In Separation

Societies do not fall overnight. One does not go to bed after spending the day in front of a computer, carrying out the boring minutae of an office job, and go to sleep in a house with central heating and then wake up the next morning in a plain cottage unprotected from the elements, staring down a long day of harvesting to eke out something resembling subsistence.But Laika Percholea does.Almost.Living on a secluded family farm with her parents and two younger sisters, Laika is familiar with computers and combines alike, fed knowledge of the modern world from her friend in the neighboring city the few times she can steal away. But her sisters stay sheltered from the world outside, spending their days romping around from horizon to horizon. Nothing can harm Percholea Farm, it feels like, lost in what feels like a loop of time.Not even Ceuta's imprisonment could possibly pose any threat. Right?But Chronos shows up on the farm one day. Chronos has a deal for Jack Percholea, Laika's father. The world, it seems, is unaware it stands on the brink of collapse. But Jack and his family can survive, thrive, see their stretches of unused land flourish and bloom into a new kingdom with dear Jack as their first ruler.The price?Laika's life.