A world long forgotten, ravaged by countless wars.
In their wake, only destruction and death remained. The foul stench of rotting corpses and the acrid scent of charred flesh drift on the wind, noticeable even from afar.
The once-proud structures of mankind had fallen, some reduced to rubble, others left as crumbling husks.
Above, the sky is shrouded in darkness, veiled by the endless smoke of the Divine Flames of Destruction.
The sun, hidden away by the smoke, leaves the world cold and hostile.
Trees wither, plants suffocate under the choking gloom, and even the animals desperate and starving turn on one another in a final struggle for survival.
It is a world that once seemed meek, cursed, and forsaken.
And yet... in the silence that followed destruction, life found a way.
Thousands of years have passed since the War for Purification. Now, the dust has settled.
The sun, once banished, peeks timidly through the fading smoke, breathing new warmth into the broken land.
Flowers bloom over the scars of war, butterflies and bees dance gently through the air, some resting on petals, others drawn to the sweet nectar, spreading life as they move.
Young trees stretch upward toward the heavens, and small animals find shade beneath their growing branches. To them, these trees are home. Offering food, shelter, and a sense of peace.
And in this long-forgotten world, there lies a place like no other.
A field, vast and endless, blanketed by a sea of flowers in every color imaginable.
The petals sway in rhythm with the soft breeze, rising and falling like ocean waves. Amid this ocean of color rests a small wooden boat, entirely covered in delicate white blossoms.
Within the boat, a little girl lies still, lost to the world itself.
As the sunlight touches her face, she begins to stir.
Slowly, she rises, her pale torso lifting from the bed of flowers. Her eyes open, scanning the unfamiliar beauty around her.
Her gaze drifts to the boat she lies upon, what catches her attention most are the flowers.
With fragile grace, she raises a thin, trembling hand and plucks one from the edge of the boat. She examines it closely: a blossom with pinkish-white hues at its base, fading softly toward the tips of its five petals.
She lifts it gently to her nose and inhales. A faint, sweet fragrance.
A smile, small and sorrowful, tugs at her lips.
Then suddenly a gust of wind dances through the field.
Her long, silken white hair flows with it, brushing across her face and stealing her attention. She turns and her smile fades.
A single tear slips down her cheek.
"Why...?" She whispers, her voice trembling.
Despair painted her expression as memories that should not exist, flooded her mind.
"Why... am I the one?" Her voice breaks as her thoughts unravel.
"Why am I...still alive?"
She stares at her hand, and a tear falls into her palm.
"I'm sorry..." She murmurs.
And then the floodgates open.
She can no longer hold back the tide. The memories haunting, cruel, relentless crash down upon her.
She sobs, struggling to breathe as panic sets in. Each breath feels like fire. Her chest tightens, and she gasps as her body refuses the air.
She curls forward, clutching herself.
"Why...?"
"I'm the only one still alive…"
"I don't deserve this…"
"A person like me… doesn't deserve to live."
"A murderer…a monster…a harbinger of genocide…"
She sobbed, clawing at her face, fingers tangling in her hair as she tugged violently.
"I caused it…I caused genocide! So why, why am I the one who survived?!"
She screamed through her tears, eyes lifted to the sky, pleading with the silent heavens above.
Just as the last thread of hope was slipping from her grasp.
A small, blue-feathered bird fluttered down and landed softly atop her head.
Startled, she lifted her gaze.
The bird took flight, circling gently before perching just in front of the flower-covered boat.
It chirped a delicate, melodic sound that danced through the air like wind chimes in spring.
She stared, breath held, as the tiny creature's reflection shimmered in her eyes.
Its sapphire feathers seemed to blend seamlessly into her own blue, ocean-like gaze.
With a gentle breeze, the bird flew away.
She reached out her hand, as if to stop it.
But slowly, she let her hand fall.
"I shouldn't give up…"
"I should find…"
"Survivors."
With that sudden burst of hope, she slowly stood up.
But when she tried to walk, her legs gave out, and she fell to the flower-covered ground.
She stood up slowly, flower petals clinging to her face and hair.
With gentle hands, she brushed them away, then patted down her simple white, sleeveless dress, smoothing out the folds.
Regaining her confidence, she began to move, one shaky step at a time, in the direction the bird had flown.
Each step wobbled, her legs barely able to support the weight of her own body.
"This is strange…" she whispered to herself.
She hesitated… but pushed the feeling aside.
And so she walked.
And walked.
