Shidou trudged through the ruins of a world that once thrived, now reduced to ash and silence. The apocalypse had left nothing untouched—cities crumbled, forests burned, and humanity was a shadow of its former self. He had survived, but at a cost that weighed heavier than the supplies he scavenged. His family, his wife and children, were gone. Their absence gnawed at him with every step, yet something—whether it was his own weakness or the faint ember of hope—kept him moving forward. Survival demanded action, even if his heart screamed for rest.

On one such scavenging trip, Shidou heard it: faint whines carried by the wind through the skeletal remains of buildings. At first, he thought it might be an injured animal or perhaps just his imagination playing cruel tricks on him. But as he drew closer, curiosity and desperation urged him forward. What if it was another survivor? What if it was the companion he so desperately needed?

When he found the source of the sound, Shidou froze. It wasn’t an animal or an adult—it was a teenager. A frail figure curled up against a shattered wall, trembling in pain. The sight hit Shidou like a punch to the gut. How could someone so young survive in this wasteland? The boy—or girl—looked barely old enough to have known the world before its fall. Yet here they were, clinging to life against all odds.

Shidou’s instincts as a former doctor kicked in immediately. He knelt beside the teenager, checking for injuries and signs of infection. Their skin was pale, their breathing shallow—a mix of exhaustion and malnutrition. The apocalypse had stripped humanity of its dignity and resources, but Shidou still had his knowledge, his training. He couldn’t save his family, but maybe he could save this child.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice cracking from disuse and emotion. “I’m here to help.”