Chapter Text
It's the year 2052, exactly 18 years after the chronorift catastrophe and 3 years since Linkon crumbled under a plague-like virus that spread through the city like wildfire. It turned people into husks of themselves, ''Hordes'' is what scientists labelled them as. Creatures with no inhibitions, no sense of reason, and seemingly a loss of all signs of life.
Well, at least that's what you’ve been telling yourself to make it easier to put these ''things’’ out of their misery.
The first sightings of these husk-like creatures were exactly 4 years ago, when humans first began exhibiting a specific set of symptoms: hallucinations, then confusion, followed by an intense fear of bodies of water, then finally a deadly fever, in which the majority would succumb to their illness, only to reanimate once more.
Only this time possessing flesh-eating, ruthless and volatile tendencies.
The source was unknown; however, most symptoms had a few things in common: either being bitten by a Horde or, better yet, having an exposed injury come in direct contact with secretions from a Horde.
At first, it seemed like the standard flu, or even the new tetanus. But as scientists failed to find a cure, all hope was lost for humanity.
At this point in the apocalypse, the government had failed to control the situation, and society had collapsed as a whole. It's every man for themselves.
At the beginning of the fall, you, Xavier, as well as the hunters' association, were tasked with what officials deemed to be evolved Wanderers. However, the longer everyone fought, the more people realized these weren't your run-of-the-mill adapting Wanderers. These were people who had lost all autonomy over not only their bodies, but their subconscious as well. Boy, did they realize too late.
You still remember that day, the day your world crumbled. Its image stays horrifically vivid. You remembered the look in his eyes as a vivid crimson trickled from his arms. The silent resignation.
Xavier, your sweet Xavier, had jumped in to save you while you were distracted tending to casualties amid the fallout. In doing so, he put his life on the line, getting bitten in the process.
You were ready to drop everything. Your duties, your life, your job- if it meant taking him to a quarantine zone, if it meant he had a saving chance. Alas, Xavier, in his very final moments, chose to leave. Remaining strong. Still never showing his pain right until the very end, even when you tearfully begged him not to go. You loved him after all.
There was never a burial, never a funeral and barely any time to process his death in the state the world had been becoming.
Yet here you are, 3 years later, sitting by a fire with that same Xavier, or at least—what seems to be the remnants of him.
--*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚--
24 hours earlier- On the outskirts of an unknown forest
You were running away from a group of Hordes. A few hours prior, you had picked up a strange signal in the area, which wasn't easy to decode. Although curiosity was your biggest enemy in this setting, you ultimately decided to check it out.
It could've been other survivors, it could've been a transmission from outer space, heck, maybe it could've been the location of a radio station that might have some resources. For 3 years of constantly being on the run, hope is all you had, so hope is all you'll cling to.
You slung your hunter's gun into its holster, throwing a smoke bomb into the crowd of Hordes upfront. You were trying to disorient them as you changed the trajectory of your path.
The lead you had picked up was finicky, leading you straight into the woods. You'd be on the right path one minute, then quickly lose it, making it feel as if you were going in circles.
Ultimately, feeling lost, you gave up on picking up that signal. The only issue now was finding a way back to base from the middle of an unknown forest.
You looked up at the sky, trying to piece together the very brief star navigations you could barely remember.
⋆⭒˚.⋆🔭
''Great. We're lost.'' You huffed, scrolling through a Boy Scout's guide you had found online, a man a few steps ahead, acting as a human flashlight.
''I don't think we're lost,'' he noted, keeping an air of nonchalance.
You looked at him, thoroughly unconvinced. ''Ironic coming from you, you get lost all the time!'' you retorted, as he abruptly stopped, leading you headfirst into a firm back.
''That star,'' the boy pointed, redirecting your gaze ''is Polaris, the North star.''
''If you ever feel lost, that'll lead you north. Now, if we were in the southern hemisphere, we'd be looking for the south cross,'' he smiled, before going on and on about Orion's belt, and whatnot. In that moment, his gentle smile was for you, and only you, as the warmth of his evol provided solace.
''But you don't need that,'' he noted, intertwining his fingers in yours. ''Your guiding star is right here.''
