"No matter how strong your security system is, there'll always be a thief lying around. A thief that lives in your conscious. That is, fear."

••

I stood up with tightened fists and bulging veins.

"What? Do you hear what you're saying? What are we here for then! I remember very well you saying we're some protectors. But now, you're saying it very causally that the world will end!" I exclaimed

"We should at least maintain life for five more years. But, radiation and gamma rays will reach Earth, and it will boil it. The only way to save it is to find a way to cover the entire Earth with the Purple Aurora Rocks to absorb that amount of radiation. For that, we're going to need to manufacture about 510 rocks and release them in 6 months,"

"Why six months? We have five years for that supernova you're talking about, "I said

"Well, I was going to talk about that later since it's a bit advanced, but you're bound to know it anyway. Basically, one of the elements forming the purple Aroura rocks is a substance called Lumini. This is a liquid also found in our blood only and placed at the core of the rocks. It is the most essential part of the rock. Unfortunately, the substance is so potent that it destroys the rocks within six months."

I looked at him with my eyes full of confusion.

A sense of guilt embraced curiosity in a rollercoaster of feelings. Everything was to vanish in five years as if it had never been there. Silence dominated as I gazed at only a fraction of what we're to lose.

"This is a very complicated matter, but all the details are written in chapter four of the book, titled Rocks Manufacturing. And also chapter three, contains what the researchers are aiming for. As for now, we're going to move to the rules you have to follow,"

His tone still maintained casualty, as if he was explaining another event- another day on Earth. Breathing heavily, I sat down again. In five years, oceans will be a forgotten past. Water will leave them in the blank air without looking back. The last thing humans will ever remember is their inevitable death and the radiation penetrating through their skin and taking their souls mercilessly in five years.

"Louis, I- I can't continue listening to this. I'll go to my dorm and read the chapters you told me about. Otherwise, you can't expect me to focus on anything you say."

Before waiting for his answer, I handed him his book and walked away. After reaching my dorm, I took out Devlin's copy that she gave earlier and placed it on the wooden desk with a solid determination. Unexpectedly, there were a notebook and two pencils in one of the drawers. Taking a deep breath, I sat on the brown chair and turned on the yellow lights.

I flipped through the sharp edges, eventually reaching the fourth chapter. The section was over a hundred pages explaining the process of rock building and the elements involved. As my eyes grew tired every second, it was harder to focus on the crippled pages. Thus, a cup of coffee accompanied my right hand, and I resumed reading and recording in my notebook, hoping to find some answers.

The knowledge of the golden pages was as infinite as the droplets of the ocean. According to the book, almost all the manufacturing processes the kingdom followed were unknown to our modern world. What we consider 'modern' from was outdated a long time ago.

However, out of all the old black words, only a few sentences caught my eyes. Especially the function of Lumini, Louis spoke about. It's a substance that can absorb radiation within an enormous radius. As the Lumini quantity in the rock increased, so does its radius to absorb the radiations. On the other hand, the life of the rock would exponentially decrease and it would shatter sooner.

Without realizing it, the sun rose, and the birds started dancing. It was already seven in the morning, with more than three fourth of the chapter unfinished. However, my hands automatically closed the book and turned off the lights. Instead, I opened the windows allowing the faint, pleasant beams of light to fill the room. There was a sudden but slow knock on the door. It was Uncle Samuel, with the same seriousness drawn on his face.

"Good morning Uncle Samuel. Come in,"

"No, no need. I am so sorry for disturbing you at such an early time of the day. I have a flight in an hour or so to another centre of the kingdom. I just came to drop something by before I leave."

There was a silent moment before I heard the barking of a small dog. It was of a husky breed, and a red rope was wrapped around its white neck. Uncle Samuel was grasping onto the end of that rope with a smile on his wrinkled face. He then handed me the leash and a bag having the food and supplies needed for the dog while I stood there, watching the little paws and the blue eyes.

"This is a little something I got you. I also gave Louis one when he came here, but Devlin hates pets. Anyway, when I was a kid, my dog always brought me joy and happiness. I know that no one can comfort you regarding your recent losses and harsh circumstances. So I maybe thought this dog would at least make you a bit happier."

"I- don't know what to say. Thank you so much for caring Uncle Samuel, and-"

"No need. It's the least I can do. I hope you aren't afraid of dogs," he laughed.

"No, no. Not at all," I grinned.

"I need to get going now. Goodbye."

