The year is 2186, and the sky is always dark. There is evidence of a sun behind the haze that moves through the atmosphere. From the ground, the sky is always moving, noxious clouds of green, yellow, and brown that occasionally rain down acids or heavy metals that damage plant material and erode structures made of wood or stone. The Earth is a bleak world, humans have razed it to this result and rather than give in to extinction, humanity is resilient. Though many of the governments of the previous century are unrecognizable in the present, there are signs that humanity is making its way back to its previous heights of civility.
Most humans dwell in vast, underground cities that have been carved into the Earth and reinforced against possible collapse. Most humans have never known sunshine, have never witnessed the moon or starlight first hand and a life above ground is quickly becoming history that time turns into myth.
Takezō’s hair is long past his shoulders, but he always wears it in a bun that he ties at the base of his neck with a dark green length of fabric, and the tails of the fabric hang down at his back. The children of his community like to emulate him, and it is common to see little boys and girls in their games with lengths of fabric tied around their heads with long, loose tails that trail behind them as they run. Usually, they take turns dueling one another and most do their best Takezō impression when it is their turn to stand opposite their peer with long sticks in their hands in place of Takezō’s kitana, and they set their faces to stoic, letting all emotion fade away as they control their breathing by lifting their shoulders with each inhale and letting them settle to normal position on the exhale.
There is not much to do for recreation in the Rock Mill District that was dug under what was known as York County, South Carolina when man still lived on the surface. The District is large and there are only a few ways to enter the city; each entrance is constantly manned by the District’s militia forces. All entrances to Rock Mill require passage through long, underground tunnels that lead to neighboring Districts, and upon entering the city, one is greeted by the impressive sight of an elaborate community to rival those that had existed above ground, but carved into the Earth, with strings of lights attached to the high roof over it all that illuminated the ubiquitous darkness. Rock Mill has vast stone pillars that reinforce the ceiling of Earth overhead and great torches burn from them to keep total darkness at bay; there is electricity that keeps the city from total darkness, but only militia buildings are wired to be constantly lit and all households use fire for indoor lighting.
Without electricity, most inhabitants of Rock Mill find entertainment in books, or sitting around sharing stories, the original forms of entertainment that had always amused man. Children play traditional games like hide-and-seek and jump rope in the dirt streets, but children love to imagine themselves as adults, even in this bleak present. Sometimes they play Militia Wars, and they organize into large teams to reenact the stories of their elders, stories about wars to secure the lands of Rock Mill against hostile districts, or wars over fresh water and food sources. There have been enough wars to inspire games many years into the future and it seemed that everyday there were new conflicts. But generally, the children of Rock Mill enjoy peace, though they are all educated in what it takes to secure it. Many children aspire to be members of the Rock Mill militia, the fighting force of adult volunteers who train together and test their skill in battle in public duels for the entertainment of the District every Friday.
Friday Duels are an all day affair, with lesser-known combatants fighting early in the day, and more anticipated bouts as the day wears on. Two members of the militia enter the rectangular, dirt arena with earthen stands all around it large enough room for over a thousand spectators, and they do battle, each with a weapon of their choosing. The fight is won when one person yields, or is knocked unconscious. Killing an opponent is an automatic forfeiture for the murderer, even if the murder is accidental. Even though intense combat is celebrated, the Duels discourage murder to avoid losing ranks of the militia.
Takezō is undefeated in the District’s Friday Duels, and he is often chosen by the Militia Leader to fight in duels against other districts. He has no family, his parents had died when he was just a boy, when bandits broke into his family’s home onenight. Takezō watched the bandits kill his parents, and they stole the research of his father who had worked on electricity generation for the District. He swore revenge on the men, and he has been slowly gathering clues about his parents’ murderers.
When he isn’t off on quests to uncover the mystery of his parents’ murder, Takezō is in Rock Mill at the same home where his family had been murdered, and he trains his body to be the best fighter he can be.
Today, Takezō sits on a rock in the dirt behind his home that is made of stone on a stone plaza. It is an impressive home, Takezō’s father had been a very important member of his community and he was largely responsible for the rudimentary system of electricity that the District enjoyed. Takezō rarely slept in the overly fancy home, it felt excessive compared to most homes that people occupied.
He let the children enjoy the home while he meditated with his legs crossed in the dirt. Takezō was in his twenties and he was a loner, no particularly close friends, but the children swarmed around him and he learned to be kind to them, though he said very little and seemed to have an angry temperament.
“Master Taki!” a girl’s voice calls enthusiastically to interrupt his serenity. “Master Taki, you promised…”
His eyes are closed, and he opens one to stare at the group of three adolescent girls who stand like a bouquet of flowers before him. They all wear dingy clothing that is hard to scrutinize in the lowlights underground, but despite their clothing, they are bright and beautiful. The girl in front and speaking for them has very short hair and her skin is very dark. Her features seem to shine in the dim light, and the two girls on either side of her, one with white skin and the other brown, make the girl at the center seem taller. Her name is Charlotte.
“What is your lesson, little flower?” Takezō asks, still with one eye closed.
“Patience, Master Taki, I know. The prize always comes to those with the wisdom to wait for it,” Charlotte says like she is reciting the words.
“Patience, and what did I say about interrupting me in my meditation?”
“It’s dangerous, Master Taki, I know, I know, but we’re all so excited. And we have waited so long, just like you asked and today is finally the day…”
Takezō holds up a hand, opens his other eye, and glares at the girls. The two behind Charlotte wilt a little.
“You all have waited over a year, what’s a few more minutes?”
He stands and walks to the stone patio of his home, the girls following eagerly on his heels. There is a large pillar in the middle of the patio that is wide across, and reaches up to the ceiling over the city. Takezō’s father had created an elaborate lattice covering over the patio that is wired with multicolored lights, and he would turn it on once a year while the family sat outside and enjoyed the spectacle. It hadn’t been used in many years and when Takezō thought to use it to entertain the kids, he realized that it was in need of repair. It took him over a year to gather the necessary parts to fix it and even though he does not show it, he is excited to give the children a show.
Takezō calls all the children who are playing around his home to sit on the stone patio. He summons Charlotte to stand before him, and when she is close, he picks her up – she giggles in his arms, she knows that she is his favorite little flower and it makes her feel special – and he lets her flip the large switch on the back wall of the house.
The lights are high above them and the children all gaze up with wonder. If not for the multicolors, it could have been a nice replica of the night sky on Earth in its past, before humans were forced underground.
Takezō is happy and he lets himself smile.
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