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"What is it?" Xen's emotions were in turmoil. No matter how trivial, hope was something that they desperately needed. Even though his fourteen-year-old mind couldn't comprehend the severity of the situation and what was at stake, he still wanted to help.

"There were fleeting rumours that the solution to all this existed somewhere between the years 2000 and 2100. But I guess they are just rumours..." He just closed his eyes after speaking these words as if he had given up hope.

"Then let's go," Xen immediately urged his father. We can watch it; maybe we can discover something." The more he spoke, the more excited he got. By the time he reached the end of his sentence, his body was visibly trembling.

"You think I haven't done that already?" Dean let out a bitter laugh, laughing at his own futile efforts. When we found out what we were up against, we headed out to find hope... anything that could help us turn the tide. There, someone came across this rumour. We even dedicated a team of a hundred thousand men just to check it, but no one was able to find anything."

The room plunged into a brief silence as Dean and Xen both sat there with varied expressions. Dean had a look of resignation on his face whereas Xen's face was still filled with unwillingness. His father might have given up, but he won't.

He knew he was no genius or someone extraordinary who could achieve something overnight. He had dreamt of being someone great, but he was fully aware of his shortcomings. He couldn't come up with a technology or something new, but he sure as hell could look for things that his father was trying to find. He might not be good at other things, but he was pretty good at being observant.

With these thoughts in mind, he stood up and left, leaving behind the figure of his father who had now closed his eyes.

-----

"Connect to Reon." The moment he walked inside his room, Xen immediately called Reon, and within seconds a holograph of Reon was displayed in front of him. Compared to before, he seemed much calmer now.

"We need to meet now." This time it was Xen who spoke these words. Since his father couldn't come up with any solution, he wanted to give it a try. He didn't know what kids like himself were going to do against something that even made the entire human race helpless, but he knew he couldn't just sit and wait for something to happen. He needed to make his own efforts.

"Meet me at the Recollection Hall." After telling him the address, Xen hurriedly changed into a set of casual clothes and rushed out of his house, ignoring his father who was still sitting there with his eyes closed.

----

After fifteen minutes a flying vehicle dropped Xen in front of a large football-sized exquisite building completely made up of starry stones. It was already evening and the building looked even more beautiful now, like a medieval architect that had been embroidered with innumerable stars on its walls.

This was one of the most important buildings of the human race that is present on almost every planet. Just like the name says, the Recollection Hall is a place that stores the data of the entirety of human history.

When the human race advanced to interstellar travel and discovered the teleportation technology, they were able to move light years away within a span of a day. There, people intercepted the reflected rays from Earth and recorded the scenes of the past. Though there was no sound, everything else was captured perfectly.

Later this recorded history was stored systematically on every planet, showing the trials and hardships that humans faced to reach such heights.

Since his father said that the solution might be between the years 2000 and 2100, Xen was hoping to try his luck. Who knows what he might discover?

"Xen." As soon as got off the vehicle, Reon waved his hand in greeting.

"Hmm." Xen nodded in response before taking a deep breath. "Let's go." Without waiting for him to speak, he immediately entered the hall.

The inside of the hall was filled with small floating tables upon which a helmet was placed. The number of people at that time was less than fifty, so it was relatively easy for Xen and Reon to find an empty seat.

Without wasting another moment, Xen sat down, picked up the headset and was about to put it on when Reon suddenly stopped him.

"Okay, now can you tell me what's going on? What are we looking for?" He didn't as if Xen believed his words yet or not. Judging by his grim expression, Reon already had his answer. He just wanted to know what Xen was looking for.

"Hmm." Xen's furrowed brows relaxed as he took a deep breath and recounted his conversation with his father, telling Reon everything about the rumour of a potential solution in the years 2000-2100.

After Xen was finished, Reon went silent for a long time before nodding in response. "Let's see if we can find something about it then." He didn't have much hope to begin with. The only thing he could do now was to beat the dead horse. As for whether it was going to work or not... He knew the answer in his heart. But for the sake of his friendship, he chose to look together with Xen.

Nodding in response, Xen put on the helmet and the moment he did it, his vision blurred before he found the world around him had changed drastically. At the moment, he was standing in an empty space and in front of him was the planet Earth. This wasn't his first time trying this, so without wasting another second, he waved his hand, rotating the earth before finally stopping it at the date 01/01/2000.

"Now, what do I do next?" He had decided to come here because of his riling emotions but didn't think about what he was looking for or where. Clenching his fists, he just began to observe the main events throughout the world.

Technological advancements, wars, terrorist attacks, political treaties, war over race, war over religion, war over colour... He looked at everything. He didn't dare to blink in fear of missing something. He looked at every event silently, hoping to come across something significant, but nothing seemed to be of value.

Xen persisted and kept on looking, years worth of scenes kept flashing before his eyes, showing significant events, from the full-blown nuclear war to the destruction of nations and continents to a new world order and a one-world government to finally ushering in an era of unprecedented peace and advancement.

"There's nothing?" After the year reached 31/12/2099, the surroundings stopped before everything went black and Xen once again opened his eyes inside the Recollection Hall.

