Legal Disclaimer: The characters portrayed in the story are not real, they are not real people and they don´t represent moral or physical persons, the following story is a fictional story with the purpose of entertainment and nothing else.  

The Great Archduke of PietrOscura

Preface: The World´s Allograft

Strike Team Omega

Leader: Dragon (Clemmond)

Second-In: Stag (Anne)

Sgt. Major: Jormungand (Ferdinand)

Sgt. Major: Tiger (Nicole)

Sgt.: Wolf (Zaqiel)

Southeastern Europe

A pair of light-brown eyes opened revealed the darkened skies of the midnight, inside his tent a figure pushed him forth. The other three were lying on the big tent, divided from him a dark-blond haired young woman in her late twenties dressed in forest-camo cargo pants and a sleeveless shirt, on a particular tiny platform folded were three different black-colored uniforms and three different masks. Placed there as a wolf-masked figure approached. Such mask made of a metallic-like material which was very clean and used in medical-equipment, on its maw-like structure tubes protruded from it and connected to the inside of the figure’s futuristic exoskeletal armor which had many devices shining tiny lights on it, on the figure’s hips a belt with three big pouches and above it’s attire wearing a long white coat which reached below the knees, feet covered by black military-grade steel-toed boots.

He turned to meet a dark-skinned male with a lock-goatee and light-green eyes which spoke mischievously, raised to rest his forehead were a pair of cyclops tactical goggles, which in the dark seemed of a dark-light but they had so much. With a simple nod he communicated enough. He got up and went forth to dress, wearing the military armor, a futuristic exoskeletal armor made to resist any and all types of bullets and explosives. Even managing to survive moderate kiloton point-blank nukes with zero radiation damage to the body inside. The exoskeletal armor has a inner-layer of Body-temperature adapted liquid to preserve bodily temperature.

—Anything Fenrir?—

He asked sharply to the Wolf-masked individual whom easily shook its head rather gently and in a short distance from side to side. Raising himself and kneeling forth to where his clothes were, he started wearing the armor, using his reglementary facemask. As he continued to dress the armor perfectly. With adaptable camouflage technology which analyzed the ambient around and adapted. The terrain was theirs, yet.

Why were they loosing so many? Once wearing the armor fully, a briefcase-like object stood by the side of his bed. Placing his palm above the reader, the lock loosened and soon pressurized air was let out gently as he rose the lid and inside it was a very complicated equipment. Finding the gap on the chest-section of the armor and doing a fast opening and arranging of the device to follow a certain trajectory and a holder on his pants, on the back of his hips. Once the face attachment was ready to adhere itself to his face, he pressed a button and the helmet’s edges edges immediately pressurized sterilizing substance into the cavity of the helmet where his head would be protected. With pace, he removed the facemask and approached the mask of the respiration equipment and easily afterwards once it was adhered, the device adjusted the belt which on the back of his head tightened to fit. His right hand went behind his back and after pressing his index finger 21% oxygen started to be given by the device into the mask as he breathed and exhaled. Once exhaled such oxygen was sucked back into the device and converted into sterilized pure oxygen with a minimal amount turned into liquid which went back to the device. Strapping his belt, three different pouches on his back, and one in his front of a minimal amount on it. Walking towards another tent with a short alley, on three sides three different crates were placed. Each one with a different codename.

Jormungand

Atop the closed crate another belt-like strap rested, this one with a pair of blades, they weren’t simple blades however. Chinese sabers which allowed for acrobatic and effective sword style. The male easily wore a white coat above his attire and walked out of both tents, already outside a man with dragon-mask waited. He pointed to his goggles which he gasped and went back inside, holding his breath and looked inside of his crate to find a pair of oval-like goggles. Forced to once more remove the helmet, wear the goggles he clicked a tiny button and the analyzing HUD-system was now there, with it a full-detail on the ambience, getting out, his goggles a pair of full-round-bottle goggles looked funny. Yet they were characteristic of Jormungand. Wearing the helmet once more, he was interrupted.

*Grrrooarr*

A tiny golden-colored lizard with crimson-red splotches in its skin, deep green eyes staring back as it extended its tiny wings. Such a tiny dragon.

—Not now.— Jormungand seethed dimly from the mask.

The dragon protested with its grunts and minor roars as it expelled flames from its maw, which would’ve been cute, however the scenario was different. This young winged komodo dragon was the first member of a new species entirely. Still in its early infancy.

—Damn it. Get inside.— Inviting the recently-bared dragon into the insides of his coat. On his box of personal souvenirs, inside the box, a crimson red cape rested, atop it a crown. A tiny plaque was with cursive letters.

Ferdinand C..., the Black Dragon.

'This isn't what I imagined of the world.' He thought sadly with sad longing. As a 24 year old adult male he thought that when he practiced his clinical year of his Med-School, he would be able to be part of the staff of the best hospitals offered. Instead, the world was invaded and the medical corps of the Armies weren't enough therefore forced recruitment was applied to all the World's medics.

The bio-weapons of humanity

'And the Coronavirus still kills thousands a day.' Shaking his head tiredly and turning to the tent's entrance.

—Presidents and Governenats of the World, a month ago at August 20^th of twenty-nineteen, a date which shall live in the course of history; the countries of the G20 were suddenly and viciously attacked, by armed forces…which location, is not of this world.— The G20, the most important twenty industrialized nations in the world. Beyond all the capitalist and non-capitalist organizations that held the power with nations, the very economy and the very stabilization of the mordernized free world. Declared an attack on humanity. 

—The G 20´s efforts for communicating and establishing exploration of our space, beyond earth, have always been declared and been stated to be peaceful with no attempts to cause conflict. The Attacks yesterday on Riad, Canberra, Ottawa, Pekin, Seul, Annapolis, Paris, Tokyo, Ankara, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Rome, Yakarta, Mexico City, Pretoria and Brussels, had caused critical damage to human naval, military and civilian lives, before this podium I regret to say that many human lives have been lost, in addition our International Space Station, peak of human science and effort, where all nations loose their banners and in space, where the only thing that matters is what we have equal to the other by our side; has been destroyed, and with that, brave researcher and astronaut lives have been lost also.— Through the inevitable and yet also solemn silence of the twenty-powerful nations in the world, the most influential of them, shall decide the will of the very world humans live.

—As Commanders-In-Chief of the powerful armies and navies that the world disposes for its defense, we have all directed unilaterally for all measures be taken for our defense, but always, will our entire world, remember the character of the onslaught against our race.—

Through thunderous applause of various representatives of the world and also of the world leading organizations, the Emperor continued his speech after the short applause of approval.

“No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premediated invasion, we as humans, taking a common banner and forgetting about differences, bringing forth all those things common between all of us as race, with our righteous might we shall win through, to absolute victory against our common enemy.—

The applauses got louder in approval, the entire world for the first time faces it´s inevitable invasion, premeditated they´ve amanged to defend themselves with the lost of many lives all across the world, with no country in definition, the Third World War will be a different phenomena altogether.

—I believe that we all interpret the will of all our citizens when we assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of cruel conquering, shall never again endanger us. Thus I asked for all the nations of the entire world, to before all their powers, declare, that since the unprovoked and heinous attack by these invaders on Tuesday August 20^th 2019 a state of war, has existed between the citizens of the world and the Elven race. For that reason, today Friday September 13^th 2019, with unbound determination and with the benefit of humanity over all else, the world powers have decided to create the world figure of The Supreme Secretary of Health of the United Nations, Tybalt.—

With more thunderous applause a blond-haired man dressed in sky-blue scrub shirt and pants, blue tennis shoes and a white coat above his attire to mean the field he worked at, the American man´s hazel eyes glanced into the very podium before all world leaders.

—It is nothing new that yesterday September 12^th 2019 reports all over the world have declared that humanity has lost already 25% of it´s worldwide defense forces. Humanity for the first time in its existence, faces an enemy that threatens not the existence of a single group, country or interests of a genre but the entire existence of humans, as species that live on earth and have all history as individuals, from the Homo Erectus towards the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, many things have changed in our trace over the surface, we have left a mark on the world, good or wrong; Humans shall learn or be forced to find things equal between them; genre means nothing in the face of other species, therefore, for once, all our conflicts and issues as entities can be taken away to take a conflict that threatens all of us humans, the possible threat of our annihilation by the alien species that are the Elves.—

The silence never ceased in the communication, as the man continued his speech.

—Human medicine, the most human of all professions, have qualified itself always as one to extend its hand towards t´s ailed comrade, today in this worldwide recinct, before all nations and with the approval of all the world leaders, the United Nations has established a ´First-Prority Executive Order´. College Educated Medics and Medical Residents, following the already established education system, shall be taught Esoteric Science, the very art weaponized by our alien enemies. And thus today, a massive draft shall be done and thus Certified Medics, General and Specialists shall also be drafted as members of the Armed Forces as ´Chief Combat Medics´. Good luck, and God bless humanity.— And thus Medics were once again in the frontline of a war they never asked, their freedom dying. 

With thrundurous applause.

'And of course the United States had to be there first after all. Modern Wilsonianism and our overall love for war.'

He emerged from the tent. Without any speech the man gestured with his head, they could be late, and thus both easily walked a considerable distance, to the main camp, where already the unit was, in there a gruff blond-man glared at both white-coat fellows.

—You white ones take your damn time! You use make-up or what?—

The soldier asked, they wore their N95 facemasks only, he had a tick mark, he wore a full military attire, no fancy armors or anything yet, only the dress-blues of course. As the man looked over an Europe map, there were several pins in Romania, Ukraine and Belarus.

—You missed the briefing today.—

The man snorted to the medic whom stayed silent, as he pointed to Romania, after fighting for Bulgaria and the successful take-over the country from the elves, time had yet to be administered well.

—We´re now moving a force to extreme northeast, we know they wait us in Moldova, not for us to take it to the coast.—

—What guarantees they don´t keep guard on their borders just as they do in Moldova to Ukraine.—

At this the general growled, crossing his arms and them outstretching his arms.

—Then what do you suggest First Lieutenant Clemmond? To stay here and wait for them?—

Biting his lip, inside the mask, the dark-haired man could only glare at the Old Colonel whom spluttered out orders without knowing exactly what they were up against, frustrating the man whom simply remained still and gave his opinion.

—We do we have to loose if we sent all our strength to Moldova, our men are experienced and with my leadership on the combat medic corps, we might assure Moldova to advance to Ukraine.—

At this the man snorted and spoke rather cruelly.

—Excuse me for doubting your theories First Lieutenant Clemmond, but after your Sergeant Major´s failed mission in Turkey I´m doubting on your relevance in this war. I want a minor scouting force to size up the threat and the danger that awaits us in the border, good luck, First Lieutenant Clemmond.—

The male turned around and with a sharp nod turning around and walking far back to their camp, the insecure young Sergeant Major turned to the First Lieutenant whom remained stern.

—Um…Clemmond.—

At this the male finally spoke sharply.

—They are testing us, once again.—

The male commented sharply through his mask, as the young male nodded submissively towards the higher authority.

—Pride?—

He asked shyly towards the high authority whom simply nodded sharply and remained silent, the Dragon-masked medic wearing his white lab coat on his coat´s right bicep a bold red cross with a serpent coiling around the red cross tongue protruding, a red crescent atop the cross.

