"Ugh,.... what happened?! Where the hell am I?!"

Jowlin woke up, disoriented, to find himself in a vast cave. The walls exuded a chilling dampness, bearing witness to secrets of a prehistoric age. A foul stench permeated the air, making him feel as if he were trapped in an ancient tomb.

His eyes scanned the pitch darkness surrounding him, a punishment of its own. Even the few beams of light that dared to seep in were dim, barely illuminating his surroundings.

"Where am I? Did... did I die?"

Jowlin rubbed his eyes, as if trying to shake off a terrifying nightmare. He struggled to his feet, pain gripping his tired muscles. His steps felt heavy, but he pushed forward toward the faint light filtering in from a distant entrance, like hope in a world shrouded in darkness.

Finally, he emerged into the open air, and in an instant, the blinding sun struck him with full force. He shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to avoid its harsh glare, as if its rays were daggers piercing his vision.

After a moment of adjusting to the light, he looked around, and a terrible shock coursed through his body.

"Am I in a desert? What's going on here?"

He murmured in disbelief, then erupted in suppressed rage:

"Who the hell brought me here? I'll find you, or you'll wish you were dead!"

But no one answered his cries. The place was bizarre—a desert stretching endlessly under an unbearable heat—but it wasn't an ordinary desert. Amidst this aridity, a river flowed, as if defying the very laws of nature.

"Damn it, is this a mirage? Or is it real?"

He trudged toward the river, thirst burning his throat. When he bent down to drink, he felt indescribable joy. The water was cold and refreshing, glistening under the sun, not a mirage.

"Haha! This is good! I thought I was going to die of thirst!"

Once quenched, he looked around carefully, and suddenly froze in place. Three massive structures stood near the river. He recognized them well, but they appeared different.

"Aren't these the buildings I was searching for when I found that cursed ring? ... Where's the ring?"

He glanced at his hand and saw the large black ring still on his finger, engraved with strange symbols that glowed faintly in the sunlight. He breathed a sigh of relief but couldn't shake the unsettling feeling creeping into his heart.

"How can this be? It's the same place, but… completely different. There was no river, and those pyramids were just ordinary yellow stones. And where's that glow?"

.....

In the twenty-first century, the world stood on the brink of explosion. The peoples of the earth awaited a new world war with bated breath, but this war would not be like any other. The Third World War was coming, a war with weapons capable of destroying everything—not just humanity, but the planet itself.

"Grandpa... why do people want to fight?"

In a hidden underground sanctuary, an elderly man in his eighties sat, his face etched with wrinkles, yet his eyes sparkled with ancient wisdom. Around him gathered a number of children, eager to listen to his stories and wisdom.

"Jowlin, is that you?"

The old man asked with a smile.

"Yes, Grandpa, it's me."

Jowlin was a handsome boy, with long black hair and bright eyes filled with ambition and adventure.

The old man gazed deeply into Jowlin's eyes for a long moment, then sighed:

"This child will have a great destiny."

"That's a good question, Jowlin. Do you know why humanity exists on earth even though it was once in paradise?"

"Yes, Grandpa, you've told us before... it was because of greed."

"Haha... very good. Humans are inherently greedy, always looking for what lies far away, unable to see the good that is right in front of them."

The old man continued as the children listened intently.

"But this war was different. The weapons used were destructive not just to humanity but to the earth itself—the nuclear weapon..."

"This was the reason the peoples of the world dug tunnels stretching thousands of miles, stockpiling food, water, and knowledge to ensure the survival of a new generation and the rebuilding of civilization."

"But of course, these shelters could only hold a select few. The rest... were left to their fate."

Jowlin asked curiously:

"Was Grandpa one of the chosen ones?"

The old man laughed: "No, my boy. It was my grandfather who was chosen, along with my grandmother. They were both scholars studying history and the civilizations of the world. What I'm telling you now is what was passed down to me."

Jowlin was astonished and felt a wave of pride:

"It seems my family had a high status; I must not waste my ancestors' glory."

Jowlin smiled eagerly and said:

"Please continue, Grandpa."

"After the war, all traces of life on the surface of the earth were destroyed. Those who survived were in those shelters. As for those left on the surface... they would not be as they once were. The nuclear radiation would change everything."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the children with a mysterious smile:

"And also... humans may not be the only ones living on earth."

Jowlin quickly replied:

"Of course, Grandpa... I've seen many other creatures in cages in the pastures with the shelters."

He was referring to the cows, lions, tigers, and all the animals that had been brought in and given a suitable environment to prevent extinction.

"The world, my boy, is not as simple as you think. The earth itself may be more complex than we imagine, not just a ball inhabited by humans."

Jowlin felt a twinge of anxiety in his heart. Despite his young age, he was smart enough to realize that his grandfather was preparing him for something bigger.

"Why are you telling us all this, Grandpa?"

He asked, concerned.

"Because your generation, Jowlin, will be the one to emerge to the surface in the coming decade, and you must be prepared for what awaits you there.