It was a dark day inside a forest. Though it was not quite of a beautiful shining place like the brimming skyscrapers of a city, if one still stands until this time, it still was rare and natural.
The rare sight of grass sprewn throughout the land was now a commodity, after all, war broke loose times ago. Who knows when, who knows how, but who would care? All chaos broke loose and destruction spread across the world. Who instigated the war?
What was the reason for it? Some would say it was because of greed; possibly revenge for the hurt even. Maybe it was rooted from the tyranny of every leader who stood once.
As human beings, they plundered land and started wars with each other, but that's what they were born to seek. Power is like a vine, it spreads all throughout the body, yet it starts to block what you once truly were. Like a tree, you start to rot and decay, blocked from what would've been the rays of hope from the sun, replaced with malicious thoughts. Murder was one thing, but commanding it towards the masses was another act that transcends normal crimes. However, not only that they escape from all the restrictions and faults but they also use what's supposed to be used for the betterment and development of mankind as one.
Humanity has made countless inventions for the sake of ease. It made their lives better or worse depending on the situation. This time, it really backfired. What would've been a single nuclear bomb detonated one after another across the globe. It was supposed to only be used on extreme circumstance, but those who can sense yet cannot hear nor see what's right or wrong did not see a rule to prevent this madness. Humanity once thought that it would stand until extraterrestrials or AIs invaded the world, but in the end, it was themselves who destroyed their own. The world was a nuclear wasteland, the skies dampened by the decay of matter, the air deadly to the living beings of Earth. Humanity not only killed off most of themselves but killed the living beings that stood with them. The animals that roamed were caught in the onslaught of war, and were then destroyed without the knowledge of it.
Was it the different philosophies that ruined each other? Was knowledge and sentience too hard to bear? It was a contemplation that stood with the man lying alongside the grass of the forests on an island. He was no different than being alone in the sea. He did not know when he would die even. Though there were still some animals somewhere in the woodlands that stood in the aftermath of war, possibly humanity even, in the bunkers made for that matter, he was still alone, no less than suffering from a slow and suffocating death.
Where his family went was unknown, but he had lost all hope even since the war began. He did not know much crafts and had to shelter under the canopy of the trees, and he treated it as his home. Rain came, but no longer was it treatable. The nuclear decay that has clouded the sky fell alongside it, and now all it is was a pouring calamity that threatens to kill what comes into contact with. The man shivered, his body soon to be oozing with blood from every orifices in his body. His end was to come.
The war had no name, but some called it the Third World War, some pointed it out as the Final War that will finally destroy humanity alongside the amazing inventions they have made. Those who died early would be considered lucky, as they no longer have to see and suffer the consequences of the old men fighting each other for power. Was it avoidable? Only the dead men know. Lies sometimes cannot be seen through, and mystery remains as a mystery even in the eyes of the beholders. Some held hopes that the war would end soon and maybe they can all relive their lives once again, though that was not the correct prediction, but another hope that was quickly extinguished by the final actions that have destroyed the world and the future that would've come.
It was strange really. But all that remained was a broken land, no longer habitable by mostly anything, until some did but that would be in the far future if some cells remained.
The man, with his staggered breathing, coughing out blood, his mind nearly lost.
The world stood around him, yet none stood back. Still, it was finally his time. Even if it was a painful and miserable time, his suffering was near to its final closure. In his mind lied thoughts of what would've been if he tried to lead many. What the world would've been if everyone agreed to each other. But still, he knew that it was impossible for everyone to not be hostile. It was the balance of the world, and now it was broken by the prideful men who can only straggle and fight amongst each other.
He stood by peace, but the powerful stood with war. It wasn't an obligation, but means to take back what they thought was rightfully theirs. Many were forced into hostility, which they had not wanted but what could they do? Refusal means death and the abandonment of your country. Was it really everyone's country or does it belong to the powerful leaders? Freedom is nothing but an illusion when power was everywhere.
The man, nearing his last breath, left his final and lasting mark to the scorched Earth he stood upon. If anyone would notice it, it would be great. He wanted his existence to be noticed and he wanted whatever would see it to know what would happen if everyone was against each other. Who knows when will the message last, maybe in a few days, it would be covered in the radiated sand of war, maybe broken down by another blast. However, it was his time. Although the mark he made was tiny across the many innovations the people did for the sake of helping others, it was the final thoughts when he lived in this land of lies and penalities. Now, under the canopy of a tree, lied the cadaver of a man who wanted to live more, but fell alongside the others.
But his mind, which was recreated by many atoms and molecules far away from his world, stood conscious. There was a theory where there were an infinite amount of worlds, which lied on another plane. It was impossible to prove for the time many talents wanted it to be. Some people dreamt for another land, shining like a pearl, where they would make a huge impact and finally gain their joy and happiness. Though it was a dream, some hoped it to be. Maybe after their death, they would live once more in another world where their hopes would come anew and spark forever more.
And so it did, as the man saw nothing but black, but when he opened his new eyes, he saw the shining sky outside the window, no smog, no darkened clouds, but a radiant blue followed by the chirping of birds that flew with their wings.
It was a brand new world.