Like all soldiers on the different armed forces conserve their rank nomenclature, Medical Corps of the World have one only simple Rank Nomenclature, adapted by the Secretary of Health of the United Nations in a decision aided also by the World Health Organization, each of the different symbols have equivalents in the ranks of leadership which also mean states of a development of a medic in all the world.

Red cross, a successful applicant to Med-School, equivalent ranks Private and Private First Class, the Coiled Serpent is the rank of a successful School-Independent Medic whom officially is an Interim on a Clinic or, in the case of the situation, a member inside a force, the overall snake speaks of the prestige of the medic upon his partial-graduation of school. Top-Ten Medics their snake has a tongue protruding, equivalents First Sergeant and Sergeant Major, Top-Fifteen snake with opened jaw, equivalents Sergeant First Class and Master Sergeant, and all others have a normal snake coiled around the cross, equivalents Sergeant and Staff Sergeant.

The red crescent atop the cross indicates a medic whom successfully surpassed his limits in the Residency Test, in which after succeeding the Red Cross means it´s prestige of enlightenment atop others, for a quantity of four years the red cross is their symbol until they graduate from their residency, equivalents Command Sergeant Major (1stYear), Second Lieutenant (2nd Year), First Lieutenant (3rdYear), Captain (4thYear).

The red crystal underneath the cross indicates a successful medic whom has graduated from his first residency or a medic whom has surpassed all limits and now is educated at a sub-specialty, in which he obtains such a symbol, equivalents Major (Graduated Resident) or Colonel (1stYear Sub), Brigadier General (2ndYear and Sub Graduate).

As the overall scenery was heavy, once on the outskirts a figure approached, a Stag masked medic approached, on it´s side the same symbols as Clemmond, the height difference was although more pronounced and her hands were less rough, more dainty.

—We were assigned a mission.—

Stag turned to Jormungand and was about to order, but Clemmond spoke out.

—It´ll be a fast assignment, we were asked to scout, we have a Sergeant Major with us, that´s enough. Let´s go.—

Using their magical energies Dragon and Stag ran forth, their feet covered in a thin sheen of dark-blue flame like-energy as Jormungand followed them quite as fast, on Dragon´s hips one could easily take note of the European sabers in their respective scabbards, flaking him Stag followed with khopesh blades strapped to her hips, and on her waist around a chain with a weight on one end rested, waiting to be used.

—The Command sent us to scout on the border of Moldova, they want to size the situation.—

The male commented to the female whom nodded and spoke out.

—Threat assessment?—

She asked cryptically to the male whom shook his head, the truth was overall very different, as they went through the forested region fast, the lead outstretched his right arm and from his hand a thick dark blue string was shot and coiled itself around a thick branch atop a tree, slowly being pulsed towards the tree, the other two followed, as they settled themselves on different branches at an equal level.

—They’re summoning something.—

The young Sergeant Major commented to the First and Second Lieutenants whom also fixed their goggles atop their masks and started to zoom into the space, after running those thousand-worth miles in matter of minutes due to the Mana-enhanced extreme-speed, they were nearby the battlefield.

—It’s him.—

With an edged tone Dragon commented to the worry of Stag, Jormungand remained silent and he shivered slightly in fear, there was no doubt it, the same leader of the high-elf party of the capture of Turkey, the mission he failed.

—The one that you fought alongside Tiger and Jormungand?—

The leader felt almost akin to a trance, Stag{s question wasn’t met with an answer but it was an obvious one.

—…—

Silence permeated for a long while and easily they nodded

—Yes.—

Dragon glanced with tension at the overall battle that would be about to ensue, kneeling slightly and pressing his index finger in the surface, a mana pulse through the trees, disguised allowed for his goggles to connect and give him an outline of the men that they possessed, with shock their target turned around and Clemmond.

—Get out!—

An outstretched right arm caused the Dragon soldier to lose footing and fall from the tree, Stag summoned the blades and sharply jumped upwards and with her crossed arms gripping the grips of her khopesh blades she did an upwards X-cross motion, all done in such a slow motion as the Sergeant Major was just getting aware enough, as Stag’s blades were blocked by a single double-edge bastard blade, the figure whose on it’s left hand a dark purple magical matrix appeared, a dark elf magical matrix of the Teleri Household blew out flames towards the woman whom about to blow out was answered with a sharp kick to her abdomen which got her away from the tree branch, as the High-Elf leader dressed on black robes smirked he groaned as a bull-head shark easily but on his right shin and from it’s unique poison gland shark poison was imbued the teeth cut so deep. The Elven Battlepriest was forced to amputate his right leg and jump away from she sharp before the dangerous edge of a saber blade managed to decapitate him.

—Go and deactivate the Summoning Matrix, no doubt they’ll summon a gigantic demon.—

The sharp orders were given and with no further ado running towards the sealing matrix, Stag glared at the light-blue haired dark-elf in overall Elven Military Clothes, which differed from theirs due to the fact it was composed of ancient metal-armors which were obsolete in the new world. The female elf sharply inhaled and with her, all the world was pulled towards her by her own absorptive force, the female widened her eyes as she felt herself being pulled towards the woman too, she took out her chain as she was harshly brought towards the elven woman, throwing the weighted end of her chain towards a tree, she secured her right arm to the chain and thus when the chain was secured around the tree it tugged on the chain and in turn pulled the arm of the agent whom grunted as she was brought to an abrupt stop, her left hand going to her coat pockets easily she took out a tiny needle in between her left hand’s thumb and index fingers, freeing the hold over them the Dark Elf easily sicked the needle inside her and once the spell was done she clapped her hands before the woman got to breathe out and the result was the body of the woman being harshly cut in half through her chest.

She turned to gaze towards Clemmond whom was in a close battle with the male Elven Battlepriest, she rushed towards them and clapping her hands, fingers pointing towards the Battlepriest a thunder-clap went towards the high-elf priest whom easily spun and as it happened the lightning passed to his hand and he smirked, the female snapped her right hand{s fingers immediately and the lightning did it{s purpose, the Battlepriest now electrocuted Clemmond easily swiped his blade and claimed the man’s left arm and pinned him to a nearby tree and the female whom now had her chain easily threw it towards the man, she positioned her hands, index and little-fingers touching, fingers in between curled and their tips touching also thumb-fingertips also touching, the chains which now had a dark-blue glow coiled slowly around the body of the Battlepriest whom as successfully captured.

Going towards the summoning matrix, the young male had subdued it somewhat.

—I managed to retrieve the contract to the creature.—

But the portal was still opened, that was alright, Interim Level Medics do not know Level-Two Teleportation Magic either, expected.

—This doesn’t feels as a portal.— Tiger stated through her helmet, glaring at the incapacitated Elven Battlepriest whom stayed silent but had a sinister smile. —Enough! Tell us, What you’re planning with these portals?— Dragon snapped at the battlepriest by punching him in the nose, but the elf only chuckled even further.

— You’re truly about to feel despair.—

All they could see was white and feel the kinetic force push them away.

Prologue:

Emotional Herniation

From the plexi-glass reinforced window, one could easily see the darkness beyond painted beautifully on the firmament and beyond one could see perhaps tiny dots of different colors, almost unseen by the common eye, with a sad sigh he turned around, as many different people walked in the big lobby-like room,  as people passed by, he never ceased to be amazed by the beauty of space, it was here where a human feels so tiny, so…useless and yet also it invites to glance in shock and awe to its beauty. Touching the plexi-glass still awestruck, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to it, rather clinging to it for a minor time. The lights were beautiful, and overall the International Space Station, changed to the International Space Colony, served as his place of residence ever since the war, since it all changed so harshly for them. `Home seemed so afar yet so near, awestruck by the beauty of the blue and green planet, yet so different since it has a ring system, never had he seen it so beautiful yet also a glance towards it caused a sense of sadness wash over his eyes and chest, it feels the same yet so different. The ring system so complex having different shepherd moons in between its structure as to protect from meteorites due to their particular gravitational effect to deflect objects from their original orbits of trajectory using orbital resonance. Such scenario got him to remember the harsh past he lived through, it was so hard, so harsh. It was a long time ago, since the war's heated stage.

When laser fire and cannon-fire with explosions in the background could be heard, behind the ruins of an old church, on the wall a stern figure leaned his back on it, a pair of tense and ticked-off dark brown eyes glared outside peeking out from the wall, a laser shot pierced through the floor, luckily he managed to look away, as the sweat easily, dressed in modern combat military armor fully of a green-camouflage. —Megaria´s been shot!— A distraught voice cried out alongside a pair of distraught, impatient and rather exasperated hazel colored eyes cupped a bloodied hand, kissing it, a dark-tanned skinned male had a concentrated visage, lying on the floor a blond-haired female with a bespectacled face, dressed also in a green-colored camouflage military armor as the two males, unlike them whom wore a sky-blue colored military helmet with the U.N. letters in white, she didn´t the helmet was discarded to the side.

~What am I doing?~ He asked himself. Yet he had no answer to that. To what he did now, he had no answer for it and perhaps he might never will. The memories of the past however never ceased.

—Ferdinand!— He cried out to the male whom with widened eyes glanced in shock, as he insisted. —Help us!— Standing there a pair of widened light-brown eyes could only glance in shock, muted and in stillness at the entire scene, something he never guessed would´ve happened, holding himself in shock, he clearly couldn´t believe such things were happening.

~Was I ever allowed to choose what I wish to be?~ He thought. For the fear of being a failure, He had to choose between certain fields which one was better to provide to a family. An outdated concept.

~Do I ever get a say in this?~ In his thoughts he questioned without an answer, tears cascading down his eyes as he sobbed and glanced to the beauty of the emptiness in space, it made him crave, the tender embrace of a mother.

 A pair of tender hazel eyes so brightly asked towards him, and his childhood self stood motionless perhaps, more akin to just being happy.

—I love science fairs!— A young child of six years old, small yet, sharply dressed for his school, with a pair of innocent cheerful and happy light-brown eyes glanced expectantly and firmly towards a rather peppy eyed woman whom dressed more modestly with khaki pants and a light-pink blouse with flip-flops, they were at home after school.

—And I do also when you´re in the spotlight dear.— The woman tenderly carried her young child in her arms, even if he were to be at such age, the boy tenderly leaned to her mother´s shoulder and slumbered peacefully for a short while, in such peace.

~It's the nature of the past. To be a persistent reminder to not make the same mistakes.~ He thought in pain, closing his eyes. He could hear their voices so far in the past.

—Raghiel.— The female with light-brown watery eyes called out, the male cupped his beloved hand´s tighter, kissing it as he turned around tensely, a figure knelt down concentrated, the eyes were constantly blinking and glancing around nervously, the sharp white noise on his ears as he concentrated, the figure wearing a white high-collared overall, on the right sleeve a bold sewn red cross with a serpent coiled around the cross, said snake with it’s tongue protruding outside, on the left bicep a white elastic red band with a blue six-pointed star, the center was white as the overall with a staff and coiled around it a serpent, black military boots, above the white overall a tight-to-fit chest bullet-proof armor, finger-less gauntlets with shin-guards, knee-guards, thigh-guards, and shin guards, all colored black, a helmet-like attachments removed and instead one could see the figure´s creamy skin, so clear that it almost seemed porcelain white, of course it had some healthy looking color though, with a face-mask covering his nose and mouth as does to everyone, the female whom had a wound on her upper abdomen had her head resting on her beloved´s side whom held her arm leisurely as the young male´s left hand pressed with firm nervousness the wound with blood-stained but sterile once gauzes, on his right hand and connected to his ears, a modern high-quality five-star electronic stethoscope with active noise-cancellation on her very chest.

