"Throughout Heaven and Earth, from the divine to the mortal, from the angels to the nightmare, from the lands where the light touches to the darkness one can't phantom, from the music of nature to the silence of the abyss."
Time ago, most religions, myths, and legends of the past days faded into obscurity, leaving only a few left, but where there's a void something alternative, most occupy it. And in place of the "old," a new one came into being.
The study, or rather, the concept of science and technology as a whole, took place subtly as humanity left what their ancestors knew and worshipped to follow the subtle yet liberal flow, which eventually brought them to the way of following what was once an aspect of becoming a "god".
Even though it brought great success and development in many areas, records of things made were always left in the shadows with only fragments of information made to the public.
Humanity advanced rapidly in those years, bringing it to the age of cybernetic evolution—a cyber age were flesh and machine blurred the lines of what it meant to be human.
That...what initially brought about it was forgotten; the goals that were the focus of all were obscured; the goal to reach for the stars— to touch the sun, to explore the vastness of the planets— had all been forgotten over the years from various distractions.
But during this era of technology, something strange happened to the world. Days after the New Year not particularly a month though, an event never seen or documented in the history books occurred. It was a massive wave of energy, a wave that sent the world into a spiral of chaos. People felt it on that day—the day when all technology failed and shut down at the same time.
No one knew the origin of the wave, but its effects were immediate and catastrophic. Networks of Devices that had connected the world all went silent, cities of metal and glass and auttomation turned dark, and the hum of machinery and robotics that humanity had grown so accustomed to ceased.
People from the fully healthy to the -In the ensuing chaos, governments of the lower nations crumbled, the fragile economies and societies fractured, and the world was plunged into a new dark age so to say.
But that wasn't all. Six years, six months after, on the sixth day, all the technology, all the computers, all the phones, PCs, and every piece of tech lit up. Even books, scrolls, caves, carvings, and hieroglyphics glowed.
It was weird, but it just kept getting weirder. From them, a bright black light, as contradictory as it sounds, appeared in the sky like a second sun. Uncanny strings of energy emerged from each form of data, reaching toward the ironic dark light.
Humans watched in awe and terror as these strings siphoned information and matter. Books and tech shrank until they became dust. On the seashores and coasts, in third-world communities and city dumps, pollution—plastics, nylons, metals, and even radioactive waste—disintegrated, drawn into the light.
The 'colors', the very components of the world, kept disintegrating. Day and night, people watched as everything turned darker and darker until…
From the ruins of the world, the first chaotic beings emerged. Ancient and inscrutable, these entities had slumbered for eons, now awakened by the collapse of the technological veil that had kept them at bay.
With their birth came cataclysm. On the day the first chaotic beings appeared, the black light convulsed, and a resounding boom echoed around the globe. People of different races, religions, continents, heritages, and beings witnessed the world undergo a metamorphosis.
The earth, no—the plane—shook as the world changed before the eyes of the millions who still existed. Places lost in history, places from legends, buildings, and structures reconstructed themselves. Temples, mountains, and libraries emerged anew. What else came into being wasn't known, but…
Years ago, most religions, myths, and legends of the past days faded into obscurity, leaving only a handful left, but a new one came into being.
The study, or rather, the concept of science and technology, took place subtly as humanity left what their ancestors knew and worshiped to follow the subtle yet liberal flow, which eventually brought them to the way of following what was once an aspect of becoming a "god.".
Even though it brought great success and development in many areas, records of things made were always left in the shadows. Humanity advanced so rapidly in those 100 years, bringing it to the age of cybernetic evolution—a cyber age where flesh and machine blurred the lines of what it meant to be human.
[Breaking News: The last of the strange obelisks has been found in New Reine after several expeditions.]
Since the year 2059—40 years ago—strange black obelisks have been discovered and unearthed across the globe.
They reached several hundred in number, not just one or two or three; they discovered five hundred to nine hundred of them over the years. Today, December 1st, 2099, it's been finalized that there were to be approximately 1023, with the last one hopefully being excavated today.
"Hey, look," a redhead in casual clothing called to her boyfriend as she entered his room. Swiping the holo-device in her hand, she took over his holodeck screen, disrupting the game he was playing as she moved onto the bed.
"Look," she urged him as he turned his head to her, fuming over the unpermitted change and his streak loss.
"What!!" he snapped, veins bulging on his forehead as he turned back to the screen and acknowledged what was being shown and said.
[We will now connect with our correspondent, Hillary Mills, at the expedition site for further information.]
The female news correspondent's voice filled the room as the 3D virtual hologram shifted from the white newsroom to a dark tunnel lit by several orb-like flying excavation bots.
[Hello, Kent…]
The correspondent, a blonde-haired, green-eyed woman dressed in full-on safety wear with both helmets and a metallic mesh cover on, greeted as she took the reins of the show. She stood amidst the excavation site, the final giant obelisk looming ominously behind her with a faint glow. The atmosphere was tense, filled with eerie anticipation as the redhead, her boyfriend, and numerous individuals, organizations, and governments tuned in.
This was a momentous event, one that could change the course of history if they could discover and unravel what the obelisk held and meant.
