"That which I saw, I despised.
What I wish to see, I see not.
Those which I wish not to see echoes throughout my fragile eyes."
Those thoughts run throughout his mind as he walks through the bloodied streets. A gaping chasm spewed beasts from the sky; beasts that had never been seen. Its victims lay on the earth, their blood cursing its existence.
"What brought this terrible destruction?" The people asked. "What can we do to change this sight?" He asked. He knew not the fate of the people and the people knew not their fate. Their only salvation would be....
"You cannot save them. You can't do anything. You will only see their pitiful demise. No matter what you do, it's pointless. The future cannot change". The voice kept echoing and echoing and echoing for eternity.
Rays of light streak through the bustling city of Louhia. It illuminates everything; from the towering skyscrapers that touch the heavens to the desolate slums that house the population. The city was a mixture. A mixture of heaven and hell. A combination of the brightest parts of civilization to its darkest parts that even the brightest lights could not fully illuminate. However, this black spot was home. Home to him. Home to the eyes through which we see the world can truly be seen. Home to Mirai Muru
Those streaks of light strike his face, awakening he who dreamt. Startled, he awakens, visibly disturbed. "What the hell was that?" he questioned. Did he question himself? That we do not know. As he tries to recall the strange visions of the night, a splitting headache runs through his head. "Frickin' hell! It hurts like hell! Fuck!" exclaims Mirai in pain. Wearily he drags his body of the futon and pushes himself to the lone table in the bare apartment. Taking a glass of water, he looks around his nearly empty house. Sighting rats running around, he swears to himself "One day, I'm getting the hell out of here". Dropping the glass, he sets out to start his day. However, something was different. It was neither the extra attention he paid to his hair nor was it the strange song he hummed while bathing. He saw them not. No. It wasn't that he could not see. It could not be seen; the spirit of Azrael, the guide of the dead, hovering over the city.
The backwater parts of Louhia lay testament to the great divide between the rich and the poor. Beggars and drug addicts lay the streets. Each one scrambling for a life; a way to survive to see the next sunrise. The difference between a day and another was as life and death. The sight of nearly dead humans spewed along the streets was not a new sight to Mirai. He walks through quickly to avoid being harassed by beggars looking for a cent or robbers that would kill you and take all you had. As he walks, he swears over and over again "I'll get out of this God forsaken place"
Struggling through the death ridden streets, he pushes through to avoid being swallowed by the raging seas of life. He arrives finally at his workplace, a café. His boss was outside, waiting angrily for him with a stick in his hands. Mirai rushes quickly to apologise for his late coming but instead of being heard, he gets whammed on the back by the huge man. Knowing he couldn't fight back, he stays down on his knees. His boss screamed bloody murder all through. Mirai's ears were filled with words spewing from the man. All Mirai could think about was killing his boss. The thoughts of how he could choke him to death sprinted through his mind. But he could not. Why? The reader asks. It was fear. Fear of not being able to fend for himself. Fear of starving to death. Fear of ending up like the beggars on the street. No one would help him. He would die a pitiful death. Knowing this, he held on. After his boss finished his tirade, he let Mirai go and threatened him with a pay cut next time he came late.
Mirai worked. He worked the soul sucking job. He hated it. Sucking up to people, treating them like God. But he had to. However, his only ray of light in that hell was the homeless men that camped outside the café. He watched them in his free time. They always screamed "THE END IS COMING! THEY'RE ABOVE US!" They were nuisances to one side of society and a bringer of light to their fellow homeless folk. He looks at them and strangely empathizes with him. It's not his fault that society shunned them just because they were different or unable to fit in with normal societal requirements. At least they had the confidence to bring forth their thoughts. But what end were they speaking of? The reader asks again. That we do not know. That no one knew. They were just seen as crazy men that had no place in society.
Mirai left work as the day ended. "Eleven hours of work for only eleven dollars. Fuckin hell. I hate my life" he thought. He walks home as the sun fully sets and darkness takes its place. He walks with thoughts of the uncertain future in his mind. He passes by a television shop and sees people watching the showcase television. "There will be a minor earthquake today of magnitude 1.3. It will last for ten minutes. Citizens should not be afraid as there will be no destruction of property. Now to other news, the city of Louhia has announced a public holiday celebrating its mark as the richest and largest nation in the world". Mirai walks away upon hearing that. "Rich people pretending like we don't exist. I hope they all die". Passing by a mirror shop, he stops to look at his reflection in the mirror. He looks at the multitude of mirrors cascading the view of his face. He sees nothing but darkness surrounding him. The empty space that overlooks him. Nothingness and emptiness. He hears a voice.
"Look up" says a voice in his head. As if instructed, he looks up to see a crack in the sky. Suddenly, the ground shakes violently. "I thought they said there won't be any destruction! This isn't minor!" shouted a man as he ran down the street. In panic, people started dashing away to their homes. But, they didn't get far. The voice echoes in Mirai's head again
"What do you see?"
"I see desolation. Destruction."
"That is the true world. The future"
The ground splits open swallowing hundreds of people. Screams rent the air. Children crying out for their parents. The heavens turn red and the sky breaks open. Beasts spew from the earth's embrace. Their appearance was horrifying. Serpents crawling from the earth to dragons flying out of the hole in sky; it was just like his dream. He watched in awe at the beautiful sight before him. People crying out for help. They called out to the heavens that had no answer for the calamity before them. The beasts tore their flesh and their prayers died down with them. Hell had visited earth.
"It's not yet your time to die. Run!"
Mirai sprints through the bloodied streets full of corpses. He runs and runs in a strange degree of excitement. He asks himself
"This world. This world I see. Is it real?"
"Yes it is. Your eyes see the real world. That which is the past, the present and the future." Answers the strange voice
As he jumps over fences, being chased by a horde of monsters he comes to the realization of his ability.
The voice then speaks in Mirai's voice
"Yes. You are....the prophet"