ReviveRED

In an alternate universe - Planet Grim

Introduction to Red

The city of Red was a metallic nightmare. A maze of skyscrapers and wires that blocked out the sky. A place where nature had been erased and replaced by artificial substitutes. The air was Nokbar, a chemical concoction that filled the lungs with a metallic taste. The water was Twi, a liquid that flowed through pipes and faucets, but never quenched the thirst. The people were Borok, a race of workers who lived only for seven weeks. They had forgotten their origins and their purpose. They only knew how to work and survive.

But survival was not easy on Grim, the planet they called home. A hundred years ago, a mysterious phenomenon had struck the planet, reducing the lifespan of every borok to seven weeks. No one knew why or how it happened. It was called Langmabara, the curse of death.

The only hope for the Borok was Rang, a pill that came from the stars. A gift from a saviour who had visited them long ago. A stranger who had claimed to be from another world.

Rang was the only thing that kept them alive. But it also kept them enslaved. `

Character – Khumulwng, young researcher.

Khululwng slammed her fist on the metal desk. She stared at the screen in front of her, where rows of data and graphs flashed.

She a young researcher working in a secret lab. She was the only Borok who dared to challenge Rang and its mysterious origin. She believed that there was a way to reverse Langmabara and restore the natural lifespan of her people

She muttered to herself, frustration and anger boiling in her voice.

"Ahh, it has been seven years I had been doing research after research on Langmabara. Why is my research leading me nowhere? How is it possible that no one has any information about it? We have a limited understanding of this phenomenon." She felt like she was hitting a wall. A wall that hid the truth from her. A wall that kept her from saving her people.

She looked at the clock on the wall. It showed 23:59

She took a deep breath and swallowed a Rang pill.

And She reset her timer.

The next day

Khululwng walked briskly along the street. She was on her way to the old library, hoping to find some answers to her questions. As she turned a corner, she stopped abruptly. There, on the ground, was a green leaf. She was taken aback; she had never seen a leaf before. It looked like a thin and flat piece of paper, but with veins and a stem. She picked it up carefully, feeling its texture and weight

She clutched the leaf in her hand and ran towards the library. A flash of memory came to her mind: she had seen this thing somewhere before.

The library was dark and dusty, with no one inside. She walked through the aisles of books, looking for the book. She finally found it on a shelf near the back wall. She opened it eagerly and flipped through the pages until she saw a sketch of a green thing like the one, she had found. It was written in an ancient text - Kokborok - that she couldn’t read. But she could see pictures of trees and plants - things that used to grow on the planet before the Red. Maybe there was more to this book than she thought. Maybe it could tell her something about the past - and the future.

“Yes,” she whispered to herself, “I have seen this thing here in this book.” She looked around nervously, as if someone might hear her secret discovery. “What is it doing in the city? I thought it went extinct centuries ago.”

She turned another page and saw a picture of a place with trees and plants everywhere. It looked like paradise compared to the barren wasteland outside.

Khumulwng returned to her lab.

She took the leaf to her laboratory and placed it in a glass jar. She hoped to preserve it and study it further.

But after a few days, she noticed that the leaf had weathered and turned brown. It looked like it had died.

She felt a pang of disappointment and sadness. She had lost a precious clue that might have led her to some answers.

That night, she had a dream about a man running towards his house. He looked worried and scared.

“We have to leave this place imminently,” he said to his wife and children. “There is no other way.”

He grabbed some belongings and a small tree sapling that looked like the one Khumulwng had found.

He led his family outside, where they saw chaos and destruction. People were fleeing in panic, buildings were burning, soldiers were shooting. They tried to escape, but they were too late. The man was shot dead. He dropped the sapling as he fell to the ground.

Khululwng woke up with a start. She realized it was all just a dream. But then she noticed something that made her heart skip a beat. On her desk lay the book she had been studying before she fell asleep. And on one of its pages was an illustration of a man holding a tree sapling.

Laima – historian

A woman in a library writing on a table.

Khumulwng walked into the room with a sense of purpose. “Hi Laima,” she said. “How are you?”

Laima looked up from her writing and smiled. “As usual, writing something about Kwkhrang. How are you?”

“I can’t be fine until I find what I am looking for,” Khumulwng replied. “I have something to tell you. A week ago, while I was on the way to the old library, I found something which the ancient book featured. As far as I know it went extinct 100 years ago.”

