The sun rose early in the morning as it always had, blazing in all of its glory as it peaked over the eastern horizon. However, its warm embrace was rejected by much of the Earth as it tried to make its way through the atmosphere; the vast majority of Earth was covered in a fog that warped any natural light that touched it, turning what used to be warm and welcoming daylight into a perpetual twilight of blood; it was thickest at roughly 1000 meters above sea level. However, miniscule pockets of the world still resisted the mist, allowing the rays of light to bless the earth in these select areas. These pockets of resistance were known as “Holy Lands”, one of these holy lands was located in what used to be San Francisco, California.
San Francisco was vastly different from what it looked like before the Cataclysm. Outside of the bounds of the barrier, where there used to be a thriving metropolis, had now become a landscape of partially collapsed and abandoned structures, eroded by the winds of time and tides of war. Not even the iconic Golden Gate Bridge remained, the only thing that was left was a single arch that sat in the middle of the bay, leaning heavily towards one side, ready to topple at any second as the thick cables that used to help hold the structure together dangled listlessly in the wind. Much of the area had been reclaimed by nature, not the nature that was often depicted in mankind's documentaries, that nature had a certain tranquil beauty to it, a sense of belonging. What had once been a concrete jungle was now covered in gnarled trees and vines that glowed in faint hues of purple, black, but mostly red. They did not fill one's heart with wonder but instead instilled it with fear and despair; a sense that if one were to ever venture into those woods, they would never return. Not even the best of mankind's sensory technology could penetrate beyond the first several meters of the wilderness and reveal its secrets.
The area about 300 meters from the barrier to the wilderness was completely devoid of signs of any of the strange new vegetation. This no-man's land had long been cleared out, over the decades that passed, by human workers and their machines. None of the strange vegetation was able to grow within that area because of the residual energy that leaked from the barrier, it repelled the red fog from the air and cleansed the soil around as well, allowing a few more natural plants to be grown. While no trees were allowed to be planted here, any crop that would mature at under 1 meter was allowed to be planted within 100 meters of the barrier. While the safety of those who were in charge of tending to the crops could never be fully ensured outside of the barriers, it was necessary for people to take these risks as humans needed nourishment to grow and stay strong.
The barrier itself was translucent and had no actual physical form; it was a pure energy that could be felt as one passed through it, like a thin curtain of water that would leave a person's skin tingling, washing them of any impurities that they may have brought in from outside. The only way that someone could see it is if that person stood right next to it and looked up at a certain angle, they would be able to see a slight ripple in the air that let them know that something was there. The barrier of the San Francisco Holy Land was quite massive, forming a sphere that was 13 km in diameter, protecting its inhabitants from any threats, be it from the air or beneath the ground. Any monster or demon that came into contact with it would either perish immediately or be unable to advance forward regardless of how powerful they were.
After another layer of more essential crops, along with the scattered dwellings of the farmers who tended them, was a massive 30 meter tall and 10 meters thick concrete wall that served as a secondary line of defense. Older and less mobile Sentinel models were entrenched at various points along the top of the wall to function as manned turrets should the need ever arise; the controls of these machines did not require an Aegis Core to operate so even the common soldier, with the proper training, could operate it. Within this wall was where the vast majority of the citizens of the Holy Land lived.
A large part of the original infrastructure had been maintained and renovated in this particular area; skyscrapers that used to function as office buildings and hotels had long been converted into living quarters for the hundreds of thousands of individuals who called this place home. The grandest of these buildings, a glowing behemoth of glass, concrete, and metal that stood on a hill directly in the middle of the city; this building was popularly known as the Tower of Heroes and served as the dwelling place for the most talented and powerful individuals that lived within Serenity. On a balcony at the very top of this tower stood a lone figure.
The man struck an imposing figure as he stood in silent reverie; despite the fact that he had nothing on but a loose-fitting robe, one could make out some of the powerful contours on his sculpted body. Beneath a set of heavy brows, a pair of piercing blue eyes swept out over the waking city as a fine fog rolled out with each breath. Beneath his high pronounced cheekbones, his strong jawline and chin was mostly covered by a slightly unkempt beard, his hair was of medium length and was equally as messy; the slight crinkles at the corner of his eyes betrayed his age.
“20 years. Exactly 7300 days since that night.” James sighed in a barely audible whisper.
20 years had already passed since the day that 72 had fallen. James had only been 22 years old at that point, a young man just entering his prime, when he slew the Arch Demon and escaped to Serenity using the power that had been granted to him through the Aegis System to travel the nearly 400 miles on foot from what was formerly known as Los Angeles to San Francisco in less than a day. For his deed of slaying the Arch Demon, James was automatically promoted from his original position as a 2nd lieutenant of the Aegis Knights stationed in 72 to become the youngest Colonel ever appointed in the history of the armed forces; never before had any single human ever been capable of fighting an Arch Demon and surviving, much less taking the head of one. James’ accomplishment was a monumental event in the current history of Humanity’s struggle against the monsters that took the world away from them; it gave everyone a symbol of hope in a time when people were filled with despair due to the fact that the Holy Lands, the last bastions of humanity, were falling one by one due to unknown reasons.
Over those 20 years, James did not sit idly on his newfound fame and title and live in comfort like he could have done. He personally led more than half of the expeditions away from the safety of the Holy Lands despite the protest of several officials who wanted to keep him solely as a symbol of hope and, therefore, wanted to keep him as safe as possible. Only after he provided several batches of his DNA to fertility clinics was he allowed to act as he wished; as important as he was as a military force and symbol, because of the nature of the Aegis System being dependent upon genetic factors, his genes, in a city where the ratio of women to men was 3:1, were far more important. In the eyes of scientists, he was a significant key to producing more powerful and efficient Aegis Knights.
