Earth
Precisely in the year 2038, a crisis emerged that threatened to wipe out all life on Earth. The worst-case scenario came to pass: the ozone layer was destroyed.
The signs were always there: the steady rise in temperature each year, the rapid spread of desert-prone areas, the increasing frequency of wildfires—these were just a few warning signs. Yet, humans remained stubborn, acting as if they sought solutions openly while still consciously destroying nature every day. And one day... nature fought back, fiercely.
With the ozone layer gone, humans were forced to stay in the shadows, only venturing out after sunset. Just twenty minutes exposed to the deadly heat could be fatal—few survived even that long. Houses were fortified to endure the extreme temperatures, yet even those shelters couldn't prevent the relentless rise in heat from taking lives. Many perished when their homes caught fire and burned, unable to resist the intense heat. Others fell victim to heat stroke. Over time, the human population sharply declined due to these harsh conditions.
All around the world, those at the lowest of the low—unable to afford the highest quality houses and sources of protection from not just the rays of the sun but the heat itself—dropped dead one by one like cattle in a disease-infested ranch.
Over time, humans, driven by desperation, managed to develop an artificial sun shield: a synthetic ozone layer. However, the damage was already irreversible. Similar to how trees, animals, and other vulnerable life forms were lost due to the intense sun rays, the artificial ozone layer posed a different problem. Unlike the natural ozone layer, which didn't entirely block the sun's rays, the artificial version did, effectively ending the possibility for photosynthetic plants to grow.
Economies dropped. Migration to better countries quadrupled. Everyone was trying to survive—the basic instinct of humans. From 8.3 billion, the human population had dropped to a disturbing 2.1 billion... if that was even accurate.
Excluding the elderly a step away from death, the estimated number was roughly around 1.2 billion. This indicates that the majority of the wealthy consisted of older adults, which explains why they could afford the best protections to ensure their survival.
Humans weren't neglecting to try to repopulate; in fact, it became LAW. By 18, you are required to find a partner. The government no longer prioritized personal freedom—especially when the human race faced extinction. Many previous freedoms to make foolish choices were permanently revoked. At 18, your mind must be prepared to marry someone who could help produce a child, not a dog or any other absurdity allowed by human foolishness at that time. Unfortunately, despite these rules, the situation only worsened.
Oxygen.
Yes, oxygen—something so familiar, so free, yet the day came when it was sold. With the trees gone and no sustainable method of converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, oxygen was being depleted rapidly.
With time, even more people began to die, and eventually all that was left was just this: 200 million, out of the formerly surviving 2.1 billion. And yes, older people still made up a large part of this number.
At this point, everyone—EVERYONE—became afraid. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor; one day, your wealth would be exhausted, and you would join the others on the list of the countless dead.
One day, in a moment of desperation, a madman named Nicholas embarked on a reckless experiment to harness the power of light. He attempted to create a light-speed engine after discovering that there is a specific limit to the speed that reality can accommodate. No one knew who this madman was, where he came from, or how the hell he even thought of all this. However, it was recorded that on that very day—when some influential figures watched what he described as the most outstanding achievement of humankind yet seen—something went wrong.
All his calculations failed because he failed to understand something: beyond what mere humans saw, there were other forces, forces that wouldn't permit the bridge of time.
Yes, that was Nicholas's objective: to go back in time, back to the time before human advancement.
But...
It went wrong.
Something interfered at that critical moment, and instead of what was expected, something extraordinary happened that day.
A tear in reality.
A rip in space.
It was like the cosmos appeared just before their very eyes. And that was the miracle that changed everything, because through it... was another world.
Many had different theories about it. Some called it an alternate reality of Earth; others referred to it as a parallel existence of Earth in another galaxy. But no one could truly comprehend what it was. Driven by desperation, all that was left of humanity moved into this new world—an unknown world where dangers were yet to be discovered, an uncharted territory which could be the end of them all.
And so began the genesis of a new age. One unlike any other. One in which... humanity would honestly face extinction.
The Age of Ascension.