Jinnues 21 - Solar System.
Sun: Red Dwarf
System Planets: 6
Habitable Planets: 1
Status: Imminent Destruction.
Quintillion of years had passed since the big bang. Stars came and went, planets formed and burst. In the beginning, it was believed that red dwarf stars would be the last sun to shine upon the ever darkness of space.
Yet, even these long-lasting stars also have to die at some point.
Planet Jinnues 21-A. Also known as Planet Buriean.
In this tidally locked planet, it's people had already abandoned it due to the upcoming radiation calamity from the dying red dwarf.
This was first observed trillions of years into the future. Even though a red dwarf wouldn't cause a supernova like its big star brothers, it will still emit extremely fatal radiation that no technology could survive.
Scientists dubbed this phenomenon as Radioactive Nova.
Even the toughest synthesized material could only melt in its prowess.
On the bright side, this event only occurs years after the first dimming. Once a red dwarf dims below a threshold, the living beings inhabiting the planet must abandon the star system at all cost.
Unintelligent beings, tagged as beasts, already displayed signs of corrosion. All over the planet, every living creatures suffered slowly.
Those who are strong enough to move began to devour.
Those with a little bit of strength can only last till something else consumes them or until they die of starvation.
The weakest ones had already perished.
Howls of pain reverberated all over the empty dark sky due to the visible lack of stars.
At this time, the only existing stars are red dwarfs and their corpses, white dwarfs.
All of these are happening, except in one city.
Huelin City...
Just like every other city in this tidally locked planet, a dome, which is now currently on its last stretch, is still able to regulate temperatures for carbon-based life forms to exist.
Yet compared to everywhere else, the city has been relatively peaceful.
Living beings with varying amounts of legs are scurrying around, fighting, and scavenging for food.
Twenty years ago, a mass exodus occurred. People who amassed wealth had used their own ships to escape the impending doom. Those who are left on the planet are the stragglers and the beasts.
Even after the mass exodus, the population of the planet remained at hundreds of millions. This only counts the intelligent life forms.
During the first year, the stragglers went into a frenzy and did everything they could. The poor moved into the rich' houses and began partying, f*cking, and spending their time to forget their problems.
After a while, reality kicked in, and two-thirds of the population committed suicide.
Radiation Nova isn't a new concept, it had happened before thousands of times, especially now that even the late-born red dwarfs are dying too.
In one word, it can only be described as torturous.
After playing around for a year or two, the second mass exodus began in the form of suicide.
Yet even in this tumultuous times, the miracle of life visited the dying planet.
Zhinen Leiman, a bipedal born under a half-human, half seahorse for a father and a half-human and half-snake for a mother.
Actually, prior to the mass exodus, the couple had already planned to make babies.
Yes, babies.
One fact is, a human woman is capable of pregnancy. So is a male seahorse.
After two years, Zhinen was finally born. After another three months, his younger exo twin Nenzhi Leiman was born.
*Exo twins are twins born from two parents capable of reproduction.*
With the blood of half-human, quarter-seahorse, and quarter-snake. Zhinen and Nenzhi's skin is blue with deep navy scales. Aside from that, all of their features resemble a human.
Whether they're both capable of pregnancy as a male, they'll only know during their puberty.
In this post exodus era, peace had long been forgotten, and the remaining stragglers started to abide by the law of the jungle.
For the first 15 years after the mass exodus, those who are left turned to savages in hopes of survival or finding scraps to build their own ships and escape.
The Leiman family managed to survive the ordeal so far by having their saved up resources.
Unfortunately for them, it wasn't enough to buy a ship and an energy crystal capable of warping.
In the sixteenth year, radiation damage began to affect everyone's lives as mutations, and severe pain ran through each cell of those who remained exposed.
But in Huelin city, such occurrences never happened. Once the remaining intelligent beings realized this, they began to make peace and restored their society.
With the newfound courage, these people began to scavenge outside their city.
But reality hit them in the face, those who exit the city began to corrode as if dropped in a vat of acid.
This included Zhinen and Nenzhi's parents. But before they went away, they left an heirloom to Zhinen. A necklace socketed with a white gem.
Afterward, this necklace never left Zhinen's neck. Even Nenzhi accepted the fact that the only thing that's left of their parents was given to his older twin brother.
After learning of the tragedy, the people remained inside the dome of their city.
Another year passed, and the amount of food began to dwindle. The canned food of this era could last indefinitely due to how they were processed, packaged, and kept.
Zhinen and Nenzhi grew stronger and stronger each day, turning vicious towards their prey.
Completely forgetting the teachings of their past parents, the twin began to slaughter for food.
Before killing, the kids hold the necklace as they pray to whatever god they should hope to believe in during those times. It's hard not to be an atheist when everyone is dying so horribly.
Then, they proceed with the massacre.
Of course, this was driven by the fact that their species were unique and the only two in the remaining 850,000 population.
Once all the beasts were slaughtered, and the greens were completely plucked, the people began to group based on the number of legs they have.
The bipeds stayed in the north.
The quadrupeds stayed in the south.
Those who have an irregular number of legs but stood upright stayed in the east.
And those who have an irregular number of legs but stood on all limbs stayed in the west.
Yet after all the alliances and whatnot, they began to fight between themselves and devoured each other.
It wasn't cannibalism as the number the same species doesn't go higher than five.
Yet for intelligent life forms, eating another, especially while alive, is an entirely gruesome experience that threw every morality they have ever preached in their entire lives.
At this point, the only ones that were born post exodus were the twins. The others have devoured all the other kids and teens.
Until now, no one understands why they were still unaffected by the corrosion of the radiation. Even stepping out of the dome immediately reddens and melts one's skin. This included scales, furs, and hair.
Thinking that there is hope for survival beyond the borrowed time they have, the four factions began to search for clues on their own territories.
Unbeknownst to all, the small white gem embedded in Zhenin's necklace began to emit an orange glow. Not strong enough to be visible yet not weak enough to be completely unknown.
This glow was growing and shrinking at an interval as if breathing at all times. Even then, no one noticed, including the owner and his twin.