Why am I here? He asked himself. Still persistently navigating through his memories of an even father past.

—You made Caroline fail!— A rough voice spoke through the hall, many students watched, outside the glass doors of a building a pair nervous and fearful, frightened even light-brown eyes stated as a young male with dark hair glanced at a light-brown almost blond haired strong male with muscles, around him a group of five females and two males, the females though draped around the male, either on his arms embracing his neck, taking a hold of either hand or just flanking him, all of them were beautiful as they looked beyond the beauty a poor boy could achieve.

—I…I…I´m sorry…— His meek voice called out, a dark haired male with light-brown eyes called out as he was faced by the now three males that stepped forth, the most handsome guy, paired with the infamous now rather famous jock whom rose from nothing throughout the whole years, and sided also by a Shota boy whom fixed his glare on him, they all hated him. Biochemistry was a class they have in their HighSchool as a part of the class many aspirants to Health-Related careers optionally take, of course some are also dragged due to their indecisiveness, he fidgeted a step back as they did a step forth.

—Why should we hold back against you?— A rather disgusted look on the green haired shota boy´s eyes harshly stated towards him.

Why? Why are they doing this to me?

 I know it was a bad thing to deliver the homework everybody else forgot and nobody had the decency to tell me that they were going to be airheads and make the teacher not be reminded of it! I´M SORRY FOR BEING ISOLATED FROM THEM ALL! ‘

Why don´t I fit?´ With those thoughts screaming in his head he turned his eyes around to see mocking short laughs of a few around him and other females and males whispering, the members of his class now have made things as he turned towards his ´friends´, nobody seemed to help and they just stood there giggling and talking to others. 

Do you think they are your friends?Do you think they truly like you? The voices inside his very head spoke, unstable, insane, ready to make him snap and just fall.

´SHUT UP!’ That´s not true, they…they´ll help me right, they, they´ll stand up for me. I want to believe in it truly, I want to think that I can believe it. Please, Raghiel, Megaria, Oswald, any of you; please stand up to me, don´t leave me.

'I don´t want to be alone. I don´t like being alone. It…reminds me of when it´s dark, and I fear the dark.´ With fear in his mind the young male easily closed his eyes and had a downcast glance, trembling as he spoke, submissively.

—I-I´m sorry.— I´m trembling in fear, I can´t just fathom the thought of me being beaten, I can´t be courageous, the fact that i´ll be facing alone someone I cannot fathom it.  

Coward. The voices inside his head mocked and he replied with his thoughts.

´SHUT UP!´ Laughs were followed and everyone turned around, leaving alone as he hung his head and walked away.  Nobody loves me in this world? My friends betrayed me, i´m…I´m really that useless. Who am I truly?

—Ferdinand!—

Voices, they are all outside, they all speak, they all talk, they all look so happy.

´Why?’ Why can´t I be like them, what prevents me from being a happy person? Was I born in hate? Was I perhaps born in darkness? I hate Caesar, I hate Caroline, I hate Kiba, I hate Ritchie; I hate them all! But most of all…I HATE MYSELF FOR BEING A COWARD!´ He cried in his thoughts with vengeance, with emotion with self-loathe all of those words followed by a longer destructive scream of anguish in his very thoughts which made him emotionally vulnerable.

—Hey.— A dark haired young man with saddened eyes, dressed in a general school uniform as everybody else in the school did, composed of a simply white button-up shirt, black pants, black shoes, a black blazer above it and of course, the white button-up shirt came with a blue/gray tie he chose to wear loose, he turned upwards to the sky rather tragically, his backpack carried since he changes classroom each time for a different class and since he went to the Library to study, he carried a thick book on his arms. He turned around to meet a light-purple curvaceous female dressed with an attire like his, with the difference that her skirt is blue/gray, she wears although a formal white blouse underneath a black blazer and of course black shoes and black thigh-high stockings, on her left wrist a spiked bracelet. With watery angry and emotional eyes shaded by his hair he turned around and met a female whom outstretched a heart-shaped box.

—F-fe-ferdinand, would you go out with me.—

Silence.

´Why am I staggering? SAY YES!´ He screamed at himself in his thoughts to find courage to answer. 

Do you see Caesar around? Or Caroline? How quaint…isn´t it?The voice spoke in my head, and I stayed silent without words.

´WHY!? Why must I be unhappy? SAY YES FOR GOD´S SAKE! A permanent way out of your loneliness!?´ His thoughts agreed, yet his cowardice was met with more silence and not reaction.

´Ask her!´ Yet no voice was emitted.

´SPEAK!´ Nothing was said.

´…please…´ He pleaded at last in his very thoughts to which he stayed silent.

_{What if i´m hurt?}

In his very subconscious, his very thoughts brought out the very feeling of fear, the fright, the emotional vulnerability, the fact that he would be susceptible to being hurt.

´No, nobody would hurt me, I KNOW.´ He thought easily yet harshly the voices answered with vengeance.

Like Raghiel did?

´N-no!´ In his insecurity he thought, that…that was…not true, he replied attempting to cling to something very harsh and true.

´There are good people in this world! I…I believe.´

_{Have I ever met someone of such?}

I want to cry, I want to scream…this is my exasperation. If I'm hurt, I don´t think I would be able to get out of it. ´What if she´s the right one?´ The question remained in the air, and the voices seduced now, they didn´t brought lies, but comforting dreams that seemed like a bed of roses, underneath it only spikes. 

Go on, tell her a yes…hurt yourself, sink yourself more. It´ll prove that all´s right, that this is hell. it´s lonely, cold and dark….so much.

´I don´t want it to hurt.´

_{If i´m hurt, i´ll hurt others dear to me. Mom, Dad, Sister…i´ll make them hate me as everybody does.}

His insecurities voiced through his subconscious, ideas that rose within himself, interjecting at times speaking, we´re merely instinctual and yet at the same time adaptable, just as body adapts the mind does so too.

´But they´re people…´ He thought attempting to find a good point, to which…to his disgrace the voices provided comfort.  

Would you risk it? All the normalcy you have, would you risk it? What makes her not susceptible for others telling her to hurt you for her sake.

_{NO! I don´t want it, I don´t want this….}

And I couldn´t think it otherwise, it was hard to believe but the truth is that the more I realize it, the more I know that what I know is true, all my self-growth during my life has a wisdom and this is it.

´I don´t want to be hurt, I don´t want it…´ I thought with denial and answered rather timidly and with sadness.

—I´m sorry…but I can´t.— I tried to step forth to the surprised female whom had widened eyes, but I just felt…self-loathe, like a monster. Does this means to live? To hurt others even when you spare yourself from the hurt? The dark haired male turned around easily, and walked away to home, raising his head tears cascaded down his eyes as he monotonely walked out of school and towards home, in a lonely alley he knelt down and gripped his head.

MONSTER!

´No, NO!´ Gripping his hair tighter and shaking his head obsessively, he couldn´t fathom how many voices he knew and were dear to him told such a thing to him, it hurt deep in his heart and soul. He inhaled sharply a deep breath. Scream, I just want to scream my exasperation, my desperation, what else can I do but realize that i´m alone, that we´re all alone. I HATE THIS! I HATE MYSELF! I HATE THE WORLD! AND I CANNOT DO ANYTHING FOR MYSELF! I don´t have real friends, I don’t have anything…what am I ought to do? Why…do I feel so defenseless and weak?

NO! STOP THIS! He screamed in his thoughts and tightly closed his eyes shut once more.

Another laser-shot went through and pierced the floor once more.

—FUCKING ELVES!— A shout of frustration echoed, around them were at least other five human soldiers fearful, as the constant beeping of a machine marked the oxygen saturation. The young dark-haired male shook his head and a stray tear cascaded down his eyes and through his emotional and yet also fearful eyes he felt a pang of emotional despair and sadness.

´Why do I do this? Why am I attempting to save someone that´s not my friend? They all are happy, they´ve made their lives. Raghiel and Megaria will marry soon, they will have a family, they´ll live warm and happy lives…they…they´ll be happy.´ He thought and glanced at the device.

Friendship doesn´t exist…It hurts realizing I never had friends. All my efforts, being nice to others, doing things for them, sharing moments with them, the smiles, the laughs.

Were for nothing.

A loud scream echoed in his thoughts, a scream of anguish which made him close his eyes, turn his head upwards and tears cascaded down his eyes. In moments like this, the soothing sound of the beeping monitors would've brought tranquility.

SpO₂ 89%

´I want them to feel my pain.´ He thought vindictively as he heard the voice, this time taking the voice of his dear mother.

MONSTER!

He gasped almost and closed his eyes. The voice is not real, those voices aren´t real, they are a figment of my imagination. They don´t damage me, such thoughts don´t reach to me, they are isolated, I know what they are, I know what they do, I know what they want, I…I can´t.

YOU ARE NO GOOD.

The device constantly beeped as the female had difficulaty to inhale, one could see her shoulders moving, he cursed, around his hips were three big pouches, he easily went to the one of his left hip and easily took out a metallic device which he immediately connected to a tiny box, taking out a package and placing it on the floor, he tore it and once letting the contenents on the floor a tiny outwards gentle gust of air was generated by his own hands magically and he opened the envelope fast revealing sterile surgical gauntlets, wearing the first on his right hand and afterwards the left one that were neatly folded from the last section with the inside outside, his four fingers went inside the gap such fold created on the outside a sterile gap and wore the second pair of gauntlets for the left hand and easily afterwards taking the metallic device, he spoke out.

~What am I doing?~. He asked deep into his thoughts but didn´t got an answer.

—Gauzes.— He declared and thus easily the one in the wall glared at the frightening soldiers.

—Do something! At least aid him for god´s sake.— He cursed out to which one of the soldiers timidly nodded and went forth, on one of the pouches a pack of gauzes was closed, being opened he easily did so and he nodded.

—Take the surgical thread and also the two metallic bars with protrusions, careful it´s sterile.— The soldier backing them up with nervous eyes nodded and once laying all what was asked at the side of the medic whose focused light-brown eyes glanced at the wound. Above him a levitating white glowering orb appeared which provided an intense light which allowed him to easily see the actively bleeding site, cursing taking the medical device with his right hand he gestured to the soldier.

—Separate, like this.— Taking both bars and easily separating the sight to expose the damaged deep tissue, he ceased to hold and the soldier held the separating pieces, exposing the wound, taking the device with his right hand which was of a tube-like design, a Yankauer cannulae, easily putting it inside he pressed a switch-like mechanism which started to absorb blood very fast, flickering the switch, water was infused, sterile, and once more blood and water were absorbed by the cannula.

—Kelly.— The dark-brown haired male called out as the soldier went to the pouch to seek the surgical instruments, presenting them all to him, as he groaned and rolled his eyes, taking the curved hemostatic Kelly gripper easily, a blood vessel was clamped, another Kelly to clamp another, two more followed, and once deep enough, gripping the two ends of a partially turned middle-caliber vase, the blood was effectively stopped.

—Now the surgical thread.— With the sterile surgical thread applying a surgeon´s knot on the first three tiny vessels cleverly, and two more knots on the two ends of the middle-caliber vessel, he applied various gauzes one above the other pressing to seal the wound hermetically as it could be, the bloodied Kelly grippers to the side, once it was done he placed his palms above the wound.

