Rain hammered the deck, drumming like a relentless warning. Lightning split the stormy sky, illuminating the seven figures bracing against the wind. Dr. Kennedy's coat flapped violently as he scanned the churning waters.
"Sir! The sails are shredded! Engines failing! Hull integrity at fifty percent!" the captain shouted, panic rising in his voice.
Dr. Kennedy's jaw tightened. "Activate survival protocols. Ignite all backup engines. Push forward!"
The ship groaned, tossed by monstrous waves. Water cascaded over the sides, soaking clothes, masking screams. The sea seemed alive, clawing at the vessel, determined to consume it.
And then… darkness. The storm vanished, waves flattened, and the world fell silent.
Hours bled into days. Days into weeks. Weeks into months. Three months. Six months. Nothing. Silence.
Then—impossibly—they returned.
The seven scientists stumbled onto solid ground, drenched, trembling, eyes wide with visions no human mind could comprehend. They whispered urgently among themselves, fragments of knowledge spilling in frantic bursts.
One voice quivered: "It… it shouldn't have been possible."
Another shook his head, clenching fists: "But it happened. We… survived."
They carried strange scrolls—parchments filled with cryptic symbols. Fire, water, ice, air, lightning, earth, metal… even non-elemental abilities like teleportation and telekinesis. These scrolls would change humanity forever.
Time passed. Humans learned, adapted, and evolved. Society shifted. Strength became survival. Knowledge became power. And the world Leo Griffin would inherit was no longer the same.