Pet Boy

He stood at the highest point in the world, between the ashen-gray sky and the dark-gray earth. His black hair whipped through the dust in the scorching winds of a nuclear blast, as if he were the only living thing in the vast primordial chaos. Even this plateau, the most pristine and sparsely populated place on Earth, had not escaped the devastation. In the 157th year after humanity ended the robots' three-hundred-year rule, this war destroyed the world. For a thousand years, he had let time pass without opening his eyes. Until this moment. His right eye was black, his left blue: the black of the universe and the blue of Earth. The universe's eternal black, and Earth's former blue. The atmosphere's skin had long since been scorched; the land was covered in wounds, and Earth groaned in pain. Even its pure white veil had been ground gray. How could it possibly retain its dazzling blue? A film of ash clouded his eyes, too. “I can't protect you anymore. I always wanted to give you an era of peace, but I couldn't do it. This planet is reaching its limit. I thought there would be two hundred years of peace after the Robot Wars, but I was wrong.” He loosened the arms he had wrapped tightly around his chest. In them lay a sleeping child, whose golden hair shone like the sunlight that had passed away. “All I can do is trust in Earth's own vitality. We have to rely on it. My precious child, I hope that ten thousand years from now, there will be a society fit for you. I always wanted to give you an era of peace.” The child floated in the air, seeming to give him a knowing smile, then slowly vanished. The wind wept across the sky. It was he who was crying. “Why...” Those were the child's first, feeble words. ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Note: Your humble author has a particular fondness for mixing up characters' genders, so the third-person singular pronoun “he” is used for everyone, male or female. Please forgive me for not explaining this again! P.S. Two men embracing doesn't necessarily mean they're gay ^O^. P.S. 2: This story has strong boys' love themes. Readers who are sensitive to this, please take note!!!!