Suddenly, his evol illuminated a path, eliciting laughter from both of you; meanwhile, somewhere in the future, its essence slowly faded away from memory.
⋆⭒˚.⋆🔭
Looking up at the stars, trying your best to stick with what you could remember, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu lingering in the air. Had you been here before? There was something so familiar about the area that you just couldn’t ignore it.
Pulling out your decrepit and outdated hunter's watch, you checked the navigation systems using the built-in GPS. Of course, the search engine was a bust, but the map was enough to help you find a sense of direction.
Ah.
Suddenly, it all made sense why you felt so bothered by nostalgia. Turns out you had barged into a No-Hunt zone.
The No-Hunt zone N.42.
Surprisingly enough, knowing you were in this dreaded area was all you needed for your search to become easier. There was no use in getting sentimental; you had to get back to the city.
The more you ran, the louder and louder these frequencies emitted from your radar became; turns out you finally caught on to your lead.
You already had a good feeling about what you were going to find in this secluded god-forsaken area; there was no denying it. All you could do in this situation was to cling to the hope that it would be anything else, like a radio tower, or better yet, other survivors.
Of all places, it just had to be here, you thought.
Alas, even if you so badly wished for something else, it was too late to back down. So, you persisted, running directly towards the foliage that had been growing more and more recognizable, all while ignoring the thoughts gnawing at your brain.
Once there, catching your breath, you couldn’t help but fall to your knees as a rush of nostalgia and bittersweet feelings overcame you. Your suspicions had been right, and in front of you, no less. Amidst the serene nature, its presence stood heavy.
Traceback II.
You were right on the dot, your radar proving it, creating an ear-piercing screech, prompting you to end its incessant noise by throwing it on the ground.
‘’Damn it.’’ you cursed yourself. How foolish you were to hope, and now you reaped the consequences, standing in this decrepit wasteland.
You had to admit, it was secluded and out of harm's way; it was a perfect place to hide from the world, if not for a little while, for the rest of eternity. But the thought was more uncomfortable than it felt reassuring. So, after making sure that the surrounding areas were not infested or damaged, only then did you allow yourself to reminisce.
In front of you, this lifeless spaceship remained strong and untouched. Even after all these years, still a magnum opus, left by an advanced civilization. No Hordes in sight.
''Hey there, old friend,’’ you softly breathed, resting your hand upon the shell of its mechanisms, its cold, hard surface meeting yours.
You remember how he led you here, when he had overused his Evol and hid it from you.
Sleeping in a Sleepen Pod. The mere thought evoked a bitter laugh. That boy really proved that he'd rather die than see you hurt, never showing his own struggles. Oh, Xavier.. you thought. His name, although strange to the tongue, rang through your mind like a child's laugh.
Xavier, a person whom you tried to suppress from your thoughts, your feelings and your memories. He was your greatest regret. Now, here you stood, forced to acknowledge it. To acknowledge him and the burdens he had left you to bear.
During the beginning of the fallout, when you initially lost Xavier, you had been so overwhelmed with grief that you had lain ill in an abandoned shack. For a week, you were convinced that you’d soon turn into one of them, feeling nauseous and destitute at the world coming to an end, waking up only to remember you had lost your person, your partner, your lover, who you weren't even allowed to bury. Xavier was dead, and you had to face that.
The emotions at the time felt visceral, like being put through a constant loop of gut-punching, spine-chilling torture; falling asleep thinking your dreams were reality, only to then wake up, wishing you had never opened them in the first place.
Nothing could change the fact that the world had come to an end. Your world with it.
At the time, you couldn't possibly bear to continue after your parting, but if you stopped and gave up, Xavier's death would have been in vain. Alas, you had to keep moving. To live, you must. Even if it came with the cost of having to suppress him to try to make it easier, to forget a core part of your identity.
It was selfish. You knew that. But what else could you have done?
Xavier wasn't an easy topic to talk about, which, to you, was funny, since there wasn't anyone to talk to in the first place.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ᯓ✶
Pressing your forehead over the ship, you did as one may do when forced to face suppressed trauma and began maladaptive daydreaming. If you thought about it hard enough, maybe it would be as if everything were still there, as if you’d return home, hop on a call with your best friend Tara, and lie in your living room reading those silly comics Xavier had lent you that went back to who knows when.