—Bacterium cohibetur, immunis infectio, optimize textus.—

After ending his chant aqua green tiny light particles were in the air and slowly a weak cry was heard and Raghiel gripped her hand with strength and glared at the dark-haired male.

—What was that?— He asked rather roughly to which the male removed his gloves and used a clean gauze to clean his sweat.

~I want to hate them all. But I can´t  Because I fear being hated, I know what it feels to be hated by others, be brought down by the bully…I know what it feels to be disliked, hated for no reason, for being yourself.~

Monster!

~I…I can be better, I…I´ll always be there for others, even if it hurts myself, i´ll let them use me…because, I need them by me, even if all they feel is hatred, lonely…we are doomed.~

Aren´t you doomed?

~I like to think that I am not.~ In his very thoughts, he continued rather sadly, this was the truth, no other way around it.

I was rather irritated by Raghiel´s tone, what´s with it? After all the effort I did you treat me this way? So much for my friend, ·sigh·. Even up to today I ask myself why I do what I do. Rolling my eyes in boredom perhaps, I chose to answer him, perhaps just to stop him pestering me.

—An antiseptical spell, it´s effects naturally hurt though it´s like receiving alcohol through your wound. Rolling all the instruments he spoke rather sternly, giving them to the soldier whom glanced at them rather nauseated but otherwise had to stomach the experience.

—I could use a hand here.— The dark haired male with dark brown eyes spoke with a smirk and rather worried eyes, he turned to Raghiel whom seemed tense, holding onto the blond-haired female rather tenderly, kissing her forehead and reassuring her, the blood ceased but she was heavily stained in blood, it was usual for her to be still in a state of stress after a middle-surgery.

—We´re eight-.— The dark-brown haired male answered for him on cue.

—Minus two, one down and the other that has to carry it.— ´Way smart Oswald.´Oswald cursed under his breath as the male medic wore once more what looked to be the skull of a dragon with the difference that such skull long and big blocking the face itself a black bullet-proof glass round enough covered the identity, leaving the effect of a dragon cranium without the face inside and being mounted on the head of a former human, behind such horned skull were black feathers, as the edges of such full-head helmet the lower section emitted a pressurized sterilizing substance, he removed the facemask fast and sealed the helmet fully into his head, a tube inside his armor, in between the overall and the chest-armor was soon bonded and connected to the jaw bottom of the skull helmet, once it was adhered, the device adjusted itself to fit his head completely, as the two tubes had a different function, one tube gave oxygen and the other, the exhaled air was sucked back into a square-like device which converted it into oxygen and a minimal amount turned into liquid which went back to the device.

—And they say there´s no favoritism, eh.—I rolled my eyes, truly did they think that I have the best wears? This helmet was a symbol and also a weight to carry, like most of my generation do a tragical weight that would soon be forgotten and made into a blissful tradition, knowing that I could be easily forgettable after a couple of hours dead gave me enough motivation to not do my best in this conflict, in the end, so what if the Elves won, the result would end the same, we would have damage somehow because they empowered ´those like me´ too much.

~Will I ever be loved? It would be easy to look into people´s hearts, to know their thoughts, and approach them or distance from them from their very ideas, but…it would also be hard, people don´t tend to be open of their intentions even in the open, they have immediate thoughts about their hair color, their apparel, their work, that going through that big congested satellite would take too much than a simply human approach. I don´t know.~ Those were his thoughts about the matter.

~Or looked upon in goodwill by others? I don´t know.~

The male commented to him whom easily glared through the helmet and intense took his right hand to the side of his helmet and the now combat medic´s helmet gave a night-x-ray like vision through walls, glancing at the perched elves above the building, if they reached to the main building they would´ve claimed the City-Hall building and thus easily managing things there.

He rose his right hand which moved above his left which made a pistol-like gesture with his thumb and index finger, his right palm rotating above the left hand twice, before doing an X with the index finger of each hand and indicating upwards the male grumbled but nodded and went to his hip, taking out a double-barrel grenade pistol he nodded and peeped out, shooting through a gap before another laser was shot the explosion echoed.

—Let´s go!— He roared and everyone, including Raghiel whom carried his lover on his arms, the combat medic behind them already with an Assault Rifle worn, they entered the building and machine-gun fire received them, a rifle shot was done and a cry was heard as an Elven Soldier started to ungraciously fall from the toppermost floor directly to the floor of the first floor. ´The enemy, it looks so human with those long ears yet so different from me. The enemy, my enemy, our enemy…´ Why am I doubting it now?

—FIRE!— A soldier screamed and the combat medic rushed forth as he rose his arms, knelt down, palms open pointing upwards and angled to meet the other to make an X, everyone closed their eyes yet they didn´t felt the fire. A shot was heard as a body fell to the first floor.

~How do you hate?~ Each time he recalled such memories he always questioned himself his choices, it made him feel certainly reflexive and deep in thought, adult, his life less of a conflict to find his identity or even identify himself with his surroundings and more of a constant critical review of the decisions of the past, is after all traits of an adult to look biased or unbiased with a critical eye at the decisions you make each and every day. Even though each and every day the gap towards adulthood seems less and less of that type, more akin to an infantilized adult, is there truly ever a true mature adulthood or is it just a notion lost? As he was deep into his thoughts, nearby the slim metallic walls of the prison that was given to them as residence, but mostly to just keep them away from tearing the planet apart; already he could hear moans and groans from the other side of the room, but the sounds simply were ignored by him. Even though the place might look big, the walls were thin, the rooms were barely spacious enough to truly be comfortable, the bath-restroom hybrids were so tiny to barely even have any sort of comfort at all, then again, many were used to living worse. Easy it feels to pass by many, going through corridors, the constant sharp sound of boot sole in metal caused a certain unnerving sound one has to get used to living in the International Space Colony, moreover when going through various of it´s old archaic corridors, before more placed were added to it. A pair of dark gray cargo baggy pants graced his appearance alongside a pair of black military boots, pants not tucked in the boots, a black high-collared shirt with such collar reaching up to his lower jaw and with finality, atop his attire a white long-sleeve lab coat with a symbol and rank on his right bicep, a pair of round glasses gracing his face, beneath such glasses a pair of light-brown with light-blue and light-green in the outer rim of the eyes, paired with dark-brown hair which one could easily see as black, with watery eyes yet not crying, such an expression on his eyes. 

_{~I miss home…~} With those thoughts, passing by the corridors of the residential district of the Space Colony, all what you´re given is a lonely room and nothing else, as for the matters of food consumption, mostly it´s just vegetables and meat grown so naturally in the artificial gardens of the colony, but otherwise, nothing else. The truth is that though, he ceased to be human a long time ago, his skin colored a vivid reptilian green dry and yet moisty, paired with his characteristic bipedal draconic reptilian monster visage, his canine teeth ready to gnaw on meat, it made him feel bitter. And perhaps, to many living in space was, a beauty, but hardly was it a beauty meaning that all what one loves and cherishes is, on the world below.

~Was it ever my home now? I’m a monster, I truly was never a human…was i?~

Opening the door with his threatening-clawed hand to a tiny room, it has a restroom, a tiny round table with two chairs, a bed by the left side which was close to the wall, close to it towards the left the closet and to the right side a bookshelf with many different books on various subjects of study, of the same field of study all those whom share the Colony as prison such eyes darted to glance at a pristine stainless-steel case or box, it was mildly big resting by the left side of the bed, where a whole gap was to its side, and various personal articles lied, in such was said box, the stainless steel had though an engraved artistic pattern in it, very beautiful to the eye, he closed his eyes and shifted his sight once more,  on such bookshelf one could see in white bold letters the words clearly.

TEXTBOOK OF PHYSIOLOGY.

On one of the many books in the bookshelf whose letters were far from being seen on the angle he´s at, he glanced at the loneliness of the room with a rather melancholic and sullen glance at the window which gave a beautiful angle of a portion of the planet, such windows gave a reflection of his real physical self, his real visage of a bipedal draconic monster, his very actual physicality a vision of his self-loathe and deterioration. Closing his eyes, he groaned, more memories assaulted him.

A pair of eyes glanced upwards to the skies, such eyes a poor-boy’s eyes, one could see in such perhaps innocent and wondrous child-like eyes a wonder for the world itself, easily placing upon the manifest of a childhood’s innocence, on the streets, the free air through the child’s nostrils felt so fresh, as he glanced to the sky beyond to see nearby a gigantic and beautiful structure in the very skies, the child’s eyes were shining with wonder, at the gigantic structure that graced the majority of his vision over Planet Earth’s sky, the truth is that such a thing is very far away, and yet due to it’s sheer size composed akin to a moon but so near the planet’s orbit, the truth was so different. Alongside the young child a woman in her early thirties with rather comfortable and placid serene eyes of a brown shade, wearing khaki calf-height pants and a pink-colored button-up shirt and a pair of round rim glasses, black converse shoes, hair tied in a loose ponytail, such beautiful shining hair of black, holding her young child’s hand, on the City’s airport a light-brown haired man waited rather patiently, dressed in a light-blue botton up shirt, brown steel-toed boots, dark blue denim pants and above such attire a long-sleeve black coat that reached to his heels, with a light-green shade of eyes and by his side a girl whose eyes were at attention to her dear father, curly dark hair and of course innocent shining eyes as she played with her dear father, carried in the arms of such, the woman embraced the man and greeted him with a gentle chaste kiss and afterwards holding hands like a prototypical family, they went inside the airport.

—Dr. Betancourt.— The woman’s eyes widened with surprise and wonder as she greeted an elderly man with patient eyes, and also perhaps with sage and attentive eyes, akin to a hawk’s ever analitic stare, yet not so tense and more visage, akin to a fatherly-like watch, the man with more grayed hair than dark, dressed in a white button-up shirt and a pair of black pants and formal black shoes, the man greeted the woman informally.

—Georgia. Dr. Aragon.— The man greeted formally to which a dark haired man in black coat whom bowed educatedly, eyes ever stoic and perhaps with an incessant mark of stark passivity and yet serenity which seemed almost military-like and heavily disciplined.

—I hope we made it.— A light-blond haired man  announced with a light chuckle, his eyes so light and expressive akin to a man whom lived happier times on such cerulean colored irises, dressed rather informally with a gray polo shirt, black formal pants, black shoes, a pair of rectangular rim prescription glasses framing his face, paired with black formal sport shoes and an overall lax look, by his side a dark-blue haired woman whom seemed rather concentrated in colliding gently her nose and playing with a young girl carried in her arms, they looked younger than even the other couple in the room, the woman wore a generic aqua green sundress which reached to the woman’s salves exposing only her feet with cream-colored middle-heeled sandals, the woman held her beloved child a female with a lighter-shade of blue hair whom seemed to be giggling and playing with her mother dearly.

—You did.— The light-green eyed man’s eyes transitioned to a slight adult teasing stare as his left arm removed itself from his pocket revealing an androidic-like arm made with metal parts, one could see the circuitry easily inside it, since there existed no such skin it was made of the metallic skeleton and the cables around it rather morbid in a sense.