Meanwhile, in another part of New Reine, Lodan turned his attention to the broadcast, his heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and fear. His apartment was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from the 3D holoset screen. He had been following the obelisk discoveries obsessively, driven by a deep-seated curiosity and a sense of adventure and mystery.
*BZZZZZ*
Lodan's phone buzzed, pulling him out of his trance. It was a message from Mia, his colleague and closest associate.
Mia: "We need to get to the site. I have a feeling this is it. Meet me at the lab."
"Okay."
Without hesitation, Lodan grabbed his white overcoat and rushed out of his apartment, entering his hover—a non-wheeled semimetallic hovering automobile—as he began navigating through the bustling roads of New Reine that were filled with spectators and citizens who stared at the billboard screen, outdoor displays, holodecks, and projections.
The city, with its blend of towering skyscrapers, neon lights, overhead rails, and temples, seemed to hold its breath in anticipation while they watched the correspondent talk with the archaeologists at the excavation site. New Reine was a city that never slept after the technological revolution, it always glowed with a unique light, filled with loud music and noises.
As he passed through the city, it didn't take long for him to arrive at the lab. When he arrived at the lab, Mia was already there, surrounded by maps and notes. Her auburn hair was tied back in a messy bun, and her green eyes were alight with determination.
She was a 26-year-old graduate and archaeologist, one who studied ancient relics, and she, along with Lodan and several others, was researching through history books to figure out what those structures were, and where they originated from.
"Lodan," she said, looking up and adjusting her black-rimmed circular glasses as he entered.
"We need to be there. This is our chance to finally understand." She spoke hurriedly, packing up the papers on her desk and rolling the old, worn-out dark-yellow map up.
"Huh!" Lodan was surprised. She would usually begin to explain what happened slowly, but now she was rushing to leave when he had arrived a second ago.
"Wait, wait… Why the rush? We just found another in the city. Shouldn't we…"
"That's the issue."
"I've found something. And I think it belongs to them █ █ █,"
Alex nodded, sharing her sense of urgency.
"Let's go."
The drive to the excavation site was tense. The usual hum of the city was muted by the gravity of the moment. As they approached the site, the air seemed to thicken, charged with an almost tangible energy.
The obelisk stood at the center of a massive crater, its black surface gleaming ominously under the artificial lights. It was taller than any of the previous ones, and its presence was commanding and foreboding.
The obelisks were tall structures towering over 40 feet in height. They were completely black, darker than obsidian, and never cast a shadow. They were prismic in shape, with a larger base and a trunk that caved in to form a diagonal with a pyramid-shaped head. They were designed with various inscriptions in an unknown language, which they were trying to decipher.
Lodan and Mia joined the other scientists and archaeologists gathered around the obelisk. There was a palpable sense of unease, a collective holding of breath, as the audience kept watching.
"Here it is," Mia whispered. "The last piece of the puzzle."
As they examined the obelisk, Lodan's attention was drawn to the inscriptions. They seemed to shimmer, the symbols almost alive with a strange energy. He reached out to touch them, feeling a slight tremor under his fingertips.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. A deep rumble echoed through the air, and the obelisk pulsed with a dark light. The scientists stepped back, their eyes wide with fear and awe.
The sky above darkened, and a chilling wind swept through the site. The full moon, previously hidden by clouds, emerged, casting an eerie red glow over the landscape. Lodan's heart raced as he failed to realize what was happening.
"The blood moon," he murmured. "It's beautiful."
Mia grabbed his arm urgently, her voice trembling as she staggered to leave the front of it.
"Lodan, look!"
The symbols on the obelisk were shifting, rearranging themselves into a pattern as a purple beam of light shot out from the top of the obelisk, piercing the sky.
From the north to the east, from the south to the west, and from all the crevices other obelisks were found, symbols began reshaping with faint glows shimmering, and several purple beams shot into the sky one after another.
The ground cracked open, and from the depths, an unholy wail erupted, chilling every single being on the planet to the bone.
A sense of dread settled over the group as dark, twisted shapes began to emerge from the fissures. Beings with grotesque forms and dark, hollow eyes clawed their way to the surface. Panic erupted as the scientists and workers scrambled to escape.
Lodan and Mia stood frozen, staring in horror at the unfolding chaos. The air was filled with the screams of the damned and the acrid smell of sulfur.
"What in the hell?!" the news correspondent spoke while the audience watched, and others turned to look outside at the beaming lights.
"We need to get out of here," Mia yelled, tugging at Lodan's sleeve.
But before they could move, a deafening groan resonated from right beside them, freezing them in place.
*Years ago, a dark, red fog started spiraling out through the Greenwich Meridian, which runs through the world.
Initially, it seeped out like a dying flame, but it continued to spread and grow denser. The government and people in power ignored it or kept it hidden from the masses.
However, ships and boats passing through it never returned, and the fog continued to grow taller and thicker.
Eventually, it covered an entire continent and half the world. Now, people are fighting against the leader of the shadow, who is known as Faceless.
Faceless is a hero brought into this world by the goddess, unwillingly to stay and help this world, he decided to delve into dark magic to open a portal back into his world.
But right when he opened it, he was killed by the hero to prevent it. And the portal collapsed creating a perfect cut into the world sphere.*belisk