you don't deserve to raise your eyes to look at him! Despair and repent for the judgement day has arrived! You will all die and there's nothing you can do about it! God has talked and it will be done!!"

The guy was obviously crazy, and yet, many also thought the same. After all, the Red Sky had appeared the day after the last religion in the world had been eliminated and disbanded, so it was as if some divine being had brought this situation as a curse on us.

- "And yet, here I am looking up at the sky that will disappear in a few decades…"- I said trembling at reminding the feeling which did not tortured me anymore, but which I knew painfully well that wuld come again no matter what- "I wonder how much would anyone in the End had paid for just ten minutes of this peace of mind."

There was no price for a peaceful existence and a quiet night of sleep during the End. You could risk your life every day and accumulate all the money in the world live without working for years. However, it was exactly in those moments, when your mind was not distracted or focused when the Dread fell upon you making you feel the most miserable bug in the universe. Many took their own lives just after striking it rich due to not be able to bear the dread drowning. Due to this, settling and spending your years doing nothing was impossible, it was as if God in his fury had sentenced us to be active and fight until the end of our lives, while only allowing us to sleep when we were dead exhausted.

- "Even during our sleep…"- I mentioned reminding myself of the nightmares and horrible visions we had once we went to bed, especially if we were not exhausted enough.

It was ironic that something that was supposed to bring us rest and soothing, would became a traumatic experience that everyone wanted to avoid at all costs. If you wanted to sleep normally, you would be assaulted with nightmares and visions of the death of all your loved ones and yourself in the most barbaric and savage ways. The first time I experienced it, I had seen my mother and brother being tortured while I could only watch powerless. I had woken up screaming and crying. When I tried to sleep again, this time my family had decided to tortured me and killed me. It was just too much.

- "People became crazy the first months"- I said remembering the people in the streets who looked like zombies due to the lack of sleep and the exhaustion- "Many tried to avoid sleeping, and then when they had finally reached their limit, they noticed that they did not dream at all."

Once this was discovered, people forced themselves to stay awake until it was unavoidable and others started to use drugs that made you sleep to deeply that you could be considered knocked out. Of course this brought many problems like cases of sickness due to lack of sleep and even some deaths where people just collapsed and did not get up again due to over exhaustion. And yet, people preferred that to the horrors of witnessing the nightmares and visions which now accompanied the act that previously had brought comfort and solace to many people and an activity that many had even taken for granted.

- "Time to sleep, Cristian"- I heard the voice of my mother from inside the room.

- "Coming!"- I said while feeling a mix of emotions like expectation, nervousness and fear.

How many times had I desired to have a nice night of sleep! Now it was my chance, but the trauma of so many years fearing the act of sleep was still present and I had to steel myself in order to enter my bed and close my eyes.

- "You are not there anymore"- I said to myself while moving in my bed I go to my window and looked at the beautiful starry sky. There was no "Dread drowning" and my worry diminished.

The dread did not attack me and very soon I gave myself to the arms of Morpheus who transported me to a sweet and warm world full of quiet and rest.