~In the year 2121, a phenomenal occurrence visited the Earth. It was without argument the most bizarre and memorable day for all denizens of the world. It was known as the 'Rip', and it altered mankind's concept of the world as they knew it.~

YEAR: 2161

LOCATION: Adele Street, Lagos, The Federal Republic Of Nigeria

"I'll save the world... I promise..." Someone cried as he stared at the body of a fair young lady.

"I'll kill them all!"

Rage overflowed within him as his eyes depicted pure malice and hate. Darkness began to fill the area as everything slowly faded away.....

Michael woke up from his deep slumber. The sun shone through his window as he squinted from the sensation of his eyes being suddenly exposed to light.

He tried standing up when he felt a sharp pain surge through his body. His head pounded and his entire body felt like lead as his joints ached.

"Why?" He thought.

He clearly remembered his body being fine when he went to bed the previous night after the usually loud feast at the dinner table with his adopted family.

He clearly remembered...

"Wait.... something is wrong. This isn't-"

Before his sentence reached completion, a sharp surge came upon him as he shouted.

[Ability Usage Success!]

As the purple icon appeared, so did loads of information.

Memories of the centuries spent in the ruined world began rushing back. Drool dripped from his mouth as his brain tried to sort through the huge size of the information and process its contents.

He suddenly stopped shouting, and tears began dripping from his bulging eyes. Michael's face suddenly became filled with a maniacal smile. His head was bowed facing his blue and white bedsheets.

He, a regressor from the far future had finally gotten his chance to change everything and create a world different from what he knew.

As he was still lost in thought, a young-looking boy wearing glasses, also in his pajamas opened the door.

The boy stared at Michael strangely, saying some things which Michael didn't even notice.

"Mikey!!! Are u even listening to me?" He yelled, now visibly frustrated.

Still, he was ignored.

Feeling the sting of being ignored, the boy further went and slapped Michael on the back, and the stinging sensation was enough to jolt him from his subconscious state.

"A-Ah..."

Michael looked up, tears visible on his face as his eyes met the intruder.

"Oh wait, is that?" Michael mumbled as his eyes widened.

It was Tenny, his brother, the one he often thought about in the Ruined World.

Overflowing with emotions he hugged the confused boy tightly.

"Tennyy!!!!"

Tenny, at this point, was at his wit's end. He had heard Michael shout from his room and decided to check up on him while at the same time giving him the message his mom had told him to pass across to him. He had walked in seeing his brother on the bed, head slumped while muttering words he could not make out.

He had initially spoken casually asking " Yo, bro... some of us are still trying to sleep! Nightmare?"

But there was no response.

He said a couple of other things as well which also fell on deaf ears.

After taking action and hitting him, his brother suddenly jumped on him, hugging him and shouting his name. Any natural person would freak out. Totally flustered, his natural reaction set in

"Bro, what the heck?" Tenny said as he escaped the embrace of his weird brother.

Michael came to himself and realized he needed to put all the overwhelming feelings aside.

"I'm sorry! I just had a nightmare is all" Michael quickly said, now with the same expressionless face that he had in the ruined world.

"Say, Tenny how many years ago did the 'Rip' occur?" Michael suddenly asked.

He had observed Tenny's appearance and the surrounding area. Tenny would be no more than 15 years of age, and since they were the same age, he would also be 15... but he had to be sure.

"Why are you asking out of the blue? Is it about your nightmare?" Tenny said, serious now.

He took a chair by the study desk in the room and placed it at the bedside.

Tenny positioned the chair in the opposite direction and sat on it, using the chair's top as his armrest. He fixed his head on his arms and with a puzzled expression, noticed how suddenly his brother's demeanor had changed.

"Something like that..." Michael said, hoping Tenny would stop his questions there and answer his own... he didn't want to keep lying to his brother.

"Well, it's been about 40 years since the Rip appeared," Tenny remarked.

"Good, that's good...." Michael mumbled to himself. It had turned out exactly how he had hoped.

He had been sent 10 years before the Harvest. He would like to think he had ample time to change the timeline, but he had a lot he needed to do, so 10 years was the ideal time he would be able to achieve it.

"So, this is the year 2161 correct?" Michael looked at him at this point.

