18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Rocking gently, Stella kept her eyes shut and continued to sleep. Jasper pulled back the curtains, revealing a world swallowed by darkness. But if he craned his neck, he could make out the distant stars twinkling faintly. The stars were beautiful, but the world was in a terrible state.

After tucking Stella in with a warm blanket, Jasper closed his eyes to rest. They awoke in a haze, greeted by the faintest hint of dawn. Cooper, perched on the windowsill, gazed curiously into the distance, letting out an excited, "Woof!"

The sea was calmer today, the boat rocking less. Stella unbuckled her safety belt and joined Jasper, looking out at the thin mist hovering over the water like a mysterious veil. The sun, a fiery red orb, shimmered with golden light, slowly piercing the fog and painting the sea and sky in hues of red.

It was beautiful, yet utterly cruel.

After a good sleep, Rosie seemed much refreshed, quietly eating her breakfast sandwich and sipping on warm oatmeal. Stella muttered softly, "The waves are still pretty rough. Guess both yachts and cruise ships are out of the question. Can we use a submarine?" Jasper shook his head. "Subs are meant for the deep sea. With the land just submerged, we don't know the depths. We could easily run aground or damage the vessel."

With no other options, they settled for watching a comedy, munching on popcorn as they slowly lost track of time. When Rosie got up to stretch and peered through the glass at the world outside, her gaze suddenly fixed on a distant point. "A mountain! There's a mountain!" Human beings aren't exactly cut out for ocean survival, so the mention of land was thrilling. Stella joined her, and sure enough, there was a faint outline of a mountain in the distance.

A mountain standing alone in the midst of the ocean.

The sun cast its light upon the peak, giving it an ethereal glow. Feeling a call to the divine, Stella grabbed the binoculars to take a closer look. The mountain seemed massive, oddly familiar as if she had seen it somewhere before. Good Lord, I was the "Roof of the World"!

She had somehow drifted to this iconic place. If they continued to drift, they would soon leave their home country behind. It looked close but was deceptively far. After two hours of drifting and still no closer, the waves grew fiercer, heralding a storm. As expected, wave after wave began a frenzied display. Every so often, Stella glanced towards the "Roof of the World," but in the blink of an eye, it began to crumble and collapse. Stella watched, eyes wide, as its destruction unfolded.

The violent shaking caused glaciers to burst, revealing eons-old dark brown rock. The tumbling ice crashed repeatedly, breaking into countless pieces, a cycle of destruction against the mountain. Glaciers turned to ice chunks, ice chunks to granules, and granules to snowflakes...

From a distance, it resembled an avalanche or milk pouring down a chocolate tower, with clear, gradually changing layers. As the glaciers fell into the sea, the "Roof of the World" was hacked into innumerable fragments by the merciless hand of a demonic force. First came the violent tremors, then the explosion of rock. Ancient stones tumbled down in a valiant sacrifice, crashing into the roaring ocean...

Creating monstrous waves.

These waves, fierce as a moth to flame, were valiant but futile. The backbone of the Earth was effortlessly broken and silently sank into the vast ocean. No matter how hard one searched, it would never be found again.

The joy of discovery was cruelly devoured by this heartbreaking loss. Stella witnessed it all, feeling as if she'd been stabbed in the heart. She had never climbed the "Roof of the World," but for humanity losing its land, this mountain was a symbol of spirit, a beacon in the dark. As long as it stood, there was hope for the land. But battered by relentless natural disasters, this backbone was shattered beyond repair.

Even with the worst expectations, Stella still harbored a flicker of hope, which was now extinguished. She stared in the direction where the mountain was swallowed, struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

...

After much time at sea, Rosie started to feel queasy again but kept it to herself. She saw a survivor, a person clutching a makeshift raft adrift at sea. From this distance, it was hard to discern their complexion, but it was clear they were weak, and it was uncertain how long they could hold on.

Compared to him, Rosie, in the company of her brother and sister-in-law, was incredibly fortunate. She didn't voice her thoughts, knowing she couldn't save the stranger. Rosie turned away, unwilling to add to her troubles.

At night, once Rosie had fallen asleep, Stella still retreated to Arcadia for rest. Over the years, she had pondered whether to reveal the truth to Rosie. Although they had been cautious, with Jasper always there to cover, Rosie had grown up and was very smart. Facing this dichotomy of truths, Stella often felt overwhelmed.

Their visits to Arcadia would become more frequent and the excuses harder to find. Stella even suspected that Rosie might already know the truth but simply chose not to speak of it. Despite Rosie's soft-spoken nature, her thoughts ran deep. She kept much to herself, rarely confiding even in her own brother, let alone her sister-in-law.

She was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

In a post-apocalyptic world, this trait was an advantage; not only was she less likely to be deceived, but she was also the type to turn the tables on others. Stella, however, harbored a nagging concern. Currently, the three of them shared common interests with no conflicts, but what about in a few years when Rosie might want to marry?

Just as Stella had with Cody Lukas, whom she had grown up with and who had once taken a blow for her. Eventually, they each found their lifelong partners. They seemed to be part of the same group, but their interests diverged, first to their spouses, then to the larger group.

The Cody of now would not take a hit for her as he had in their youth, for he had his wife to look after. Likewise, Stella would lend a hand in tough times but wouldn't risk her life to protect a friend.

Uncertain, Stella left the decision to Jasper. Jasper pondered the situation gravely. Over the years, he had placed great importance on Rosie's education, keeping Stella's wild fantasy novels out of her reach. Rosie had no idea what Arcadia was. Even if she knew about conjuring items from nowhere, she might not realize people could freely enter and leave.

However, Rosie was indeed introspective, and it was possible she had already figured out the secret of Arcadia. No matter how close siblings are, Rosie didn't share everything with Jasper. And Jasper was in the dark about how much she kept inside. "Let's not tell her for now. When the day comes that we can't hide it anymore, we'll say it's my Arcadia."

If the day comes when the disaster is over and civilization is restored, and Rosie develops other intentions, they could say that Arcadia had disappeared.

Being a man is hard, but being a good man is even harder. Stella was the queen bee of Arcadia, and it was solely for his sake that she treated Rosie like a little sister. After all, who could swear their loyalty would never waver?