Week 3, Month 1, The Year 2020
The Earth was in for one heck of a ride, a calamity of epic proportions that would make even the most apocalyptic movies look like a walk in the park. The world was rocked by earthquakes, battered by hurricanes, and buried under avalanches and landslides. Volcanoes erupted with such ferocity that even the dinosaurs would have been impressed, while hailstones the size of basketballs rained down from the sky.
But as terrible as these disasters were, there was something even more sinister lurking in the shadows. The only thing that scientists could tell was that the object responsible for this chaos was a type of energy, something that was completely unknown to humanity at the time. It was like the universe had decided to play a twisted game of hide-and-seek with us, with death as the prize.
To say that the situation was grim would be an understatement. Billions of lives were lost, and even the most resilient of survivors were pushed to their limits. But hey, at least we finally got that exciting post-apocalyptic experience we always wanted, right? Just... not in the way we expected.
Week 4, Month 1, The Year 2020
Well, well, well, folks. It looked like Mother Nature had finally decided to take matters into her own hands. And by "take matters into her own hands," I mean "murder billions of people and create a whole bunch of weird landforms."
That's right, after a week that can only be described as "terribly distressing," we lost nearly 2 billion of our closest friends and family members. And let me tell you, these landforms? They're not your run-of-the-mill, everyday landforms. Oh no. These are the kinds of landforms that make you question everything you thought you knew about the ground beneath your feet.
And as for that terrifying energy that caused all this mayhem? Well, it's gone missing. Like a thief in the night, it snuck in, wreaked havoc, and then disappeared faster than you could say, "What the heck just happened?"
Of course, the government tried to step in and save the day. And by "save the day," I mean "make things worse." Communication breakdowns in multiple places only made things even more chaotic. It's like watching a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, but way less entertaining.
But hey, on the bright side, at least we can say we were part of history, right? We survived (for now) a cataclysmic event that will be talked about for generations to come. And who knows, maybe someday we'll even look back on this and laugh. But for now, let's focus on not dying, shall we?
Week 2, Month 3, The Year 2020
The preliminary stage of this phenomenon brought us some seriously unpleasant sights. We were talking tears, weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth all over the place. It was like a never-ending episode of "Days of Our Lives," but with way more death.
But don't worry, folks, the process of recuperation has been initiated. And by "recuperation," I mean "trying not to die." We may have lost a few billion of our closest friends and family members, but hey, at least we've got each other, right? And by "each other," I mean "whatever's left of us."
It's times like these that really bring out the best in humanity. We were resilient, we were resourceful, and we're pretty darn good at pretending like everything's going to be okay when it's clearly not. But hey, fake it 'til you make it, right?
So we wiped away those tears, folks, and got to work. We've got a planet to rebuild and a lot of grieving to do.
Week 1, Month 4, The Year 2020
As if the chaos and destruction weren't enough, now we had to deal with an energy mass that was bigger than a sumo wrestler's appetite. Seriously, this thing was massive! It was like the universe was playing a game of connect the dots, except the dots were planets and the lines were energy paths.
I don't know about you, but I never imagined Earth would be part of some cosmic highway connecting the planets. And to think, all these years we've been complaining about traffic on our highways, but little did we know there was an intergalactic one in the works.
But hey, who needs logic when you've got massive energy masses connecting planets, right?
Nobody knew what it was, but it was clearly a future catastrophe. The phenomenon was an unprecedented cosmic alignment of the four planets that had never before been seen in our solar system.
At the precise moment when the areas most impacted by the calamity witnessed changes, a colossal structure emerged. It ascended rapidly from the ground, even surpassing the atmosphere. Its size was so immense that even the tallest structures in the world paled in comparison.
It was constructed from unbreakable stones and stood magnificently, with a diameter of nearly three kilometres. Its gaze appeared to be ethereal, and it emanated an intimidating aura that was beyond the understanding of most individuals.
Seven different variations of these things were discovered around the world. Everywhere they appeared, they stood magnificently, their imposing presence piercing the sky.
