Einsamer Stern

[1ST POV INITIALIZE]

The dream slowly faded away, and the once colorful vibrant tale of the cosmos also began to erase itself from my memories.

There was only darkness expanding in all directions, then I heard a loud noise like the very fabric of space itself began to tear to pieces.

BEEP! BEEP!

I awoke from a deep slumber to the loud buzzing noise of an alarm clock. My eyes were still closed as my left arm instinctively reached out to swipe away the holographic alarm that was hovering next to the bed as usual.

Without delay, the noise abruptly ceased as soon as I swiped it away. The projection of the display emanated from a compact, rounded black device affixed to the side of the bed.

While my head remained comfortably nestled on the pillow, the blurry scene of the ceiling gradually unfolded while my golden eyelid parted ways.

My fingers softly ran through my scalp and loosened blonde hair, increasing my attentiveness.

With a half-opened eyes that laid upon the mirror situated on the table, approximately one meter away from the bed, reflecting an oval-shaped face. A glimpse of dark corners circled around my eyes due to the lack of sleep could be seen from the reflection as well.

Distorted in vision as unknown tears well in them, it was difficult for me to perceive objects or details clearly as I squinted my eyes.

Out of sudden, a sharp and intense headache suddenly seized my senses, causing me to wince in pain. The throbbing sensation pulsed through my temples, then I heard a haunting, faint whisper: -Remember who you are and reach the epilogue as the Lone star.-

-What? Am I imagining things?- I pondered.

Probably due to the lack of sleep, I must've hallucinated.

Yet with the mysterious tears dwelling in my eyes, I turned to glance beyond the window near the table, a grand full moon enchanted the holographic, artificial night sky, casting its gentle glow upon the city filled with skyscrapers that reached the artificial cloud of the city within the Dome.

Afterwards, I gazed upon the same mirror on the table situated before the bed, it reflected back the messy blonde hair that fell in strain covering my left golden eyebrow and long eyelashes.

At the same time, deep oceanic blue eyes stared back at me as well.

On my right side was a holographic display about the location, date, and time. Projected from a tiny round black device attached to the stand of the aluminium bed.

[Planet Tellus, Singa Sanctuary continent, Dome: Sector 2, SPACE ERA CALENDAR, Years 20, 3:33 AM]

The tears dwelling in my eyes, momentarily obscuring my vision with a hazy and blurred the world around me.

There was also a strange feeling like I had forgotten something important but I couldn't remember it since the memories of the dream were slowly fading away, I fought as hard I could remember it as if I was a boy chasing after a fleeting shooting star, but I could only take a glimpse of it and eventually, it would be gone away in the horizon.

Lost in my thoughts for a moment, I now stared mindlessly at the mirror. Tears now ran across my cheeks as I pondered the forgettable dream I had just experienced, the memories of the dream made me felt like I was in some sort of space battle gave me a surge of headache as I tried to remember it again, and slowly the memories completely faded away alongside the headache.

I wiped out the tears and murmured to myself "What?"

As the dream's memories slipped away, the cause behind the tears remained mysterious.

It had been quite some time since I last shed tears, and since then, I had made a personal vow not to cry anymore, recognising that it wouldn't resolve any issues and would only render me vulnerable. 

At that time, my existence as a young boy was quite pitiable, almost pathetic, but now I have outgrown that version of myself.

However, this tear carried an unknown nostalgia, It left me with a sense that something important awaited me to remember it.

I murmured to myself in curiosity "The lone star and epilogue?"

Nevertheless, I dismissed the lingering thoughts and gently tapped my face to snap out of overthinking, it was probably just a dream without tangible logical explanation to it.

Reality demanded my attention, for there were more pressing matters to focus on—the impending midterm exam!

"What a bizarre dream, I must have read too many web novels this week, although I couldn't remember it clearly, but it seems like I was in some sort of space battle,"I muttered with exhausted voice despite having just woke up.

Regarding my personal background, I lived in an orphanage dormitory provided by the headquarter of the Church of the divine light know as the Cathedral.

Before I lived in this dorm located in the Cathedral of Divine Light, I have lived in another orphanage on an island known as Zero Zone but now it no longer exists, as the island was renovated into an entertainment place for the music industry.

Therefore, when I was 10 years old, I was taken in by one of the sisters of the Divine Light to live in this dorm. To this day, I remain unaware of the identity or whereabouts of my biological parents.

In the central heart of sector 2, the cost of living was not even a jokes. One bedroom apartment would cost 50000 coins. I was not bless with fortune, so I had no choice but to stay in this dormitory for at least another two years to come.

During my childhood, transferred from my previous orphanage to the cathedral, the Divine light sisters took great care of me, often remarking on my natural blonde hair as an encouragement, nonetheless I knew it was just their pitiful toward me as having a blonde hair meant I was discriminated by other peers for standing out too much.

