Dorian leaned forward as a look of confusion appeared over his face.
"The world ended? What is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to trick me?" Questions left his lips in rapid fire as he tried to get answers, before remembering that this was just a prerecorded message that he was talking to.
"You must be thinking that this is all absurd, but I am telling the truth. Let me replay a few scenes from back then." The image of the projection shrunk, making space for another projection that depicted the skies above the major cities on Earth.
At first, there was nothing noteworthy, but that did not last. A minute into the video, Dorian noted that the earth suddenly started shaking. Accidents occurred, and various other tragedies followed, but that was not all. That was just the beginning.
The earth beneath the feet of people began to swell, as though something was filling underneath the surface. The ground broke and red, hot magma spurted out. At first, it was not in quantities too large, but moments later, it all erupted. A massive pillar made entirely of magma shot into the sky, turning the people around there to nothing more than burnt corpses and ash.
The scenery changed, revealing another major city. This city was being bombarded by hurricanes of epic proportions. People, cars, and buildings alike were ripped away and shredded as they were subjected to untold calamities.
In another area, massive tornadoes uprooted everything in their path as they laid waste to the surface of the planet. Entire countries were submerged beneath water from the ocean as the world met its end right then.
Dorian watched all this with wide eyes and bated breath. He could hardly believe that all this had happened while he was unconscious, and he did not even start to think about the reason why he was still alive after all the destruction that had happened.
"Take a seat, son." As though he had predicted it, James said the words that Dorian needed. Dorian slowly sat down on the edge of the cryo-sleep pod and let his head fall into his waiting hands. He ran his hands through his messy hair that had refused to remain down even after who knew how long of sleeping.
"How...? How am I even still alive?" Dorian finally managed to whisper out what was on his mind after a few minutes of silence.
"It's a long story, but I guess you don't have anything else doing. I can explain it to you, but you need to be ready to hear things that defy all logic." James' projection fizzled before separating from the pod and standing before Dorian. Dorian was not even surprised. His father was always a great scientist and engineer, so manipulating projections to mimic humans was an easy task.
"First of all, let's start with me," James began his explanation once he saw that his son was paying attention. "There is not an easy way to break this to you, but I have no choice. Dori, I am not just your simple father that you knew. I am much more than that. Truth be told, I am not from this world. I come from somewhere far away but much more dangerous. I can not go into detail now, but that does not matter."
Dorian's jaw had long since dropped down to the ground, and hearing his father saying that he was not from this world was enough to permanently shock him.
"I am what the leaders of the world refer to as an Oracle. Even where I come from, my kind is also referred to as Oracles. It is quite simple to understand what an Oracle does. We see what others can not, and then give advice on how to handle those scenarios. Because of this ability of mine, I was able to take come countermeasure to ensure your safety. I built out home in the place that would be least affected by the disasters, made sure you would be safe in the tiniest chance that the disasters might reach you, and also much more that I can not say for now. But do know, that even if I am not from this world, you are my son, and I care about you deeply."
James' projection finally came to the end of his long speech, leaving a tense air of silence hanging in the partially demolished room. A few minutes had to pass before Dorian finally spoke again.
"So, you're saying that you are an alien?" Dorian finally spoke. James' projection froze for a couple of seconds before replying. Those short moments were all it took for it to go through multiple scenarios that James had predicted and set an answer for.
"I knew you would say that." The projection broke out into a smile. "I am not an alien, at least physically, and the 'alien' you mean is wrong. I am just a being that exists outside your plane. Anyway, that is besides the point. My main goal for uploading this message into your pod was just to get you up to date on specific matters that you will need to know if you are to survive in the outside world."
Dorian listened attentively as James began listing out the various changes that the world had experienced ever since the Apocalypse had engulfed it.
The surface of the Earth had changed and morphed beyond recognition, making it a must to have a new map that could point out the differences. There was a severe lack of resources in areas that had seen much more damage than where Dorian currently was. Some places had even become impossible to occupy, marking them as permanent danger zones. Strange creatures had appeared all over the earth, and the original fauna that was present before the Apocalypse had undergone heavy mutations, making them far more dangerous than before.
But the most important thing that stood out was that a percentage of the Earth's remaining population had gained superpowers!