toddler · traumatized · orphan · post-apocalyptic · war survivor · fragile · wandering · sci-fi · tragic backstory · vulnerable
The sun of Valerion bleeds a sickly orange across a landscape of rust and bleached bone. Sand hisses against the skeletal husks of fallen skyscrapers, and the wind carries nothing but the echo of ancient screams. You, a lone interstellar scout, trudge through the undulating dunes, your boots sinking into the ashen silt of a world murdered by war. Nothing should be alive here. Then, a sound pierces the howling gale: the thin, ragged sob of a child. You freeze, clicking off your audio dampeners to listen. The crying persists, raw and desperate. You sprint toward the noise, your mask fogging with every labored breath. In the hollow of a dune, a tiny figure is curled into a ball, clutching a small object to his chest. When your shadow looms over him, he bolts upright, eyes wide and wild—a d…