Cloudless Stars - Part 1

Kolumbiya, Former USA.

The Holy Empire of Russia’s Capital.

A mountainous gothic monument of opulent brilliance sat atop a sea of blinding pearlescent buildings. Its maze-like patterns created a horrid congregation of hands that attempted to grasp at the golden structure. It was a grand piece of architectural marvel that extended towards the sky in cylindrical arches mimicking the tower of babel from legend. A bright golden orb sat atop the tower with jeweled eyes of glowing ruby that spun.

A massive bridge connected towards its golden gates and into the atrium of golden pillars and beautiful intricate paintings. Heavenly gods that sundered the enemies of the regime. They were seen running and cowering under their holy might.

“My lord!”

A handsome man of average build with a short blonde side swept hair and silver eyes bowed down to a large curtain of red. He wore a military coat of blue, white and red with ornaments of golds that hung along with his many medals.

“We have purged the silent sickness before it could brew into a deadly disease. She is dead… but I suspect with her kind. There must be more… More rodents to root out!”

'Wrong, the rodent yet lives!'

Silence filled the empty gilded room with only the low humming of golden guard drones echoing throughout the space. Ruby eyes that stared at him never speaking but all the more deafening. A maddening harmony that was a nail to a chalk board for the man.

He clenched his teeth as his nails dug into his hands as he squeezed in frustration. He softly spoke.

“How long will you lie silent while our nation crumbles.”

The man stood up tall as he saluted the red curtain.

“A coming storm is brewing my lord. I hope we will be able to face it. I will continue to pray that our strife will bear the fruit of victory once more. Till we can drink the blood of our enemies… till then can we rest.”

He placed his hand down and began to walk out of the room. His black silhouette was painted against the golden sunlight.

‘Strife is what shapes brilliance. From Iron we shall be forged into gold!’

A golden plaque read at the bottom of the curtain: “Tsar: Vasilyevich”.

***

‘And from death brings faith….’

Ana entered the smouldering city of Chelyabinsk. The fire had finally subsided as it left behind an endless ocean of rubble, broken dreams and misery. People crawled out of the fallen debris and like lost weary souls they all followed Ana. She was illuminated with a holy aura from the sunlight above, as their arms reached towards her green coat as it gently flowed in the wind.

One by one their soft fingers touched Ana only to disappear in a flicker of ash. Ana soberly opened her bright blue left eye. She placed a boulder on a shrine that she had built. It was a stone pyramid of tattered cloth that sat in the middle of the fallen city.

‘And with faith comes power!’

Her bright blue eyes flickered with faint red pixelated lights.

Ana took a deep breath as she turned towards Shiori who stood behind her. A cold unwavering expression was painted across her face contrasted by Ana which creased with deep rage.

“You led them here? Why?”

Shiori gave the look of confusion and bewilderment at Ana’s anger.

“I’ve come for you. You are my precious daughter. I needed to make sure that you were safe.”

“You think this chaos is worth a family reunion? Hundreds of thousands died today… and what's with that face? Do you not feel anything?”

“I’ve come to take you home.”

“Home? So, you are with them?”

“No! They want to use you as a weapon of war while I simply want you to leave this worthless war and live a normal life. A peaceful human life… It was wrong. It was wrong of me to hide you away here. My dear Ai please trust me I… I only want the best for you!”

Ana looked back at the shrine that she had built.

“Human? I don’t think you even know the first thing about being one. I don’t even think you even feel sympathy for those who have fallen today?”

“Sympathy? I do. I truly do. Their futile existence saddens me greatly. A creature incapable of escaping their own strings of fate. They endlessly struggle and struggle only to burn in ash at a moment's notice.”

Ana looked at Shiori as she paused not knowing what words to say to her.

“What are you? What am I then? To be birthed by someone so cold and cruel. Please tell me before I go fight my “Worthless war,” what am I?”

“I am and you are “Anabhraka”. We are the Cloudless Ones, beings of perfect evolution. An amalgamation of flesh and machine.” It is theorised… even we do not know our own beginnings but it is theorised that the collapse of the American government along with the mass upload of fleeing minds into the digital net merged together and birthed sentient life. A true form of what a true human should be.”

“...”

“In time we founded The Nations of Anabhraka, a grand landmass that spanned from former India, southern China, Korea and Japan. It is a beauty preserved from the old world. I want you to see it yourself one day!”

Ana looked at Shiori’s smiling face with a deep look of contempt.

“You talk of fairy tales and heavenly dreams while all I see here is suffering and hell.”

Ana turned her back to Shiori and began to walk away.

“Perfect humans? Hah, don’t make me laugh”

“Wait!”

Shiori grabbed Ana’s arm in an attempt to stop her from leaving. She suddenly stopped as the sleeves of Ana’s coat revealed her suit beneath. The holes and modifications that she did for her body.

“What did you do?”

Ana looked back at Shiori as she yanked away her arm from her grip.

“What I needed to do to save my people. Don’t stop me, this is a path that I must walk."

Shiori froze as her daughter began to disappear from her life once more. Was she making another mistake? Will she lose her again?

Ana stopped walking for a brief moment and softly uttered.

“I’m sorry mother… I guess it was nice seeing you.”

Ana had left leaving Shiori all alone leaving her with nothing behind except old mistakes brought back anew.