It was when the words ceased between the political leaders of the United States of America and North Korea on March 4, 2019 that the world changed... Weapons, ships, and aircraft set off for war, and in just a few days, the world came to a halt. For 5 years, 2 months, and 17 days, the world witnessed the war calamity as two of the world's major powers collided. Cities, homes, and families were devastated by the cruelty of both armies, as in war, people are merely numbers and targets indicated by superiors.
Naval clashes brought the war to countries that were avoiding and breaking treaties just to stay alive. Neighboring countries turned into graveyards of planes and fighters shot down in battle. Cities began to be bombed, buildings collapsed, and the war seemed to have no end until, in an afternoon of advances and retreats, a transmission heard an ultimatum from the Bloody leader, the North Korean Tam-Yogseuleoun Salam (탐욕스러운 사람).
"At dusk in Korea, I will give my men the order for strategic repositioning in all enemy countries. If, in 24 hours, Mr. President Thomas Dahmer does not surrender along with his undisciplined country, I will activate without hesitation the war protocol Hilosimaleul-Gieoghada (Remember Hiroshima) and send to your people, your allies, and the countries that in these times of war abandoned our agreements and withdrew from the troops, some nuclear warheads with a capacity of 600 thousand KM."
The transmission ended, and the entire world plunged into even greater chaos because the American onslaught became wilder with each passing hour. Dahmer was no longer in his right mental state, never before so pressured. Due to the absence of military experience, Dahmer ordered an invasion of North Korea to avoid the impending global catastrophe. However, Tam was cunning, armed, and prepared his land for an invasion with traps, small sieges, and even snipers scattered across his soil, counting on the lack of military experience of the young American leader.
From afar, on their screens, the world followed almost in real time the American onslaught on Korean soil. With each squad killed, the faith and hope of humanity faded away, and fear entrenched itself in the human race. While some were losing their lives in the final onslaught, Dahmer was making a decision that would change the world as we know it.
"If I'm going to die, I'll die taking everything from that Tam scoundrel. I'll launch my warheads in his direction 20 minutes before he does; he won't have a way to escape..." – That's what he thought, giving a suicidal smile.
The American gates fired as the president ordered, surprising Tam, who, accepting the scenario, authorized the nuclear bombings.
The explosion didn't distinguish between man and woman, children and old people; it just consumed them. From that moment on, the world lost more than 45% of its population. Those who didn't die in the explosion were succumbing to radioactivity or agonizing in the rubble until death.
A few months later...
The ONU called on the remaining world leaders to discuss the fate of the world. Some leaders just wanted to scream and vent their hatred on the new representatives of the countries involved in what became known as the Gray War. However, they were just people with some random power in their decrepit countries. The meeting lasted for days until announcements were made:
The ONU will be renamed WOPRA (World Organization for Peace, Restoration, and Aid).
Firearms and nuclear weapons were banned and should be destroyed in public squares.
The United States lost the title of a country and became a Canadian territory, going through various difficulties in this merger.
It was the way the world found a false peace because the world had been forever stained with such a massacre. But peace came; in the coming years, a utopia was established, with people helping each other, dismantling and destroying weapons, bombs, and war vehicles. However, this peace was short-lived when the news came out of a man who killed a bear with an axe. It wasn't just an attack by a wild bear; there were two frightening factors in all of this.
The Pole Heiko Nowak faced a bear that was larger than usual and had deformations all over its animal body. Its shadow was now in a 3D axe shape. After the clash, Mr. Nowak died moments later, not from physical damage but from a stroke caused by an overwhelming overload in his cerebellum. The days became tumultuous again due to an outbreak of what was called Shade, the shadow disease because, after some studies on people who manifested their shadow like Nowak, had died with the same symptoms, and other domestic and wild animals began to undergo similar mutations to the Polish bear.
After a series of studies and research, traces of radioactive components were found in "contaminated" beings with Shade. They concluded that the immense amount of radioactive agents, combined with planetary factors such as the atmosphere, flora, fauna, among other things, resulted in a mutation that would be the blooming of the shadows of humans and the mutation in animals.
The next step was quickly taken, and the Spanish scientist, Javier Aguilo, together with the Brazilian chemist Edna Rubens, developed a vaccine that would neutralize any harmful effects on the cerebellum, avoiding more deaths. Science did not stop studying the Shade Event and began to catalog the modified animals, realizing changes in appearance, size, ferocity, and even attempts at verbalization. Some even seemed capable of thinking almost like a human.
The catalog listed 3 sets of species divided by rank, with S being the most dangerous and D being the most tranquil to deal with. Terrestrial animals became known as Tezeks, aquatic ones as Azeks, and flying ones as Vizeks.
Months passed, and WOPRA announced the extinction of all old military classes. However, they wouldn't leave the world without protection, announcing a new team, new soldiers to fight monsters and crimes in this new world. They were the First Garrison of the new army, the New Force. Military personnel from around the world underwent rigorous training to master the blooming of their shadows.
With these trainings, new data was collected; shadows could take different forms, but there was always a pattern. They varied between melee weapons, shields, domestic and wild animals, throwing weapons, or the like. In rare cases, the shadow took abstract forms as if it were a liquid capable of molding into anything.
Worldwide deforestation reached a high level due to constant works all over the planet until some trees started to come to life. There was a war between humans and nature, and once again, humanity perished in war to beings that were previously inanimate and at that moment wiser than the world's greatest leaders. Even losing the war, the Ents (living trees) helped humanity develop various synthetic things like food and raw materials.
Little was known about the immense intelligence residing in those branches, but they helped, and after that, in a vote of confidence, the trees isolated themselves from the world in various locations such as synthetic forests, mountains, among others. And thus, the world proceeded for 87 years, rebuilding, uniting, and adapting...