Prologue: The Darkest Age
“Thirty years ago, on exactly midnight on January the 1st, 2022, an event transpired that would shape history forever. You all know this day as the Transformation, the day the world became anew.” The woman sat in front of a diagram, her eyes falling upon the children watching her with excitement.
“It began without a sign, or warning of its coming. As the clock struck midnight, 50 million people around the globe suddenly vanished off the face of the Earth. Just like that, the world changed for the worse.” She looked towards the globe sitting to the side of her. She had memorized this speech over the several hundred times she had given it.
She pointed towards several spots on the globe, marked ahead of time in case she forgot. “In these places, but mostly in Asia and Europe, the first portals opened, and with it the horrifying monster hordes.” The children shuddered in response to her mentioning the monsters, clearly afraid.
“It started with just simple slimes. The small but nimble creatures were made of a gelatinous liquid, and combined together to form a living body. These slimes, albeit small and typically unharmful unless they got too close, were nearly indestructible by modern means. Guns, tanks, even planes could prove to be unsuccessful against the slime. Does anyone know why that is?” She asked the children. One, a small boy raised his hand, and she called his name. He smiled brightly, clearly eager to share his knowledge: “The slimes have a core which you have to kill to kill the slime!” He said, proudly.
The woman giggled at his enthusiasm. “There’s no such thing as killing a core, but I’ll give that on to you. Well done!” The boy laughed at the compliment, and settled back down to listen to the rest of the story. The woman took a deep breath and continued on: “The incoming and unnatural threat caused most countries to close their borders, including the United States, our home.” She pointed to the flag connecting the two.
“Every country on Earth began to focus solely on defending themselves from the incoming monsters, but it had been not even six months when the next major threat emerged: Zombies. When the new portals opened, there were only a few zombies, but the unsuspecting victims that fell to their small horde quickly rose from the grasp of death. Thus began the new dark ages, where for the next several months, humanity experienced a huge loss of life.” Her joyful smile had been replaced with a mournful frown, paying respects to those who fell during those times.
“Over the course of the next several months, four billion people fell to the never ending threat pouring out of the portals. Some still speculate to this day how such an incredible amount of people could’ve fallen to the zombies, but at the time, their hordes reached the millions, and they could overwhelm almost any army thrown at them.” She paused, letting the information sink in with the children.
“Then, when all hope seemed lost, a miracle happened. On a single day, an approximated 10 million beams of light fell from the sky. When the light cleared, it was revea-“
“Oooh! Oooh! I love this part!” Squealed a voice from the back of the group, revealing itself to be a little girl, who quickly covered her mouth in surprise, as if she hadn’t realized she spoke. The woman reeled slightly in surprise, but chuckled to herself and called on the curious young lady. “Alright Miss, why don’t you explain to us the next part of the story?”
Pumping her fist in the air, as if in victory, the girl stood up, and raised her voice so everyone could hear her. “The lights went away, and the heroes came! The ruh-ret- uhm-“ she looked towards the woman, who understood what she wanted to say. “Returnees” she corrected, and the girl nodded.
“The Returnees who died in their other world came to our world, with magic and epic powers! And all the bad monsters were stopped!” She said, her hands on her hips in a proud manner. The woman giggled and moved towards her. “High five?” She asked, and the girl slapped her hand.
“Yes, like she said, this is the time where the first returnees came back to Earth. It was exactly one year since they had all disappeared, and now they finally returned.” She pointed to a few paintings that depicted a fantasy landscape, and continued to speak. “The returnees then revealed they were sent to another world, and that they had also fallen to the monsters that plagued our planet. Eager to help, most returned banded together and forced the world to unite. They had the power of magic, magic from another world that far surpassed our technology.” She nodded, seeing a knowing stare from many of the children. Clearly most of them had magic as well, seeing as most abilities were hereditary.
“Magic they knew would eventually be passed down to their children and grandchildren, but let’s ignore that for now. The returnees fought and tackled the world’s greatest threat with the combined forces of the entire world, and eventually won, after nine months of constant fighting. Of course, this is about the time when higher threats started to emerge, making life difficult for even the returnees.” She said, quickly moving on in the story.
“This is what many would describe as the cycle began. Every year, at exactly midnight on January 1st, a new wave of returnees would emerge, each wave containing stronger and stronger returnees, far surpassing the last. Now, this is a little hard to explain, so I’ll try to put it simply. The first wave of returnees consisted of all that died during the first year in the Otherworld, the name of the world they were sent to. Likewise, the second wave of returnees consisted of those who died during the second year of life in the Otherworld, and so on. Every year, the returnees that died that year would return to Earth with all their abilities, weapons, and pretty much anything they had on them in tact. The first few waves were mostly lower than a few million people, except for the first one, obviously. However, on the fifth year, more than 40 million returnees came back.”
This time, the children didn’t know this information, so she continued speaking, with a small smirk on her face. “During this time, all of the returnees banded together to fight what could only be assumed as the “Final Boss” of the Otherworld. A mass of monstrous flesh and gore, one which towered over the landscape itself. This monster could kill a returnee with the flick of a tentacle, and in the process of killing it, most of the returnees lost their lives.” The children looked at the drawing of the monster, depicted by several of the returnees, in disgust and utter fear. This monster was something out of their nightmares, something their parents said would come for them if they didn’t behave.
