Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

---2 Weeks later, Ypselon---

She woke up from her light sleep when someone started tucking her in her thin blanket.

"M-Mom? What are you doing?" she mumbled sleepily. Her heavy eyelids fought against the sleepiness.

"Hush my little Moon pie, we have to leave now," her mother whispered, holding her in her arms.

"Are we going back home? Can we see Dad again?" she asked her mother still half-asleep.

She missed her dad and their old home. Someday her father didn't come back and her mom had told her that they had to leave their home. She missed her warm bed and her friends. She had tried to make new friends in this place but there were not a lot of children her age here.

Her mom halted for a moment at her. Her eyes seemed big and watery. Was she sad?

"Mom?" "I'm sorry, moon pie. We probably won't see your dad again, but the place we are going to will be a lot better than here. I bet you will be able to make friends there," her mom said, her voice shaking.

She hugged her mother tightly, she didn't know what else to do. Her mother embraced her tightly as she carried her out. Looking over her mom's shoulder, she saw many more people on the street. She was surprised that there had been so many people here!

She never saw so many people when she went out, not that she was allowed to go out often. Mom said the streets were dangerous. Mom said there were not as many brave people as her dad who fought the mean monsters, so she had to hide at home. She hugged her mother even tighter when she thought of her dad. He had been gone for a long while now and she started to doubt whether she would see him again.

"Sherry, there you are. Follow me," a man stepped out from the crowd and approached her mother.

Her mother turned to him so she couldn't see his face, but she recognized the voice of an uncle who worked with her dad.

"Hello, Uncle Cale! Mom said we are going to a better place. Is it true I can find friends there? She asked excitedly. He stepped closer and ruffled her hair with a quiet laugh.

"Of course, I'm sure you will find many friends, once we got out of here, " she assured her with a warm smile.

Carrying her in her arms, her mom followed Uncle Cale to the front of the crowd. The uncle and a group of other people led them through the dark streets of Y-City. At first, she was still able to see the silhouettes of the empty and deserted building, but soon the light from the streetlights vanished,

In this place, there was only the light of the stars. Staring into the darkness her skin crawled, as she imagined the scary monsters appearing in the darkness. She instinctively knew that they had entered the place her mom had always warned her about. The buildings she saw in the twilight were broken and ruined, and debris littered the roads.

Apart from the labored breaths of her mom, and the people in the shadows around them, there were no sounds.

"Mom, I don't like it here-" "Shh, moon pie. Everything will be alright. Don't worry, Uncle Cale will protect us." her mother whispered in her ears and pet her head. Despite her words, she felt her mother grasp her more tightly. She didn't know how long they spent in this darkness but at some point, her mother became slower.

"Sherry, over here. Climb down here, someone will receive down there, they will guide you and the others for the rest of the way," the uncle explained in a hushed voice.

"Hold on tightly, Moon Pie," her mother said and she hugged her mother's neck tightly, as the woman climbed down a ladder into a hole. The air blowing from below was cold and damp. It smelled of stone and a little like a toilet. Her arms started getting tired, but soon a warm light appeared from below.

"It's okay now, Moon Pie. We reached the bottom," her mother whispered as a group of people received them. Finally, her mother put her down but still held her hand.

"Please come this way. You can sit down and eat something, while we are waiting for the rest of the group," a beautiful lady told her mother. Her bright hair shone strongly in the golden shine of the lamps. She gave her mother two steaming boxes.

Her mother sat down and beckoned for her to sit on her lap.

"Come here, Coralie. Do you want to eat something?" her mother asked with a caring smile.

Sitting on her lap, the smell of the food in the boxes snuck in her nose. Only now, did she notice how hungry she was. Her stomach roared and she looked up to her mother, conflicted. They didn't have much to eat since her dad didn't come back and they left their home, but she didn't dare to complain. She knew her mom ate even less than her.

"It's okay, Moon Pie. We will share," she said and pressed her warm, soft lips on her forehead. She smiled happily and nodded. Her mother opened a box and started feeding her with a spoon. It was warm rice, and sauce, and veggies and a bit of meat. She had never eaten something like this, but the warmth of the food flooded her body and it tasted really great.

"Mom, Mom, you eat it, too. It's really good!" she said excitedly. Her mother tried to feed her, but she refused until her mother also tasted a spoon full. She felt satisfied, seeing her mother's surprised face.

"Okay, how about we take turns? One spoon for you, one for Mom, okay?" her mother offered a deal and she accepted happily, sharing the two boxes of food with her mother until the rest of the people had come down and also started eating their food.

"How about a little dessert for the little princess?" the beautiful lady had returned, offering a muffin to her, it was big and dark, and the delicious smell of chocolate wafted into her nose, making her mouth water. It had been really long since she had chocolate.

"C-can I share it with my mom?" she asked reluctantly. The lady answered with a hearty laugh.

"Of course, but I could also give you a second one for you Mom. How about that?" she asked and offered her a second one. She happily accepted and proudly offered one to her mother, who had watched the whole thing with a calm smile. "Thank you," she also thanked the beautiful lady.

After eating something Uncle Cale stood up and explained something.

"We have cleared a way to escape through the underground. Please follow the guide with the light and stay as quiet as possible and please stay close together. At the halfway point we will be entering the old subway tunnels before leaving the district. It's a long path to walk, I can only ask you to endure until we are in safety."

She didn't understand a lot of Uncle Cale's Talk, but soon after, her mother picked her up again and they all started walking through an even darker darkness than the city by night. Only the people carrying lanterns allowed her to see where they were walking. After a while, the labored breath of her mother set in again.

"Mom, I can walk on my own," she whispered worriedly. Her mom didn't have a cool class and superpower like her dad, but her food was the bestest, almost as good as the lunch boxes the nice lady gave them.

"Don't worry, Moon pie. Mom is okay," her mother said, clenching onto her tightly, making it clear she wouldn't let go of her. Her worries were appeased when the guides said to take a break and her mother could finally sit down.

They walked for a really long time. So long she couldn't resist her sleepiness and fell asleep somewhere in the middle. When she woke up again, the surroundings had changed. The light of the lanterns illuminated a tunnel covered in roots.

She felt like she was in a fairy tale, had her mother jumped into a rabbit hole while she was asleep? She wondered at the sight.

"Did I wake you up, Moon Pie?" she heard her mother whisper right beside her ear.

"Where are we Mom?" she asked curiously.

"We are almost at the place I told you about," she answered.

Her mother didn't lie, soon they saw light from the tunnel ahead. Cool fresh air was blowing in her face as she was carried up a staircase of wood. The bright light of the day blinded her for a moment after staying so long in darkness. When she could finally see again, she saw an emerald ocean in the sky.

A sea of leaves swayed in the wind. It was her first time seeing such a huge tree. It was her first time seeing a real tree apart from books and TV. When she finally managed to take her eyes off the brilliant crown, her eyes were caught again by the green city before them.

She could not help but smile in awe. It was really like in a fantasy, there were even houses made of trees and roads made of roots.

"Do you like it?" The beautiful lady appeared beside them and asked.

"A lot!" she exclaimed excitedly.