Chapter One

It felt colder in this dream than usual, and there was a lot of noise. More annoying than usual. Sizwe knew that he was in cryo-sleep, and the experience was not what one would expect. You would think it's like sleeping and waking up 50 years later as if you were just asleep the day before, but no. Cryogenic sleep, also known as suspended animation, means deep sleep at super low temperatures. By keeping the body at these temperatures, the metabolism is reduced to its lowest possible level. It's a line between life and death, a foot in the grave, if you will. Although this sounds like just sleeping, the mind doesn't stop working. This means that you are in constant dreams, though your sense of time is warped. A hundred years of this would be a nightmare. Throughout his sleep, all Sizwe could think about was the food he would eat once he woke up. He didn't even know how long he had been asleep; it might have been a week, a few years, maybe decades, or even a century.

Either way, he kept dreaming about that ice cream until he could get it. Today's dream was weird though; he could feel a lot of things more vividly than usual. Like the cold, which made him think even more about ice cream.

"Damn, I feel naked," Sizwe sighed in his thoughts.

"Wait, I am naked. I entered cryo naked."

His thoughts got clearer and clearer, as if his brain was defrosting. He took a breath; it was like a breath of winter. Sizwe felt really uncomfortable, wishing he could get out of the pod and get a blanket.

"What the hell is going on? My thoughts were never this clear before. Did I die? Holy shit! I'm dead. My friend did tell me that I would die. RIP to me."

The noise began to simmer down, but now someone was preaching.

"Preaching? I guess I went to heaven at least. Who would have thought a heretic like me would actually go to heaven? I guess your work speaks for you. Suck it, Mom's Pastor."

The sound got closer. The priest's voice sounded full of vigor.

"In the time before the Fall, when the world was consumed by its own hubris, the ancients wielded the divine relics of the Golden Age with both wonder and folly. Their arrogance ignited the flames that scorched the earth, leaving behind only ashes and echoes of their grandeur.

Yet, in the midst of desolation, the Eternal Remnant emerged. Chosen by the divine to salvage and restore, we are the bearers of the sacred relics, the keepers of the lost knowledge. From the remnants of the old world, we shall forge a new dawn, a beacon of hope amidst the ruins.

The Codex of Restoration guides us, its words etched in the remnants of a forgotten tongue, revealing the path to redemption. 'Reverence to the relics,' it commands, 'for they are the keys to our salvation. Through their light, we shall rebuild what was lost and transcend the shadows of our fallen predecessors.'

Beware, O faithful, of the scourge that lurks in the hearts of the heretics. They shun the light of the relics and seek to lead us astray into darkness. The Codex warns, 'The misuse of the divine relics shall bring forth the second scourge, a fate darker than the first. Guard the relics with vigilance, for their purity is our shield against ruin.'

Thus, we, the Eternal Remnant, stand resolute in our mission. With every relic we uncover, with every fragment of the lost era we restore, we step closer to the prophecy of renewal. In the divine relics, we find our purpose, our strength, and our destiny.

Remember, O children of the Remnant, the sacred charge we bear. Through the relics of the Golden Age, the divine has bestowed upon us the power to reclaim our world. Let us wield this power with humility, with wisdom, and with unwavering faith, for in our hands lies the dawn of a new era.

As it is written in the Codex of Restoration, 'In the relics, we find our salvation; in the Eternal Remnant, we find our destiny.' So let it be, now and forevermore."

As Sizwe's mind began to clear a little more, the preaching became weird.

"No Jesus? Buddha or even Allah? What heaven did I go to? And what is this talk of the apocalypse?"

The priest stopped and said,

"We must destroy this facility full of heretics from the old world, or they will bring destruction to the world once more. They must not be allowed to wake up from their sleep; let them die in repentance. The light of the Eternal Remnant will guide them to salvation."

Sizwe began to connect these words and felt panic come over him.

"Is this hell? It can't be. They are talking about killing the sleepers. What the hell? What did we do? We have been asleep."

As his thoughts drifted, the priest spoke again.

"Find the heretics of the old world and lead them to the light. Leave no sinner alive."

Panic rose inside Sizwe. His heartbeat quickened.

"I need to get out of here. Wait, my heart is beating?"

At this moment, Sizwe knew that he had finally awoken from cryo-sleep.

"It's a hundred years already? And the world fell and gave birth to a murder church? How cliché is that?"

Sizwe forced his eyes open. His body's response was slow; he hadn't adjusted to waking up yet. The first thing he saw was a ceiling. It was dark, but he could see the blue light from the pods reflected on the ceiling, making the room reasonably bright, yet not too bright. There was a loud bang on the door, and the sound of men groaning as the loud sound hit the door. Sizwe imagined that these men were using a battering ram to break down the door. He didn't have long. He could either fight or hide.

He knew the facility had no weapons. Maybe he could improvise. But first, he needed clothes since he was bare. He went to the next room and found everything one might need after waking up. He found good clothes; these clothes were familiar. He took black jeans, a plain T-shirt, and a warm coat. For shoes, he wore boots.

After some time hiding in the closet, the priest and his people finally broke the door down. In the room were a few pods; most were empty. This cryo facility was one of the first and experimental, which is why it took so long to find. In fact, this facility was found by mistake, so they didn't expect much. They were indeed disappointed; the pods were empty. Although they could still scavenge the tech, there were little to no weapons in this facility. For Mhlengi, though, it was an achievement. He could finally be worthy to become a Chaplain of the Remnant instead of an Acolyte. That was a huge promotion for him. He had been an Acolyte for a while now, and now that he found a sleeping ground of the old world, he could be promoted. He could get better pay, a better living place, and the respect of the Men of God.

"Diligent Acolyte Mhlengi, there seem to be no heretics in this facility, but we found a recently opened pod. It seems like the last of the heretics just awoke and is still in the facility."

A Guardian Recruit spoke, jolting Mhlengi from his thoughts.

"Find him, and show him the way of the light."

There were six Guardian Recruits and two Guardian Enforcers. Facilities were not that dangerous, so there was no need to bring many Enforcers or even Guardian Commanders. As with the hierarchy of the Men of God, the Guardians of the Aegis had a hierarchy. The highest was a High Guardian, followed by a Guardian Commander, then a Guardian Enforcer, and the lowest was a Guardian Recruit. In the hierarchy of the Men of God, Mhlengi was second lowest, an Acolyte. The highest was a Supreme Ecclesiarch, followed by Elders of the Remnant, then High Priests, then Technomancer Priests, followed by Priests of the Aegis, then Chaplains of the Remnant. Second last were Acolytes, and last were Novices.

He had to find this heretic, and this would boost his evaluation, allowing him to successfully become a Chaplain. As Mhlengi indulged in thoughts of promotion, the body of a Guardian Recruit hit the ground, dead.

"What the hell!?"

Mhlengi felt his heart jump.