The world outside was silent. No birds sang, no wind whispered through leaves — because there were no birds, no trees.
Only ruins and the cold breath of a broken world.
Inside the small underground shelter, Euka tossed in her sleep. Her breathing was restless, her fingers curled tightly around the blanket as though trying to protect herself from some unseen terror.
A voice echoed inside her dream — cold, distant, and merciless:
"They will marry… your own children… destiny has already been carved in blood…"
Euka's eyes darted beneath her eyelids. She saw her sons — Obrigado, Pxco, Orgondo — walking toward a sacred altar. Their hands trembled, not out of love but out of fear and shame. Behind them, their sisters — Sua, Sumi, Alya — followed silently, dressed in white, eyes filled with confusion and sadness.
The altar was surrounded by broken weapons, human bones, and the shadow of destruction. A holy book lay on cracked stone. The air smelled like war and failure.
A booming voice — like a ghost from the past — thundered:
"THIS IS THE PRICE OF SURVIVAL!"
Euka screamed in her dream:
"NO! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS! THEY ARE CHILDREN! THEY ARE INNOCENT!"
The dream shattered. Euka sat up suddenly, breath racing, sweat dripping from her forehead. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She clutched her chest, whispering, voice trembling:
"It… it was only a nightmare… But today… the real day has come."
Her heart felt like it was breaking inside her.
Because nightmares sometimes follow us into reality.
Chucky's Burden
The shelter's dim light flickered as Chucky sat silently in the corner. His once-strong warrior body now looked tired — not physically, but emotionally destroyed. His red eyes showed sleepless nights and impossible choices.
When Euka looked at him, she didn't see her brave husband — she saw a broken father.
Chucky spoke, voice rough, almost whispering:
"Euka… are you ready?"
His fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
"Today we must do it… Our children… their marriage."
His voice cracked.
A tear slid down his cheek.
"I know this is a sin. I know God will never forgive me. I know the souls of our ancestors would curse my name…"
He wiped his tears roughly, ashamed of them.
"But we have no other choice. If we do nothing, humanity dies today."
Silence.
Only the sound of Euka's trembling breaths filled the room.
They stood and walked toward the entrance. Outside lay ruins — shattered skyscrapers, rusted tanks from the Zaid War, bones buried beneath ash. And yet they hung flowers and lights around their small home — trying to hide grief under fragile beauty.
A fake festival in a graveyard world.
Preparing the Last Feast
Inside the small kitchen, Euka took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.
Chucky turned to her:
"Did you prepare the food list?"
He forced a small smile — broken, painful, almost pleading.
"They must not feel the weight of our sin today. Let them smile once… even if it is the only time."
Euka swallowed hard and answered softly:
"I will make chicken soup…
Salad…
Mutton curry…
Rice…"
Her voice shook as she continued:
"…and gulab jamun for sweets."
Chucky closed his eyes.
His lips trembled.
"Good. Good…"
His voice faded, hollow and empty.
"Prepare it.
I'll go to the basement… to bring the holy clothes…
and the book."
He turned away before she could see another tear escape.
The Basement — A Warrior's Memory
The basement smelled of dust and iron. Old war equipment lay scattered — broken guns, rusted swords, cracked helmets, and tattered flags from the last human battalion.
Chucky dug through a wooden chest, pulling out traditional garments. But something else caught his eye — a torn photograph, edges burnt, colors faded by time and radiation.
It was him.
And behind him — his six comrades. His special squad. His brothers in war.
Dead now.
All dead.
He touched the picture with trembling fingers.
"My brothers…"
His voice was barely audible.
"…your blood will not vanish. Humanity must live.
Even if I must sacrifice myself… and my soul…"
His eyes glazed with pain. He took a broken knife from the chest, pressed it to his palm, and dragged it slowly across. Blood dripped onto the photograph.
A silent vow.
A warrior's guilt.
Training Ground — Sons of the New World
The morning sun — pale and weak — peeked through clouds of dust as Obrigado stood in the cracked training courtyard. His muscles flexed with every push-up; sweat glistened on his forehead.
He moved like steel — strong, precise, disciplined.
Because survival was no longer training — it was instinct.
Nearby, wooden training dummies shattered as the eldest brother practiced martial strikes, moving like a storm, each blow faster than the last.
Then Orgondo approached, two swords in hand.
He tossed one toward Obrigado.
"Brother. Duel me."
Obrigado caught the sword without looking — reflex as sharp as steel.
The swords clashed — a metallic thunder in dead silence.
Orgondo moved like a serpent — twisting, spinning, rolled under a strike and kicked upward. Obrigado blocked it with one arm without blinking.
The duel intensified — sparks flying, dust rising, footsteps echoing like drums of war.
Then clang.
Obrigado disarmed Orgondo and placed his blade to his brother's neck.
Orgondo laughed breathlessly:
"You always win."
Obrigado lowered the weapon.
"Winning doesn't matter. Surviving does."
They were not warriors by choice.
They were warriors by necessity.
Mother's Call — A Painful Duty
Euka appeared at the doorway, her eyes red but her voice steady.
"Enough."
The brothers turned, breathing hard.
"Go bathe and dress for the ceremony. It is time."
She tried to smile. It didn't reach her eyes.
She hesitated.
"Have you seen Pxco?"
Obrigado answered:
"He is in his lab. Trying again to recreate humans with alien hybrid DNA. He said he would only return… if he succeeds."
A flicker of hope — and fear — crossed her face.
"Then… let us hope."
The Ceremony Begins
Inside the decorated room, candles flickered like trembling souls.
Chucky stood holding the holy book, hands shaking. Obrigado and Alya walked forward. They looked like warriors marching to war — not lovers walking to marriage.
Euka's chest felt heavy.
She wanted to scream again but held it in.
Chucky opened his mouth–
And a voice tore through the silence.
"STOP, Father!"
Everyone froze.
Pexco Returns — With a Miracle
Pexco ran in — hair messy, clothes burned by chemicals, gloves covered in glowing liquid. His eyes gleamed like a scientist who touched godhood.
"I DID IT!"
His voice cracked with emotion.
"I created humans again!
From alien hybrid DNA!"
Silence.
Then gasps.
Obrigado's sword fell from his hand.
Alya covered her mouth.
Euka's legs gave way, and she fell, sobbing in relief.
"Thank you…
Thank you God…
You saved my children…"
Chucky stared at Pexco as if looking at a ghost
"Impossible…
His voice broke.
"Only Zaid could use alien power like this…
AndI killed him… With my own hands…"
His shoulders collapsed.
Pexco, breathing hard, spoke:
"I created three new tribes— Tandeco, Marlay, and Ooka. Humans will live."
Hope filled the air —
But fear entered too.
Chucky whispered, voice trembling:
"What have I done…
To my own children…"
Camera closes on his broken face.
A father.
A warrior.
A sinner.
A savior.