CHAPTER 1 THE WORLD BEFORE
Year 30XX—long before the Rupture, the Apocalypse, or Ragnarok, as various cultures and beliefs would later call it—the world stood on the brink of a new era. Monumental technological advances had been achieved thanks to breakthroughs in supercomputers and quantum computing. These marvels of science and mathematics propelled society far beyond its previous limits, allowing humanity to harness the energy of celestial bodies and extend life spans to centuries, inching ever closer to immortality.
Ambitious plans were underway to expand human civilization across the stars. Colonization of other planets promised new hope, but the path to the cosmos was fraught with challenges. Human adaptability in harsh space environments remained uncertain, requiring many pioneers to undergo cybernetic enhancements—an acceptance of a new normal. Building self-sustaining ships equipped with massive anti-radiation shields demanded enormous quantities of rare materials harvested from meteors and precious ores, making the project costly and complicated.
Faced with these hurdles, the grand space colonization initiative was temporarily put on hold to research more affordable and durable technologies. However, this massive undertaking had already breathed life into struggling economies, creating jobs and lifting many from poverty. Crime rates dropped, diseases waned, and the world gradually shifted towards peace—not war—as alliances and treaties took root.
Yet amid this era of progress, faith experienced a profound transformation. With science explaining the once-miraculous, many turned away from belief, some gave up their old faiths entirely, and others sought new meaning in the dawn of a technological age.
In this delicate balance between wonder and reason, the future awaited—yet the shadows of what was to come loomed ever closer.
But as mankind reached for the stars, fewer reached for God. Faith was set aside, as if the Creator had been replaced by machines. No one knew then that this choice would shape the fate of the world when the Rupture came."