—Drs, I apologize for the tardiness. Today I shall be your pilot.— A Japanese man bowed respectfully and wearing a very professional visage, a special and unique private ship was ready to be boarded, the ship though was unique, the boarding tunnel was slightly higher than the military-like cargo aerial-ship they were going to board, as they went inside a very specific and unique ship model which didn’s seemed to be like the usual space-shuttles, mounted on a external tank and four solid rocket boosters, boarding the modernized ship, they realized they had quite enough accomodations to go well, once it was said and done, everyone sat on their seats and were prepared for takeoff. The boarding tunnel was disengaged and the engine of the cargo ship underneath everything so heavy was ignited and the very modern Boeing-design propellers were ignited gaining an immense speed, they boarded the ascending ramp, once done the ship started taking speed, the children in the ship of course invited by their respective parents, were invited to see from their seats outside the windows as everything slowly shook and they soon boarded the skies, in a diagonally ascending fashion, once in the air, slowly the city started to grow tinier and tinier, glancing at the surface below at the distance, the shining eyes of the children were marvelled.

Main rockets tested, preparing for takeoff…in five…four…

The seconds were counted and the members on the ship were anxious and nervous, choosing to calm the children down as they felt things slowly angling themselves up, everything started shaking massively a frontal-like push started everyone once more as they were once more ascending further, on the outside, four rocket boosters were on their maximum of speed of ascention towards the earth’s atmosphere and ascending even further, the people inside the ship were gripping everything as they continued to ascend further, it took an hour, almost two for things to cease to shake and finally to turn slightly slower. Soon though around them things started to float.

External tanks and rocket boosters disengaged, internal rocket boosters, at maximum capacity speed. It will take an approximate of Eight Hours to The International Space Station, internal gravity accommodated, pressure chamber levels stable, oxygen levels adequate, you can now disengage from your seatbelts and enjoy yourselves of our installations, we hope you enjoy the trip.

And with that the captain ceased the communication and an exciteable young female called out.

—Mamma, look!— A young dark haired girl spoke with happiness and giddiness from the window as from the outside everyone glanced mesmerized by their windows at the beauty of their planet earth, from the outside it seemed a simply blue orb with a few chunks on land in there, gazing at the planet so tiny made them feel so different, made them feel so, tiny in comparison to everything that there is outside their world, so, much one simply couldn’t compare such beauty to any of the world wonders. To Dr. Betancourt, an elderly man whom has never seen the wonders of space, it was a sight unique and only for his eyes which permitted a certain vision to reach to him, perhaps an opinion and also an experience, his eyes ever so with detail darted at the planet, after so many tragedies that happened on planet earth, things were recuperating, it felt as if they were ants before the mightiness of space and its creatures.

—Something on your mind Dr?— The woman called out towards the elder man with curiousity in her eyes and also perhaps concerned for the man whom simply looked mesmerized by it all, the elder man whose eyes were heavily stern and taking everything with disciplined detail instead could only glance with wonder at everything that was placed before him, in rapt detail.

—This vision makes a man feel like an ant, it’s problems mere inexistencies before the might of space itself. This vision changes a man’s perspective.— The silence was rapt once this reached to the adults and truly it felt very unique of a experience, as they boarded beyond, taking off their seatbelts after a few minutes of stand-still, the facilities of the ship were used as the hours passed, a short meal was cooked rather swiftly without the use of flame and  after such six hours passed swiftly. The last announcement was made.

Boarding terminal D5, prepare for connection.

Glancing from the windows of the ship, one could see the gigantic facility where the Space Station is and also the Scientific Facility where most of the Space-Research of Humanity is done, a sacred place for Nexus, the organization they work for. Once the tunnel was connected the door was opened the children whom were asleep carried by their respective parents went through the doors to see now a modern high-technological space-port lobby, with any doors, and very active with military dressed personell along the place and also a few architects and scientists pointing at a few sections and sating out things.

—Welcome to the International Space Station.— A very elderly man with cyclops sunglasses and in black suit gestured holding onto a pair of walking aid canes one on each hand, it’s cyclops glasses made his eyes not visible and only the wrinkled elderly face.

—We heard about your research on Nanorobotic adaptibiity and programming, your service towards nexus are appreciated.— With a court nod of submission and also of appreciation everyone even the children did a half-bow towards the elder man whom nodded and gestured for them all to follow him, as they boarded on the electric stairs, a whistle was heard from the blond-haired man whom glanced surprised and marvelled at the installations.

The memories reached him and yet he didn´t remembered ever such a thing happening, yet he remembered it with great detail and somehow the memory made him immensely nostalgic somehow. How exactly did it happen?

Is this even my life? He asked himself.

Not wishing to ponder further, he turned around to glance at his room. Tidied in a sense, though the dirty clothes bin was certainly slightly filled and on the table one could see a dark screen laptop to its side a phone, underneath the phone a pair of Keys laid, and on a wall across the bed which was on the wall gave a view of the political division of the new post-III^rd World War world. Glancing above the sleeve of his long-sleeved hooded white coat he pulled up one of the sleeves and glanced at his arm, one could see easily the plastic cover which worked like another layer of skin, underneath such transparent plastic one could see a light-green moss-like cream hermetically spread all through the inside of such plastic and kept tightly sealed inside to the point one couldn´t see any being leaked from outside of the material.

~Even today…it still itches.~ His melancholic thoughts continued, such plastic cover went from his unseen shoulder due to wearing the shirt he wore, keeping the finger intact and outside the bag the palm-portion of the thumb was although kept inside, the rest of his palm and his other four fingers were kept intact, on both hands. On his right hand, a paper bag with food, placed on the table once more, he sat down and after opening with effort the tie the paper bag had, he took out a special and unique thin sterilized wood take-out plate and after opening a lid he started to eat. With a sigh, he went across the bed to a tiny kitchenette-like stand, where a instant coffee maker alongside a few other articles were, he easily took out a glass and by placing it on a far edge he pressed a button and mild temperature water, fresh enough, filled the glass up to a certain degree and easily, taking a hold of it and going back to the table to eat his bought lunch, he daintily cutted the piece of thick meat, , on the table also rested a charging laptop which showed a window on its screen, highlighted was a bunch of text with a pair of boldened numbers; You've succesfully been accepted for your Residency. 6.92.

~Bunch of prideful overzealous bastards.~ His thoughts cursed the NMRAE's comittee for rubbing salt on the fact that the military branch did the exam this year and not everybody passed. Feeling entitled and prideful for destroying hard-working and hard-studying medic's dreams for the sake of paying the spectacle that is having millions of those that helplessly save lives beat each other in all possible ways to obtain their dreams.

• On Humanity's Comfort Zone

*Ring* *Ring*

Incoming Call from...Sis-ter.

The AI system's female voice spoke through the speakers and he nodded, soon on a screen the face of a young woman appeared, her dark brown curly hair the most noticeable feature.

"I thought you were getting ready for your voyage back home." The woman asked him from the screen yet all he could do was dully shrug and clean the sweat from his brow. "You can see the enthusiasm on my face."

He went to a nearby table and removed his shirt, revealing a nigh-transparent bag-like protector which held inside it the green moss which mosturized his reptilian skin that has mostly invaded his body. Each time he breathed his lungs would glower in a fiery orange color of fire. The only human portion of him and with human skin was his sternum which held his beating heart, his neck, face and head. Everything else, was already too bipedal-draconic to be ever human.

"It's still surprising we've managed to adapt well." He pondered going to anearby sink, twisting the key and the water flushed out. Cleaning his face.

You can't understimate our sense of survival and camaraderie. 

He chuckled out.

"We've managed to survive because we're still on our comfort Zone. We were kicked to futurism, e have our own plane in the world; we still get our technology, the internet. The floating country is our own planet earth's 2022 with the only difference we're cramped, we're less and the coronavirus is still out there. So, no. It's not survival, it's simply the configurations have allowed us to continue being stagnant on our comfort Zone. And with no global warming anymore, guess there's no wariness either."

From the screen the female crossed her arms and had a pout on her face.

"Don't be that pessimist." She scolded.

He rolled his eyes.

"This war has showed what humanity is capable of doing when they're under duress." She corrected. "If you mean about our destructive capabilities after two world wars, a cold one and the human strife caused by the echelons of power to remain in their seats. Then yes, you're right, humanity is the greatest wonder ever." He was met with her sigh.

"We have had our...moments as a race. The First World War proved that Wilhelm II was an incompetent leader. The prussian culture outdated and the idea of Absolute Monarchy, an outdated concept for trying times. In the end however the failure of Wilhelm II lead to the Second War which we all already know of it."

The lonely dining affair looked real, and depressing. As he dined his meal he pointed the fork to the screen.

"You cannot count wars without putting the Almost Third War in it. While I'm an american, i can see the flaws in its culture." He replied to which the female nodded. "No one is perfect and we aren't exactly. We capitalized and obtained profit from any source available. Even human disgrace and sadness. We applauded wealth and disrgarded slavery and strife. It was so funny to see ourselves preaching our glories but keeping our sins in the closet. In a way, even if we globalized and went modern, we were always two countries. The North and the South it is surprising our Civil War's wounds still affected us even after so many years."

He shook his head as he chewed. "Your paternalistic views on history are most, heinous."

Chuckling at her. The female massaged her forehead.

"Alright, i tend to agree. As humans we might've become too stagnant on our comfort zone ever since the wake of postmodernism. I won't deny it, however. There is a potential for things to change."

Underneath the phone a semblance of hope rested in the shape of a ticket.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Only time will tell."

With a shrug he closed the plate after ending it only halfway and going towards a section on the room and after finding a gap pulling it gently it opened a fridge where he placed the plate and went to the bed once more, on the table a postcard rested…a rest from life is what one would need from time to time.

"I'll meet you soon." He ended the call.

(SECTION BREAK)

—Going home, sir?—

The inspector on the booth asked as a pair of eyes beneath the glasses glanced rather timidly but emitted a sober nod, going to his pockets to give the respective documents of his permission to go underneath the surface,  the main station of the Space Colony was a simulation of the Grand Train Central of New York, beyond the passages were postmodern spaceships ready to sail off on the spaceship jets build long ago, they looked so like and yet unlike the fighter jets they use for combat, or at least, the ones used in the last portion of the war. Although in the same hangar, waiting for him was of course a fighter jet ready for combat to go towards the world.

—I apologize sir, but you´ll need to let me see your pills, protocol.—

Such eyes glanced rather to the horizon as his right palm went to his coat´s pocket, like a dog on a leash all the inhabitants are prisoner to this place, he would too like to enjoy perhaps a life free, when he was young he used to not worry about such things, freedom seemed only what was beyond and yet once he placed his mind into it. When was the last true time he didn´t felt obliged or perhaps tied to something that he never understood and told to do it because ´For the sake of his life´, images went on his head of his mother sitting by his side on the kitchen table doing homework and studying.

One day you´ll be an adult, have a family and understand us.

Those were perhaps words or justifications to be perhaps fair and also weaponize the fear of the uncertainty of future itself, the truth however is that, once placed through the looking glass, one just realizes what they taught you is useless, what your parents attempted to teach you is useless nowadays for your own use and just is composed of olden teachings of principles not applied anymore.

And it hurts.

Moreover when nowadays he´s part of the most vulnerable, stricken and abused sector of humanity. He showed the cylindrical white case with pills, twisting the lid with his right hand as he held the overall case with his left, opening it once more and revealing the case full of circular white pills, the man nodded sharply and stayed there, with a sigh he placed his arms forth and rolled up the sleeves, revealing that his arms were covered in a special sterile plastic close to the body, from the palm up to the elbow, missing it of course for the sake of mobility, the man glanced at the green moss-like creamy substance inside the plastic cover.

