It was a beautiful day in the Sol district of Stratus.
The sun glimmered onto the clean, purified bodies of water dotting the surface, making it seemingly shine and gleam with an unrivaled ferocity. Children ran, skipped, and played across the polished sidewalk, whilst men and women enjoyed cups of sunray tea, talking about politics and the latest show they saw at the Bluesky Theatre. Families feasted on juicy, delectant fruits and assorted sweet and sugary cakes, with not a second thought. People who took residence in this perfect nirvana surely lived a happy and splendiful life...




This, however, wasn't the case for the Lunar district.
More commonly referred to as, "The Slums", it was nearly, if not THE, exact opposite of the Shangri-La known as Sol. The streets were filled almost constantly with a slew of trash and waste. Homes consisted mostly of runned-down shacks and overcrowded town homes. There was always a shortage of food, water, and supplies, so rationing was a common practice. Nearly all of Stratus's supplies came directly from Lunar, as most all the able-bodied men, women and children who lived in the district were overworked, with little time to be spent at home. Children and adolescents were not capable of receiving a proper education, so most of them could not read or write.
This mistake led on by the government of Stratus would eventually be the cause of its downfall, as shown on the 17th of Humidi, 2025EC.



Precipil McGlare, a young peasant wandering the dark alleyways and garbage-covered streets of The Slums, was rummaging for a half-filled bowl of soup, or a torn piece of bread to keep his mother and younger sister alive for one more day.


He had lost his father 4 years ago in a violent accident attempting to fix a piece of haywire machinery, causing a massive explosion, taking out a good portion of the city. (Very few others were harmed in the explosion, but young Precipil was one of the few.) His wounds were very severe; nearly half of his body was destroyed.) And although he was locally renowned for being an avid drinker, he still had a strong compassion for his family, and loved them dearly. Unfortunately, ever since, Precipil has been forced to care for his still traumatized mother and baby sister, whilst also having to maintain a job in one of the factories, farms, or otherwise.





Precipil lifted the top off a metal trash can, and peeked inside. In it there was an entire loaf of bread, as well as a turkey leg and multiple unopened cans of beans, fruits, and vegetables. He glared unbelievably at the spectacle before him, and stuffed them into a sling he made of his shirt, running and hollering his way back to his family home, awestruck and lost for words.
He dropped his bounty onto the rags, towels, and clothes they presumed as a floor. His mother stared at the assorted food items, mouth gaped as wide as the broad side of a barn, and she turned her head facing Precipil. He gave her a reassuring gesture, as she quickly divided it between the three members of her family, as they all enjoyed their first meal in days.



Two more nights had passed before they all became deathly ill, and the morgue workers were called into dispose of their bodies. The supposed cause of death was severe food poisoning, but lo and behold, it was much more than that.

Precipil's mother coughed a fair amount of blood onto the unconcealed hand of one of the morgue workers. Thinking not much of it, he quickly brushed it off, and continued carrying her body.
A couple hours after the disposal of their bodies, the man playfully slapped one of his colleagues on the back of the head. That man then shook hands with the manager of the morgue. The manager then accidentally coughed onto the arm of the wife of the general. The general's wife then kissed the general on the cheek. The king took a right-hook to his arm in a practice fist fight with the general. The mayor shook hands with many of the townspeople in a public rally.


Within months, nearly three quarters of the previous population of Stratus was completely wiped out. The rest lived as scavengers in the cold husk of a previous superpower of the skies, completely losing their humanity in the fight for survival, and some, even their sanity.

I LEARNED HOW TO GIF! (Applause)