The appearance of these colossal structures had people scratching their heads in confusion. Was this some kind of extraterrestrial architecture? Had aliens finally decided to make their presence known? Or was it just some giant billboard advertising space tourism? Whatever the case, one thing was certain: These things made the Eiffel Tower look like a toothpick.
After the emergence of these imposing and majestic structures, a considerable number of individuals began to go missing, one after the other.
"And, oh yeah! "I was fucking one of them."
PRESENT
Week 3, Month 8, The Year 2029
On this particular day, the clash of swords and the cries of war echoed across the land as two major guilds and their three top guilds on each side engaged in a bloody battle. Their armies were huge, each comprised of an equal number of brave men ready to fight to the death.
The warring guilds' leaders and members were confident of an easy victory, but things took a turn for the worse when they realised the conflict was going to be longer and bloodier than they had anticipated.
The battle dragged on and on, like a never-ending game of Temple Run. By the end of the day, the ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen, and the surviving members of each guild were left to mourn their lost friends and loved ones.
Death was a bigger deal for them than it was for the guild's upper echelons.
The war broke out over the first-ever divine item, which was said to grant immense power and authority to its possessor. It was coveted by many but ultimately snatched under their noses (or so they thought).
As fate would have it, the person selected by the divine item met a rather undignified end - a death by "one thousand years of death" move that left even the most battle-hardened warriors cringing. It was a reminder that even the most powerful items couldn't save you from embarrassing defeats.
Week 1, Month 4, The Year 2020
PRESENT (you are aware of the present)
"No!!!"
Ignis screamed like a madman, startling the thousands of people around him.
"Ah…"
He spun around, taking in the chaotic scene, before realising he had somehow ended up back where it all began—the ground level of the tower. Ignis surveyed the area with a pensive expression, lost in thought.
'What the fuck just happened? Did I really die that embarrassingly? Ugh, that's worse than getting killed by a level 1 rat.' After a moment to compose himself, Ignis looked around at the crowd. The fear on their faces was palpable, but at least they were all, on average, in their twenties.
'So I'm back from the dead, baby! And with that divine mark on my hand, no less! It's like winning the lottery, but with more...divinity.'
'Speaking of which, I don't even remember the last time I had a taste of freedom. That jerk made me his slave in 2024! Can you believe it? I thought we were tight, but apparently not.'
'But you know what they say, out with the old and in with the new! And with this divine mark, I'm free from that enslavement crap. Sure, I died shortly after, but at least I got rid of that baggage.'
'It's time to start fresh and make up for all the bad stuff I don't even remember doing. And as for that jerk who enslaved me? Let's just say he's in for a world of hurt. Revenge is a dish best served...well, whenever I get the chance, really.'
'But first things first, gotta set some goals for myself. I'm thinking world domination...or maybe just some quality time with family and friends. Both sound pretty good, to be honest.'
While Ignis was engaged in the process of sorting things out, a voice could be heard resonating from the chaotic ground floor of the tower. The voice was particularly pleasing to the ear, and its dulcet tones added a touch of serenity to the tumultuous surroundings.
"WELCOME TO THE TOWER."
"A place where you can change your life and grow stronger by taking advantage of the opportunities provided."
"In 10 seconds from now, you will be transported to the first floor of the tower in random places, and then you will have to fulfil the condition to move farther."
"Thank you and good luck."
When everybody heard this, the crowd went into an uproar. Many people were confused and panicking, and much gossip started to happen.
However, before anyone could think any more, they heard the countdown.
At this moment, when Ignis came to terms with his current condition and then heard this countdown, he was somewhat expectant, as he got a second chance.
"…3…2…1…"
Suddenly there was a burst of light, and before anyone could think of anything, everyone was teleported to the first floor of the tower.
'These tower bastards still don't give much information to the player; oh well, whatever doesn't matter to me, though I can still remember some things and have to wait for some days to remember everything'
As he thought this to himself, he started to teleport.
Ignis felt a rush of excitement as he was teleported to the first floor, as it meant his dream could finally come true; he had a chance to make something better of himself.
Ignis knew that the journey to the top of the tower would not be easy, and he was prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead.