In a quiet, dimly lit room, the sorrowful pleas of a weary mother echoed. Her once vibrant brown hair now framed a tired face etched with the weariness of the problems she had gone through in life.

Before her stood a towering figure, Captain Archeron, his uniform and beret signifying authority.

He was stationed at her doorstep.

The woman, Mrs. Storm, addressed him with desperation. "My boy is too young for this, Captain Archeron; he's just sixteen. He won't be able to handle EtherSphere, please," she implored.

A sigh escaped the captain's lips as he responded, "As mandated by the Apex Code, Mrs. Storm, every child within a family here in the Westworld is required to present themselves as candidates for the Ethergate."

Mrs. Storm, overwhelmed with emotion, began to sob, her tears flowing unchecked.

She desperately wiped them away with her hand as she confronted the harsh reality presented by the captain. "I've lost my husband to the Zyronox, and now, you want to take the only child I have into the EtherSphere. He won't survive there," she uttered between sobs.

"It's just protocol, Mrs. Storm. We do not show favoritism or otherwise. Please bring your son to the Union so he can be adequately prepared for what lies ahead." With that, the captain departed.

Closing her door, Mrs. Storm turned only to find her heart leaping to her throat as her son stood unexpectedly before her.

"Do you want to kill me, Lucius?!" she exclaimed in frustration.

Lucius met his mother's irritation with a serious, blank stare for a moment before breaking into a wide smile. "Of course not, Mom. Although, do I look weak to you?"

Mrs. Storm, now bewildered, furrowed her brows. "Huh?"

Maintaining his smile, Lucius elaborated, "I have an average height, Mom, and I'm not frail in any way. I have the physique necessary to join the Defense Force."

Exhaling a heavy sigh, Mrs. Storm took deliberate steps toward her son, noting the slight height advantage he now held over her. She clasped her hands around his shoulders, her expression a blend of concern and worry.

"I'm just being a mother, Lucius. Many people did not survive the quest in the EtherSphere. Most of them didn't come out and were lost forever. I can't let that happen to you; I can't lose you too, son," she uttered, the weight of her words hanging in the air.

Resolute, Lucius met her gaze, a mere inch taller but seemingly towering in determination. "Mom, I know that you can't lose me, but I have to do this. I want to be part of something. I want to avenge Dad's death, and I've been waiting for this moment all my life to finally face and kill a Zyronox! Have faith in me, Mom. I don't want people thinking I'm weak because you said so."

Silence settled between them, punctuated only by the gravity of Lucius's words.

Though Mrs. Storm wore a facade of steadiness, the sadness in her eyes betrayed her fear.

Lucius, resolute in his decision, understood his mother's emotions but this was a path he had long yearned for, a calling that resonated deeply within him.

Knowing how worried his mother was pressed heavily on him, but he couldn't ignore the reason that fueled his purpose.

The anticipation of facing the Zyronox, a quest long-awaited, had finally summoned him into action.

…

More than five years ago, it all began after the Ethergate was found in the middle of nowhere. No one knew exactly when.

Well, no one except the authorities. It was a discovery of a lifetime and it appeared just one month before the Zyronox apocalypse.

Hence, the creation of Westworld.

The Westworld project—a sophisticated technological initiative. This project involved the construction of an expansive, high-tech fence spanning rivers and lands, establishing a secure zone for the surviving population.

The authorities knew that with the appearance of the Ethergate and discovery of the Zyronox, something could go wrong but they kept it to themselves and after much debate, they created Westworld not just for the preparation of something coming but to house the door.

They didn't bother to see what was inside for fear of unleashing something that would make them all go extinct.

The door was just there like a 3D drawing, it had no frame or building keeping it in place but when opened, you could see profound darkness inside, like a whole new world ready to be explored.

The government was ready for anything and they kept the Ethergate safeguarded.

And as the government expected, the Zyronoxes came, everything went wrong and the Westworld emerged as a pivotal safehold, safeguarding over a billion survivors.

Ordinary people do not understand how it happened. It just started one day with ferocious beasts falling from the sky and attacking anyone their eyes met. Everyone began to run for their lives, seeking shelter from different places but a large population were killed.

Old political tensions that once divided the nations were swept aside in the desperate scramble for survival.

Westworld Project was enough to suspect something was off but the only thing on everyone's mind was survival. The survivors had adapted to this new reality, each day a reminder of the dangers that lurked beyond the protective walls of Westworld.

Five years ago, after the Zyronox apocalypse, one of the soldiers in Westworld found the gate just standing in a chamber. He got curious and made his way into it.

Upon opening it, a mere month later, the soldier emerged endowed with newfound powers. He discovered a whole new world called the EtherSphere and explained his ordeal to the government after they got the news of his arrival.

Recognizing its potential as a weapon against the Zyronox threat, those in power devised a strategy. However, the revelation came with a grim reality – not everyone who ventured through the door emerged unscathed.

In response, a decree was issued, known as the Apex Code, mandating every citizen to bring forth a child for specialized training, molding them into formidable warriors against the Zyronox. No exceptions were allowed as the desperate fight for survival demanded a unified and trained force.

The people who survived the Ethersphere are known as the Ascendants and the people who failed are called the Departed.

Rich people can be considered lucky for going into the Ethersphere because it gives them abilities and makes them stronger. They were trained for it and had the chance to become an Ascendant.

But people like Lucius who came from a poor family in the Westworld, he was driven by ambition.

To him, it was a death sentence but the death of his father was still fresh in his mind and it haunted him every night.

He lost his father to the hands of those monsters and was hellbent on avenging his death by becoming a soldier and killing monsters. He and his mom were lucky to have found Westworld after months and have been living there ever since.

….

Arriving at the Etherium Gateway Chamber located in the Nexus Complex facility, Lucius was met with the son of the Westworld head of council, Alistair Grave with his fellow annoying friends.

Alistair was perhaps a bit older than Lucius, and he carried an air of pride, all thanks to the family he hailed from. He was more broader than Lucius when it comes to muscles due to the intense training he's been subjected to.

Just seeing him, you would know he was fully prepared.

With a sneer, Alistair said while holding his sword, "Look who came to die."

His friends laughed, shaking their heads.

"It's sad for unlucky poor people like him," the brown-haired one said.

"Yeah, you don't even know the first thing about defense. Your mother will really miss you, Lucy," The Red-haired one mocked.

Lucy is what most of them call him, because they all found him weak all thanks to his mom who was hell-bent on making sure he wasn't picked.

And normally, he should have been a nobody when around people like Alistair, he should have been a ghost but because he went to them for help numerous times, they knew who he was and they never helped, instead they treated him like a bastard.

He replied, "Well, I don't have a choice, right? I am the only child of my mother so it's essential as par the Apex Code that I must be here."

"I wish I could meet you in the afterlife now but people like me have monsters to kill so, good luck, Lucius," Alistair said, patting Lucius' shoulder before leaving with his friends.

Lucius rolled his eyes away and he found his friend, Darren shaking in his feet.

Darren shook his head, saying, "This is scary. I don't want to face monsters. Even with abilities, the soldiers end up dead. The team of Malcolm Reynolds, most of them died before coming back home. This is still suicide. I'm going to die one way or another, I know that."

Lucius looked away, not bothering to answer the whining of his friend. They were all gonna die.

The chief of the defense force, an imposing man, entered the chamber and walked toward the platform.

"Now, stand at attention, and listen to me carefully…"