Stolz

[    tough   ||   proud   ||   stubborn    ||   self-destructive   ||   cynical    ]

When Stolz was very young, a contagious disease wiped out the majority of the world's population and triggered an apocalypse. He has only fleeting memories of the world before the disease, but specifically recalls the moment when, while performing on stage for the school play, their teacher collapsed. This event is associated in his mind with the moment everything changed. He grew up in a world where people had to fight for all of their resources, a world where people remembered electricity and clean water and the internet but had no access to these things anymore. His callous exterior and sharp mind allowed him to thrive in a world of chaos. He ended up the leader of a settlement living in an underground World War II bunker. He did good by his people, but outsiders essentially considered him a villain in this new world, because he was ruthless about acquiring and protecting resources to give himself and his group as good a life as possible. 

Decades went by, until one day a traveling band approached his settlement, begging for food. "We have nothing to offer but the clothes off our backs," pleaded their leader. Stolz had a trade in mind - their youngest, healthiest member in exchange for bags of beans, corn, potatoes, and cabbage that his people grew in plots of land above ground. His people were furious at first - how dare he trade their resources for a person? But time passed, and the new guy - Ryker - ended up being a good citizen, pulling his weight. Slowly, they came to forget and forgive Stolz for his peculiar barter. But Stolz had something else in mind. He treated Ryker like a treasured possession. Ryker didn't particularly mind; he was given a better life than he had ever imagined living while on the roads, and while Stolz was temperamental and unpredictable, it was clear he valued Ryker. In fact, Stolz even came to love Ryker with his whole heart. Many years passed, and Ryker became almost a second-in-command for their people, who valued him like a Queen or Empress at Stolz's side. Together, they began creating a new world that was safe for their people. Stolz had never before let his walls down. For the first time, he knew happiness. 

And then the raiders came. Word of Stolz's resources had spread, and outsiders wanted the goods. In the attack upon their settlement, everything was taken from them and many were killed. Including Ryker. 

Stolz, unable to deal with the shock and grief, killed himself. 

And he woke up on the morning of his school play, a child, but retaining a lifetime of memories. He decided that if he was going to relive this all over again, he was going to save Ryker. He could use his memories to better prepare for the apocalypse, and he could change the outcome of the attack. Except this time, while his class acted out their dumbed-down version of Julius Caesar, their teacher never collapsed. Stolz was confused. The days began to stretch out, with no illness wiping out the population, and he grew older in a mundane life.

Anyone else would have been thrilled. But Stolz was devastated. This world was too safe and boring for him, none of his talents were being utilized. And, worst of all, in this new timeline, there would be no Ryker. Or, if there was a Ryker out there somewhere, how would he possibly find him? 

Stolz's mission in his new life was to try and locate Ryker and start anew. But in this new timeline, was he being punished or blessed? Would he even find Ryker? And if he did, would Ryker even be the same?

Relationships

➥ Ryker - In his previous life, Ryker was his mate and his world. He came into possession of Ryker thanks to a barter he did with travelers for some food and supplies, and his goal was to use Ryker as a personal assistant (or really, rather, a slave). Nothing worked out the way he planned it to, though. Ryker was bright and clever and absolutely every moment they spent together made Stolz's small bitter heart grow and grow and grow. He was utterly devoted to Ryker. It was really more a matter of him being the slave and Ryker being in charge. When Ryker was killed before his eyes, Stolz couldn't bare to live without him. In his new life, Stolz is obsessed with the idea that Ryker is out there somewhere. He is determined to find Ryker and make him fall in love with him again.