Once, on a day of quiet peace upon Earth, the streets overflowed with ordinary life. People strolled without worry, children laughed and played in the parks, and the steady rhythm of the world continued—students hurrying to school, workers rushing toward offices and shops, vehicles streaming endlessly toward their destinations.
Then, without warning, the sky itself split apart.
The skies were torn open as though reality had been wounded, and from that gaping rift poured unknown creatures beyond human understanding. The Earth shuddered in response, trembling under the weight of this sudden upheaval. Across the globe, towering tsunamis were born, surging violently toward coastal lands. In a single moment, peace was erased, and a devastating calamity engulfed the world.
It was later known as Cataclysm.
Although the sudden invasion claimed countless lives, mankind hadn't gone extinct.
Against all odds, most of the invading creatures could be slain by conventional military force—missiles, artillery, aircraft, warships, and every weapon civilization could muster. The survivors gave these beings a name that would etch throughout the history: The Invaders.
Yet time was not on humanity's side.
With each passing day, the Invaders grew stronger. Their bodies hardened, their strength deepened, and their defenses evolved beyond expectation. Ironically, their own remains became humanity's salvation—harvested, studied, and reforged into weapons used against them. The calamity itself forced mankind to adapt, to evolve, to sharpen its fangs.
Thus weapons were born of unprecedented devastation. But one year after the Cataclysm, hope shattered once more.
From one of the countless rifts descended an unknown Invader—winged, colossal, and clad in terrifying scales. Even the latest weapons, forged from sacrifice and ingenuity, failed to leave a single scratch upon its body. Despair spread across the world like a second invasion.
With no remaining options, the world's governments made a final decision.
Humanity retreated underground.
Vast domes were constructed beneath the earth, linked by fortified routes, sealing the last remnants of civilization away from the surface. Then, with a resolve born of desperation, a plasma-powered nuclear assault was unleashed across the entire world—an apocalyptic strike meant to erase everything above.
The shockwave swallowed continents.
And with it, the surface of the world was reduced to silence.
One of the scavenger teams advanced cautiously along a desolate mountain path. The land was silent, lifeless—until their sensors detected something unnatural ahead. Unknown Ancient Ruins.
The armor-clad vehicle slowed as it approached, its reinforced hull humming as it resisted the lingering magnetic interference and residual shockwaves that still plagued the surface. Every meter forward was measured, deliberate.
A team of five stepped out of the vehicle.
Their boots touched the scorched ground as they gazed toward the ruins, a quiet hope burning in his chest—hope that whatever lay ahead might hold something capable of saving what remained of humanity.
Before them stood an ancient structure.
Once, it had been hidden deep within a vast jungle, swallowed by towering trees and endless green. Now, it stood alone in a barren wasteland, exposed beneath an unforgiving sky. The scorching sun poured down mercilessly, casting long, distorted shadows across the stone.They entered.
Inside, an unsettling stillness greeted them. Not a single statue bore any sign of damage—no cracks, no erosion, no scars from the Cataclysm. They stood pristine and untouched, as though the destruction outside had never reached this place.
Their curious gazes wandered through the chamber… until all of them were drawn to a single point.
At the center rested a black gem.
Dust-covered and unassuming, it lay upon a stone slab, silently awaiting its discoverer.
The team leader—clad in a thick yet flexible specialized suit—stepped forward. He raised one hand, signaling the others to stay alert, his movements slow and deliberate.
Reaching the slab, he picked up the gem.
He examined it carefully, searching for any trace of value—residual Invader energy, a fragment of alien psyche, some dormant power. There was nothing. It felt inert. Empty.
Disappointed, he turned around.
No one was there.
The chamber stood empty—no teammates, no footsteps, no signs of struggle. They were gone, as if they had vanished into nothingness without a sound.
His breath tightened. No matter how cautious a man might be, fear eventually finds its way into the heart.
Then the black gem reacted.
Dark radiance burst forth, casting black rays that swallowed the surrounding light. The chamber dimmed, shadows stretching unnaturally across the walls, as though reality itself were being eclipsed.
And then—
Everything went black.