In the year 2034, the world faced a disaster which went down in history to be known as 'The Red Catastrophe'.
The two foremost words that came to the minds of people when 'The Red Catastrophe' is mentioned are the Crimson Moon and the mystic power of Mana.
One is still a symbol of dread and suffering , while the other remains cryptic and enigmatic, incomprehensible to the date.
But the disaster was much more than that. To put it to perspective, the actual disaster can be surmised in three stages.
Helming them all, the omen of peril, was the 'First change'.
The 'first change' shattered the world in an instant, marking a cataclysmic shift in the world's landscape and conditions. It was the most pivotal moment of apocalypse because humanity was literally, nearly annihilated just from this one devasting blow.
Continents buckled and fused, reshaping familiar landscapes into unrecognizable terrain. Mountains rose where oceans once sprawled, and vast chasms cleaved through once-stable ground.It was a time when the earth itself seemed to rebel, unleashing storms of fire and ice that left behind a scarred, alien world. Civilizations crumbled, and humanity faced a reality where survival meant adapting to an ever-changing and treacherous environment.
Their capacity to withstand and resist the future Changes was forcibly stripped away.
But this was nowhere near the end of the disaster.
As the world struggled to recover from the cataclysmic events of the First Change, a new and more insidious threat emerged:
The Second Change.
The once ethereal and enigmatic force began to manifest physically within people, altering their physiology in unpredictable and often deadly ways.
The process was slow at first, almost imperceptible. People felt a strange tingling sensation under their skin, a warmth that grew with each passing day. Soon, it became clear that Mana was no longer just a force in the environment but a presence within. This intrusion of Mana was not benign; it was an oppressive power that tested the limits of human resilience and adaptability.
For those under 25, the invasion of Mana was a challenge but not an insurmountable one. Their young, adaptable bodies had a higher tolerance for the sudden influx of this mystic energy. However, the older the individual, the less capable their bodies were of accommodating the foreign power. The death toll began to rise alarmingly, with the following grim statistics:
For people above the age of 25 years old, 70% perished, their bodies unable to withstand the transformation.
At the 35 year mark, the death rate increased to 80%, as the physiological changes became too intense to survive.
By the age of 45, a staggering 90% succumbed, their systems overwhelmed by the invasive force.
The situation was hopeless at the 60 year mark, as virtually no one survived, with a death rate of 99.9%, the few survivors being rare anomalies who seemed almost miraculously resistant to Mana's effects.
Survival became a matter of luck and adaptability, with younger generations bearing the brunt of the responsibility to rebuild society amidst the chaos.
The Second Change was a brutal reminder of the relentless power of Mana, and it forced humanity to adapt or face extinction. Those who survived were forever changed, both physically and psychologically, as they grappled with the new reality of a world where Mana was an ever-present and often deadly force.
But destiny has something else in store for the people as their pains weren't about to be stopped, but rather, they will become an eternal melody that will embrace them in it's chil for the time until the dawn of annihilation.
The Third Change.
It shattered any remaining illusions of safety and hope.
It became undeniable that Mana was not just an external force but a mystifying and incoherent presence within. This realization, however, did little to prepare humanity for the horrors that followed.
Mana's pervasive influence caused a profound and grotesque evolution in all living beings except humans. Animals, plants, and even microorganisms underwent rapid mutations, transforming into beings of terrifying power and malevolence. These creatures, now known as Monsters, lost all semblance of their former selves. Stripped of reason and driven solely by primal instincts, they became bloodthirsty monsters whose only goals were to hunt and survive.
These monsters roamed the desolate landscapes, their strength increasing with each rank and stage they achieved. They devoured anything in their path, including other monsters, creating a brutal hierarchy of predators. Humanity, already weakened by the previous changes, found itself at the bottom of this new food chain.
