Thank you for viewing the first chapter of this novel, I hope you find the world I'm building good enough to keep you reading. If you find anything you like or don't like please let me know via the comment and I will keep updating regularly if enough people are reading. I hope there's a better future for us in this reality too but for now I can only dream with this novel.
The year was 2222, and the Earth was a changed place. Gone were the days of countries with jagged borders and vast open spaces. Now, humanity lived in enormous bio-domes that encircled entire nations, protecting them from the harsh realities of the world outside.
Inside these domes, life was different. The air was always crisp and clean, thanks to advanced filtration systems that worked around the clock. The temperature was perfect, never too hot or too cold. And the sky, well, it wasn't really the sky at all. It was a massive screen that displayed a flawless blue expanse dotted with fluffy white clouds.
But the people inside the domes hardly noticed these things anymore. They were too busy going about their daily lives, working and playing and living in a world that was both familiar and strange.
The bio-domes were marvels of engineering, but they weren't all the same. Some were filled with towering skyscrapers and bustling city streets, while others were more like sprawling suburbs or even rural farmland. But no matter what they looked like on the inside, they all shared one thing in common: they were self-contained worlds, cut off from the chaos and uncertainty of the outside.
For most people, life in the domes was good. They had everything they needed, from food and water to entertainment. Education, as it had been known in the past, was now obsolete. Every person was equipped with a chip in their head at birth that granted them instant access to all the knowledge they could ever need. The internet connection, known as Mega G, was provided by specially developed plants that were 800% faster than the old 5G networks. These tree-like plants were a common sight in every dome, their branches reaching toward the artificial sky.
With the chips and Mega G, people could learn anything they wanted, whenever they wanted. Traditional schools and universities were a thing of the past, replaced by a world where knowledge was always just a thought away.
Life in the bio-domes had become so reliant on technology that few people bothered to learn practical skills anymore. The chips and Mega G connections provided instant access to information, but this led to a society where actual knowledge and hands-on abilities were rare.
Most people were content to live their lives relying on the AI systems that controlled everything from food production to transportation. They spent their days immersed in virtual worlds, socializing, and entertaining themselves, without ever needing to learn how to grow their own food, build shelters, or even navigate without the guidance of their chips.
In this world, the Norma family stood out as an anomaly. They had chosen to maintain the knowledge and skills passed down from their ancestors, learning to live off the land, build their own homes, and fix things without the help of AI. To the majority of the population, these skills seemed like superpowers, something so far beyond their own capabilities that they couldn't even imagine possessing them.
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But the Normas knew that their way of life was simply a connection to the past, to a time when people were more self-reliant and less dependent on technology. They continued to practice and preserve these skills, not knowing that one day, their unique abilities would become more valuable than anyone could have ever predicted.
For now, life in the bio-domes continued as it always had, with the Normas living quietly on the fringes of society, their extraordinary skills unnoticed by the world around them. But change was coming, and when it did, the Normas would be ready.
Despite the widespread reliance on technology, the bio-domes were still a marvel to behold. The engineers and architects who designed them had created self-sustaining environments that could support human life indefinitely.
At the heart of each dome was a central hub, a towering structure that housed the main control systems and the AI that managed the dome's various functions. From here, the AI monitored everything from the air quality to the food production, ensuring that the inhabitants of the dome had everything they needed to thrive.
Surrounding the central hub were the residential areas, a mix of high-rise apartments and sprawling suburban neighborhoods. The buildings were designed to be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, with green roofs and vertical gardens that helped to purify the air and provide a sense of connection to nature.
In between the residential areas were vast parks and green spaces, filled with lush vegetation and artificial water features. These areas served as gathering places for the community, where people could socialize, relax, and enjoy the simulated outdoors.
Throughout the dome, a network of transportation tubes connected the various areas, allowing people to travel quickly and easily from one place to another. The tubes were powered by clean energy, and the AI optimized the routes to minimize congestion and ensure that everyone reached their destination efficiently.
Life in the bio-domes was a strange blend of the familiar and the futuristic. People still went about their daily lives, working, socializing, and pursuing their interests, but the way they did so had changed dramatically from how things were done centuries ago.
In the old days, people had to physically go to work, commuting to offices or factories where they would spend their days. Now, with the help of the chips and the AI, many people could work from anywhere, their minds connected to virtual workspaces where they could collaborate with colleagues from all over the world.
Leisure time has also been transformed. Instead of going out to movies or restaurants, people could experience any form of entertainment they desired, all from the comfort of their minds. Virtual reality had become so advanced that it was nearly indistinguishable from the real world, and many people spent hours every day exploring fantastical realms and engaging in thrilling adventures.
Amidst all this change, the Norma family stood out as a unique and unconventional group. They didn't reject the bio-domes outright, but they held onto many of the old ways, valuing traditional skills and knowledge passed down through generations.
One of the most striking differences between the Normas and the rest of society was their approach to childbirth. In the bio-domes, giving birth had become a painless and effortless process, with most women opting to deliver their babies in high-tech hospital facilities. But the Normas, like their ancestors before them, chose to give birth at home, surrounded by family and guided by the wisdom of their elders.
This practice, along with their other unconventional customs, had earned the Normas a reputation as a kind of cult among the other inhabitants of the bio-domes. But to the Normas, it was simply a way of preserving their heritage and maintaining a connection to the past in a world that was always rushing towards the future.
As the bio-domes hummed along, the Normas continued to live their lives on the fringes of society, quietly preserving the skills and knowledge that had sustained humanity for centuries. Little did they know that their unique way of life would soon become more important than anyone could have ever imagined.