"Happy 10th Birthday Ashiro!"
Pang!!
"What do you wish for on your birthday Ashiro?"
Located in the Okutama forest which is at the westernmost part of Tokyo is a little cabin which has been decorated for a special occasion. And in this cabin, a grown man and a little boy could be seen seating in a dining table which have a birthday decorated cake resting right in the middle of the table. The grown man is actually the same man who ran out of a delivery room while holding a baby as he watched his brother and a nurse get rampaged by the grotesque creatures which origins are unknown.
But now it seems like that was something he experienced years ago as the boy who is seating with him in the dining table is actually the baby whom he carried out of the delivery room and eventually the hospital at that time. At ten years old, boy who is called Ashiro Ryukyu bears an almost ethereal resemblance to his late mother. His hair, a striking shade of silver, falls in soft, slightly tousled waves around his face, glinting like moonlight against his pale skin. His eyes, a deep, vivid cyan, hold a piercing quality—an intense, almost unnatural glow that hints at both innocence and something far more profound. Framed by delicate lashes and sharp, refined features, Ashiro's face has a haunting beauty, with high cheekbones and a gentle curve to his jaw, giving him an otherworldly presence. His expression, though childlike, often seems touched by sorrow or a quiet determination, as if the weight of the world rests on his young shoulders.
After not getting any response from him for up to 5 minutes, Fernando decided to drop the item he was holding on the table and got closer to Ashiro and asked with a warm tone as he got hold of his tiny little hands. "Come on Ashiro, what do you wish for on your 10th birthday?"
Not being able to stay quiet any longer, Ashiro suddenly lowered his head as he muttered in a trembling tone. "I wish mum and dad to come back to life..."
At this point, Fernando has already told Ashiro everything he needs to know about his parents, even their deaths. Not only that, but he also told him about the current state the world is in.
Based on what he has told him along the years, Earth was once a thriving landscape of advanced cities and connected societies, which is now fractured and in ruins. Ten years after the arrival of extraterrestrial forces, most urban areas lie abandoned, filled with crumbling skyscrapers and eerie silence, their structures blackened and twisted from alien weaponry. Nature has started to reclaim these cities, with vegetation breaking through the concrete, but the atmosphere remains heavy with a lingering, oppressive energy from the catastrophic event. Survivors live in scattered, fortified settlements, held together by makeshift alliances and the remnants of military and technological institutions.
A permanent twilight seems to hang over the Earth, an unsettling byproduct of the extraterrestrial presence that altered the atmosphere. Daylight is dim, and strange, ominous cloud formations linger in the skies, giving the landscape an ever-present, alien feel. Survivors speak of faint hums or resonances in the air—a low, haunting frequency that some believe is the sound of the extraterrestrials' technology still at work.
But all these doesn't matter at this moment as Fernando suddenly felt like a bucket of icy water got poured all over him as whatever words he was planning on saying suddenly got stuck on his throat. Sadly for him though, he was the only one there who could brighten up Ashiro as he was looking even more dejected than before.
'Damn it Ragna, why did you have to die on me and leave your kid with me. You should know am not a talking type, Baka![1]' Fernando couldn't help but curse in his mind while he frantically began to think of ways to brighten Ashiro spirit a little.
But not long after, he suddenly thought of something that he believed might work inwhich he immediately began to test it out as he raised one of his right finger up while he said. "You know, I can do a magic trick which will make you laugh out loud"
"A magic trick?" Ashiro immediately asked as he looked upwards towards Fernando's face with his curiosity piqued. "Yep" Fernando gave a confirmative nod before he continued "you want me to show you?"
"Hmm hmm" Ashiro muttered while noddimg his head as he began to grow expectant of what kind of magic trick Fernando is about to do.
"Ok. But first, I want you to close your eyes" Fernando said as he used two of his right finger to do a 'thump' on Ashiro's forehead. "But I want to see how you will do the magic trick" Ashiro replied with a pleading look on his face.
'You always want to know everything. Well I won't blame you, you must have gotten it from your dad' Fernando thought with a wry smile before he slightly shook his head and replied to Ashiro's plea. "Sorry but that isn't possible Ashiro. If I did, it wouldn't be a magic trick you know"
"Really?" Ashiro asked with a surprised look on his face. When he saw Fernando giving him a nod, he initially fell silent for a brief moment before he spoke up as he finally closed his eyes with sad look on his face. "Well, I have closed my eyes Uncle Fernando"
"Good, now get ready for the magic trick" Fernando said as he began wriggling his fingers with a sinister smile on his face. And in the next minute, he placed it on both sides of Ashiro's stomach.
"Hahahahaha!!" Ashiro suddenly began to laugh uncontrollably as he tried to push Fernando's arms away from him. "Oh you aren't getting away from me, come over here" But Fernando didn't look like someone who wants to stop what he is doing as he dragged Ashiro closer to him and tickled Ashiro's stomach even more.
"Hahaha, Uncle.... Please stop.... Hahaha!!" Ashiro struggled with all he could as he laughed even more intensively. But Fernando didn't stop on what he is doing.
Beep! Beep!
But unfortunately, that amicable atmosphere didn't last long as the communicator which was on Fernando's waist suddenly vibrated.
'I thought I told them I don't want to be disturbed today?' Clearly irked by the beeping sound of his communicator, Fernando thought as he suddenly stopped tickling Ashiro.
"Is there a problem Uncle Fernando?" Noticing the beeping sound from the communicator on Fernando's waist, Ashiro asked with a concerned look on his face. "Oh it's nothing serious. Once am done with this, I will give you something quite special for your birthday" Fernando replied with a warm smile on his face as he winked at Ashiro.
When he saw this wink, Ashiro's eyes suddenly glittered as he replied before he zoomed off to the living room not to far away from the dining room in high spirits.
"Ok!!"
'Now to give this bastards a piece of my mind' Fernando thought as he took in a deep breath before he responded to his communicator.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to dis–"
Skrissssh!!!!
'Huh, it's the network failing on me?' Fernando thought in a confused state as he stared at the communicator for a while before he put it back on his right ear.
Skrissssh!!!
But it was still making the same sound as before which confused Fernando even more. 'Seems like I should go to the radio room to see if it's actually network failure' Fernando thought as he plans on getting off the dining table and leaving the room. But before he could do that, he suddenly heard very faint mubbling in the communicator which made him to place it back on his right ear. After a while, his expression suddenly changed drastically as he only heard four words from the communicator.
"Ssshhh... Monsters.... Sshhh... Incoming..... Ssshhh..... Leave.... Quickly!!"