—I apologize for the insistence sir, you may go on, the higher-ups will be reported. As expected, you are also expected to cover your shift in the Clinic.— The inspector once again smiled peppily at him to which he simply nodded as he rolled down and placed the sleeves commonly once more, closing his eyes he had one last thought.

‘It is all in the past.’ He thought closing his eyes as he went through the corridor, many other people walked through the corridors rather amazed looking at the plexy-glass pure spheroid like tunnel they were now walking at, the floor the only thing that brought an odd comforting sense of security, arriving to an airfield closed tightly various crewmen readied the fighter spaceship, the cockpit at the very front with a tight enclosed lid made of a ultra high-grade plexi-glass with a cloaking technology which hides the appearance of the cockpit inside, the ship of a beautiful shining dark-grayish color with its wings readied, it´s wheels resting on the floor of the airfield, ready for combat, he closed his eyes and approached to the ship.

With a nod, raising the stairs as the plexi-glass lid lifted itself, he sat on the comfortable chair, the sistems started to ignite as a ray of light scanned him and confirmed his identity, by his very front were  two screens, as the holographic projection of the planet earth and the space around it showed actualized readings of the area around him and that the Space Station used, on the bottom left showed the energy readings and the bottom left showed the G-Force Stabilizing system levels, on the screen at his front it showed a rhomboid dot as if to point and atop it also detected with an orange circle the proximity alerts indicating the location of Planet or The Moon. Wearing a helmet, slowly the visor descended causing the special lenses to have a built-in HUD which amplified the one the ship already possessed and placed it on the helmet´s glasses instead, towards his left it showed on the top side of the screen a drawing of the ship; the ship´s latitude, altitude and ventilation, showing also the levels of energies for the blaster and Bombs ready to use. Closing his eyes soon a pletismograph appeared with the percentage of oxygen, he closed his eyes as he felt something on his back, he groaned feeling uncomfortable as it showed his whole body and soon an oxygen mask appeared and slowly augmented the amount of oxygen he beathed.

Command Center to Dragon

“This is dragon, active.” Showing a live 3D Image of his heart as it pumped blood underneath it showed the heart-rate.

Prepare for liftoff.

“Copied.” Without any further ado, he placed his left hand in the boosting lever, his legs were encased and slowly needles pierced trough his clothes and his skin, he groaned, slowly his legs felt cool, unmoving, with a nod, he pushed fort the booster lever and slowly the speed picked up and the G-forces augmented. As the ship neared to the opening gates to the free space, he took the lever with his right hand and with the lever on his left hand he pushed it forth even further as more G-forces were made on him and more speed was summoned, the image of his heart augmented with more pressure, once outside the space he his left hand went underneath, his legs felt mildly free and the level was absorbed inside, once such was done both of his hands were on the lever and he smiled at the free space, moving his legs mildly on a pedal, the speed augmented mildly and he angled and took his trajectory towards the planet. As the wings changed and angled back slightly, he smiled and pressed the pedals mildly and the ship broke through the earth´s atmosphere, on the wings fire appeared mildly on them, controlled akin to heat on them but didn´t affected them at all. Slowly as the skies cleared and opened, revealed a floating mass of planet, which was lifted from the planet´s surface itself, akin to a floating paradise, the Floating Country, the last fortification of defense for the human race in answer to the alien invasion. Descending the speed, he called from his communicator. “This is dragon copying to station, preparing for landing in Self-Defense Force Airbase.”

Towermaster to POS-Master Sergeant Aragon, do you copy, descend speed.

Without any further ado, slowly descending the speed, as he slowly approached, getting to cruise speed.

Towermaster to POS-Master Sergeant Aragon, standby for scan.

The servers and systems reported a friendly infiltration to the network to analyze the ship, before finally.

Towermaster to POS, analysis accepted Sergeant, welcome to PietrOscura my Prince.

Arriving to the airbase, descending the speed and landing, all other formalities were left away, leaving the ship and being escorted to the nearest train station, where he took the train, and after taking a lonely room in the train and lying on a thin bed, he closed his eyes.

A pair of nervous eyes which constantly looked at all sides could only see a big ceremony room, a large hall, with several chairs. Many were sitting around him talking, he was not so interested in that, the most important thing was what he was in front of; a rectangular table and in it different people, women and men in their seats, document folders in front of them and at the end, all in a very solemn atmosphere. His hands moved with pronounced nerve, as he looked around; His heart rate increased and his respiratory rate marked, not so much to attract attention, but very punctuated, he felt anxious and the environment around him with everyone's talks still created that environment, pseudo-silent with their voices as a very faint background not very heard. —Welcome to your ceremony for the assignment of the locations where for three hundred days you shall serve. We will begin to call each one of you by name.—

~Selflessly helping others, watching them before yourself. It is so hard.~ He thought on the topic of the effort one has to go everyday as those that dedicate to what they do, at times, promises aren´t kept, and in such a dark world there needs to be a ray of hope.

The voice of a woman interrupted the environment that became really silent, while the names began to be said, it was something so distressing to see how they began to pass and choose their places, although he is aware that his place is assured, he knows that already there was no going back. His life will change from today at his young age of 24, not yet a full adult since his prefrontal cortex has not yet reached its correct level of maturity, so he is still prone to making explosive decisions and something. Premeditated, up to 25 a human being is considered a full-fledged adult and responsible for his decisions, his prefrontal cortex fully matures, denotes the peak of the development of the human being as an individual. —…come.— Approaching the table, and staring at a man of adulthood, in his forties and fifties, dressed in formal khaki pants, black shoes, a white button-down shirt under a white coat, and a somewhat serious, and at the same time without interest, from the documents I stare at him. Light brown eyes stared into amber eyes, intensely as if he read his soul and entire life in a second, his motivations and her fears of him, something so affable and at the same time so intense. —Are you sure?—

~I regret my life. Why am I forced?~ He wondered but he was given a fast answer.

FAILURE! The voices once again snapped right back at him, stealing the words from his very thoughts perhaps.

~SHUT UP!~ He snapped in his thoughts at the voices, in an attempt to subdue them, though even he knew it wasn´t effective to subdue them.

The man asked the young man, who was dressed in white pants, a white polo shirt, white shoes and on his outfit a white coat, with a somewhat fearful look but at the same time, trying to show a bit of firmness, he agreed, his hair that was firmly moussed and showing its wavy nature moved with it slightly. Taking a folder and opening it, and giving it to him. Giving indications of where to put his name and where to sign, finally the document was closed and a folder was given to him, with it he finally looked back at the document and the general average of his career. While that was happening, I returned to his place and continued the ceremony, but not before being able to look at the official paper that certified his stay in the institution that he chose. Years of dedication finally became reality for him while he was retiring, between each person there were 1.5 meters of distance, after all humanity lived its worst crisis and contingency at the beginning of the century, while in the north there were riots and social chaos, in the south, discrimination and inequality are fought every day in the same way that the challenges that life puts one in front of are fought. —This marks the end of the ceremony, good luck in your Social Service future Medics.—

‘Almost twenty-six, and back where it all started.’ The sun rose from the windows, on his lap a mildly thick book tucked in between pages a pencil with such diligence such read nurtures him, what is there to be about an established adult whom is acknowledged for his responsibilities and his diligence, nothing else can be carried either on his waist than what there’s already, the book boldly had a few words but one can see the big tags NMRAE a threat that each day zooms its head in and even then what waited was worse, but chose to leave it there for as it worried him and made the world grayer than usual. Getting up from the chair, around him the usual train room, took longer than most to reach to the city but he managed to, the sunlight peeped through the windowsill, so beautiful light in yellow in the morning. The contemplation of returning back home, or at least the new place where it´ll be his home caused him goosebumps and his stomach to take many turns and clench in nervousness. ‘I’ve never been one to wake up early, unless it’s important.’ He shrugged and snorted remembering those particular times as a child where his parents were already making that much sound around the kitchen around 6 O’clock, perhaps that’s why he has such a middle-weighted sleepiness. His eyes were focused on checking his stuff, he kept mostly around the room a black backpack which after placing his essentials, once it was secured on his right shoulder he easily stepped out of the room once cleaned and nothing forgotten, on his pocket, the phone. Outside he was graced with a tiny alley, turning towards the left and starting his long walk, to his right the window which revealed of course the scenery of the ambience around the train, to his left the doors, the ambience was the conventional wilderness roads the train rails were placed and the train travelled at fast speeds, going through as a slight sinking effect was seen from the outside the people inside didn’t felt it as a pair of bespectacled light-brown eyes collided stares with a door, one would qualify to wearing formal black pants, comfortable black shoes, a dark burgundy button-up formal shirt tucked inside, underneath a black sleeveless tuxedo-like button-up best, black bow-tie and above such attire a long black hooded coat which reached to the heels, adjusting his rectangular glasses, going through the left pocket of his vest, he swiped a card and the door slid to the side, received by a wider and longer cabin this time, there were various tables on the sides and a straight way towards a cashier and of course forth and beyond was perhaps a kitchen. The Subway was a special one, it had two sections the Five-Star one with rooms you take in the early morning to your location and of course the most common subway type with people standing or sitting wherever they find a place. Going forth, going to his pocket to glance at the hours of his phone.

‘Still morning.’ He thought actively and after pressing the block button once more and pocketing it on his pants, approaching to the cashier he went to his wallet and placed a card forth, the man whom wore his facemask appropriately as a tanned skin man spoke out.

—Good morning sir.— The overall tongue and pronunciation was spoken of a man that came from Iran probably or Saudi Arabia, Near East for sure, the man apparently did heavy weightlifting one could see the ripped physiology from the cloths, his eyes darted to the menu, after a quick glance he pointed to what he desired to have and after the card was swiped, handed back to him proceeded to simply trace his path towards a table, nearby a window everything was dark now and the lights were the only source, at times they would pass through red-lighted spots which were boosting pads for the train and also scanner zones which scanned the train´s stability and more mechanical go-to he wasn´t aware of. Opening the book and reading it once more where he left off and marked the page with the pencil, his eyes easily were engrossed in the book, at times he took the pencil and underlined certain important sections.

In One Hour we shall arrive to the Palace District.

Minutes passed and a warm plate of an adequate western breakfast was served along a cup of warm coffee and a bright glass with soymilk, the cup of coffee with a diligent spoon already placed. The same cashier thanked him for being a customer and left, from the pocket of his coat, taking out a tiny white cylinder, opening the lid, and smashing the opened lid gently into his palm, two pills were on his palm, approaching his left palm to his mouth to consume such pills, taking a hold of the glass of milk and sipping a tiny amount of it to swallow, closing the lid and afterwards storing them back inside the coat, he went to have his breakfast.

—Ma.— A childish voice was heard and his eyes looked beyond at a common couple, a dark tanned skin woman in denim pants, comfortable tennis shoes, and a white blouse with a pair of honey brown eyes of love towards the man by her side, a cream-skinned blond-haired man whom approached her to his chest, he closed his eyes passively, his eyes glanced though at the scene with some admiration and perhaps envy, it is an admirable trait to make a family these days when the concept was slowly decaying, when faced with a life-changing identity-shifting choice of birthing a new life, it´s not easy to take such a choice. Some aren´t just bared to make such choices anyway.