Uncle Samuel was about sixty years old, but there was an innocent inner child in him that he always seemed to preserve. I took Cooper, or so I named him, inside and patted his black-white fur. Soon after, he slept calmly on the bed, after running and jumping all over the place. Meanwhile, I visited Devlin's dorm to return her book.

Of course, she did not let me go before thoroughly inspecting each page. After finally allowing me to leave, I took Cooper and headed to my house. Despite having no sleep last night, my eyes weren't tired, and a feeling of sorrowness rushed through my heart.

Everything proceeded slowly, and seconds kept passing by. I looked at the clock embedded in the car, wishing to stop it. Almost everyone is waiting for the next month to come by for some event, if not the following year. I desperately wanted to look into their eyes and tell them to live each moment separately, because they will not have enough time to anticipate the future.

When I finally reached home, my eyes immediately looked to the young girl with pale eyes and sunken lips. Mia sat at the door entrance as if her once joyful soul was taken away in a single second. She held her baby sister in one hand with whatever power left in her thin limbs.

"Mia! What's this state you're in? Come in quickly before you become sick, and let me make you something hot to drink."

I couldn't ask her about what I saw at Ethan's house or even ask her to leave. There were a thousand words in her eyes, waiting to escape. Only an evil person at heart would dismiss such a young child in this state.

"By the way, the driver brought your car, and here's your purse," she said.

After she took a deep breath, she began narrating what fear stole from her lips for years.

"Being born in that family wasn't easy. I had to comply with whatever they asked me to stay alive, Aryn. Do you think a fifteen-year-old would want to take care of people until they get killed?" she replied with tears in her eyes.

"It's time to get rid of this burden, now that my brother and father will finally end up in jail."

She paused and continued.

"A few months ago, Ethan led me through a dark pathway. It was for the sake of helping him out with some construction. I was attached to him, especially that our father always had work to do. And as you know, my mother died while giving birth to Layla. Ethan was everything I had."

"The more I walked behind him, the more the smell got worse. That room he led me to- it was full of corpses, and I'll never forget how Ethan looked at me that day. He had so much hatred and victory in his eyes," she continued.

"Mia, you don't have to continue," I said in a sympathetic voice.

"No. I will. You deserve to know the truth. When I tried running, Ethan pulled me to another room. Except for this time, the people were alive. He told me that I had to take care of them and keep them alive, or he'll end my life. I had no choice, and every month or so, he'd take his next victim. Just imagine taking care of people so that they get killed at the end. But one day," she paused.

At that moment, she looked deeply into my eyes and closed them for a moment. Her lips stopped, as if they were internally rehearsing for what to say next. I couldn't interrupt, speak, or reply as if every nerve connected to my mouth was burnt.

For the past years, Mia always looked at me with guilt. Although she would spread joy with her smile to wherever she went, Mia sometimes called me during midnight crying and shaking uncontrollably. However, she never told me why. Those nights, her repetitive screams would be my only memory before I slept. She prevented me from calling the police, or interfering and said that my presence was enough. It was all for this moment. Those haunted lips knew it was finally time to confess.

"One day, and after 10 years of searching, he tracked your parents down and delivered them to that room. But it was different. It wasn't some random trade. It was revenge. The only thing he was honest with you about was what your parents did for a living, and the fact that they killed his mother. Although your parents made a lot of mistakes, they genuinely loved you, Aryn. They didn't want you to be constantly running away with criminals. And at the time where they no longer sent you any money, they were facing tough times- to the point where they ended up on the streets,"

"Nothing and nothing justifies murder, Mia. It doesn't make a difference and doesn't change anything Mia," I said, trying to hold tears.

"Of course it doesn't Aryn, I know that. But, I needed to tell you, and lift this burden off my chest. And you know the rest, Ethan wanted to torture you the most, since your parents killed his mother to deliver you the money."

"Anyway, is there something else you came to this distance for?" I changed the topic.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you for a huge favor that you have the right to reject. My brother and father's court is in three days. And with their certain imprisonment, the custody rights will sure be taken away from my father."

"Aryn, I don't have any relatives and I don't want to be sent to foster care. You're considered a close family friend. What I'm trying to ask you, is- can you have our custody? With a good lawyer, I'm sure the court will find no issues."

"But Mia, I lost my job, and that won't be an advantage. And I'm a previous prisoner."

"Do you agree? That is the question."

Was I ready to look into the eyes of Ethan's sisters everyday? After everything, and my responsibilities, was I ever gonna fall in love and have children? The answer to these questions was a no. However, I always imagined and certainly wanted children playing around me at some point of my life.

