Bright Future

'That... is Ki Song's mother.'

As Sunny thought that, surprised, the memory dissolved into the stream of Cassie's consciousness, and another one surfaced. 

Orum, now an Awakened, was standing at the edges of a crowded square in NQSC. His figure was more muscular, and his posture was upright and confident — a far cry from the skinny refugee youth he had been once.

He had survived the end of the world… mostly thanks to Song Jiwon, who had taught him how to harvest soul shards, absorb them to grow stronger, summon the runes to learn about his Aspect and Attributes, manifest Memories, and much more. 

On that day many years ago, they had fought their way out of the flood of the infected… the Nightmare Creatures, as they were called now… and then joined a caravan of other survivors, escaping across the desolate wasteland toward the Northern Quadrant Siege Capital.