´Makes me feel sad.´

He thought rather shrugging and after ending his breakfast, he placed the plates to the side, and opened the book once more, his coffee cup to his side and sipping such a treat. Slowly the train passed by now dark blue glowering spaces with tinges of darkness, as the speed progressively decreased. Once it was decreased to stop, he got up and one of the side doors opened, the cashier by the side of the exit spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

—With your train tickets you can pick your luggage inside the station, we thank you for choosing us as a method of safe transportation. We hope to once again be at your service.—

With a nod, reemerging from, received by an overall lonely train stop, stairs that led upwards were beyond, going towards such in advance already with his backpack perched on his back, unceremoniously walking the stairs, many others did the same, the train was quite crowded. The walls of the train central, this one at least where white and yet also the stairs were made of sleek dark stone which was elegant, even the floor was shining white smooth floor, without that much of an effort.

My eyes were mesmerized as I walked the stairs at a slow pace, once reaching through the last set of stairs my eyes were assaulted by a big wide room, if one could call such hall a room, it was a massive lobby of a train station, many people going through different terminals, people were around with luggage, old and young, children and young couples, all of them chatting and making so many voices, glancing at a spot which said Luggage and Baggage claim, I paced towards it and after handing my ticket, a nice orange-haired woman delivered them to me, once taking them I walked out of the train station to see already outside many taxi and buses waiting. Going towards the nearest yellow cab, I had a few bills in my wallet, might be enough for my hope, once I opened the back doors to place the luggage on one side, sitting on the other side of the back section of the sedan car, once it had its engine ignited, it hovered gently a tiny distance above the surface and the man easily spoke. —Where to?— The taxi asked rather shrugging. Holding my to-go self-warming coffee mug on my left hand my right hand took out a piece of paper with an address written which caused the man to glance from the rearview mirror and raise an eyebrow before giving me a sharp nod, driving once more.

—Apparently they are making two new series, a reincarnation genre one on a fantasy world with a protagonist whom befriends people and a virtual reality one with a tech-savvy guy good with dual katana swords. Have you seen them?— The taxi man, a man with grayed hair, probably in his late forties early fifties asked, sharp unemotional eyes yet also amused, the dark-haired male with light brown eyes whom simply shrugged and went forth to glance towards the nearer mirror to let the ambience go by.

—I don´t see them.— The conversation was cut abruptly by the male whom continued to glance at the ambience, apparently they took a freeway towards the location he indicated, with a sigh he easily glared at the overall mixture.

—Are you from here?— After minutes of silence, the Taxi Driver felt the awkward silence, although the music gently blared through the speakers at a moderate volume, Ferdinand thought about his time here, at home. Coming back to it after all what happened, was rather strange and also very…unique.

—Yes…and no.— It felt strange coming back home after being gone for five years and a half, coming back to the place that saw his birth and where he lived those years of the past that made him cruelly remind himself what he suffered and why he wanted to run away from it in the first place.

~Where do you come from?~ He thought deeply with the exact answer.

~Where do you want to go?~ He thought of the answer deeply.

~We are aware of where we want to be…but at times, even life tends to surprise us. ~ He fondly remembered with a bittersweet taste the memory of his passion for his life career.

—Medicine is not for everyone.—

A caucassian light-brown haired man´s stern eyes glanced over his class filled with mostly hormonal angsty teenagers more focused on their pants than on their future, yet he enjoyed getting them to feel stressed, whom wouldn’t? Wearing his diligent stripped white/gray formal shirt underneath a dark blue blazer, dark blue pants and black shoes, after everybody presented the basic structure of proteins; you all know their basic structure amino acids, each amino-acid having a carboxyl group, a primary amino and a distinctive side chain or group R attached to the carbon atom a.  

—While usually for Doctors this needs to be a primary field of study, at your level, this is more than enough.— At this a blond haired burly male snorted and spoke rather mockingly.

—My father told otherwise, that it´s very easy, In fact, my sister´s the best of her class at school.—

The teacher glared at the male whom closed his eyes and spoke very meditatively. —While it is true that Medicine for years has been considered an inheritance and that it´s easier to access to Med-School if you´re the child or familiar of a doctor, it is to respect those that without having even a doctor on their family they dare to tread that path. Moreover, more respect for those that after all the trials…still are there. Only those courageous enough, cunning enough, intelligent enough and with indomitable wills, are capable of going through the entire career and even then, apply for a residency on the hardest of branches; Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics or GynecoObstetrics. In this class, I calculate only two or three will get there. For now, you´re all dismissed.—

On the frontal chair, as everyone went away, a pair of light brown eyes concentratedly glanced at the overall class and the speech given by the professor.

—Doctor Gustave.— The man with light-green eyes and in his middle fifties turned around to meet the young male, as he sat in the chair.

—D-do medics truly…aid others. Are they heroes?— He asked to the man whom closed his eyes and leaned to the back of his chair, a very intricate question which left the man meditative.

—…yes. And no.— The man took minutes to give that straight answer, to give that very straight and non-dubitative answer to which the young man rather stayed still and contemplative.

—Though, the question is…are you truly selfless enough to allow yourself to do that?— He asked glancing with a far-away glance and he stayed rather meditative about it, the man’s light green eyes glanced very deeply towards the front wall rather deeply in thought.

It made me feel also contemplative about it, what I want to do? Where do I want to go? Am I truly selfless enough to be a hero? Do I want to save others?

MONSTER!

_{Would I be loved if I am a Medic?}

´The college is at the south, miles away from this hell, we can make a new life, a brand-new start. All what we desired, it’s there!´ He thought rather interestingly, a new life, a brand new start, something to fight for, something to seek out for, something worth and seek happiness.

_{W-what if I’m not fit, I…I don’t know if I could.}

His insecurities made themselves exist and he also felt them deep in his mind and his very heart.

—I was also very anxious when I went on my first day…*sigh* we have to learn sooner or later that we are with ourselves, learn the golden rule and grasp it, for if you let it go, you could loose yourself.—

—I used to live here six years ago, this was my home before I went away to study medicine.—

The taxi driver’s dark brown eyes rather widened and then the conversation shifted to rather tumultuous waters.

—I-It’s an honor to meet one like you, sir, of those that survived.— The man stated with the utmost respect and even a submissive tone, the young male rather shifted to the book on his lab and caressed it gently.

—Rabid Shark company, northeastern Europe, Royal Navy Assault Units. Where were you?—

~It Hurts so much, being reminded of that past.~ He thought sadly deep in his thoughts, more regrets added to the list.

—Southeastern Europe.— There was nothing else to be said, that particular battlefield was the harshest and where the most deaths were reported, the silence which permeated was too long, even the man driving remained silent.

—Sir, I apologize for my rude question but…are the rumors true?— He asked to the young male whose eyes turned from the window back to the taxi driver, they held a estranged gaze perhaps as if caring for the man to elaborate a better question. His glance perhaps to the man was very stagnant and very stern, he would’ve apologized in advance but as members of the scientific community and with many things on his mind and also perhaps, to the fact he's been educated these last few years and even perhaps most of my life, there was a coherent way to speak and explain oneself. Was he too harsh in attempting to demand that about others? ‘Which rumor?’ He asked himself not out loud as he continued to glance to the window once more rather deep in thought about what brought him here, the past and his overall life, it made him almost contemplative about life, watching life go average through his very eyes.

—…there are rumors that tell about white ones, turning into savage beasts…murdered people, thousands killed, bloodbath.— He closed his eyes with a sullen melancholic blue gaze upon them before doing so, he could feel it even today, one never truly gets used to it, he could still feel it piercing on his back, his very head, he could feel it on his very nerve roots, piercing directly even if such pain was impossible due to being always dulled and isolated, didn’t meant that it hurt any less growing aware of it, with a sullen gaze towards his hands and arms afterwards he turned his head towards the rearview mirror.

—We all have a Mr Hyde inside us.—

~And I hate it...~

His lips silently worded as his eyes turned downwards as he shifted his head once more to lean on the car’s chair and closed his eyes, rather unceremoniously as it is the man simply nodded and glanced forth once more towards the road, they were approaching to the residential district already. Driving the car through the peaceful district after taking the appropriate exit from the freeway, driving slower, once they appeared in the very center of the city, a big splendorous gigantic castle was erected a World Wonder of Postmodernism, it was rather surprising to see a Kingdom amongst such high technology, The castle built with impressionable defenses, walls around it and of course the walls had it´s barrel-like posts with futuristic missile launchers and energy-shot cannons, automatized defenses controlled from the very computers inside the castle walls. Inside the castle one could see it had a certain artistic structure, the design looked akin a traditional castle since inside the walls was a building made of firm concrete and yet also river flowed firmly inside it through gaps built exactly for it and didn´t obstructed the majesty of the castle around the futuristic city at all, instead it graced it, to the point white doves fly around it and perch themselves in buildings, even if the city was so modernized it barely had grass in it anymore. The castle of course had glass on the front allowing a look from inside to outside but not from outside to inside, and when finally a bridge was extended and opened, as if they were already expecting him, once inside the walls things were bigger, inside was a whole artistic building, so beautiful and unique, the structure was so reminiscent of the old age renaissance castles and yet also had it´s own futuristic quirks around, posing a certain unnatural flair that went well and just called for many to just glance at the building from the outside, being like a cherry atop a cake in the context of the sightseeing of the futuristic city. The young man adjusted his glasses, on the front entrance already four cars were parked, each one more luxurious than the last, parking the car nearby the others. Outside, two men were placidly talking. Escorting his side a dark-haired female with black curly hair which formed dreads tied in ponytail everything else covered in a black helmet which covered the entire face, on the frontal section of the face a black glass was all what looked to be not made of metal, in between the metal one could easily see different pulsing glowering lines colored dark pink, the helmet had the appearance akin to a cat, connected to the helmet were also many different tubes which connected to the bottom section of the helmet, wearing a black colored high-collared shirt which covered her whole neck and even a portion of her helmet revealing only the upper portion, paired with black cargo pants, black combat steel-toed boots, around the hips a belt with the scabbards holding a pair of massively sharp khopesh blades, at the front a special and unique attachment on the belt held three throwing blades on the front left and three on the front right. On the female´s chest she wore also a special strap, towards the right one could see the scabbard of an old-revolver ready to be drawn. One could glance carefully at the hands, one could see them covered in black gloves which revealed the palm and yet such gauntlets had the attachment of extremely-sharp metallic claws, on the female´s left hand, on her fourth digit one could see a cylindrical-symmetrical protrusion on the base of such finger.

On A single strap a big anti-material rifle was carried on a strap that rested sideways on the female´s chest, the gun pointing upwards ready to be drawn and penetrate through the thickest of metals with a single shot. The female´s military black coat had on the right sleeve the flag of the United Nations, turned into now into Humanity´s Flag, underneath the U.N. Flag the patch of PietraOscura´s Self Defense Force is worn. The coat, worn open on the left breast wore the name of such bodyguard, Helen A. R. and of course on the left sleeve wore the rank insignia of a First Sergeant of the Self Defense Force. Ascending the stairs, the young male, whom used a specific facemask to protect himself from the air, the female in helmet embraced him, the glass removed itself and revealed a smiling face, it was none other than a light-brown eyed female with black curly hair and a ecstatic smile, on her head, specifically resting on her forehead, framing her face and perhaps also her overall appearance, a pure golden crown the base band had multiple diamonds, black sapphire cores and an emerald in the center, the crown having sharp prongs and in the pointed ends big circular pearls, on the center instead of being pronged a structure simulating a lotus flower and being as such emerged, on the sides, each one with two short prongs with pearls atop the tips of such prongs, then afterwards followed by fleur-de-lis designs on each one of the sides, only one per side, on each of the fleur´s tips a sapphire as a homage of their heraldic of origin and finally on the back the last two pointed prongs with pure flawless pearls atop them, inside the crown a red satin-like cloth gently placed with a  convex form, the overall cloth managed to be seen yet it never went atop or beyond the short pearl-tipped prongs.

