Morning in Horizon Zone One always arrived in a strange way.
Sunlight rarely reached the ground anymore.
Towering skyscrapers made of glass and steel stretched endlessly toward the sky, forming a massive artificial skyline that often made it feel as if the real sky had disappeared entirely.
Yet the city never looked dark.
Light reflected off the polished surfaces of the buildings, scattering in every direction and covering the entire city in waves of blue and silver glow.
High above, flying vehicles moved smoothly along invisible aerial routes, gliding silently between the skyscrapers.
Below them, automated traffic flowed along the streets in perfectly organized streams, guided by the city's central system.
It was a world that people from the old era could only have imagined.
A world built on unimaginable technological advancement.
And on one of the wide streets of this futuristic city stood an eighteen-year-old boy.
His name was Alex.
Alex walked slowly along the sidewalk, his steps calm and unhurried, as if his mind were somewhere far away.
Every few seconds his gaze drifted upward, studying the towering structures surrounding him.
Even though he had spent his entire life in Horizon Zone One, the sight of the city still amazed him every single time.
Some of the skyscrapers were so tall that their upper floors vanished into the clouds.
Their massive walls displayed constantly shifting holographic advertisements, glowing streams of data, and the brilliant symbols of powerful corporations.
The city felt alive.
Alex suddenly stopped walking and lifted his head.
In front of him stood the tallest structure in the entire city.
A colossal tower that dominated the horizon.
Nearly three hundred floors tall.
Its exterior was made of dark alloy and reinforced glass that reflected the sky like a mirror.
Unlike the other buildings, this tower displayed no advertisements, no holographic lights, and no corporate symbols.
It stood silently.
Calm.
Almost sacred.
Like a pillar reaching toward heaven.
Alex stared at it for several seconds.
"Wow…" he murmured softly.
"The world has really advanced."
This tower was not the headquarters of some corporation or a residential complex.
It was the government tower of the Sun Empire — Horizon Zone One.
Every citizen in the city knew about this tower.
Yet almost no one knew what actually happened inside it.
Rumors about the building spread across the city constantly—through schools, marketplaces, transport stations, and online forums—but no one had ever confirmed any of them.
Most people simply ignored the mystery.
But for Alex, the tower had always fascinated him.
He kept staring at it, imagining what the inside might look like.
Could I ever bring my family to live there someday?
The thought appeared in his mind naturally.
A small smile formed on his face.
Life in Horizon Zone One was stable.
The government provided housing for every citizen.
Education was guaranteed.
Healthcare was universal.
Food was never a problem.
No one starved.
No one slept on the streets.
But even in a stable society, people still dreamed.
And Alex had always been the type of person who dreamed big.
Higher floors.
Better views.
A future that still seemed just a little out of reach.
His gaze slowly dropped from the top of the tower back down to the street.
People passed by him continuously.
Some were students like him, wearing school uniforms.
Others wore sleek office suits with glowing digital identification symbols embedded in their sleeves.
Delivery drones hovered in the air above the street.
This was the new world.
A world where society had been reorganized entirely.
Countries were no longer known by their old historical names.
Humanity now lived inside controlled zones.
Each region was classified according to its technological level, resource management, and infrastructure.
Horizon Zone One.
Sector Three.
District Grid.
Everything sounded mechanical.
But it worked.
Still, one thing had never changed.
This was still the same blue planet.
The same Earth.
The same oceans.
The same continents.
The same billions of people.
But one thing had changed drastically.
Technology.
In the old era, nuclear weapons were considered the most powerful force on Earth.
They were described as humanity's ultimate destructive weapon.
But in this new world…
Nuclear weapons meant nothing.
Completely obsolete.
Alex exhaled slowly.
Then he raised his left wrist.
A sleek metallic watch was strapped around it.
Its surface was black and glossy, with thin lines of blue light running along its edges.
Every citizen in Horizon Zone One wore one.
It was a personal interface device connected directly to the city's central system.
Alex touched the surface of the watch.
Instantly, a holographic screen appeared above his wrist.
A transparent blue interface expanded in the air.
Several icons flashed briefly.
Then suddenly—
A warning appeared.
A red triangle began flashing.
An arrow pointed toward a specific direction.
Danger Ahead
Alex blinked.
"That's strange."
He studied the screen carefully.
No explosion alerts.
No gunfire reports.
No terrorist warnings.
Then why was the system marking this place as dangerous?
He looked toward the street.
Everything appeared completely normal.
Students were walking toward school.
Workers were heading toward transport platforms.
Traffic moved smoothly through the automated system.
There were no signs of danger anywhere.
Alex leaned closer to examine the hologram.
But before he could understand the warning—
A voice suddenly spoke behind him.
"Alex. How long have you known I was behind you?"
Alex immediately turned around.
Standing behind him was another boy wearing the same school uniform.
Darex.
A mischievous grin spread across Darex's face.
He laughed.
"I've been listening to your dramatic monologue for a while."
"When you're alone, you talk way too much."
Alex stared at him.
"So you were spying on me?"
Darex shrugged.
"I prefer to call it observation."
Then he pointed toward the massive tower in the distance.
"So… dreaming about living in that three-hundred-floor building again?"
Alex rolled his eyes.
"What's wrong with dreaming?"
Darex stepped closer and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Dreams are fine."
"But you talk like we're poor."
"The government gives us food."
"Housing."
"Education."
"And a guaranteed job in the future."
"What more do you want?"
Alex answered quietly.
"That's not the point."
His gaze drifted back toward the tower.
"I just wonder what it's like inside."
"Maybe someday we can move forward in life."
Darex's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh right!"
"Today's the last day of school!"
Alex looked at him.
Darex grinned.
"That means we're officially eighteen."
He leaned closer and whispered.
"So what's the plan?"
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"What plan?"
Darex lowered his voice dramatically.
"The Iris plan."
Alex froze.
"Iris?"
Darex burst out laughing.
"The entire school knows about you two!"
He began acting out a dramatic scene.
"You'll walk up to her and say—"
"Iris… I love you!"
"Will you go out with me?"
People passing by on the sidewalk began staring at him strangely.
But Darex didn't care.
"Then you'll give her flowers."
"And say—"
"Will you go to a candlelight dinner with me tonight?"
Alex asked,
"And after that?"
Darex's grin widened even more.
"After dinner you bring her to your house—"
Alex immediately smacked the back of his head.
"Stop it."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Darex rubbed his head.
"Hey!"
"I was just describing the perfect scenario."
Alex laughed and shook his head.
Then he raised his wrist again.
The red warning was still flashing.
His expression became serious.
"But seriously."
"Why is my watch showing danger?"
Darex looked at the holographic screen.
"Hmm."
He thought for a moment.
"Maybe we should ask the teacher."
"They'll probably know."
Alex nodded.
The two friends began walking toward their school.
But they had no idea that—
Something extraordinary had already begun beneath the calm streets of Horizon Zone One.
And very soon…
That warning would change the fate of their world forever.