The sky was filled with clouds of ash as black snow fell to the ground. Factories bellowed out dark, thick smoke, creating even more clouds of ash. A perpetual cycle. Humans wondered the streets, dressed in rags covered in soot and black snow, coughing furiously. Those with homes quickly rushed for shelter and those who didn't had no choice but to sleep on the streets, waiting to go to work the next day.
This was the fate of the planet after hundreds of years of industrialization. All of humanity's achievement was for naught as it only created a miserable world of ash and smoke, only beneficial to a select few.
In this world, their were three classes of people. The rich who owned the factories that destroyed the planet, living in luxury while the rest of humanity suffered. The regular folks who worked any job that paid them, as they desperately tried to keep themselves alive in this miserable world.
And then, there are the prisoners, the ones who tried too hard to cling to their miserable lives and got caught by the 'law'. Turned into industrial slaves and used to do the jobs that were too harsh for a normal person. One such prisoner was Xavier, a prisoner of Gensin Capital Prison. A prisoner who has commited one of the worst crimes against humanity.
"Uhhh." Xavier grunted as he shoveled coal into a large, blazing furnace that was atleast five meters tall and was hot enough to make the marble floor red with heat. His emaciated frame was slick with sweat that quickly evaporated from the heat, and he felt like he was about to fall over, but he knew better. He looked at the prison guards who stood to the side, with guns in hand and wearing protective suits, while he and the other prisoners only wore rags. He quickly walked out of the line of prisoners as another walked forward to shovel more coal into the furnace. A task that barely a grown man could manage for long, much less a teenager like himself, then again, they all were teenagers or young men, as no one survived in this prison for long.
'This place is hell, it has to be, there is nowhere worse than this. And those bastards are the devils that guard us.' He thought as he walked towards the pile of coal, while looking at the merciless prison guards. One of the prisoners fell to the ground from the heat, and a guard immediately walked forward and started to beat him mercilessly, forcing him back onto his feet and into the line. Xavier quickly turned away, as he gritted his teeth. This was only one of the many beatings he had witnessed since he entered the prison, but fortunately for him, he hadn't yet experienced it. Picking up another shovel of coal, he rejoined the line of prisoners, impatiently waiting for them to move forward, as being idle was the last thing he wanted. Standing still in the line, his mind wondered to the reason he was in prison in the first place, atleast, the crime that he was caught for.
He could remember looking at his emaciated hand covered in blood, and he looked down at the young woman on the ground with knife sticking out of her chest. He remembered the sirens and him running through the alleyway, eventually being caught...and then charged for murder.
'I deserve this.' He thought to himself, as his hand trembled from the guilt he bore and the shovel of coal felt even heavier in his hand.
"Shift Change!!!" A guard shouted in a gruff voice. All the prisoners walked in a routine line, handing over their shovels before heading to their cells. They were only allowed to shower once a week, as clean water was a precious resource. Xavier lied on his bed reeling from the heat as he looked through the barred window at the perpetual black snow falling to the ground. After an hour or so, he managed to fall asleep, but as soon as he closed his eyes the scene of his crime replayed in his mind, causing him to open his eyes again.
"What the hell is that?! Am I....am I finally dead?" He asked surprised and relieved as a bright white light parted the ash clouds, illuminating the entire city. The prisoners looked from inside their cell, while the guards gathered in the yard, looking up at the sky to view the spectacle.
[Greetings humans, we are the Ashari and we have come to aid you in your time of need.] And just like that, Xavier, and prisoners from all over the world began their descent into an even greater hell. One they have never known the likes of before