Untitled

Chapter 4

"Well, that's very vague but appropriate." Athena states. "There's a lot to unpack to get to where we are today, so I will try my best to abbreviate the story in a comprehensive manner. I'll start with where we're at today though, and then we can start from the beginning. I believe it'll make more sense if I tell you what's going on now, and then the events that led up to it.

Everything she says seems fair, but it also just seems off putting. I decide not to raise my voice, because I'm not even sure what to say about it, but it just seems odd; but maybe it's just me looking for something to be wrong. I don't know what to believe, but I also know I'll never get the full story.

"So, as of right now, Earth is very... bleak, to say the least. What's left of humanity is just tatters compared to what it used to be; sprawling cities and lively, friendly communities are a thing of the past. Everyone is at eachothers throats, and no one trusts others. Most people live in small, secluded villages and rarely dare to leave the safety of them, while the villages themselves aren't even all that safe."

"Why don't villages come together?" Shorty interjects. "Surely they realize that if they work together it'll be easier to rebuild."

"That is true" Athena replies, "but people don't want to rebuild. No one alive today can even remember what life once was. The main concern of the day is to live to see tomorrow. And plus, if you were to leave a village, the likelihood of running into people who are up to no good is high. Groups of bandits tend to hang around hidden outside of villages, waiting for the fool who tries to leave. They'll either kill you, rob you, or something even worse, or all of the above at the same time." She continues.

"It's hard to truly explain what it's like without experiencing it first hand. Trevil is the only one in the compound who has ever been out in the world for a significant amount of time... and managed to live. That's the main reason I like that we have him here, because he knows how it is and how to handle missions. When and if you guys go out, I'll make sure he accompanies you at least in the beginning."

"IF we go out?" I ask. "Why is it even a question? Of course we're going to go out, we'd like to actually help the world rather than hide in the comfort of this compound doing nothing."

"While that's very noble of you" Athena replies, "It's not that simple. And Archeture is trying to fix the world, we're just trying to go about it the smart way. Like I said, trust isn't common, and with how fragile the world already is, we need to make sure that we come out on top when the dust clears."

"Come out on top? What the hell does that even mean? She seems more concerned with gaining power than fixing anything." It was just a thought I had, but I realized I said it to the group when Ace replies "Yep." This whole talking in the mind thing is convenient, but I don't want to do it accidentally.

"You said before there was a common enemy, right? Tell us about that. Why can't the people of the world rally together to face that." I ask.

"Well, that's because half of the people are on the side of the enemy. And while they are just as disorganized as everyone else, it's ideals that separate the two. To make matters worse, the people who share our ideals still refuse to see Archeture as the obvious leaders. We're the only people with the technology and the abilities to push us forward, but people still refuse to help. They act like the people in charge here are the ones responsible for the accident so long ago, which is obviously impossible." Athena says.

"So, what are the clashing ideologies even?" Dove asks quietly. "What is there to argue about if the world is so screwed already?"

"Well, for one, Archeture itself is a divisive issue for most groups. Being in control of the only real military left scares some people. There's also a divide on how the world collapsed, and how it should be rebuilt. It's similar to how politics used to work, but much bloodier and there's even less cooperation." Athena answers.