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The Fireflies (6) : In the warm summer nights, little glowing lights begin to bob and dart through the city. Fireflies are mating, so this isn't uncommon in itself; in the past few days you've probably seen hundreds of fireflies. What makes these lights so unique is that they seem to change color; you might see a blue one, a green one, a red one. They flicker randomly, and something just seems off with them. If you come into contact with one, you will find yourself with a strange electric jolt. They cannot be caught, and will flicker away if you pursue too aggressively. This isn’t the first time they’ve appeared in Destiny City, but no one’s been able to tell where they came from or where they’re going. No matter how quickly you chase them, they always seem to disappear before you can find any answers.
Amateru woke. For a long moment, everything was okay.
Then it wasn't anymore. Memories flooded his brain and he sat up so fast he fell over, the blanket tangling in his legs. He coughed in surprise at the dust that had collected—surely with only two people left on Ama—
No. One. Just one. Him. his lungs and eyes burned with the need to cry, both from the dust and the emotions stirring in him. G'damnit, it hurt. He coughed again and rubbed at his eyes, finally disentangling himself from the blanket and stumbling outside. The sun burned intensely, the way it had ever since the disease, the Chaos, had started to devour his planet. The peak of summer had started.... and never stopped. The disease spread, worse with the sweating and the constant need for water.
It was at least a little cooler outside than it was inside. The cooling systems had long since stopped working with nobody to service them. He wasn't even sure why he'd come outside, other than to try in vain to cool off. He turned his back to the sun, squinting at the sky. Something called to him, he felt it in his bones.
There! A streak across the sky, barely visible. Instinct told him to shut his eyes, to reach for it.
Instant darkness, the lurch of teleportation. He landed on his knees and retched violently. Nothing came up. He hadn't had much for a long time. But his skin suddenly didn't burn anymore. The extreme drop in temperature came as a shock to his system and he collapsed to the ground, shaking and shivering from the perceived cold. He felt awful, and for several long minutes, he feared he'd finally been infected—
The last person he'd ever see alive, becoming sick. Sicker in a way Cyrus knew they couldn't fix. Killing his last friend on his own planet because there was nothing they could do, and he didn't want Deryl to suffer.
Tears squeezed from his eyes, but eventually, the shaking slowed, and he could breathe again. He felt better. He knew that The Disease meant once you felt bad, you never felt better again. So... he was fine on that front. Carefully, he slowly opened his eyes.
Darkness greeted him. He hadn't seen a nighttime in years. His skin didn't practically boil just from being outside for a minute too long, either. He breathed in sharp, cool air, and grinned. He wasn't sure where he'd gone, exactly, but this planet was alive. He could feel it in his bones. On shaky legs, he slowly stood and leaned against a tree, vibrant and green.
"Man... I ain't seen nothin' like this in ages," he breathed, looking around in wonder. Colorful bugs lit up the area, and he couldn't help but reach out to catch one. The moment he touched it, however, he received a little shock.
"Ow! Little s**t," he muttered, shooing it away. "My apologies, Your ********' Highness of bugs."
Life. Life! He could scarcely believe it. What if there were people, too? He needed to find someone. Ask them where he was. If he could get some water and food. Pray that the sun wouldn't burn in the morning.
He looked around a little, and found... well. This star charm seemed to be evidence of life—complex life. Like... people. Could there be people still on this planet? Was this some... relic... or recent?
