《The Final Test》[12]
Advertisement
Now that I was down on the ground, I could see the station clearly. This was the first time I’d actually seen the place where we’d grown up. It was much smaller than I expected, its plain grey surface devoid of any markings or windows.
I always believed the station was huge. It had to be, to house all the other kids who were dismissed. Otherwise, where would they go?
But this station was merely a grey ball with a single door and it was barely large enough to house the cafeteria, our ten rooms, the training grounds, and the observation station where the five Occisio lived. There wasn’t space for anything else. Where did the other 94 children go when they were dismissed?
A chill ran up my back as I watched the ship ascend, making a slow journey back into space where we’d lived for ten years. If the ship couldn’t hold his friends, Gregis must have gotten rid of them…
I looked up at the blue sky and pictured Congo floating up there, his frozen body sitting among the stars for eternity. Ninety-four children dead, some of them no older than ten.
Everyone else must have come to the same realization. They started firing their paint pellets at Gregis as the door closed over him, shielding him from us.
“Those bastards!” Zealand shouted. “Leaving us here with no weapons, no cities, no people…” He gulped as he looked over his shoulder at the forest. “Seriously though, where is everything? All the stuff we saw in pictures?” The cities were supposed to be intact but filled with the crimson Calumnia. Instead, this place was barren.
I turned in a circle, my mouth dry. As I did so, I spotted something else moving into the sky a few kilometers away. After squinting for a few seconds, I realized it was another round ship, identical to the one we’d just exited. Then I looked to the right and saw another. They were all Occisio ships, leaving the planet a few kilometers away.
Advertisement
“Have you finally accepted what I’ve been saying all along?” Scotia asked as we stared at each other, stricken with confusion and fear. “You heard what he said. He warned us to avoid building technology.”
“So?” Graec asked but I could tell Libyci understood.
“There was no Calumnia endangering our people. I don’t think the Calumnia even existed,” Scotia continued solemnly. “The Occisio are the ones who wiped out our race.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Graec was the only one protesting now. “We saw the footage. The Calumnia were real.”
“They were fake,” Scotia said.
“Why would the Occisio wipe out our race?” Graec’s face scrunched up, about to cry. “Why kill our people but let us live? That doesn’t make any sense!”
“It does,” I whispered and all eyes turned on me. “Humanity must have become too powerful, too strong, and the Occisio worried we might be able to defeat them, so they wiped us out before we could match them.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why they let us live—”
“Because we’re the worst humanity has to offer!” I shouted, memories of my failures flooding through me. “They killed those of us who were too strong or smart, until only the worst of us remained.”
As I looked in everyone’s eyes, they knew it to be true. We were all weak. We had tempers and cowardice, clumsiness and insecurity. Strong leaders like Congo or skilled combatants like Sarmatia couldn’t be allowed to live. They would pose a threat to the Occisio by training the next generations to fight back. Gregis needed the weaklings to train the next generation, the cowards who were too afraid or slow to do anything besides survive.
It would be hard enough struggling against the animals and elements down here. How could we fight a technological race when we were barely able to live at all?
Advertisement
“They must have been the ones to level the cities,” Scotia continued for me, more confident than ever. “They killed everyone so we’d have to start from scratch. That’s why we were chosen. We’re special…because we suck at everything we do.”
“They…” Graec lowered his head, then screamed at the top of his lungs, his hands shaking as Libyci tried to comfort him. Zealand did the same a second later, shouting curses at the sky as the ships continued floating up until they were only dots in the sky.
“We’re really all that’s left?” Sina whispered, her chin wobbling. “What about the others? Sarmatia and Congo…”
“They’re dead,” I said hopelessly, sighing and dropping my gun into the dirt at my feet.
Even Scotia looked discouraged now that we realized just how much rested on our shoulders. At least if we came here as soldiers, there would be other humans down here to team up with. Instead, we were alone with very little survival skills besides the basics we’d been taught. We only knew how to hunt dumb things like animals…which was exactly what the Occisio wanted. We weren’t fit to avenge humanity.