—Brother, you arrived. I was getting worried you wouldn’t be able to be on time.—

At this the young male sighed and shook his head and spoke out.

—The fast subway took longer.— His rather reprimanded eyes turned to the side without that much of a care, rolling them afterwards as he glanced back to her.

—Where´s your crown?— She asked pressured and whispering to his ear, to which he simply closed his eyes and glanced to the floor, with simplicity and humbleness though his eyes shone perhaps reluctant and slightly sad.

—I have it stored in the box, I…I don´t know.— He expressed slightly emotional and with lenience, the female crossed her arms and stepped right at his front, on her visage his sister seemed overall responsible, Queenly, a mighty ruler whose words would never ever be doubted, which undoubtedly would make thousands if not million of males flee off at the mere sight of her, after all, she´s not the usual damsel in distress as many might depict various stereotypes to be, instead having to scratch her back earlier and aid her younger brother, himself in that fact, she simply grew out faster and stronger, more responsible and with a sense of duty and natural sharpness.

—It´s your duty as Prince of PietrOscura and Great Archduke of Restoll to wear it.— At this he simply bit his lip and maintained himself straight.

—Did we really had to?— At this the female closed her eyes and glared at her young sibling, crossing her arms and glaring deep into his own, attempting to read him.

—Considering the fact that those elves changed our entire reality, what do you have to say?— His face made a sad frown and glanced to the side in melancholy and sullen all of a sudden, feeling sad and blamed, pin to him the deaths that he could have prevented with his very knowledge, places he wasn´t and people having lost so much, the weight is so much and the fact it did hurt almost akin to a physical wound, yet it is also very different, the weight of decisions resting upon one´s shoulders isn´t something so easy and convenient to place.

—You´ve been doing the functions anyway.—

The female frowned and spoke sternly. —Remarking everyone you´re to occupy your seat and that I am only a Regent Princess. You´re the male, you´ll be the only one that will hand out the name…thus, you rule over Two Billion People. The last of humanity.— He snorted and spoke rather subjectively, and glanced to the sides rather untruthfully.

—Because our decision was so heard when they chose to condemn us all to war. You just want me to occupy since you want to free yourself from that duty.— The male stated upset to the female, he argued though with a sober and moderate voice, never raising his voice to emphasize anything to the female whom with considerate and empathetic eyes lowered her arms and spoke gently.

—You could´ve stayed here.—

He closed his eyes and shook his head gently and spoke solemnly and straightened, his eyes were determined on something, obsessed called perhaps but it was emphasis in something very true.

—And betray those I consider also part of my family? No. I had to evolve; i passed the NMRAE. I'm ready for what's coming.— His own snap was met with an equal reply.

—At the cost of abandoning your own blood family?—She asked him with critical eyes, what is worser than someone whom abandons the family? There goes another reason why the crown weights him so much, why the mere touch of his skin makes him feel as if burned by acid, as if his very arteries are necrotized and his very skin is being picked out by a scalpel, the sheer pain was so harsh that he simply chose to not even see the beautiful and yet also emotionally scarring contraption which means a position of power.

—I didn´t abandoned you.— He stated rather hurt at the female whom retorted in a hushed tone.

—Wear your crown.— The female grasped his right arm.

He seethed slightly at the strength of the hold, to which he sighed and nodded with very much apprehension, there was no need in doing anything else though but realizing that it was a needed thing to do, for formalities and being in between family, of course that didn´t meant that things would´ve gone any easier than before, he sighed and they pulled a stop before entering the royal residence, pulling out from his luggage, an aluminium box, the crown of the prince was in itself gracious, heavily aesthethic as magnanimous, the truth is that such crown isn´t exactly a prince´s crown but rather the crown of a Emperor, the crown originally issued not to be that magnanimous it was though massively outdone and thus delivered as what it is, one daily-headdress to go along the title accordingly.  Such a thing he didn´t approved since it placed such heavy expectations, the crown was made of gold, yet also with the upper sections in bright silver, yet so minimal they seemed to be just as beautiful and unique as the crown itself, the red cloth inside was of course a most, a symbol of association and also a title related to the overall heraldic and noble origin of their blood, fleur-de-lis patterns with sapphires on their tips as his sister´s crowns as homage to their Great-Grandfather´s groom name.  Such a crown was fitting for the title of Emperor of PietrOscura, entitled to all the territory from Lake Superior all the way to Lake Argentino. Even though the elves with their own magic managed to alter reality itself to this twisted, whatever it was, they couldn´t change the fact that Russia won the War, even if nowadays humanity was reduced to a single territory in this new, harsher world. And yet also apparently their own spell backfired creating a more harsher Anti-Democratic and Pro-Imperialist Emperor, while not exactly centralist enough to desire to center the power of the world into his country, the elves have yet to give up. And that, preoccupies him, the short period of Post-War peace have been merely an illusion, not yet anything real. A loud snigger was heard followed by a laugh the female spoke out.

—Don’t be such a bitch Brother, who knows? Maybe a cute girl will set her eyes on you once she sees you with the crown.— She laughed out loud, not with the intention of mocking his confidence as a man or his lack of dating someone, even the elderly man laughed and even cleaned a tear when her mildly stuck-up young brother flicked her a middle finger and with a huff he turned away from her rather irritated with her call-back to which she slapped her palm with moderate strength on his back and both walked forth inside the mansion, once everyone went inside the palace, in the main receiving hall were many people, cousins and many others here to be, the room was big, akin to a ballroom, there were only a few tables all condensed in a single space and close to the other, there was no need for a big ceremony anyway. The room turned cold with the presence of a man with light complexion, dressed in a simple pair of black-colored formal pants, black shoes, a brown-colored button-up shirt underneath a black blazer and framing his face a pair of rectangular prescription glasses, the man dressed simple, not sharp or even elaborately, his left androidlike arm. One of them a man with light complexion, dressed in a simple pair of black-colored formal pants, black shoes, a brown-colored button-up shirt underneath a black blazer and framing his face a pair of rectangular prescription glasses, the man looked to be a very important politician.

—I thought you both would be on the Laboratory.— At this both shook their heads and the woman replied rather offended, mockingly of course.

—We wanted to greet you first. Moreover the family wanted to greet you properly.— The male rather felt not trusting though, his family has passed quite the good amount of years without meeting him, changing the whole things he was used  to, to a different ambience called an entire different setting, though meant not exactly a bad thing. His uncle was draped to a bob-haired blond woman, both were talking amiably with a glasses of wine on their hands rather daintily, he though shrugged.

—I see. There´s nothing new about the trip. I took the bother with piloting, it…allows to enjoy the scenery and I wasn´t that rushed either.— The young male replied scratching the back of his head rather awkwardly, as his mother nodded and they walked the Castle. The family of three went through the carpeted floor rather shrugged, everyone around the crowned Prince whom just continued to talk rather carelessly about everyone, though things were more harsher than normal.

—Something’s happening.— His uncle voiced as he felt all dizzy, soon in the TV only to see many troops deployed, seeing in shock a giant demon-like monster being attacked by war tanks, military planes and around the hills of high streets missile launchers. With horror watching as he approached the hospital, how many of the people left buildings, the deployment of police and military helping people to safe.

—Father.— He called out, yet all what many saw was hell, demon, destruction; there was no title that could sufficiently describe what he saw in front of him, a demonic creature in its path of destruction. Before he took note of anything he glanced at the Commander, short meters of distance from him ordering people.

—Supreme Commander Saeron, the city won't hold out long.—

The blue-haired man could only see a light-brown haired young male whom glanced in tension while the man could only stare at the ultimate enemy of humanity.

—Prepare our ultimate weapons. Notify our highest rankers to prepare to get out if necessary.— What was spoken left many stunned but they followed the orders, and began to prepare everything, they would dispatch the men soon, at this the light-brown haired man with various medals on his uniform which he took note was the same uniform the bodyguard of the politician wore.

—Supreme Commander Saeron, the protection of the city is a priority after all.—

—They were already summoned Commander, they shall soon attack. I should go too and aid. All we need now is a war-veteran combat-medic to heal the wounded and be there for combat.—

At this the man with magnifying glasses and short dark hair with light-green eyes turned to the crowned prince, his very son whom could only close his eyes and slump his shoulders slightly, he had an uneasy glance and equally a smile, his very eyes expressed uncertainty.

—Here you have him.— The man spoke without emotions and looking at the young adult who just blinked and looked around, everyone saw him now, he only with his eyes turning towards the beast could look with fear, resentment, he just took a step back everyone saw him now, some choices aren´t made and perhaps at a time where you don’t want to, you have to, and now is that such case.

—Give him a good military gear, dress him in their uniform and send him out.— Without further ado, his sister looked at the young man who only looked at, so close to him and yet he felt alone so far away, for a moment he began to feel cold, the cold of uncertainty and fear, he came to this place to study and learn, not to kill others and be in the middle of the battleground attempting to reanimate dead people. At this the female bodyguard of the Politician and Supreme Commander of the Self-Defense Forces could only turn around in reflex towards the man.

—There must be an alternative father, w-we´ve only gotten him back today.— The man shook his head as the young man could only turn towards his father feeling angry about it, yet emotional also about it.

—…Y-you only called me for this.— His shoulders were slumped, his face emotionally pained as he pondered on what his father without feelings, without emotions, with a sharp look he looked at him seriously, as if it were a robot, through his glasses he could still see his eyes expressing nothing towards him, not even a father would dare as much as he did.

—Yes.—

And Ferdinand could only look under the floor sadly at the fact that in the end his only remaining loved one didn't care how he was or what he has done all these years, all what mattered was the priorities in the world and he, so sadly, wasn´t exactly the focus at the moment. Will he ever be? Was he selfish to at least be asked how he felt before being dragged to heal even more wounded outside.

—How could you do this to me!? I…I thought I mattered to you.— To this the unfeeling and unscrupulous man answered sharply and deliberately without caring about the feelings of his own son.

—You don´t.— The reply was harsh and cold, he shook his head in hesitation and turned away from the man, closing his eyes as the man stepped forth and glared to his son. Through the entire place it echoed the punch given, the floor was met with the cold mass of the young man falling on the floor with a hanged head.

—You chose to be a doctor, fulfill your fate and serve or die.— He snapped his fingers. One of the soldiers nearby approached and leaned the muzzle of an assault rifle to the head of the shocked male as the man rose his mobile phone, coldly staring at the screen.

—So pitiful are you that you can´t even fulfill your purpose.— A short cry was heard as the young male widened his eyes and gripped his neck and his back arched, turned blue and his arms outstretched, tears cascaded down his eyes as he glanced with widened eyes. The truth and depth of the hearts of humans has always been hatred, such is the truth for the true ruler and the one that commands the forces, the slavery collar placed upon all medics regardless of gender, it’s the effect of the shocks; your muscles tensing and entering into an overall state of contraction, to the point where is hard to even breathe; your nerves akin bathed in flames akin to a perpetual torment. No one said anything, full betrayal by simple silence. His disdain continued.

—Go if you want, but don´t expect your collar to last that long.— Cold hints of murder echoed the room.