The Void Above

"Humans have but one thing, Kichirou, that makes us different"

Kichirou only paid a fleeting amount of attention to his father's words as he entered the living room. He turned his head to look at his father, Soujiro, as he continued to speak.

"And that is our ability to persevere"

Kichirou's father told him this when he was only 6 years old, merely quoting one of the superheroes they would watch on the television together. However, these words would never find their meaning within Kichirou's heart until after the Cratering. When he was 12 years old, the cratering hit, and the path of humanity was forever changed. On that Wednesday afternoon, May 6th, 2035, a warning was issued out, stating that a purposeful attack was launched from beyond the stars. Nobody knew what was happening that day. Kichirou rushed out into the living room, with much more urgency than the leisurely walk he took into that very same living room 6 years ago, to the sound of an emergency broadcast.

"Remember, Kichirou, humans have but one thing that makes us different, and that is our ability to persevere"

"Dad! Come on! We have to get to the bunkers!"

Yet they never made it to those bunkers. That was the final time Kichirou would see his father, the one parent he had growing up. He would die in the interstellar bombing, as did everyone else on earth who didn't make it to a refuge in time.

During the cratering, nearly 90% of the human population was lost, and nearly all of those lost were people that were unable to reach one of the local strongholds in a timely manner. Of course, Kichirou was also one of those people, however, rather than simply being blown to smithereens like most citizens who were caught in the interstellar bombing, Kichirou survived the initial blast. 

Though this may be perceived as a stroke of luck, it would only ever cause Kichirou more pain, as his body slowly adapted to the strange energy left on the planet's surface. Only after a full three years of surviving on his own on the surface would Kichirou be found by a Surface-Reconnaissance team, and eventually be brought back to human civilization, however, his time alone had done its toll. Kichirou was left extremely thin due to having no prior survival skills, almost anorexic, at least according to the soldiers who found him. He was wearing ripped and torn clothing he'd found in the wreckage after the cratering, and would eventually become victims of wear and tear due to his exploits. 

Despite all of these distinctive features displayed by Kichirou, none of these was the most eye-catching thing about the young 15-year-old boy they'd found in the wastelands people had once called home. No, not his ragged clothing, nor his stomach so thin you could see the ribs poking out from inside of him, almost seeming as though his insides were begging to be put out of their misery. It was the boy's eyes. Through exposure to the strange alien energy that had been plaguing the surface for so long, and partially due to an affinity with that very energy that allowed him to survive it in the first place, Kichirou had begun to change. He had adapted to the energy in a way even he couldn't quite understand. 

Ever since around a year after the initial fallout, Kichirou's eyes have been emitting a sort of purplish-blue energy from them. Kichirou had never paid it much attention, however, it had also begun to gradually weigh on his mind. 

'What are these eyes? Can't I turn them off? Can I even be considered human anymore?'

All of these were questions that had been weighing on Kichirou's mind ever since he was 13, and had only grown stronger with time. In fact, All of Kichirou's worries and doubts would be proven true as 4 of the 5 scouters in the squad raised their weapons at him immediately. Call it luck or whatever else, it had always been on Kichirou's side, as even in this moment, he wouldn't die just yet.

"Drop your weapons! This is the first person we've found since the start of this whole mess, a kid even, and you decide to just shoot first and ask questions later!?" 

The woman in the all black uniform seemed utterly pissed, which Kichirou would assume meant she was in some sort of authoritative position. An assumption that was proven right when, in response to her commands, all of the weapons pointed at Kichirou's head were immediately redirected and placed back into their respective holsters. 

"Alright kid, you're coming with us for now"

Kichirou nodded, signaling his compliance with the woman. He had no reason to decline. He had been living alone in what had, in the blink of an eye, become the wilderness, and this was the first chance he'd had in three years to interact with someone else. He wasn't going to pass this up.

"Where are we going?"

One of the taller, male soldiers responded to his question

"The last bastion of humanity on earth,

The man put his hand on my shoulder, calling even more attention to himself

"Charon!"