Aftermath of the end.

A short story by jake Edwards.

Prologue

The bible proclaimed that after the apocalypse, there will be hell on earth. And how right it was, if not for the visual imagery it provided. If anything, the truth is far worse. The world as we know it lies in dusty ruins, lettered with rubble and broken lives. Whether people ascended beforehand or not is a mystery to the survivors, who had to continue living as only they knew how. Society soon crumbled and nomadic tribes formed. But then, those too descended into war and chaos.

Now only a select few humans are left on the surface. A small division calling themselves 'paladins of the wastes' banded together in search of ancient legend that talks of a vast underground laboratory containing enough humans to repopulate the country. The intrepid adventurers made camp in the ruins of what was once New York city, with primitive weapons, and mutants and demons at every turn.

An enemy of both technological and magic, the 'new gods', also wants them eliminated, and to find the last of humanity and extinguish it for good. The 'new gods' believe they are the future. With opposition at all sides, is there hope for humanity yet? Only time will tell….

Chapter one:

A middle aged man dressed in a ragged brown robe runs from broken rooftop to broken rooftop, clearly distressed by something unseen chasing him. An invisible foe. The man has no weapons, no hope but to run. But then, he was born running. Thus those around him named him Blade, for his flight is swift and his words sharp. He was a fighter with his fists, but such a technique would not be effective against something you cannot see. Those in the taverns had spoke of these phantoms, only visible through special goggles. Blade continued to blitz over the ruins, skidding to a halt suddenly. End of the line.

He turned defiantly, raising his fists. He knew his actions would be in vain, but he might as well die trying. He swung a flurry of blows, not feeling a single one connect. He was just wasting his energy. He tried to run past- but was hit back to the edge. Perhaps melee attacks couldn't even harm it…. He realised he could just about make out a shimmered outline if he looked close enough. He uttered a silent prayer. A sword quickly shot through the shimmer- tinted blue and glowing. A horrifying screech filled the air, and the shimmer faded. Before him stood a young maiden with dirtied blond hair tied into two ponytails at the back, her eyes awash with the same blue as was anointed on her sword. Blades first thought was how she could see the phantom without the goggles he had heard about.

The young woman returned her blade to its scabberd. Chuckling. "psychicae warriors don't need the lenses of revealing." She smirked. Blade was taken aback.

"you just read my..mind?" he asked with a look of awe. She nodded bluntly and held out her hand. He gladly took it, and found it oddly smooth.

" pshychicae are also trained from birth to resist the elements, and locally manipulate them." She informed him, sensing his confusion at her lack of sandstorm protection.

Blade brushed himself off and massaged his forehead. " so.. what the hell was-" he began to ask, but she cut him off by saying "phantoms are servants of the New Gods" she explained. " the new gods are a mysterious race of powerful demon-robot hybrids that once inhabited the realm of Mêchanê Infernus. They were condemned to that realm when the world was young. Seers believe it was during the time of a great wizard expelled demons trapped insane a maddened man that had been removed from society in a holy land."

Blade sighed and began to walk, the stranger following. " that dosent explain much.. and would you kindly quit with the mind reading?" he added with a light smirk. The stranger nodded more politely this time. "Duly noted. Not much else is known about the new gods, not even the seers can break into their minds. All we know is, they are incredibly powerful, of demonic-technology infused origin, gained their power while they were imprisoned- and want to destroy life as we know it." She said solemnly.

Blade chuckled" destroy all life? They don't have to do a lot then!" he joked, then quickly shut up as the stranger gave him a stern look.

"we are not alone Blade. There are others, and a way to return humanity to its former glory. This is the dawn of mankind 2.0. a new world, better than the first; where we learn from our past mistakes,and use our new powers for good, not war." She sighed. " but you wont understand. Not until you see the light. Come, we shall away to safety; for it is likely that phantom was merely a scout."

She turned and leapt off the building, landing softly on her feet. Blade just stood there, knowing such a fall would break many bones. The stranger held out her hand again. He leapt , and caught the hand, feeling himself float softly to the sandy floor.

" I have no name, but you may call me Project Spero." She said, with a light smile. Blade was mesmerized by her beauty and fragility, knowing that underneath was the soul of a warrior. He walked away from the charred remains of the ancient town, knowing what he was searching for must still be buried within. He glanced back, vowing to someday return.