In their fear of losing reason and sanity, humans resisted the evolution that Mana offered. This resistance, born from their higher intelligence, proved to be a double-edged sword. While their minds remained intact, their bodies did not gain the enhancements that could have aided in their survival. The initial fear of madness turned into a cruel irony as they realized that their intelligence and consciousness were the very tools that could have helped them harness Mana without losing their sanity.
The once-thriving human civilization was now reduced to scattered remnants, struggling to survive in a world turned hostile and alien. The landscape was a testament to the brutality of the new natural order, where the survival of the fittest was the only law. Cities lay in ruins, overtaken by monstrous vegetation and predatory beasts. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and the silence was punctuated by the roars and screams of hunting abominations.
For years, the remaining human population has fought a losing battle, their numbers dwindling as they are hunted by these monstrous creatures. They live in constant fear, hiding in the shadows and scavenging for food, always on the brink of extinction. The once-great achievements of human civilization are now relics of a forgotten past, buried beneath the rubble and overgrowth.
In this dark and unforgiving world, the crimson moon hangs in the sky, it's blood-red glow casts an eerie light over the land, a constant reminder of the horrors unleashed by Mana and an ever present proof of their suffering.
The world has become a place where hope is a distant memory, and only the strongest and most cunning can hope to see another day.
It is always cloaked in a perpetual darkness, and humanity's struggle for survival is a never-ending nightmare.
'This is our new reality, however we choose to accept it.'
This realization dawned upon Ron six years back, when he has just Ascended to the General rank at the mere age of 16.
It was also around this time that he lost his parents to those repulsive abominations at the then occurring 'Stampede'.
He, who was shielded by his parents even in the times of endless odds and despair, still holded onto an illusory hope.
He used to dream of, no, yearn for a Paradise...
A paradise, where there is a world that's free from monsters, where sunlight shines upon the land brightly, where there is abundant food and lifes need not to be lost everyday.
And he can live happily with his family....
A Paradise even he knew was probably only present in one's envisage, but he still yearned for it.
But over the years, as he lost his home and witnessed ceaseless terrors one after another, he matured.
His circumstances, and his parents wishes forced him to do so.
He who never knew teenage, never knew any friends, meaning of love or any other forms of affection, his world was finally shattered with the demise of his parents.
Also Ron, until the death of his parents, had drifted through life without clear ambitions or aspirations, doing what he was told by his parents.
After the loss, his mind turned into a cyclone of emotions as grief, anger and confusion assaulted his mind.
He didn't know what he was feeling, but he know he didn't want to feel that way.
He was uncertain, uncertain to what he was feeling.
He only remembered the unbridled rage and the insurmounting hatred that was present in his heart.
His mind and demeanor changed at the stark realization about the fragility of life and the unpredictability of the future.
The paradise he yearned for.... The unaspiring him that was without any ambitions....
He now not 'yearned' for it but decided to 'obtain' it.... And this time...
A Private Paradise where he controls everything.
He accepted the reality as it was, that he would have to take what he wants with his own hands.
The dangers and tasks ahead was perhaps things a mortal like him couldn't comprehend but he, at the very least, was determined to not go down without a fight.
'Whether that determination will be in vain, or will it bear fruit, only time will tell.'
Ron finally concluded his thoughts with that last line and a self depreciating smirk on his face.
"What are you thinking?"
Connor asked, noticing Ron's prolonged silence.
"Nothing."
Ron shook his head.
He turned away and moved his gaze upwards towards the waning crimson moon.
He narrowed his eyes and gazed at it, trying to lock eyes with it.
He first laid eyes on this ominous moon 15 years ago and at that moment, fear gripped his heart.
Now, the blood-red orb hung in the sky like an unblinking eye, and Ron, who was terrified by its presence before, now peered at it with defiance.
He spoke while still looking up.
"Connor."
"Send a message to all the strongholds."
"There's an emergency and the periodic quadrimester meeting that was supposed to take place after 3 weeks, will now be held 2 hours from now."
He took a small pause and said solemnly.
"Gather all the Generals."