I looked into Mia's eyes, with all the scars she hid, the tears she held and the fear she locked. She chose me as her accompanier on this journey, and an inner voice screamed to her question with a yes.

"Yes. I want to Mia." I replied.

"I'll bring you the best lawyer, and the money is there as well. Don't worry about the rest," she responded back.

I prepared the extra room upstairs for Mia and Layla to reside in. The bedsheets lost their white color to the dust which covered them. The unventilated air was thick, and the smell of dirt was dominating. I opened the windows, allowing the scent of the aromatic flowers to flourish, mopped the floor, and polished the wooden surfaces.

I couldn't remember when was the last time fresh air entered the room. It was for my parents, or so my memories recalled from the little time they spent with me. My feet quickly left the room before sinking any further into the past.

"Mia, your room is ready. Get some rest and I'll put Layla to sleep," I called.

She nodded and handed me, Layla. My eyes instantly fell on the tiny fingers she wrapped around my thumb. A tear fell on her pink cheek from my eyes, making her suddenly blink. Eventually, her little eyelids closed, and she silently slept.

The next day, I met the lawyer Mia brought. As a grown up person, I refused Mia's help to pay the money. There was some money in my bank account, which became the fortune of Mr. Adonis.

"Mrs Aryn, there are some details I couldn't talk about to Mia. For instance, Mia's father will certainly be executed, and her brother will get at least life imprisonment. What matters is the fact that the custody of Mia and Layla belongs to you, according to the will written by Mia's father. This will be our strongest point in court, and our key to winning."

"That's a very complex situation to say the least. I never expected to be part of the will, but it'll certainly be advantageous considering my current state," I replied.

We discussed all the details, and his eyes revealed uttermost confidence of winning the case. Moreover, today was Ethan's court and I provided my witness statement. I stood bravely, not looking at him and instead imagining the defeat running through him. The result? A life-sentence. His father was to be executed. Mia was devastated, and while her shivering and screams spread through court, she showed no resistance to the judgement.

Would crimes, murder, greed, lies, and every emotion the black side of humans hold diminish if Earth was saved? As I looked into Ethan's eyes one more time, the answer became more obvious.

Two days later, Mia stood behind her words. The lawyer dealt in extreme professionalism, and there was no doubt that his meticulousness surprised the judges. The lawyer was able to convince the judge with evidence that my previous crime was minor, and by no means would have an impact on the children.

"Mrs Aryn dealt with unpleasant circumstances the past few days, and it is normal to take a break from her job for a while. Although she may not be able to continue practicing her medical profession, it is certain that she will find another job considering her high qualifications. Not to mention, Aryn is written down as the custodian in the to-be executed father's will, " the lawyer stated.

The judge struck his wooden hammer, and I became the custodian of Mia and Layla.

I drove back home, in about twenty minutes. When I thought everything ended, fate pulled a reverse card. In fact, everything was just beginning, beginning in an end.

After putting Layla to sleep, I then took Rules of Death from my drawer. My finger skimmed over what Louis explained the past three days, and my brain carried infinite calculations in mere seconds. But the more calculations and analysis it desperately made, the further the solution traveled and hopelessness leached through my veins.

The scarce amounts of Palladium and Lumini extracted a year can only produce forty Purple Auroras a year. I carried the calculations forty times that night, in addition to the book but it all lead to forty rocks a year theoretically.

Unfortunately, the Palladium found in the Earth's crust reacts differently with the Lumini- causing the entire rock to malfunction. The photographs of those rocks failing was nothing different than a nuclear bomb exploding. However, researchers never ceased

looking for the reasons. Multiple theories, out of which no one was chosen, were suggested. Inevitably, the kingdom has to rely on our blood's small amounts of Palladium. But, at this point it's entire Earth, and not only the kingdom.

The kingdom has been reserving generous quantities of palladium. I dropped the pen down, when my eyes saw how far are we from the target. With the pace the kingdom is going by, exactly 11 years will be needed.

PS: I would like to thank you all for reaching a thousand reads. It genuinely is a big milestone, and I'd never expected or imagined to reach it. I know I'm a little bit late , but I've prepared a little surprise on my Instagram account mentioned in the banner to express my appreciation.

Thank you to everyone who loved this book, and took his own time to read it. I really appreciate your love and kindness ❤️.

Lastly, I'm very sorry for not updating my book for such a long time. Life has been really hectic, but I promise to continue the chapters, and I won't stop writing.