However, as time went on, I noticed a growing distance between us as they too didn't want to have anything to do with Blondie like me who didn't even known how to talk properly at that time, they must probably think I was the real android.

Growing up with such a harsh life since young age, I realise most of us weren't a virgin, life fucked us up mentally. Those beautiful girls that you thought were an angel? They too had dark secrets and insecurities, they too ate, pee and poop and probably lost their virgin before you, sorry to break your illusion.

When you faced the hard truth of life early on, you rarely see anyone as special nor put anyone on a pedestal, because you would develop a common sense that pierced through all illusion. This was how I survived in this world, I knew people psychologically.

Nowadays common sense was no longer a common sense though....

In the past, I was like a stray cat in a world filled with wild wolves, an orphan who tried to turn a blind eyes to the ugliness and evilness that done onto me irrationally due to my appearance and hair colours, but now I would fight back against these bullshit.

After all, I was a minority in mankind history as the first generation of blonde hair children that shared the same hair colour as the enemy of humanity known as android.

Those with blonde hair were often labelled as inhuman, as the Androids hair colours were blonde. In this era where plastic surgery and body modifications became increasingly prevalent, many blonde hair chosen to modifying their hair to black, brown, red or white and even blue just to fit the society's standard to not stood out too much.

And I knew in a sea of nobody, I was also trying to be a nobody and this was the mentality of modern people, if you stood out too much from the crowd, you would attract many disadvantage into your life unless of course you were born as an elite.

There was nothing I could do about it since the android chose this hair colour as their primary, it seems like luck was never on my side but I would never hated the world or wanted pity from it. And moreover, most of the discrimination were also reduce as many more children were born with blonde hair and soon we would be in the majority as well.

I came to understand that life was never fair, and I chose to play the cards I had been dealt with wisdom. At the very least, all I desired was to live a normal life—graduate, secure a respectable job, get married, and eventually pass away peacefully in old age.

Rather than lamenting about it as I had done in the past, I decided to embrace and value the naturally good-looking features bestowed upon me by nature as a coping mechanism. I opted not to pursue artificial enhancements, and to be brutally honest, I didn't have enough resources for that, even if I were to work for half of my life.

However, if I ever reached a high rank as ranker, that was another story—a man can dream!

Currently, I no longer fit the description of a timid and weird student in my class despite my blonde hair.

Although I endured severe bullying in the past for always being alone and serving as a scapegoat for others to unload their problems on me, I have since changed schools, formed new friendships, and successfully overcome my previous reputation as the "weird quiet kid."

I even became more sociable, my timid personality was also a thing of the past as I trained my body to the point I gained weight, and muscle. Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to be prideful or Egoistic like the bully, I didn't want to become like them.

"Why am I even recounting my past to nobody?" I questioned myself, shaking my head.

It dawned on me that my extensive reading of novels may have influenced my tendency to narrate my thoughts.

Disregarding the idea, I gathered my strength to raise my head from the pillow and crawl to extend my right hand towards a cleaning spray bottle placed on the pristine table before my bed.

Located slightly in the far corner of the room near a window. The table itself hosted a collection of neatly arranged books of philosophy and the art of war, one atop the other.

With a mirror reflecting my face, the table situated beside the window was soaked in the gentle holographic, artificial moonlight that delicately streamed inside, casting a serene glow.

On the surface, the aluminum bottle appeared to be an ordinary item. However, its price was equivalent to my monthly income.

Fortunately, this spray bottle was given to me by a girl I had previously gone on a date with.

This spray is referred to as "Nadro" These innovative programmable cells efficiently eliminate dead skin cells from the body and replace them with fresh ones.

My skin remained warm, devoid of flakiness or wrinkles caused by excess moisture.

As for the world I was living in, eighty percentage of the land was engulfed with toxicant radioactive land from the nuclear disaster 70 years ago which was why most of the humanity on this planet lives in an energy shield dome city known as Sector.

While some lived in an underground city known as Nest, they were called Scavenge. For them, humanity law didn't apply to their life for they seek to live a free-life awaiting for their savoir, Yatia.

Some rumours said that the world government controlled by the 10 high councils wouldn't want humans to explore the world beyond the dome shields, as if we were a bird in a cage. But it was just a conspiracy theory, there was no fact to back it up. 

I took off my pajama, as I pressed the button spraying all over my upper body and placed it on one side of the bed, a refreshing mist of cool water gently enveloped my face, extending to my neck, chest, and even my back.

Instantly, I noticed a revitalising effect on my skin, as it felt more moisturised and fresh. Despite the effectiveness of the Nadro spray, I still held a preference for showering on top of using it after leaving it to be dried and soaked into my skin for one minute.

For me, water symbolised the essence of life itself, and commencing the day with a refreshing cold shower evoked an unparalleled sense of euphoria.

