Born From Ash

Prologue: Born from Ash

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100 years ago, humanity had found itself brought to a state of ruin, corrupted by conflict and ever-escalating warfare. It had become a world plagued by questions of survival against nature that had begun to fight back, against a world that had begun to reject the existence of humans. The final strike to the dam holding back the people’s cries came as one nation’s mistake; the release of Odidonum.

Created in a lab using nothing more than rats as test subjects, Odidonum had only been intended to harm a human’s psyche, inducing hallucinations, terror and aggression among the enemy state’s population. Unknowingly, with this single, barbaric act, they had forged the fatal flaw that sealed the fate of humanity as it was known.

Although it had been very successful in its intended use, Odidonum’s research was foolish, and the effects of the chemical quickly spiralled out of control, causing rapid mutations of human genes with each case varying from the last.

And just like that, human civilization was brought to its knees in an abrupt halt. Every news outlet and government was reporting on the global crisis that was believed to be the inevitable cause of human extinction. Mutant humans expanded and evolved as they spread across the globe, terrorising the homebound civilians and leaving inconsolable countries in their wake. Families were forced to face their post-human relatives, and leave them behind.

Astro-cities were formed among countries; built up and barricaded for the survivors that had not succumbed to the outbreak. The world weeped for its brothers and sisters and grieved for its children - but the world had finally found comfort in each other, united against its common enemy, discarding grudges and conflicts in favour of aiding research for a cure and brainstorming survival strategies.

6 years after the outbreak, a preventative vaccine was approved and rolled out, allowing the first global sigh of relief. Humans learnt to trust their bodies again, no longer fearing becoming a monster or losing loved ones to the mutation.

By 2055, 5 years later, anyone outside the astro-cities were presumed to be inhuman or dead, and the gates to the walls protecting the safe haven of the cities closed to outsiders. The world rebuilt itself in a brand new way, establishing new nations, laws, and organisations for the populations within them.

In the following years, humanity flourished. With the strong focus on research and science, the astro-cities saw a technological renaissance; creating new high tech droids to scan for mutant presence, a sleek, hyper efficient landscape for each city’s foundation, and forging endless ideas and possibilities.

Humans began to live a life of utopia: life expectancy rose to new heights and health issues became nothing more than minor inconvenience. Based on varying talents, the citizens residing in these neon megalopolises worked in different districts of research - fueling the constant surge of discovery and innovation.

The need to work to survive had phased out with the widespread implementation of droids, turning busy and stressful workplaces into free, self-sufficient forces run independently from human interference.

After centuries dictated by the human journey of pain and struggle, there was no longer a need to starve, to require, to suffer. The world’s worst global crisis had gifted humanity balance.

Now, we are in 2144, the era of unparalleled perfection, as the vast population would believe.

But it is beneath the city walls that holds the truths, buried below skyscrapers and landscapes and the wonder tying together the city’s morale - beneath it all, there is an alias.

This is Nexus, and this is Dawn.