When the pandemic finally ended, Europe discovered that the psychological damage had not healed. The continent had developed a collective trauma response. Two conclusions became widely accepted, supported by medical research and psychological data.
1. Loneliness kills: Extended isolation increased mortality through depression, immune dysfunction, and stress-related illnesses. At the same time, another disturbing pattern emerged.
2. Love is dangerous: Intense emotional relationships produced extreme psychological stress when they collapsed.
Hospitals recorded cases of stress-induced heart failure linked to relationship breakdowns. The data forced policymakers to confront a disturbing possibility which was that human attachment itself could become lethal under the wrong conditions.
The implications were terrifying.
If loneliness killed but love also carried risk, how could society maintain emotional stability?
The solution that emerged would define the future of Eurostate.