Moved to the edge of the bed and landed both of my feet on the soft carpet with my bare feet, I stood up to stretch my body and glanced around my room mindlessly.

The room's walls were covered with vibrant frescoes that took me back in time. The elaborately hand-carved wooden beams in the ceiling were reminiscent of ancient Pantheron Empire's architecture.

Yet my aluminum bed was the opposite atmosphere of the room, but it was a modest one that stood stoically in the corner of the room, strong and unyielding.

Just this room alone was enough to sustain me throughout these years without love and warmth. I always kept this room clean and neat, since the cathedral would always send someone to check on my living conditions, I didn't want to have a bad reputation in the cathedral by taking their kindness for granted.

However, there were a few bottles of water and a lunchbox scattered on the carpet, which I was too lazy to clean up yesterday as I spend the entire evening to review the lessons for the mid-term exam.

But now I picked them up one by one and put them into the waste basket near the table.

There was still a haunting memory in my past that still bothered me like when a security guard attempted to rape me in my previous orphanage mistaking me as a girl when I was just seven years old.

That bastard! I shook my head, trying not to think about it. Having a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on was something I was grateful for. Due to a difficult upbringing filled with painful memories, I cherish these basic comforts. 

I took a deep breath to calm my mind and stop reminisce about my past, and to commence my routine light workout in the morning. After completing the morning stretches and ten sets of pushups which made me sweating all over my body, I proceeded to the bathroom conveniently integrated into my bedroom.

Approaching the bathroom located near the room's exit, I extended my hand towards the handle on the frosted glass sliding door. With a smooth motion, I effortlessly slid the door open, revealing a beautifully designed bathroom. Stepping inside, my feet landed upon a pristine floor crafted from resilient and waterproof materials, ensuring utmost safety by repelling moisture and minimizing the risk of slips and falls.

Enhanced with intelligent sensors, the floor intuitively adapted its temperature to match my desired comfort, offering a welcoming and cozy surface beneath my feet.

Right upon entering the bathroom, I removed my pajamas and placed them on the convenient hook hanger positioned on the left side of the sliding door.

It was evident that the bathroom was not spacious and lacked the features of cutting-edge technology, such advanced technology was exclusively reserved for privileged people, namely the elite noble of high society.

Being an orphan, I found great contentment with the technology present in my bathroom.

It was remarkable to consider that not too long ago, owning a bathroom within one's bedroom was a luxury few could afford in the aftermath of the Second Galactic wars 25 years ago, let alone dreaming of the advanced technologies that have become commonplace in today's society.

My physique reflects on the tall mirror underneath the hook hanger when I instinctively turn to look at myself, a well-built six-pack and well-define chest, arms, and legs, I did my best to keep myself in shape after following the guidance of my gymnastic teacher, he teaches me many things about boxing, life-lesson, and philosophy.

After diverting my focus from self-appreciation to initiating the cold water in the bathtub, a compact device positioned on the ceiling above the tub generates a holographic projection that presents me with a choice between hot and cold water, complete with customizable temperature settings.

Following my usual routine, I selected the cold shower option by tapping on it, causing water to flow down from a small opening directly above me.

The water streamed onto my shining blonde hair and raced down my bulky chest toward the hard-earned six-pack and my below region.

It took precise calculating calorie intake and eight hours of sleep as well as a consistent workout to achieve my athletic body.

Simultaneously, a stream of water mixed with shampoo was sprayed from the left side.

After commanding the shower to turn off using voice control, I reached for a towel hanging on a hanger and used it to dry my upper body. Then, I grabbed a longer towel that wrapped around my waist, extending slightly below my knees.

Once my body was dry, I slid open the bathroom door and made my way toward the transparent aluminum closet situated in front of the bathroom, near the room's exit. Opening the closet, I dressed in my usual indigo shirt, black jacket, and jeans.

Resting my gaze upon the cityscape outside, I noticed that the darkness still held its grip, with only the gentle moonlight casting a faint glow into my room.

Moving closer to the window, I settled into a comfortable gaming chair, basking in the soft illumination of the moon. Curiously, I peered through the window, revealing a sprawling city filled with neon lights of towering skyscrapers, seemingly reaching the clouds.

Flying cars zipped through the air, accompanied by holographic traffic lights that painted the cityscape in vibrant hues.

Even though morning was nearly upon the dome, the holographic sky still portrayed the moon, reigning supreme. If this were a real sky, I wonder if we could truly gaze at the moon even at this hour.

It was a city that truly never slept as I saw countless flying cars still drifting through the sky, nonetheless, it was nothing compared to the vibrant city in Sector 0.

However, my attention shifted away from the captivating cityscape as I directed my focus towards the curtain, pulling it closed to prepare to immerse myself in TWOD before heading to school.