A world built by Yousef Jad Abdulrazak, Usman Anwar and Adham Haddara

A story written by Yousef Jad Abdulrazak

Authors note:

This story, no, this world began with a couple of kids with a vision and questions that we wanted to explore. Everyday at break and lunch we would discuss characters and phenomena in the vast world, even down to a language we created amongst ourselves.

What did it mean to be truly faithful? Can the worst of humanity change? What does it take to be a fit leader? Is loyalty born of choice, or is it something we're forced to embrace when survival is at stake?

I've always been drawn to stories about identity, conflict, and the evolution of ones character. This dystopian harsh world is inspired by the environment of toxic, evil people and it reflects the ideologies of people like Zimbardo: it isn't the apple that's bad, rather it's the barrel. Characters like the Khan are shaped by such environments and it begs the question of what it means to reach redemption.

I hope that as you read, you are drawn into the intensity of the world and the characters within it, and that you'll find yourself reflecting on the price of redemption and faith, even when the cost seems too high to bear.