Laima’s eyes widened in surprise. “Could you show me what you are talking about?” she asked.

“Yes,” Khumulwng said as she pulled out a small object from her pocket. “Here it is. It was green when I found it but now it has turned brown. I don’t know why.”

“I can’t believe you found this in the city,” Laima exclaimed. “Why haven’t you told me about it earlier? As far as my research is concerned, it is a thing which was found during the age of Kwkhrang.”

As I delved deeper into my research about the age of Kwkhrang, I uncovered many mysteries that the Borok people were unaware of. Out of all the enigmas that I encountered, three topics stood out as particularly confusing and complex.

Firstly, there is the story of a saviour who introduced Rang. He saved the entire planet yet his identity remains unknown. Secondly, there was the age of Kwkhrang itself. The texts did not agree with each other and the more I dug deeper into my research, the more complex it became. Lastly, the origin of Langmabara. Everything must have an origin to start but this one eluded me.

These mysteries consumed me as I continued my research. This thing you see is called a leaf. It is impossible for you to get it here without its source. You can see in the book that you are holding right now. Its source is a tree.

Khumulwng nodded and said, “So, it is called a leaf.”

Laima explained, “Without a tree there can’t be any leaf. You can say it’s like human and its hair. Leaf is the hair of a tree.”

She took out a book from her backpack and handed it to her. “Something strange is going on in the city. And the leaf you found confirms it more. Last week I also visited the old library. To my surprise I found a book which I had never seen before. Khrangjora is the name of the book, it means Kwkrang ni Jora or age of Kwkrang. You will know once you look at it.”

Khumulwng flipped through the pages, puzzled by what she saw. The title of the book was written in Algnab the lingua franca of Grim, but he couldn’t read any of it. The content of the book was written in Kokborok, but it was mostly pictures. It showed a landscape sketch of a jungle with trees and leaves.

Khumulwng looked at Laima with confusion. “Then how do you know about this green thing and what is it called? We are unable to read the content.”

Laima said, “I know you might ask this question.” She turned to page 70 and showed her a page written in Algnab. This book is the strangest I came across."

Khumulwng’ s brow furrowed as she stared at the book. She couldn’t make sense of it. “Why would a person write it like this?” She asked Laima. “Its title and a page are written in Algnab, the language of the Saviour who came to Grim long ago. And the rest is in Kokborok, our ancient language. Do you think someone did this on purpose? What does it mean?”

Laima shrugged and said, “I have no idea. But I have a theory. Maybe the writer was someone who lived during the transition period, when the Saviour brought his people and his culture to Grim. Maybe the writer wanted to preserve some of the old knowledge and traditions in Kokborok, but also show respect to the new ruler and his language. Or maybe he had another reason that we don’t know yet. But one thing is clear: he wanted to communicate a message through this book.

Meanwhile

The city of Red was in turmoil, and the borok were suffering. They were unable to work and as a result, they were unable to get the Rang they needed to survive. The situation had become dire, and the Borok were becoming increasingly desperate.

It was then that an announcement was made on a large screen by an AI. The voice echoed throughout the city, causing the borok to pause and listen intently.

"Hi citizens of Red," the AI began. "You have to reduce your consumption of Rang because we are running short of it. However, you don't have to worry. If you keep supporting the government, we will provide the pills. Those who support us come and get it. But remember, it is limited. You know what you must take to get life. It's life for life."

The Borok understood what the announcer meant. Life for life. It was a cruel and brutal reality, but they knew they had no choice. They needed the Rang to survive, and they were willing to do whatever it took to get it.

The crowd surged forward, fighting and trampling each other in a frenzy to get to the pills. It was a scene of utter chaos, and the desperation of the borok was palpable.

Another scene

A man stood with his back to them, facing the screen that showed the chaos unfolding among the borok. He smiled wickedly and said, “It must go on. They must never discover the truth. They were once the famous Mangtiara in history now they are tearing each other apart. But we are not done yet. We will only win when they are wiped out from this world.”

As the dust settled and the chaos subsided, the borok were left to ponder the cruel fate that had befallen them. Life for life. It was a harsh and unforgiving reality, but it was one that they had no choice but to accept. The struggle for survival in the city of Red had become a fight for life itself, and the borok were determined to win that fight, no matter the cost.

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