• She stood, an adamantine sculpture with beauty beyond the description of words, silhouetted by the blood red moon which hung indignantly at her back. It was her and the moon, alone on the hill. And below, there was nothing but a city in turmoil.
    She, a black-clad young woman whose features were masked in the shadows of her opaque, somewhat wild hair, strode with an effeminate swagger that was unbecoming of such an imposing figure. Or, perhaps, it was the only gait with which so mysterious a creature could travel with. Either way, she took her time, but not too much, strutting down the face of the hill, into the city.
    The conglomeration of residences and questionably passable living necessities that composed the 'city' were made mostly of scrap scavenged from what were once true cities in the area. The 'streets' weren't even up to par with those of rural Asian villages in the nineteenth century. Perhaps they were more comparable, in smell, to those of the Medieval Europe, and in visual depiction, to a cross between a twenty-first century garbage dump and a forest trail, winding around garbage instead of undergrowth.
    The young woman's shadowy hair betrayed only a slight smirk behind its waves as it slightly waved with each of her calculated steps. Around her, there swarmed a small crowds of ragged humans, and yet more ragged dogs, raccoons, and other somewhat urban animals. Each of the aforesaid creatures stared at her hungrily, perhaps hoping for a meal for the first time in a long while, but moreover with curiosity. It had been years since any of them had seen any sort of primness or properness. They weren't quite sure how to address it.
    At the approximate center of the unkempt settlement, she stopped. Slowly, the crowd swelled, until every man, woman and child had congregated in the improvised 'town square'. In the short period of time it had taken for the mysterious woman to make her way to this area, the moon had risen to the exact center of the sky. The woman had kept precise pace with it. Or... Maybe, it was the moon which had kept pace with her, for now it froze in its heavenly trek.
    Either way, she stood in her Coliseum, the mob around her waiting either for lions or words, whichever came first. It was words.
    "Men, women, children of what was once Glensville... You have lost your honor. Your purpose. Everything but your lives. I offer to any who wish it a chance to regain that. The cost could be that which you do have, your lives, but the rewards for partaking in this most sacred journey are far greater gifts than that of 'life'. Life is a gift given to all. But these gifts... These gifts are given only to those who earn them. I offer to you your honor, your glory, easy lives of prestige and purpose. I offer you a more complete existence. I offer you freedom from all bonds. I offer you immortality, for any who follow me will find themselves forever preserved in history.
    "Come, join me, and, together, we will unite these separated regions. We will recreated the flourishing civilizations of yesterday. We will find peace and safety on this torn world. But in order to do so to the world, we must do so to this village, which is barely a step above the wilderness. Unite, my friends, under me. Work for me. And once we've undone the damage to this village, we will do so to others, and, eventually, the world. Some will resist. Change is difficult. But I promise you, we will prevail. Together, we will create a whole world, a civilization that will even surpass those of our ancestors. I now offer you all the chance to become for me the workers, soldiers, engineers, and doctors of tomorrow. I now ask you one question- will you work for and with me, to create the world of tomorrow? Or should I go somewhere else?"
    Her voice was strong, but not unduly so. It was neither condescending, nor timid in any way. She spoke as a confident tenor, her beautiful vocalizations resonating through the ragtag settlement. And that voice, which resonated through the town, resonated through the minds of all around. It intrigued them. Captivated them. Captured them in its spell. And, one by one, each living soul began to voice its revelry and agreement. The men and women cheered. The children sang cheers which their newly rejuvenated minds began weaving. The dogs and wolves howled. The birds, raccoons, and even the rats contributed. And as all these voices rose to the Heavens, the bloodied moon heard them, and seemed to glow phosphorescently, as if pleased.