Apocalypse: The echoes of Madness

She walked behind him, her thoughts tangled. So much has happened today. I nearly forgot about the accident… but something feels off. It's not about him… it's something else. Caught up in her musings, she didn't even realize she had already arrived in front of his office.

Thomas knocked on the door.

"She's here," he announced.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

"Please, have a seat, Miss Rose," Lucas said as she stepped in.

Rose studied Dr. Thomas quietly. He seems surprisingly young for someone who leads the Aegis Guild. Maybe in his early forties?

"I assume today's events have left you quite surprised," Lucas began.

So, he knows, Rose thought. "Yes," she replied.

He handed her a file. "Take a look. Maybe it'll jog your memory."

She flipped open the file, her hands trembling. Her eyes widened in shock as the words sank in.

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Name: Jang Hwa-Young

Code Name: Rose

Age: 24

Birthdate: March 15, 1999

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Code name? Rose? she thought. I had a younger brother… and he's dead? What about my parents?

Lucas interrupted her spiraling thoughts. "Your father is also dead. Your mother... she's in the human zone, driven mad by the virus."

"And the accident?" she asked hesitantly.

"Your mother stabbed you with a knife."

Her breath hitched. "Does that mean she wasn't fully affected by the virus?"

"That's correct," Lucas said. "Because she was physically weak, the virus didn't take full control of her, but it still broke her mind. As for you… your case is unique. You had all three symptoms necessary for infection. You knew what was happening. That's why you allowed her to stab you—to kill you before the virus could take over completely. When we found you, you were already dead."

She stared at him, stunned. "What are you saying? If I was dead… how am I alive now?"

Lucas looked at her gravely. "That's what we don't understand. But because you returned from death, I believe you hold the power to protect this world."

Her chest tightened with frustration. "Don't you think you're placing too much responsibility on someone who just woke up? And besides, why it have to be me? aren't there already mutants strong enough to save the world?"

Lucas sighed. "I know it's a heavy burden, but time isn't on our side."

Rose stood abruptly. "I need to leave."

"Before you go," Lucas said, "there's something I want to show you. Come with me."

She hesitated, then followed him. They climbed the stairs, Lucas remarking as they ascended, "There's no elevator anymore—this chaotic world has made it obsolete."

When he opened the rooftop door, the wind hit her face like a slap, and she froze.

"Look," Lucas said simply

Rose stepped onto the rooftop, The world before her was unrecognizable and her breath caught. The world stretched before her, broken and desolate. Skyscrapers lay in ruins, overtaken by trees that seemed to embrace the abandoned structures, as if trying to comfort them.

"It feels like humanity has abandoned this world," she murmured, "and nature has stepped in to keep it company."

Lucas nodded. "This is Seoul. We're at Samsung Medical Center. Most of the patients here were cancer survivors, which somehow allowed them to withstand the virus. What you see is what remains of the city."

Rose's voice was tinged with sorrow. "So those who were on the brink of death survived… and those with bright futures perished."

Lucas smiled faintly, a sadness lingering in his expression. "Yes. It's a cruel irony."

He turned to her, his expression both solemn and pleading. "Tell me, Rose. What do you feel when you see this? Can you walk away? Or will you help us? The world needs you."

She looked at the broken cityscape, her heart heavy, her mind a storm. "I don't know," she whispered. "I need time to think."

Without waiting for his reply, she turned and walked away, leaving Lucas on the rooftop, his silhouette a lone figure against the ruins of a world they had both lost.

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(To be continued)

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