A Warning from Tomorrow

                                                                           MIZI POV

It was a peaceful evening. I was walking home from school, tired and sweaty from a long, busy day. As I passed a small general store, my eyes landed on a stack of soon to expire sodas with a bright discount sticker slapped on the side. Smirking to myself, I grabbed two cans. The cool metal felt refreshing against my skin, and even before I took a sip, I let out a content sigh.

Sipping my lemon-flavored soda, I skipped through the busiest square of the city. The chaotic sounds of customers haggling with shopkeepers, cars honking aggressively, and flashy advertisements blaring from giant digital screens blended into an oddly familiar rhythm. It was noisy, messy, alive just like always.

As I wandered, my gaze drifted up to one of the large screens. A newly debuted idol group was being showcased, and a small crowd had gathered, snapping pictures and chattering excitedly. I squinted at their promotional poster huh~ twins, or at least people who could pass as twins. A black-haired boy and girl, both dressed in sleek, futuristic outfits, effortlessly attractive.

I liked their look. Stylish, confident, cool. I pulled out my busted old phone, angling it for a quick picture hoping my camera would corporate. But just as I raised it, the screen along with every other advertisement display in the square suddenly flickered to static. The loud advertisement audio cut off mid-sentence.

The shift was instant. The usual hum of the city turned into confused murmurs. People exchanged glances, some tapping their phones, others looking around for an explanation.

“The hell?!?” murmured a guy.

“Is there some technical issue?” a girl muttered.

“Could be,” someone replied.

Before the conversation could build, the static cleared. A live broadcast took over the screens.

A girl appeared.

She had long, smooth black hair and unnervingly fair skin, looking around fifteen or so. Her outfit ? it looked like some kind of synthetic fabric that clung to her like a second skin, shimmering under the light. She lounged on an imposing black throne, it's only detail the glowing blue veins pulsing through its surface, futuristic and stark.

Her gaze was sharp, piercing, the kind of authority in her eyes that made my stomach twist.

She didn’t look like she was from here.

She didn’t look like she was from now.

The girl finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Humans of 2017, I, the one appearing before you, am Princess Zeylum Xer Vestria. We are your future. We stand in ruin because of you, your excessive consumption of Earth’s abundance, your neglect, your recklessness. All of it has led mankind into chaos."

"What the hell is this girl saying?" a confused guy muttered.

"Is this some weird trailer?" a woman asked.

I furrowed my brows, shifting my weight from one foot to another. "Is this some kind of messed-up prank? A dystopian ad campaign?" I mumbled, gripping my soda can tighter. The metallic taste of fizz lingered on my tongue, suddenly less refreshing.

"Because of your grand decisions, the era of the 2000s inflicted irreversible damage upon our planet. We, the remnants of humankind in the year 2846, have finally intervened through time. I suppose the smarter ones among you must realize how much greater we are in strength compared to you, how vastly superior our technology is... and that you are no match for us.

Princess Zeylum’s expression didn’t change. Then, she raised her hand.

The air around the city square shifted.

A deep, unnatural hum vibrated through the ground. The street lights flickered, car alarms blared, and suddenly every electronic device shut off. Phones, billboards, even the traffic lights. The world around us was plunged into eerie silence.

Then, a column of light shot down from the sky. It struck a massive billboard advertising luxury cars, and in an instant, the structure warped, twisted, and collapsed into itself like crumpled paper. The air smelled like burned metal.

Screams erupted. People stumbled back, some clutching their now-useless phones, others frozen in terror.

I felt my heart slam against my ribs. "What the—" I choked on my words. This wasn’t just some eerie broadcast. This was real.

Princess Zeylum’s voice rang clear through the silence.

"We give you a mission.

Fix your ways. Protect the Earth. Sustain. Preserve. Allow us to live in a future in harmony with nature. You have one year.

If you fail... we will take over, break everything down and rebuild anew.

Rule yourselves, or be ruled."

Someone started sobbing. Another person bolted, pushing through the stunned crowd.

I swallowed hard, my grip on the soda can loosening. My mind raced, but my body stayed frozen. This... wasn’t a joke.

"The choice is yours."

Sincerely, Princess Zeylum Xer Vestria—.

The screen flickered one last time before going black.

I looked around, and panic was evident on everyone's faces. Each person showed it differently. Some screamed, some cried, and others shouted into the sky, "This is a joke, right?" "Don't mess with us!"

I heard the clang of metal. I looked down to see the soda can had slipped from my trembling hands. Wait, I was trembling?

Suddenly, a foot stepped on the can, crumpling it under the pressure. My head shot up, and I saw people running in every direction. The massive shockwave had destabilized the buildings with large screens, and one of the huge screens came loose, barely hanging by a thread. It looked down at us mockingly, as if it were going to kill us but chose not to... not yet.

Along with the others, I ran out of the site of danger. Was this real? Is this just a dream? I pinched myself. Ugh, it hurts.

It’s real. The end is near, isn’t it?

"I mean, that princess girl said we had a year to fix ourselves, so let's keep some hope," said someone frantically. Although her words made some people stop and think, it was clear as day that expecting humanity to change in a single year was a far stretch.