"It would turn out it is," Tenny said, half sarcastically, suddenly getting an idea on how to solve the sudden change in his brother's behavior.

"Hey bro, do you remember you said you'd go to the firm today right? Could you ask mum something for me?" Tenny asked.

Michael couldn't recollect having that conversation. He was from the distant future, so he didn't remember.

"Oh yes.... so what do you want me to tell her?" He responded, a bit unsure.

Tenny's smile faded and he suddenly looked serious.

"We never had that conversation! There was a homicide at the office yesterday and so Mom was going not going to the firm today. You should have known that..." Tenny suddenly revealed.

Michael gulped a little, realizing he had slipped up.

"I have been observing your strange demeanor for a while now and I can tell..." Tenny continued in a confrontational manner.

'He figured it out?!' Michael's thoughts rang.

"What are you implying?" He asked, maintaining his calm expression.

Tenny seemed flustered that he did not receive the reaction he wanted or expected, but he wouldn't let up now!

"Who are you? You're not the brother I know! Are you some sort of ability user who can shapeshift? Where did you keep my brother? Or maybe you transferred your consciousness to his body! Or you're mind-controlling him! What do you want?" Tenny let out his suspicions with a passion that stunned Michael.

He stayed silent for a while, holding in the laughter that accumulated rapidly within, until he couldn't control himself anymore.

"Hahahahhhahaha!" Michael burst out laughing.

His calm and cold expression shattered as he just couldn't stop his amusement! His brother was always the conspiracy theorist, that was his trademark.

Tenny was already too confused at this point. He was also scared. Had he revealed his suspicions too soon? Maybe he should have stayed level-headed and confirmed his suspicions... or reported to his mother or the appropriate authorities. Was it too late now?

"Guess there's no helping it" Michael finally spoke.

Tenny began to tremble, fearing for his life.

"What? Are you going to kill me?"

'Shit! What do I do now? If I hurry can I make it to the front door? No... Maybe I could hurry and get a phone, lock myself in my room and call for help.... but will he give me that chance?'

Millions of thoughts were flying in his head as he was certain of the danger he was entrapped in!

Michael smirked, making Tenny even more frightened...

"What's so funny punk? M-my Mom is a lawyer at the Special Abilities Division firm, if you do this... y-you won't get away with it!" He said, feigning boldness as his bones rattled in fright.

Tenny hoped his words would at least cause Michael, or whoever was posing as him to feel intimidated or at least hesitate, buying him enough time to escape.

Michael stood up from the soft bed and began to move closer to Tenny whose heart was thumping loudly.

He, who was previously standing on his feet suddenly lost all feeling in his legs and slumped on the ground. His buttocks hit the hard floor, but he did not have the luxury to notice the pain.

"You're thinking of ways to stall for time, or distract me... even with the slightest bit of hesitation and make a break for it. You'll probably try to run to the front door, no... too predictable. You would grab the phone that you've stashed at the third layer, second door of the kitchen cabinet, and lock yourself up in your room while you try to call for help" Michael said while closing the distance between the both of them even more.

Tenny was already paralyzed with fear at this point.

"H...How?...." He muttered in surprise and fear.

Michael kept advancing.

"You're wondering why I know all this, something not even mom knows, only you and your beloved brother. You're trying to rationalize thinking I can probably access your brother's memories... but that can't be right. If I could, I probably wouldn't have failed your question, now would I? That's what you're thinking... right?"

Michael stood directly in front of him, and squatted so that their faces would be at equal proportions, or close enough.

"Well, don't think too far! You're always like this... taking stuff too far! It's me, Mikey, your brother." He said as he knocked his silly brother's head and gave off a warm smile.

Tenny's face lit up, but he still had doubts. Was he truly overthinking things, or...

"But you, you're not... you're not like Mikey at all. W-what's going on?" Tenny asked with suspicion.

Michael stopped squatting and stood upright. He walked toward the bed and sat on it, facing a tensed-up Tenny.

"Come on, stop sitting on the floor and looking so tense. It's me... I won't bite." Michael smiled, pointing his finger to the chair Tenny previously occupied.

His brother slowly rise, eyeing Michael cautiously as he proceeded to sit on the study chair.

"I guess I should tell you then.... about that world, and what happens!"

TO BE CONTINUED.....