Zoom Out
High Altitude; Atmospheric Camera
Unfamiliar
The landscape on view was nothing short of fantasy, totally unfamiliar.
Floating Islands; two massive landmasses & many smaller ones orbiting them like satellites.
Aurora Moon; alive with vibrant elemental energies, smaller in size, but much brighter than its predecessor form. In fact, it wasn't only absorbing & reflecting sunlight.... there is a circulation of elemental energy between the moon & the planet, albeit behind the folds of space; unperceived by normal means.
Only three oceans; Bright Blue, Rainbow Waters, & a Dark Abyss; quite ominous.
Six continents; five of similar size and an oddly placed smaller one, shaped like a dragon's eye.
Different terrain, uncharted geographic landmarks of rivers, mountains and forests.
Yet.... It was indeed planet Earth. Was. Some artifacts of human civilization were still standing, strewn about. Tattered cities, intact infrastructure, etc
Shock
About forty years after the advent of the GCC waves, all life began to awaken from their slumber.
Uncomfortable. Confused. Fragmented memories. Unrecognizable sensations. Weight. There was this pressing weight. It was ever present, quite stifling, but somehow they seemed to be acclimating to it.
Energy. What is this energy? Elements? There's more to it than that. Wait.... Who.... What am I? Where is this place?
A majority thought to themselves as such.
It varied from one being to another, but within 48 hours of their awakening, the memories came rushing in; a few pulses at a time with increasing intensity, until the dam broke open with clarity.
Panic & Turmoil
The planet in whole; restructured.
The elements; alive with spirit.
Yet the humans.... they had the most difficulty adjusting; barely able to comprehend this chaotic situation.
As such, barely any humans accepted or attempted to make contact with these foreign species. They grouped together, found other humans, built human fortresses out of the rubble of functional cities & enclosed themselves, labeling everything else as alien & dangerous, trying to rebuid a semblance of society.