Malakai tensed, his eyes darting around. It felt like he was standing in emptiness.
“Calm down,” Valentine said with a gentle voice. “I’m just trying to show you.”
He pointed upward.
An image blinked into existence: a blue planet surrounded by the black expanse.
Earth.
Malakai’s eyes narrowed.
Even though no human had stepped outside the Dome in generations, some knowledge of the past world had still been passed down through descendants. And among them were their solar system, their planet.
‘The solar system,’ Malakai muttered. ‘Eight planets revolving around a star. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.’
And this…
This was Earth.
The home of mankind.
The image zoomed in rapidly, blurring past cities, people, and noise, before stopping at a small, quiet farm on the outskirts of a town.
There, everything was peaceful. Silent.
Until a meteor blazed through the atmosphere, crashing into the field just in front of the house.
Flames burst outward, then just as quickly vanished, as if the fire had never existed.
From the modest farmhouse, a man stepped out, his expression panicked as he gazed at the smoking impact site.
Malakai’s eyes narrowed. The resemblance was unmistakable.
‘It’s him,’ he realized. The man looked every bit like the chubby Valentine before him.
The man on the scene, Valentine, hesitated.
He bit his lip. Went back inside. Came out again. Repeated the process.
Over and over, until finally, he clenched his fist, took a step forward… and approached the meteor.
As he reached the meteor, taking every precautionary measure known to man, it suddenly exploded into a cloud of vibrant green mist.
The mist swirled around him, then surged into his body all at once.
He gasped, then screamed.
Malakai watched as he fell to the ground, thrashing violently.
He clutched his head, body convulsing, shouting words between cries of agony.
“It hurts! It HURTS!”
His screams echoed, desperate, and his limbs jerked uncontrollably as green veins pulsed under his skin, glowing faintly with each jolt of pain. Then, slowly, his movements dulled… his voice broke… and silence followed.
The green light around his body shifted, spreading, until it encased him in a cocoon of radiant emerald.
Malakai’s eyes narrowed.
He’d seen this before.
‘He’s evolving?’ he thought.
Moments passed. Then the cocoon cracked and light spilled from within, before vanishing in a final burst.
And from the light, Valentine stood.
But it was no longer the same man.
He was taller now. Lean muscle sculpted his once soft frame. His rounded belly was gone, replaced by compact packs. His hair had grown out, shiny, and his face had become sharp, refined… almost devilishly handsome.
Malakai exhaled slowly, watching with rapt attention.
‘This is how the first man gained his power? A stone from the skies?’
His mind had already started drawing conclusions based on what he was seeing. From their history, one man had fought the darkness first before others started to evolve. However, no one knew how, especially considering it took time for humans to start evolving.
And yet now as he watched, a realization bloomed in his mind.
‘A human evolved before the darkness came,’ Malakai’s mind spun.
It was an incredible discovery. One that answered so many questions, and raised even more. But he pushed the thoughts aside. There would be time to unravel the implications later.
For now, he watched.
The scenes sped up, days, then weeks passing in flashes.
Through this time, Valentine tested his powers. Failing. Struggling.
One scene showed him trying to fly, only to crash headfirst into a tree.
Another had him punching through a boulder, celebrating… until the boulder rolled onto his foot and he screamed like a child.
And yet, despite all the awkward stumbles and his constant muttering of “I’m sorry!” and “Oops!” Valentine improved. Gradually. Earnestly.
That was when it happened.
The sky darkened. The air turned gloomy. The darkness descended.
They came without warning. Crawling, screeching, roaring.
Cities fell. Blood ran like rivers. Humanity was ripped apart in hours.
As time passed, Valentine tried to fight.
He really did.
But he had never fought a battle in his life.
Through it all, he stumbled. Panicked. Got overwhelmed. Every scream, every cry for help broke him a little more.
Even with all that power… he didn’t know how to use it to save.
Until, finally, when there was nothing left to do, he made his choice.
A blinding light engulfed the world.
Malakai shielded his eyes.
And when the light faded…
A radiant green dome had enveloped one-third of the world.
Valentine had sacrificed himself to save what little remained of humanity.
As the scene faded, Malakai’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
He heard it. Sniffling.
‘Who?’
He turned, only to see Valentine standing beside him, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief that had appeared from gods-know-where.
“…Are you okay?” Malakai asked, sounding more baffled than concerned. Why the hell was this man crying?
Valentine nodded quickly, still sniffling. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just so… you know. It’s so sad. I tried my best but still failed. I’m sorry you had to see me like this—”
“Do you live on saying sorry?” Malakai cut in with an irritated tone. “You did nothing wrong. I’m not offended.”
Valentine nodded, lips clamped shut.
Malakai stared at him for a second, then sighed.
‘I’m not surprised we ended up in a dome if this was our savior.’
It was a mean thought, especially considering the man had actually sacrificed his life for humanity’s sake. But Malakai wasn’t trying to be mean. He had never expected anyone to save him in the first place, it was simply more of pointing out the fact than disappointment.
He cleared his thoughts and stepped forward. “I’d like to ask you some questions.”
Valentine straightened and nodded. “Of course.”
“What was that thing?” Malakai asked. “The green mist from the meteor. The one that fused with you.”
Valentine’s tone grew more serious.
“It’s Life’s Essence.”
“Life’s Essence?” Malakai echoed. “What is that?”
Valentine opened his mouth. “Sor—”
He saw Malakai’s cold stare and quickly cleared his throat. “I… don’t know.”