After fighting in hundreds of battles and killing a countless number of monsters, his image of being the incarnation of Humanity’s Wrath was ingrained into the hearts and minds of the populace; his accomplishments and missions were often captured on film and broadcasted, at great costs, to the remaining humans across the world. James became viewed as an existence that was superhuman, a living legend, an indomitable hero.
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“Time sure does seem to pass by in the blink of an eye, doesn’t it Hero?” A low voice came from within the shadows of his home.
“Yeah, it does.” James replied frankly, his eyes seemed to slightly fog over as he became lost in thought. “I never thought --”
A light knock on his door interrupted his train of thought.
“I apologize Col. Harding, sir, but you asked me to knock on your door when the clock hit 05:30 AM. It is now time.” A sweet but slightly muffled voice sounded from the other side of his door.
James closed his eyes for a brief second before taking in a mouthful of lungfull of frigid air and returning to the confines of his penthouse.
“Wait a moment Jane, I’ll be right out.” He called out as he passed through his living room and entered his master bedroom.
Contrary to what others might expect from a person who enjoyed the highest status in the city and lived in the most prestigious building, James’ penthouse was furnished with only the bare minimum of furniture and had absolutely no decor: his living room held a single sofa big enough to seat 3 or 4 people along with a coffee table; his kitchen had a nice stove, granite countertops, and refrigerator that came with the penthouse but no silverware to speak of; his bedroom was adorned with a single full-sized mattress and a plain 4 drawer dresser. The lack of any decor or furniture beyond the bare minimum made the large penthouse feel like an abandoned apartment, completely devoid of any warmth or sense of belonging.
He entered his restroom and opened a drawer, pulling out a classic straight razor. Without applying any cream or even bothering to look in the mirror, the blade made a single pass over his face, a silver light that flashed for a split second before the blade clicked shut. Only then did he look at the mirror to see his face free of any facial hair; after removing his facial hair, he appeared to be a decade younger than he actually was but didn’t lose any of his regal bearing. He turned the faucet on and quickly splashed some frigid water on his face before grabbing a nearby towel and rigorously wiping the water off. In another breath, he turned his hair from a untidy mess into a more professional slick-back look. After taking care of his head, he returned to his room and exchanged his robe for a black with gold trimmed military uniform that he had already prepared ahead of time. It had taken him less than 5 minutes to transform from a fairly disheveled mess into a respectable leader of men. Without delaying any longer, he put on a pair of military dress boots and stepped out of his front door.
Waiting for him in the lobby was a pretty young woman who was roughly 20-25 years old. She had the delicate and beautiful face with a pair of luscious soft lips that men couldn’t help but look at whenever they happened to cross her path. Her form-fitting blue dress accented her hourglass body, revealing gentle curves in all of the right places along with a narrow waist and flat stomach; the shortness of her dress further accented her long and slender legs. Her head only came up to James’ shoulders, making her just the right size for a man of his stature to hold and gaze into her mesmerizing baby-blue eyes as he brushed his fingers through her long blonde hair. Anyone would find this woman to be virtually irresistible.
“I have to find a way to get rid of this one already as well.”
James thought to himself silently as he noticed the look in her eyes; they were filled with a mixture of awe, reverie, respect, but most of all the longing that only someone who had become infatuated would have. While he was old enough to be her biological father, aside from just his naturally good looks, there was a certain mystique and strength that seemed to draw women to him regardless of the age difference; it didn’t hurt matters that there was a lack of males around the world in general and he was the most prestigious one of them all. Ever since he had arrived at Serenity, the ruling body had always made it a point to assign a woman as his aid, the more attractive the better, some even actively volunteered their own daughters or granddaughters for the duty; their thinking was simple, even if the girl failed to officially bring him into their family, they at least had a chance at obtaining a valuable heir however slim it might be.
At first, James embraced this arrangement just like he embraced the slaying of monsters; for him, it wasn’t about the pure physical pleasure or his duty to do his best to pass on his genetics to the next generation, sex was simply became a drug for him to fight against the demons within. Over the 20 years of living with this kind of lifestyle, drowning himself in any and everything behind the scenes while doing his utmost to maintain the front of his image as a symbol of hope for humanity, he began to change a bit and see the women behind the pleasure; it took him a long time to realize that, in trying to escape from his own pain, he had been inflicting a different kind of pain upon others with each heart that he shattered. He now made it a point to always end things before they ever got close to involving any true feelings.
Which was why he felt that it was likely now time to cut ties with Jane, she had only been his assistant for little more than a couple of weeks. She would be the 17th this year alone.
“Sir, today is December 25th. You, along with several other renowned officers and Senior Councilmen, are scheduled for breakfast with Gov. Shaw at 06:00 AM, located at the City Hall. At 07:30 AM, you are scheduled for an appearance and brief interview on the Serenity Sunrise show of station 1. At 08:30 AM, you have been invited to speak at the Aegis Heart academy. At . . .” Jane enthusiastically began to list all of the events and appearances that he was obligated to attend.
“Ugh, why does every year have to be like this?” He groaned inwardly as Jane’s sweet voice droned on.
“And finally, at 09:00 PM, you have been invited to attend the Military Christmas Ball as the guest of honor.” Jane finally finished with a beaming and hopeful smile.
It was the same thing every year on December 25th, while normally known for being Christmas day, it developed a new meaning 20 years ago when James arrived with the Arch Demon head. As the primary reason for all of the festivities, he naturally couldn’t skip out on any of the more significant and prestigious events. Such was the life of the Hero of Humanity.