And if you thought a little further, maybe you’d imagine him there and what life could’ve been with him.
You missed the life you could’ve had. You missed how he’d caress your hair on the couch or how he’d kiss you all over until you tapped out for air.
You missed the quiet moments when nothing needed to be said, when there was just understanding. You missed...well, what else did you miss?
''I just miss Xavier.’’ You meekly let out. Your cheeks dampening.
The air was still, and the forest was quiet, a comfortable quiet; your choked-up sobs quietly heard throughout the forest as you tried your best to keep it together.
Nearby stood Traceback II, like an anchor, protecting you from whatever was outside, as if it understood you; As if allowing you to grieve what you previously couldn't.
But that didn't last long. Amidst your sobs and your cries to see him again, a faint pulsation rang out almost like a reply. A rhythm similar to one's heartbeat.
At first, you thought it was your own, either that or that it was the tinnitus playing sick tricks on you. But when it didn't stop, this prompted you to quickly dry tears as you followed its tail, wandering deeper into Traceback II’s ship.
A sign. It was a sign. It wasn't the same frequencies you had picked up on your radio, but it was still a sign. It could've been Jeremiah or maybe a backtracker, or maybe- No. That was just wishful thinking.
At the foot of the door where the sound rang the loudest, there lay in front of you, amidst the dust and cobwebs: a Slepen Pod.
A faint light pulsated from its side. Just how long had this thing been emitting such noises?
You began to feel the ridge of its shell, its design sleek and efficient. Those damn Philosians.
Frantic, you looked for anything that could seize the sound: a cord, a plug, heck, maybe a big button would've helped.
And just then, before your hand, was a slightly elevated spot at the very bottom of it. Naturally, you pressed it, as all humans would've done. You never knew what to do with this kind of stuff; it's Philosian tech after all.
1 minute passed and then another. This is where you started to grow impatient, pacing back and forth. Only as you were about to leave to get a wrench did mist suddenly start to flow out of its containment…which was just as bad.
You backed away, skeptical of the amount of steam being emitted. ''What did I just do?’’
If you did this back then, you would've been screwed if you ended up breaking Xavier's advanced techy stuff! You could practically hear Jeremiah giving you a stern lecture from…well, wherever he is.
Just then, the latch at the front sprang open, causing you to jump back.
The room had been completely engulfed in smoke, your lungs surprisingly feeling cleaned from the inside out. Just then, a blinding light stunned you completely, causing you to stumble onto the floor.
After shielding your eyes from the light it produced, you focused once more, as the sight before you made chills run down your spine.
There he sat, exactly how you remembered him. Every minute detail of his frame that you could remember, all there. He stood up slowly from the pod, his frizzled morning hair perking up, just like how it always did.
Your beloved starlight.
Had he survived the bite? Did his Slepen Pod reverse the effects? A million questions filled your head as you went through all the emotions. Only one mattered: Was it him?
You shot up, reaching your hand out, your heart filled with hope, only to freeze in shock at the face in your hand, at the sight of eyes that had lost their blue.
His azure eyes that you had poked at, that you compared to jewels like sapphire, were robbed. All that was left was grey.
Your heart had dropped to your stomach. This wasn't your Xavier.
You fell back, falling to the ground, as your knees gave out, breath seemingly stolen from you. You backed away as you watched in horror at its domineering stature slowly approaching.
Without a thought, you pulled out a tranq gun. Not to kill him, of course not, how could you? Instead, to paralyze him. Maybe then you could win yourself some time to flee from this nightmare.
But as much as you trembled, you just couldn't. Overwrought with fear, you stood there frozen, letting him creep his way into your vicinity.
You sat there, weighing your options, your back against the wall as you watched your body choose for you.
Ultimately, letting the tranq gun drop from your hand, squeezing your eyes shut as you counted down the seconds, waiting for the kill. You wouldn't imagine a better way to die.
3..
2…
1..?