He looked around only to find that Reon was looking back at him with a helpless expression. Needless to say, both of them failed. 

"I don't believe it." Gritting his teeth, Xen once again entered the recollection and began to observe. This time, instead of focusing on major events, he focused on smaller, more vague events. Thankfully, the artificial intelligence would group the data and even highlight it, so he didn't have to look individually.

Once again the world around him blurred and different scenes began to play out. The scenes this time weren't that of endless wars or killings, instead, it was about new technology being tested and people working together. This lasted until the last date arrived and Xen once again opened his eyes back in the hall.

"Nothing?" The expression on his face was getting uglier by the second. Reon beside him too shook his head in defeat.

"I don't think we are going to find whatever we are looking for." Reon's face had now turned pale from exhaustion. The two of them have been searching for the past eight hours and yet there was no result. He didn't know about Xen, but it was impossible for him to search anymore. "Let's go back Xen, I want to spend the rest of my peaceful days with my family." He patted Xen on his shoulder before leaving the Hall. Though he spoke it softly, one could feel the grim meaning behind those words. For a teen to say such words... one could feel a chill in their hearts.

Xen on the other hand refused to leave without any result. Ignoring Reon he kept on looking through the recollections, hoping to find someone or something. But in the end, there was no gain.

He looked through different sceneries again and again, hoping to come across something, but alas... Every moment felt like an aeon. With every passing second, the panic in his heart was getting stronger and stronger. He didn't dare to imagine the consequences, so he could only look.

But Alas! No matter how many times he tried, it was all useless. He didn't know how much time passed until he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

Turning around, it was a woman in her late forties looking at him in silence. "You have been here for too long. It is about time you head back home."

Even though he didn't want to, Xen had to return to his home with a heavy heart. He was so lost in his train of thought that he didn't even notice the changes in his surroundings. At that moment, the entire world seemed still. There was no laughter in the distance, no muffled voices talking about their future. Even the usual chirping of birds seemed to be suppressed by the grim atmosphere.

Going back home, the few people he saw were glued to the screen in front of them. Looking at the deserted street and people standing like robots, the ominous feeling in his heart only grew stronger.

Entering his home, Xen wanted to go to his room and think about his next course of action, but before he could even take a step forward, he saw the figure of his mother sitting there on the sofa with a blank expression. Just like the people he saw while coming back home, her eyes too were glued to the flowing curtain of light in front of her upon which a live broadcast was being displayed.

"Mom..." Xen was about to call her, but halfway through his sentence his eye got stuck on the broadcast and he swallowed the words he was about to speak.

Xen sat beside his mother, staring at the screen. The broadcast showed a tall man in a dark uniform standing in front of a large flag that bore the insignia of the Earth Federation. He took a deep breath and began to speak, his voice calm but tense.

"Citizens of Earth and all remaining colonies" the man started, his eyes hard. "For centuries, we have ruled the Milky Way. Our achievements are many, and our civilization has reached heights once thought impossible. We have conquered worlds, solved mysteries of the universe, and made ourselves known across the stars."

He paused, and for a moment, the pride in his voice faltered. "But... we now stand at a point of no return."

Xen's heart raced. He felt his mother's grip on his hand tighten. Was it finally time to reveal the truth? As these thoughts ran across his mind, the man on the screen continued.

"Our enemies are relentless, stronger than anything we have ever faced. For centuries, we have fought in secret, keeping the truth hidden from the public, hoping that we could protect you all. But now, we can no longer do so." His eyes dropped for a second before locking back onto the camera. "The true leader of Earth will now speak."

The camera shifted to a woman sitting at a large table. She looked young, in her late twenties, but her eyes held the weight of a thousand battles. Her expression was serious, but there was a deep sadness behind her calm demeanour.

"My people..." she began softly, her voice steady. "I stand before you today with a heavy heart. The truth is that we have been at war for the past three hundred years, fighting an enemy we have failed to defeat."

Xen's breath hitched. Three hundred years? He couldn't even imagine how long that was.

"We have lost everything beyond the solar system. Pluto has already fallen. If we do not act now, Earth will be next." Her voice trembled slightly, but she kept her composure. "This is our last stand. We cannot afford to lose this fight."

Xen's mother gasped beside him, and Xen felt a chill run down his spine. The situation has turned from bad to worse. Just a few days ago the enemies were aiming for the solar system and now Pluto had already fallen. Everything was happening so fast and so sudden that he didn't even have time to grasp the situation.

"That is why," the woman continued, her tone firm, "everyone over the age of ten will be required to fight. We need every ablebody to defend what remains of our home."

Xen's chest tightened. He wasn't ready for this, none of them were. But her words left no room for doubt. There was no other option.

"I know this is frightening," the woman said, her eyes softening. "But you are not alone. We stand together, united, and we will fight until the very end. For our families, for our friends, for Earth."

She paused, looking directly into the camera as if she could see every person watching. "Be brave. We will not go quietly. We will make them remember who we are."

With that, the screen faded to black, leaving Xen and his mother in silence. Neither of them spoke. They just sat there, the weight of the announcement settling over them like a heavy blanket.