"I hope the sky is clear tomorrow..."

  Whispered a woman as she gently ran her fingers through her son's hair, who sat between her legs.

  "If the sky is clear, will we go on a picnic with Dad?"

  The mother smiled softly and replied:

  "Of course, Unix. We'll go anywhere you want, as long as the sun lights our way."

  Unix stretched his tiny hands, trying to touch his mother's soft face. His hand moved slowly, but he couldn’t reach her...

  Suddenly, her body turned into a burned and disfigured corpse. Unix found himself standing in the middle of a burning village. Flames danced around him, and destruction was everywhere.

  His mother’s charred body collapsed to the ground.

  "Mom?"

  Unix raised his head and looked around, his voice trembling with fear.

  "No!! Please, stop!"

  "Someone save me!"

  "I'm burning! I'm burning!"

  The villagers' screams echoed through the chaos. They were running from something… something terrifying.

  Unix felt a heavy shadow behind him. He slowly turned around, his eyes shaking in horror as he saw the creature...

  It was a beast walking on all fours, its body as hard as scorched coal, with eyes scattered randomly on its deformed head. A hardened plate covered its back, and from its mouth protruded razor-sharp teeth like saw blades.

  "A terrifying... monster..."

  Unix muttered weakly, his eyes wide with terror as the monster slowly opened its jaws and moved closer. He couldn’t move his body was frozen in place.

  The creature’s fangs inched closer and closer...

  And then, it snapped its jaws shut on him.

  "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

  Unix’s scream filled the air, then...

  He suddenly woke up, breathing heavily, his body trembling, and drenched in sweat. He found himself inside an abandoned, decrepit house. The ceiling was partially collapsed, and the walls were cracked and worn.

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  He placed his hand over his eyes and whispered softly:

  "That nightmare... again..."

  A frown on his face, his eyes filled with exhaustion. Heavy dark circles beneath them. Torn, ragged clothes. His face was covered in wounds, with blood-stained bandages wrapped around his body.

  This is Unix now staring at the sun through a hole in the ceiling with hollow eyes. He reached under his shirt and pulled out a small knife, triggering a flood of memories...

  Unix in a burning house. His mother handing him the same knife while screaming:

  "Unix, live! Survive, Unix, for your mother!"

  His memories were cut short by the caw of a crow on the roof. Tears rolled down Unix’s face.

  "Mom... I miss you so much... Even though I see you every day in my dreams and nightmares, I still... miss you so much."

  His tears flowed like a waterfall, and dark thoughts flooded his mind. He placed the knife on his neck:

  "Just one small cut... a little pain, then... I’ll see you again, and this suffering will finally end."

  The urge to end his life tried to guide his hand, but the echo of his mother’s words fought back. He began to sweat, and in a sudden moment...

  He threw the knife away among the rubble, grabbed his white hair, and screamed loudly.

  Unix sat by the edge of a river, washing his face and drinking a little water:

  "What the hell was I thinking? I was about to break the promise I made to Mom... to survive, to live for her! She died for me — so I must not die."

  He submerged his head in the water to clear his mind, then looked up at the sky:

  "These nightmares... they’re getting to me."

  He slapped his cheeks and spoke to himself:

  "Wake up, Unix! This isn't the life you chose. You decided to survive, to live for your mother!"

  While he was lost in thought, he heard something in the water. He opened his eyes to find a corpse floating by, disfigured, with only the upper part of the body visible half the face torn off, the left hand missing, and the guts spilled out. He covered his mouth in horror, stepping back as he stared at the corpse drifting away with the current.

  "Those wounds... bite marks, crushing, tearing. its them the monsters. They're probably close to the other side of the river. I thought this area was safe... No time to think. I need to move."

  He ran toward the abandoned house, stumbled, fell, got back up, headed to a corner, moved some stones, and pulled out a buried box. He opened it and took out a leather bag.

  He grabbed a square-shaped stone and unrolled a map on a nearby rock, examining it carefully:

  "If this map is accurate, there's a kingdom about eight kilometers away. If I hurry, I can reach it in an hour... maybe I’ll find some survivors."

  The idea of survivors sparked a bit of hope. He packed the map back in the bag, slung it over his back, then looked at the place with disdain:

  "Even though I hate this place and its disgusting smell, it sheltered me for two months... I’ll miss it, really."

  His thoughts were cut short by a terrifying roar from a massive creature.

  He quickly grabbed his knife from the ground and began running. He entered the forest, crossed the river, and kept going, with one thought echoing in his mind:

  "I have to survive."

  Half an hour later...

  Unix was panting, drenched in sweat, resting his hand on a tree trunk:

  "I didn’t know there were wolves in this forest! That bastard didn’t get tired at all... Good thing its leg was injured, or I’d be sleeping in its belly tonight!"

  Suddenly, he heard a sound like waves crashing. He moved quickly and continued walking between the trees until he saw a breathtaking view...

  "The sea..."

  Yunix stood frozen in place, eyes wide open, breath taken away by the sight before him.

  A vast expanse of glistening blue stretched endlessly into the horizon. The sun danced on the surface of the water, creating a thousand golden ripples. The waves rolled gently, whispering secrets of distant lands. A salty breeze brushed against his face, and for the first time in what felt like years, his heart felt... light.

  "It’s beautiful…" he muttered, almost in disbelief.

  So calm, so endless… unlike the world he knew.

  The sea before him wasn't marked on his map, yet it felt more real than anything he had seen in his nightmares. It was freedom. It was mystery. It was hope.

  "The sea?... Is that really the sea?... But it wasn’t on the map!"

  He paused, then his eyes sparkled with excitement:

  "The sea! It’s really it! Just like my father described it... it’s so beautiful!"

  He scanned the coastline, then turned to the right and saw a towering kingdom on the horizon.

  Massive walls adorned with golden carvings, though signs of damage and cracks were clearly visible.

  "The kingdom! I found it! It’s real!"

  And far out at sea, away from the kingdom, was something massive... a floating fortress made of iron, built in multiple layers, surrounded by enormous chains.

  Inside the fortress, soldiers were running in all directions:

  "Did you hear? We found a kingdom!"

  "Could there really be survivors?"

  "Hurry! The captain’s about to disembark!"

  In a nearby room, a tall man in naval combat gear with a metal mask over his face stood silently. A soldier burst in:

  "Slasher, let’s go! We’re approaching the kingdom! We expect monsters, so we’re counting on you."

  Slasher looked at the sword on the table. Its design was strange sharp on one edge, the other side coated in red copper, the handle hollow, wrapped in thick steel wire.

  He grabbed the sword and left the room, muttering:

  "Even if there are survivors... I don't care. All I want... is to soak my hands in monster blood."