The world of the novel [Chronicles of Legendary Heroes] is a vast one.
The novel follows a modern fantasy and sci-fi setting where part of the story takes place outside the Earth too.
…A very little part.
The Earth in this story wasn't always like this. Seven centuries prior to the main plot, the world changed.
I'm sure you all must've heard several stories with a similar start before but just let me continue.
On the morning of 1st January 2023, the whole world was enveloped in a bright blinding white light for well over a minute.
When the light subsided, the world was not the same as it was a minute ago.
Rifts– tears in the fabric of space and time connecting to a parallel world– opened up throughout the globe.
A hostile humanoid race known as 'Demons' emerged from those Rifts and threatened the peace of Earth.
However, humanity, unlike in other novels, was quick to fight back.
And also unlike in novels, modern weapons worked fine on those creatures of unknown origins.
Sure, the weapons weren't -very- effective but it's not like they did no damage at all either.
Plus, with the aid of nuclear weapons, they stood their ground.
Humans and Demons engaged in a fierce war of survival and dominance soon after.
And despite the fact that they were up against a race of supernatural origin, humans did pretty well.
That was until a Demon named Michael Gracefell stepped out of the Rift one day.
He resembled a human more than a Demon and claimed himself to be one of the 'Demon Generals'— a strong, high-ranking member of the demon army.
In a single day he wiped out all the major army bases on Earth and crippled the resistance force as easily as taking a stroll.
According to the legends, it is said that he possessed the power to bend the very fabric of space according to his will.
He threw a god-like power in the face of humankind and watched them fall to their knees, too powerless to do anything.
Needless to say, with no troops to fight back, humanity quickly started losing the war.
Everyone thought that the fall of humanity was nigh.
But right then, for some unknown and mysterious reasons, the Demon army decided to fall back.
They abandoned a winning war and decided to retreat to the Rifts they had come from.
However, while retreating, they did leave a final message for humankind, "We will come back."
Although still terrified by their threat, humanity rejoiced and celebrated their survival.
But unfortunately, the following years were even harder for them.
Right when the demons retreated and Rifts disappeared, mana– a latent dormant energy that was always present in the world– started moving and became active.
The continents of the Earth started colliding together and the mass of the land itself started enlarging slowly.
Over the span of a few decades, the continents merged into one and created a single new mega-continent with a few new islands.
Then suddenly one day Rifts appeared again, but this time instead of Demons, several other races came out of it– namely Elves, Dwarves, and Vampires.
They had come to seek refuge because their worlds were being destroyed by the demon army.
Since these races were already well-versed in using mana, humanity offered them a deal.
They were asked to teach humans how to use mana in return for their refuge. Elves and dwarves obliged, while vampires straight-up declined the offer.
In simple words, vampires wanted to take over the world since humans were clearly weaker than them.
To no one's surprise, a war broke out between vampires and humans. Dwarves allied with humans, while elves remained neutral.
Several years after that, the war between vampires and humans reached a stalemate.
Just when things were looking a little bit peaceful for humans and the rest of the world, an extraterrestrial civilization known as Kalis appeared from space.
Their home planet was also destroyed by Demons, so they had come seeking another habitable planet to inhabit.
Earth was that planet.
Kalis, much like vampires, didn't seek coexistence. They were a dominant predatory species.
They wanted this world's resources for themselves and they were ready to hunt anything that stood in their path for that reason.
Once again, humanity had no choice but to engage in a war with another species to avoid an extinction-level threat. This time the threat came from above their heads— from space.
Kalis were much smarter and stronger than vampires. They could perform space travel, after all.
Although they weren't very well versed in using mana like elves, dwarves, or vampires, their superior technology and peak biology made up for that.
And the fact that humans were fighting two wars on two fronts– vampires on earth and kalis in space– didn't help them one bit.
Seeing that humans were in thrall, the elves decided to extend a helping hand and join the war.
With the aid of elves along with dwarves, humans managed to stop Kali's invasion from space and hold off vampires on the edge of the Northern Continent.
Finally, after six long centuries, things are a little less chaotic now. But peace is still far from reach.
Kalis have settled their base of operations on Mars. They have almost exhausted all of their resources and are planning for one final invasion on Earth.
It's basically do or die for them.
Vampires are still trying to push their borders from the north every day, so naturally humanity is still engaged in conflict with them.
Now, with elves teaching humans how to harness the pure unlimited energy called mana, there was no limit to what they created with the help of dwarves.
Floating castles, flying cars, futuristic weapons, fully immersive VR worlds and much more!
Yeah, Back to the Future became a reality!
But their best creation was the Global City— a city armed with all kinds of futuristic technology.
A few years ago, seeing that the centuries-old wars on two fronts were showing no signs of ending, a program was launched by the Central Government— the government that basically rules the world.
The program dictated that every person who could use mana had to go through 3 years worth of military education.
After their military education, they will serve four years in the ›United Military‹ at their assigned posts.
This program, or rather this law, applied to all races of the world. Elves and dwarves included.
Because of this, several thousand military academies were created throughout the globe.
Although so many military academies were created, with time, only two of them stood above the rest.
The one where the main story was set is called Global Military Academy or ›Global Academy‹ for short.
Global City is an isolated walled enclave island somewhere within the great southern oceans. This city was built around the Global Academy to provide its cadets with a place to live and train.
According to the novel, this city has the most advanced technology, along with a few of the most powerful people residing in it.
It will not be incorrect to say that this city is among the earth's most powerful cities.
The only other city which could rival the might of the Global City is Ethereal City with its ›Ethereal Academy‹.
These two cities are the pride of the United Military– an armed force made from merging the human, elven and dwarven armies into one.
Or at least they were their pride until the 3rd volume of the novel started….
Anyway, being from a world where the most high-tech invention was smartphones and AI, I was excited to take a look at the outside world.
So that's what I did. I went out and took in the sight of Global City for myself.
But never in my wildest dreams I imagined the outside scenery to be this futuristic!
I mean, I saw Lucas' memories, so I knew what to expect but seeing it all with my eyes was a different experience altogether.
When I stepped outside my apartment building, I saw something that I could only describe as a glimpse of the future.
Huge buildings and tall skyscrapers along with holographic billboards and security robots that filled the streets were giving off a SiFi vibe.
While flying cars and hoverbikes only further affirmed how ahead of time this city was in terms of technology.
I could also vividly see a floating castle far ahead in the sky, which bestowed a dreamy look onto the scenery. It contrasted the futuristic look and added a little touch of fantasy to the view.
I couldn't help but drop my jaw so wide that it was now practically touching the ground.
I won't lie. It took me a few minutes to recover from that sight.
It felt like I had seen all this before but it was not until now that I was 'truly' seeing it.
I experienced a feeling of familiarity after looking at this sight, yet the sensation was quite new.
It was a feeling that was difficult to describe, similar to the sensation of the breeze touching your face after being inside for a long time, or the wobbly feeling in your knees when standing alone in a grassy field after a prolonged absence. That's what I was experiencing.
Nostalgia was the only word I could think of at that moment.
"I'm back," I said.
I don't know why I said that, but those were the only words that came to my mind at that instance.
"Fuuu!" Letting out a deep breath, I started walking toward the train station.
I knew where the station was from the memories I had acquired, and I was certain of my destination.
I couldn't help but feel excited. It was the first time in a long while that I was feeling alive.