The tension was palpable everywhere. Following the war’s end, millions had converged on the great cities, transforming them into cold, overcrowded megalopolises.
People from both Earths met and mingled, triggering a profound cultural shock.
Galius gazed through the panoramic window of his skyscraper, lost in thought after his morning check-ups.
He had just removed his augmented reality glasses following his virtual therapy session.
His arms and torso were metallic and golden—implants integrated years ago after a devastating accident. The gold was nothing more than a vulgar display of his immense wealth.
Arc Live, the city where he had lost his human body, had been built as a monument to the peace between the two Earths. In the center of the main plaza stood a towering marble statue of the two dimensional leaders shaking hands.
Then came the day everything changed.
Galius was in the city on that fateful afternoon. He was a CEO then, with over a thousand employees under his command. His company was the industry leader in Armor repairs. He hadn’t fought much since the war began; to him, conflict was simply a lucrative business. He had been managing finances on his laptop right there in the central plaza.
Suddenly, flashes of light ignited the sky. At first, people thought they were fireworks or comets. They soon realized it was something far worse.
A colossal explosion engulfed the city in the blink of an eye. It didn’t look man-made—it looked divine. It was shimmering gold.
Most people evaporated instantly. It was a horror so absolute that not even his darkest nightmares could replicate it. It reminded him of the ancient accounts of Hiroshima.
Galius lost his lower body and his arms, yet he survived. Perhaps he had been chosen by God to be a new Messiah. Perhaps it was divine training—or a punishment for his greed.
Then, he saw the image that would haunt him forever: A golden Armor with angel wings, enveloped in a radiant, golden aura.
Before he could process it, he collapsed, too weak to move. His final thoughts were a frantic loop: “An angel? God? Satan?”The AftermathThat event became known as Jacob’s Day, and it reignited the fires of tension between the two Earths. Over seven hundred million people died in a single day—a genocide on an unimaginable scale.
When Galius finally regained consciousness, 87% of his body had been destroyed and reconstructed with robotics. He was breathing through a ventilator. He could no longer feel the hospital bed beneath him; all he felt of the physical world was a cold, metallic chill. Because of this, he spent most of his days retreated into augmented reality.
Today, everyone treats him as a madman when he speaks of what he saw: the Angel. They call it trauma, a delusion, or a neurological side effect of the blast. But he knows the truth.Doctors suggested brain damage. Psychologists pointed to PTSD. But Galius believed it was a divine warning. He ran his metallic hand over the scars on his face, feeling only the cold void of his golden limbs.
(How is it possible for something to save and condemn a soul at the same time?)
The television announced the finals of the Armor Battle League—a 3v3 team sport. To Galius, it was all nonsense. Those machines were forged for slaughter, not entertainment.
"Who cares if a life is lost on the battlefield?" he muttered. "Better that than wasting it on trivialities."
To him, the Armors were the greatest military advancement since the invention of firearms. Frustrated, he slammed his fist onto the table. The force sent the remote sliding to the floor, switching the channel.
The news now showed the Peace Committee meeting with leaders from both Earths. They were discussing pesticide regulations and diplomatic accords. Galius picked up his AR glasses, a look of profound disappointment on his face.Peace is fleeting. War is the only eternal truth of this world.
Infinite peace is nothing but a utopia.
He slid the glasses back over his eyes and reclined, trying once more to escape into the digital void........
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