OUR WORLD IN RUIN

Prologue

Everybody dreams that they will one day be great. That they will leave behind legacies for generations to come. Some even pray that the sound of their name will inspire feelings of hope and determination in the hearts of many. As a history major, I'd always found deep fascination in the great humans of the past. Women like Rosa Parks were able to inspire movements with a few brave actions, prompting change and uproar throughout a nation. Though, I always find it funny that some of the most memorable historical figures are the tyrants. Although it was over 600 years ago, it's rare to find someone who does not fear the name, Hitler. After all, it was his war that inspired the nuclear battle that has since plagued the Earth.

But whether I am a tyrant, is up to you to decide. In the past few years, I have committed atrocities that I never imagined I would. But, with the same two hands that have driven knives through a healthy, beating heart, I have also saved thousands from peril. 

Though, perhaps I should take you back to where it all started, rather than jumping back and forth, in case you are reading this at a time where peace truly does exist and this past is simply just a distant memory. It seems that despite the life I have now lived, all my old, terrible storytelling habits haven't changed. So, let me transport you to the day my life changed forever and provide you a little bit of insight into where this story truly begins. 

It's was the year 2545 and the pungent smell of my rotting university classroom had set off an earthquake in my stomach. But despite the boringness of my professor's prattling words and the toxicity of the air, I found myself in my mind, tending to my self-pity. You see, I truly believed that I had no destiny for greatness, for I was simply a human in a plague-stricken world. 

...

I am fed up with the mutants...

Since the Decree for the Mutual Understanding of Races in 2353, peace was declared. My kind was given the opportunity to co-exist with those who had once imprisoned them. Many of us now had the opportunity to study and earn a living that we enjoyed. Some humans and mutants had even experienced successful marriages. Though, that's only the silver lining; the part that the news will tell you to make it seem as though everything is going well. While it's true that I am able to achieve a formal education, and that I may join the career of my dreams, there is still a societal barrier between us. In my experience, although my university caters to both humans and mutants, our classes remain segregated, and interaction between our races is practically forbidden. Though, what I despise most is the curriculum. Despite this supposed peace, our race is forbidden from any resources that were founded past the origin of the nuclear war in 2006. For a history major, 539 years of undocumented truth leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I guess that explains my fascination with the atrocity known as the 1900s...

Fortunately, we have been able to piece together a broad understanding, though it's not nearly enough. However, I know that our educational institutes are not the only ones that feel such pressure. My parents constantly tell me stories of the same mistreatment in their workplaces. I can only assume this is the same for all shared social facilities.

To put it into layman's terms, many of us simply just don't get along. Our powerlessness has led us to still fear the mutants. It is for this same reason that I, a human, will never be great. For if I achieve greatness in this world, I am likely to die only moments later at the hands of a zealous mutant.

The reason for this... Well...

The year 1945 saw the end of WWII. Peace was declared between nations and those who lost the war began paying the consequences. Reparations were mostly paid through money and labour, but when resources were short, weapons, machinery, and schematics sufficed. Nobody thought much of it. With their nations in debt and leaders practically sprinting out of their positions, the axis powers were terrified of the victors. Aside from some civil conflict and movements during the next 61 years, it appeared as though a true balance between nations had finally been established. Global trade, tourism, and relationships thrived, and for a small period of time, it seemed as though many enjoyed true happiness.