Graec and Libyci knelt on the ground, crying and hugging each other. Sina wrapped her arms around her torso, shivering, and Zealand continued pacing and screaming the worst words he knew at the retreating Occisio.
“Part of me is glad I was right after all this time,” Scotia whispered. “But I wish I was wrong. I don’t want this.” She gestured toward our surroundings. “It feels so lonely without everyone else.”
Even Scotia, the brightest and most rebellious of us all, had given up.
Advertisement
Path to Godhood: The Silver King (RWBY)
A man given an unknown chance, was brought to the world of Renmant. With the body of a child and the a trusty system. Follow him as he does his best, to change the fate of the entire world. To protect those who he cares for, and defeat the forces of Darkness. But remember the more you alter the the world, the more rewards you will recieve. Yet thread carefully as the unknown is filled with many possibilities and great danger. Only those able to leave a mark in the entire world are worthy of ruling it. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ This is my first story, but because of my limited time. It will be pretty fast paced, but i ask you to bear with me as the content exist mostly for my enjoyment. I would appreciate any constructive comments as English is not my first lenguage. I hope you enjoy it.
8 183The Moth Princess
A Moth Princess who spent eight years as a captive is rescued by a Templar Knight. She emerges into the world as a clueless adult and is thrust into dangerous situations she has little control over. Can a fifteen-year-old in a twenty-year-old's body learn to control the situations that unfold around her?
8 263Crucis
Three factions oversaw the continent of Jumana. They were the Palace of Anima, Church of Arbor, and Seditio. The Palace of Anima worshipped Fate. A divine principle by which the order of events has been inevitably predetermined. The proxies of the Palace were the Moirais as they were blessed with precognition, great mana talent, and high affinity with Fate. The Church of Arbor revere Conscience. A moral principle that inhibits or influences the thoughts or actions of a person. Their advocates were the Fae, children born from the Tree of Truths. An ancient, sentient tree who bore the Fruit of Good and Evil. The third, Seditio, a clandestine society that was established by the Enlightened One. A peculiar individual who ate the Fruit of Good and Evil and lived to tell the tale. Seditio believed that comradeship was thicker than Fate and that Man should seize their own destines without the help of the Moira. Athos Dimitte Ferre, heir to the throne of the Palace of Anima. Was blessed with the gift of foresight and talent for mana. On one fateful night, however, he was cast away by a tragedy, and all was slowly taken away from him. "Why did the Seditio attack us? Why couldn't I see this, did my foresight fail me? Or perhaps, the Church of Arbor interfered?" A man who fell from grace learns to bare his fangs. ~~~~~ Updates every MWF 5PM EST ~~~~~
8 180My Intergalactic Boyfriend
Rae is an 18 year old boy, with "Fluffy Cat-Like Ears and a Tail", who is going into his senior year in high school at the lowest point in his life. Rae has been relentlessly bullied and tormented for his entire childhood because of his physical differences. When Rae's last bit of hope for a life with meaning is crushed, the Cosmos decides to send him a guide to help him find his Purpose and grant him Love. First and foremost this is a Science Fiction, Fantasy-Adventure story. The story has a strong "Slow-Burn" Gay Romance sub-plot (Male x Male / Boy x Boy) that is central to the events in the story. (i.e. Characters are not going to fall in love with each other immediately.) You will likely find that the pacing in the beginning is intentionally slower than some other stories. To some it may even resemble a slice-of-life / school-life style story early on. This is intentional and is my personal choice for character developement and world-building, but I assure you there will be plenty of Fantasy and Adventure later in the story. Hopefully, the various mix of elements will appeal to a wide range of readers. This story is published only on: RoyalRoad / Tapas / Wattpad This story is published only under the ScreenName: SpuriousSimulacrum
8 180Adventures of the Spherical Cow: Collected Essays
A collection of the essays of Kathryn Cramer. More will be added as I go along. I expect to include "Science Fiction and the Adventures of the Spherical Cow," and others.
8 214『 Cameras 』 [Pictures pt. 2] «Yoo Kihyun dms»
❝Maybe i should just pretend that i don't know him anymore.❞ft. Got7(Unedited)
8 117