Bioluminescence

Prologue

The world we know ended nearly 4000 years ago.

There is no Earth. Not anymore.

As the world population doubled, resources dwindled until riots broke out in nearly every city across the world. Child fighting child for a morsel of food; woman fighting woman for shelter; man fighting man for weapons; it seemed as if the world had been reduced to animals. The sound of gunfire rumbled across the sky in every city indiscernible from the roar of thunder and lightning.

The weather had changed drastically. The people finally saw the effect that they had caused on their planet in their carelessness. Previously tropical countries were pelted with hail and snow; their people freezing to death in their thin clothing. The temperate regions found themselves sweltering in intense heat waves that tore across the world; their people dying of dehydration as their blood boiled in their veins. Water levels rose as ice melted in the Polar Regions, drowning low-level coastal cities. The amount of water-borne diseases tripled and marine creatures were proclaimed inedible. The cause of centuries of pollution and damage. Rivers swelled as ice caps melted, taking with it homes and people as glaciers toppled from their peaks and the snow came pouring in the form of torrential floods. Land mass reduced as the seas rose and the population grew at a speed that was terrifying. Land grew infertile as farmers exhausted the earth, trying to satisfy the growing demand. The smell of pesticides and chemicals tainted the air with every breath; the sky growing cloudy with poisonous gases.

Religious propaganda was splashed across every media form; people turning to their churches, mosques and temples as they grew even more terrified and confused. Countless were on their hands and knees, praying helplessly to powers beyond them. Religious extremists blamed each other for the state of the world. Religion against religion, they argued over the calamities that were occurring. It was not long before simple arguments resulted in gunfire and explosions that rocked religious sanctuaries. Revered sites and depictions were reduced to rubble, numerous bodies trapped under the dirt and stone.

The lack of food, medicine and shelter was felt across the world and the wealthy barricaded themselves behind iron walls. Diseases plagued the earth as resources became more expensive. They mutated among the people as they were left untreated. Common colds killed someone in a couple of days. Mild fevers incited topical cysts and brain damage. And they spread like wildfire. Entire systems of cultures around the world were destroyed to mindless screams and empty frames. The stench of death hung over all, mixed with the dark aura of pain. And entire countries were decimated before the UN realised that this signaled the end of hope for this world.

Money and effort spent on space exploration tripled as the able-bodied tired endlessly to find another retreat for human beings. Years passed as NASA and other collaborative organisations frantically searched for a suitable planet for habitation. The situation of the world had not lessened and governments around the world decided to resort to drastic measures to slow the spread of disease and to fight the latest deadly sickness that had emerged. The parasite ate away at the mind of its host, leaving an empty, animal-like shell of a human being driven by basic needs to nourish and feed...even on others of its own kind. The threat had to be dealt with. Soldiers were assigned to every city in a country. Those who showed the first symptoms of sickness were killed immediately. Blood painted the walls of many homes in its rich dark colours.

In the midst of the chaos, there rose a company headed by a inventive, young scientist. They dedicated themselves to finding solutions to the sickness that plagued the earth, working with the UN. They named themselves 'Kesucian', meaning purity in one of the many languages of Earth. Almost immediately they suggested an idea that seemed startling at first. They proposed that they sort the healthiest among the people and quarantine them, provide them with the best food, nurture them, train them, make them healthier, better in all terms of the word. These would be the ones sent to the new world. To restart civilization on another planet. After many arguments among the diplomats of the UN, the plan was approved. Soldiers were informed to sort out the healthiest men and women of their city and they were sent to Kesucian. A boy and a girl from each country. It was carried out in utmost secrecy, preventing riots and frenzies from those who were desperate to escape their inevitable doom. They named this young group, Meilleur, meaning 'the best'.

A decade had nearly passed when it was revealed to Kesucian that a planet in the next galaxy had been prepared for life. The company was furious that this information had been kept from them, threatening to expose the whole operation to the world. The UN tried desperately to pacify them, recklessly promising them anything. This seemed to calm their outrage almost immediately and they requested that they send a child of their own. Frantic, the UN agreed and soon, the Meilleur were prepared for their voyage. Their spacecraft had been designed and made a few years back in preparation of this very moment, using some of the last precious resources on Earth. The young men and women were sent into their craft, saying their goodbyes to a world they would never set eyes on again. And among them, there was a boy whose last name was Kesucian.

And all that happened 4000 years ago.