<< Capital City - Presidential Palace >>
It had been twenty-eight hours since the Earth ceased its rotation, sealing the fate of mankind into uncertainty.
In the opulence of the presidential palace, at the heart of the grand chamber sat President Alexander Reed.
His fingers clenching the edges of the long oak table, the lines etched on his face seemed deeper than yesterday.
His suit, once crisp, now hung loose on his weary frame, as if burdened by the weight of the world.
At his sides sat the stern-faced Head of Military, Sir Adam, and the ever-solemn Head of Finance, Sir Warren, their silence mirroring their leader's.
Around them, their cabinet of ministers were a riot of distress and despair.
The atmosphere was a thunderstorm of panic, anger, and fear.
Their words crashed like hailstones, stinging and harsh.
"The… the end of the world…"
"I can't believe this happened during my life-time!"
"The world has gone to shit, is there a point gathering here anymore?"
"I don't know if we're lucky or unlucky to be within one of these ethereal pyramids, life will be hell from now on."
The room was filled with an air of desperation and fear, as they awaited the report that would reveal the unimaginable changes the Earth had undergone.
*Slammm*
The doors burst open, and in stepped Amelia Thompson, the President's secretary.
Her eyes, normally calm and composed, were wide with an urgency that echoed the world's despair.
President Reed looked up, his eyes filled with a mix of fatigue and trepidation.
"Amelia," Reed's voice broke through the noise, as heavy as a funeral dirge, "What has become of our world?"
Amelia swallowed hard, her gaze scanning the table, filled with anxious faces desperate for answers.
Her chest felt tight, a painful reminder of the burden of truth she carried.
"Mr. President, esteemed ministers, allow me to summarize the major changes witnessed during the twenty-four hours the Earth's rotation stopped."
She opened the journal and cleared her throat, her voice laced with a mix of disbelief and awe as she recounted the chilling facts.
"We have hurricanes ripping across our land, tornadoes spitting destruction. And that's not all. The tectonic and geographical shifts have shattered continents. We have new mountain ranges. Our shores have been ravaged by tidal waves of unparalleled fury."
A shudder rippled through the room as she laid bare the earth's devastation.
The ministers exchanged anxious glances, their hearts sinking further with each word.
A tremor ran through the room as the ministers gripped the edges of the table, their knuckles turning white.
The reality of the Earth's transformation had settled upon them like an oppressive weight.
"And then there are the tsunamis,"
Amelia spoke softly, her voice tinged with sorrow.
"Colossal tidal waves, towering in their fury, have swept across coastal regions, obliterating cities and claiming countless lives. Our shores have become arenas of devastation and despair."
A collective gasp escaped the room as the ministers absorbed the magnitude of the cataclysm.
Fear and grief intertwined within their eyes, as they grappled with the enormity of the losses suffered.
Reed's gaze never left Amelia. As the shock began to recede, his mind latched onto a flicker of hope, "These ethereal pyramids... how many are there?"
"The satellite imagery shows 42 pyramids across the globe, five within our country. They seem to serve as sanctuaries for the surviving populace,"
Amelia's voice wavered.
"As for survivors… I wish we had more."
"And the crimson thunderstorm?"
Reed asked, his voice just a whisper, afraid to disturb the fragile sliver of hope.
Amelia's voice took on a hint of hope amidst the darkness.
"Its lightning strikes seem to have endowed those struck with remarkable abilities—a translucent ethereal armor that seems to augment a person's physical body. We don't have exact data yet, but we have dubbed these people the 'enlightened'."
A silence settled over the room, the ministers soaking in this beacon of hope amid the ruins of their world.
"The enlightened... and what of these mutated monsters?"
Reed turned to Sir Adam, his gaze hardening.
"Are our forces equipped to protect our people?"
Sir Adam rose, his posture stiff as a salute.
His eyes, usually so full of determination, bore the weight of a thousand defeats.
"Mr. President, experts report that cosmic radiation permeating the still atmosphere when the Earth stopped spinning has caused a rapid and widespread mutation among various life forms. These mutations exhibit abnormal physical characteristics and heightened aggression."
Sir Adam's gravelly voice cut through the heavy silence that had settled upon the room, his words resonating with a sense of urgency.
"Our military forces have been deployed to confront the mutations,"
He stated, his voice tinged with a hint of despair.
"But these creatures, they seem impervious to hot weaponry. Our conventional methods have proven ineffective."
A heavy silence enveloped the room as the gravity of the situation settled upon the ministers.
The tension in the room reached its peak as the ministers absorbed the daunting reality of the mutations.
Sir Adam's voice echoed in the room, resonating with a somber tone.
"Even our Astrology Department failed to predict this cataclysm. We were completely blindsided by the cataclysm. Could Brandon Void have foreseen this catastrophe?"
Sir Warren, the Head of Finance, nodded grimly in agreement.
"Many of us ridiculed him when we learned of him squandering almost 30 billion of his family's fortune on his doomsday project. But now… Is it really a coincidence?"
Amelia added,
"For those who aren't aware, Brandon Void had initiated what many termed as a 'doomsday project' a few years ago, pouring billions into what was then deemed a fanciful preparation against a world-ending calamity. That's why many are now speculating about his role in, or foresight of, the present disaster."
President Reed interjected, his voice filled with a mix of concern and conviction.
"Do you really believe that there could be such a coincidence? Even if there was, how can we explain entire battalions of Enlightened ones? This Brandon Void... Something's off with this kid."
Sir Adam then instructed,
"Turn on Poki's current livestream, let's see what's going on now."
As the screen flickered and Poki's high-pitched voice filled the conference room, a sense of anticipation hung in the air.
Her excited tone was a stark contrast to the gravity of the situation.
"Look where I am now, my babies!"
Poki exclaimed gleefully.
"I finally got in! Kekeke~"
The screen showcased Brandon, his dark ethereal armor gleaming ominously, as he hovered defiantly before the Void Fortress's Main Entrance.
Opposite him, the colossal mutated rat snarled, its grotesque form preparing to lunge.
The confrontation was imminent.