___ United States Of Humanity, 130 DM ___
The world was silent, void of any sound. Not even birds dared to chirp, nor did lions dare to roar. Looking down on Earth from the heavens, one would mistake it for a ghost planet.
But it wouldn't be incorrect to consider Earth 5580 a ghost planet. After being ravaged for thirteen decades, humanity's population had dwindled to barely over 50 million.
In the first three decades of God's madness, humans of this planet were nearly wiped out. Armageddon met them unprepared, in the middle of the first world war. Fueled by selfishness, humanity saw this as an opportunity to conquer rivals struggling against invasions, thinking they would be able to protect these lands, but their delusion was soon met with reality.
Nations toppled under the invasion of creatures of unknown origin and angels of divine backing, marking what historians termed The Great Massacre. This was the period in which billions of humans were slaughtered like livestock, chased from their homeland, and forced to settle in the U.S.A, which was the only country that had adapted to the new world before anyone else.
What was once the United States of America soon changed to the United States of Humanity in 30 DM, marking the day humans united and decided to fight back against God as one. During this time, skilled Ascendants made their debuts, with the most amazing being Alistar White, a man who won three decades of peace for the USH between 40 DM and 70 DM before meeting his demise.
At the glorious age of the USH, the great nation occupied all of North and South America, but all that changed after Alistar's death. Since then, humanity gradually lost territories, losing all of South America as early as 100 DM. By 120 DM several northern American territories had fallen to these monsters.
The USH capital was forced to move to Colorado, where they had barely managed to keep control of neighboring states like Texas, Arizona, Utah, and several others that housed the remnants of humanity. At this point, many believed Earth 5580 was about to face extinction like several other planets that had failed to resist Heaven's madness.
In its darkest time, Ji Wei appeared. The nobody who boldly declared before everyone who cared to listen that he would be the one to save humanity. He was the USH's sole survivor and victor of 120 DM's Armageddon Games, buying Earth 5580 the time it desperately needed to gather itself and prepare its defenses.
Today marked ten years since then, and the world was nervous, with one question plaguing their minds.
Would Ji Wei be able to repeat the miracle of a decade ago?
Everyone wanted to be optimistic, but memories of the massacres humanity had endured for nine decades still clung tightly to their hearts. It reflected in the empty streets, closed stores, and sealed homes. This was not the mood of a people confident in their champion.
A colossal crimson eye stretched across all corners of the planet, accompanied by an unsettling feminine laughter birthed from the very depths of depravity, echoing across the world. In the border state of Texas, in a duplex located somewhere in the upscale part of the city, an unnatural silence stretched just after a bone-chilling death scream.
Lying between two bloodied corpses in the center of the living room was a boy with oddly gray hair dyed red by the puddle of blood beneath him. He stared at the ceiling fan spinning directly above him, his grip on the kitchen knife tightening as low chuckles escaped his lips. His eyes were unfocused, as if lost in thought, and a crooked smile tugged at the edges of his lips. The expression he wore was nothing short of madness—one that matched the nature of the world he lived in.
The boy was barely seventeen, yet his face was marred with a look of ecstasy. The pleasure in his eyes was not something a child his age should have ever known.
"All citizens are expected to remain indoors until 12 a.m. Don't forget to reach out to the ministry if selected by the divine call."
"All citizens are expected to remain indoors until 12 a.m. Don't forget to reach out to the ministry if selected by the divine call."
"All citizens are expected to remain indoors until 12 a.m. Don't forget to reach out to the ministry if selected by the divine call."
The boy's wild gaze focused upon the repetition of those words for the third time, causing his stretched lips to relax. His face wrinkles slowly faded as his smile transitioned into pure emptiness—a complete contrast to the man he was just a moment ago.
"Will she choose me?" Sol questioned in a low mumble.
Today marked the 13th Armageddon Games and the 13th Divine Call this universe had endured under its mad god. On this day, Earth 5580 would be sending out its representatives for the games and would also be getting new ones.
Certain death.
Absolute death.
Unavoidable death.
These were the only terms used to describe the Armageddon Games. It was an event exclusive to Ascendants. However, these Ascendants were humans who possessed the mark of the Idia—the entity referred to as the source of all power, life forms, and creation of the universe. It was said the universe was birthed out of this source.
Basically, the day dedicated to creating a new batch of Ascendants was also recognized as the final day of the previous batch.
Sol lazily dragged himself to his feet, his blank gaze alternating between the corpses. Seeing the horrified expressions etched on his father's and mother's faces, he felt… thrilled.
"Silly bastard, get over here. Where the hell is that devil spawn? Don't run from me, you fool…" Sol voiced out the curses they always hurled at him, his voice empty as he spoke.
All seventeen years of his life had been nothing but torture. Getting abused by both parents, Sol never failed to notice the glee underneath the fraudulent anger they portrayed on the surface while striking him. He knew most times they abused him, it wasn't because he did something wrong, but because of the intoxicating feeling of control and strength it offered.