The flowers trembled beneath her feet.
She tried to avoid stepping on them, but it was impossible.
Each step left a trail through the field of color, petals crushed beneath her bare feet.
She walked, and walked, each step steadier than the last.
A small smile tugged at her lips from the tiniest of victories.
As her confidence grew, so did her steps.
She began to hop, then run. Her strides grew longer, faster, though clumsy and uneven.
And then, with one careless leap, she stumbled and fell face-first into the sea of flowers.
She lay still for a moment… Then smiled. A wide, childlike smile.
A faint giggle escaped her lips.
Then another.
Until finally, laughter bubbled up, light and joyful.
But it didn't last.
The laughter slowly faded, swallowed by silence.
She turned her gaze to the bright sky above, eyes softening with sorrow.
"I don't deserve this happiness," she whispered.
She lay on the flower-covered ground, eyes closed.
Thinking.
Thinking about the past. Until sleep gently pulled her under.
"Victor… Victor…"
A voice echoed. familiar. Distant.
Somewhere, in the darkness… a red light blinked.
"It… too…" A different voice, deeper, more masculine.
The blinking sped up.
Red light began to fill the room, pulsing.
The darkness faded, replaced by a deep crimson glow.
Then. A flood of voices.
Some clear. Others reduced to garbled whispers and indistinct murmurs.
"Unstable…"
"I…"
"Fire it…"
"Why…"
"To the great…"
"Late…"
"She died, because…"
She tried to move, but her body wouldn't respond.
She was frozen.
The red room burned brighter, the air thick and heavy with heat.
Flames circled her, dancing closer.
"This is…"
"A [][][][]."
"To you who [][][][][] the [][][][][][][][][]."
Then she jolted awake.
Her body soaked in sweat.
Her head throbbed violently, each pulse like a hammer to her skull.
And in her ears.
That sound.
That awful, metallic screech. Piercing. Endless.
She tried to focus, forcing herself to ignore the pounding in her head.
Slowly.
The pain dulled. The ringing faded.
She let out a shaky breath, her chest rising and falling.
The world around her had quieted again.
She looked up.
The sky was turning dark, the sun dipping low on the horizon, bathing the world in amber and shadow.
Turning her head, she scanned the landscape, searching for shelter.
And then she saw.
A faint light.
Dim. Flickering. Barely visible, about a hundred meters away.
Her eyes widened.
Without a second thought, she bolted.
Feet pounding the flower-covered earth, her white dress fluttering behind her, she ran.
And ran.
As the last light of the sun vanished beneath the edge of the world.
She realized it, but she had arrived at the location.
A dim light glowed from the broken window of a crumbling building.
Its stone walls were cracked, covered in tangled vines and patches of moss.
She stepped closer, eyes scanning the structure.
One entire wall was missing, exposing the interior like a dollhouse torn open.
Inside, she saw a long dining table.
A once-white tablecloth, now stained and dusty, draped unevenly over its surface.
Above it, a single bulb dangled from the ceiling, flickering softly, the source of the faint light.
But what caught her attention most.
Were the stuffed animal dolls.
They sat neatly in the chairs, arranged like a family frozen in time.
On the right side sat a large rabbit and a large cat.
On the left, a small rabbit and a small cat.
Four in total. Each one placed with care. Each one staring silently forward.
Two chairs remained empty.
One at the head of the table. And one at the foot.
After a while, just staring at the scene before her, she made a decision.
Quietly, she stepped forward and took a seat at the foot of the table.
One thought echoed in her mind. Someone must have arranged those stuffed animal dolls.
She waited.
And waited.
The soft hum of the light bulb was the only sound around her.
Without realizing it, her eyelids began to droop.
Sleep tugged at her again.
Then.
Voices.
Laughter.
The chatter of a family.
The smell of something warm and savory. The smell of cooked chicken, spices, rice.
The faint buzz of a television playing in the background.
Her eyes fluttered open.
And everything had changed.
The room was whole, no longer ruined. Walls stood tall, clean and painted.
Curtains swayed in a gentle breeze. The bulb above the table shone brightly, no longer dim.
The stuffed dolls were… moving. Animated. And weirdly alive.
They sat around the table, eating, laughing, and talking like a real family.
Then a warm, feminine voice called out.
"You should eat too, my dear."
It came from the large cat doll, who now smiled gently at her.
She looked down.
On the table before her was a grilled chicken leg and a steaming plate of rice, with a delicious looking curry.