Sometimes they got lost in the feeling and would take things a bit further, harming him badly. Before fifteen, he had suffered a fractured rib from being stomped on by his mother when he caught her sneaking out to her affair partner. He had also busted open his skull early in life after getting hit by a baseball bat to the head simply because his father's mistress didn't like the way he looked at her.
Many would assume their abusive actions were due to alcoholism or drug abuse, but neither was the case in Sol's story. His parents were simply bad people who were determined to stick together through shared abuse, and somehow it trickled down to their offspring, but it didn't matter to them. Each always told him how much he reminded them of the other and how it disgusted them, but for some reason they never left each other and just doubled down on the fights and abuse.
Sol's fractured home had brought him so much pain, it broke him. Today was confirmation of this. Even while standing over familiar faces he had stared at since the day of his birth, he did not feel sad, happy, or even angry. He wasn't sure of what he was experiencing, but it was a mixture of ecstasy and release.
To see people who acted high and mighty break before him was truly refreshing. The bitterness and pain he had bottled up for over a decade was washed away instantly with their demise. Never had he felt this light before.
"And they say vengeance leaves you empty. Bloody liars." Sol giggled.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed the screen flicker and the usual broadcast change. Intrigued, he sat on the three-seater couch directly opposite the television. Staining the couch with his bloodied body didn't seem to bother him.
[HNC Armageddon Games Broadcast]
The HNC symbol faded, revealing a white-and-black video footage of two familiar figures seated in the backseat of a roofless automobile. To the left was Ji Wei, a hulking figure unique for his Asian lineage. His purple mohawk hairstyle had a black underbrush, complimenting his nose and ear piercings. To the right was Junta Musa, Ji Wei's best friend and wielder of Hunter Origin. A dark-skinned man with a thick afro hairstyle that complimented his mustache. The expensive shades brought out his smile in ways Sol found amusing.
While he fancied Ji Wei more, he found Junta pleasant and always enjoyed watching him and reading about him in newspapers. Watching the duo chosen to represent Earth ride through the packed streets of Colorado with huge crowds cheering them on, Sol didn't feel excited. Instead, he silently paid attention to the people and could easily notice the fear underneath their smiles and the desperation behind their cheers.
Because of Earth 5580's desperate situation, Ascendants were highly sought after. Simply becoming one came with certain privileges, and that was why he picked today as the best time to murder his parents.
"If the heavens choose me, I can get a presidential pardon for double homicide." Sol glanced at his parents' corpses before looking out the window.
The crimson light bearing down on the world would last till midnight. Once that time came and he was yet to be called, it would mean his life was over. He would be arrested as a murderer and tried as an adult since sixteen was the threshold of adulthood in this world. That meant he might end up getting the capital punishment.
"If it comes to that, I'll just have to take the risk." Sol shrugged off his pessimistic thoughts and rose to his feet as a familiar crooked smile spread across his lips.
Dabbling in spirituality in this world was banned, but his father shared his passions. He had been a mystic enthusiast and had gathered information on spirituality long before Sol was born. Sharing similar interests, Sol had been studying and believed he knew enough to perform an invocation ritual.
Using his parents as a sacrifice, he planned to employ a spirit into his service and have it help him escape to New Mexico, where he could restart his life on a clean slate with a new identity. Dabbling in spirituality was risky, and there had never been a shortage of stories where it ended badly for those foolish enough to attempt it.
The spirit realm was like an ever-shifting forest filled with dangerous spirits and entities. It was impossible to discern between good and evil spirits. But to Sol, it didn't matter. He was already a dead man if he wasn't selected during today's divine call. It was a gamble he placed his life on, so it was only natural he was mentally prepared to follow his plan till the end, regardless of the outcome.
Sol dragged a stool along and placed it inches away from the corpses, unbothered by the stench and gut-wrenching scene before him.
"Let's play till the very end." He muttered as he sat down and crossed his legs, shutting his eyes tight.
Sol silently visualized life after this incident as an Ascendant, daydreaming over the kind of life he would get to live when he finally became one.
He wasn't just aiming to survive—he planned to excel.
Ji Wei earned humanity a decade, and Alistar White earned humanity three. Sol intended to surpass them all. He was determined to do what no man had ever done since the invasion of angels and monsters 1,300 years ago.
Sol planned to become the man who would bring a long-lasting solution to its problems. He didn't want to give humanity temporary hope like Alistar and Ji Wei had given them. He wanted to do something so permanent that he would never be forgotten.
Sol was determined to be the man who would…
"Kill God…" Sol's smile bloomed into something birthed from the depths of insanity.
Call it blasphemy.
Call it crazy.
But the only way to protect the USH and put an end to this senseless horror humanity of Earth 5580 had been forced to live through for the past 1,300 years was by killing God and ending the Armageddon Games.
Only a broken mortal could murder a broken God.
This was the mentality of the Devil of Earth 5580.