“After that, instead of returning in millions, the returnees came in tens. The sixth year brought 30 people, the seventh, 24. By the tenth year, the last returnee returned to Earth, the strongest being to exist on our planet. Do any of you know who he is?” She once again turned to the kids.
“Shadow!” The children screamed his name in unison. He was an icon within humanity. Most returnees that returned either didn’t age, or aged very slowly, so Shadow, despite being over 50, still looked and acted like a young 20 year old. His good looks and his overwhelming power in comparison to most of the other returnees made Shadow a household name across the globe, especially in the US, where he lived.
“Haha! You guys really know your stuff!” The woman laughed, holding up a small card, emblazoned with “Shadow” written in cursive. “You know, I met Shadow once, and I managed to get his autograph!” She bragged proudly, eliciting cries of jealousy and surprise from the children. She let them speak frantically for a few minutes, then quieted them.
“He wasn’t the only one to return that year, but he is slightly stronger than the others that returned, dubbing him the strongest returnee. Shadow, named after his unique magic, rose against the last of the raging and terrifying monsters that plagued the populated areas of the world. With his help, the united states became the first country to report a lack of monsters in its cities. Of course, this doesn’t mean monsters were gone entirely.” She told the class firmly, trying not to make them feel too safe.
“Monster portals would still form anywhere, but instead of pouring out of the portals, the monsters stayed inside for a few days, before rushing out, which is known as a stampede. The portals would have monsters of varying strength, and the returnees realized that they could go through the portals. So, thus began the beginning of the IHA, the International Hunter’s Association.”
“Returnees, and people who gained the power of magic through either forceful study and participation in the new magical academies, or through the killing of a certain monster, which is rare, were now encouraged to enlist in the IHA, where they were renamed as Hunters. Now, the hunters find new, active portals, and work together to close them, by killing all the monsters inside. Now, I’m not going to get into the ranking system of the IHA, or Shadow encouraging millions to join the IHA, or even the monster occupied territories across the world. That would be a much longer story then the one I am telling now.”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
To spice up the story a bit, she talked to the children directly. “I have a question for you! After the Final Boss was defeated, what did every following returnee have that the previous returnees didn’t?” She called on one of the many raised hands of the children, who stood up. “Wings! They all have wings!” the kid exclaimed, raising his arms and flapping like a bird.
“Hah! You are correct! Every single returnee, after the killing of the Final Boss, received wings, which they would eventually upgrade as they took on stronger and more difficult enemies. Shadow, for instance, took on a high demon, and in turn received the Wings of the Underworld. The better the wings, the faster you could fly, and the more stamina you had during flying. According to some of the newer returnees, wings would act as an extension of your body, like an arm or a leg, and even though they can be switched out for better ones, and can be hidden, they cannot be taken away!” The children danced in glee, imagining themselves with a pair of wings, soaring across the sky.
“Now, wings can still be obtained by modern means, but you have to either get really lucky, or defeat a very powerful enemy, which are hoarded by the many powerful guilds. Even then, they’re an extremely rare commodity, so you’d have to be extremely lucky. For now, though, most of the final returnees and a few non-returnees have access to wings, and all are extremely powerful.” She clapped her hands and motioned towards the door. “I think that’s about all the time we have for this section of the tour! Next we’re going to talk about the pre-transformation era!” She said excitedly, and guided the children to the next part of the museum.
Uninhabitable Zone 143 – Formerly Known as Yellowstone National Park…
12:00 AM MST
A bright beam of light enveloped the skyline, piercing the clouds with a bright blue glow. If anyone was around to see it, they would be amazed by the beautiful sight. It lasted for several seconds, before slowly fading away into the cover of night. In its place however, stood a very different figure. A man, wrapped in what could only be described as casual clothing emerged from the light, his stature and posture displaying proud confidence and strength. Of course, that was overshadowed by his slightly messy hair and the medieval rags he wore around himself. Compared to the people who roamed the streets adorned in fantastical and colorful outfits, he was a peasant.
He quickly, but calmly checked his surroundings, finding himself inside of a dense forest. He couldn’t see any forms of life, but he definitely smelled smoke in the area. It smelled of cooking meat, and his stomach rumbled. He looked down at his stomach, then turned towards the direction of the smoke, muttering to himself about his eating habits. He stepped on broken twigs and leaves that cracked under his feet, until he found and old path, following it until he could see more of the smoke. It stretched just beyond a hill, barely out of his sight. Sighing, he crossed the clearing, wiping his brown hair out of his face. It had gotten far too long over the past several months, but he never bothered to cut his hair. He had better things to do.
His stomach rumbled again as he approached the top of the hill, and upon reaching his desired location, finally looked towards the campfire. He was greeted to rather peculiar sight, seeing four small, green figures sitting around the fire, happily chatting away at whatever they were talking about. He couldn’t speak their language, it seemed. Shrugging, he continued forward and sat down on one of the logs, directly next to one of the green, humanlike creatures, who had by now stopped talking completely. They stared at him with wide eyes, curious as to what he was doing there, and watched him as he sat down in silence, waving to them.
Oblivious to their state of shock, he grabbed one of the legs of meat, discovering it to be chicken, and started eating. After a few bites, he reached out his hand, as if to shake theirs, and spoke: “Howdy, name’s Nick, oh and that’s Nick the human. What about you? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen your kind before but… I can’t seem to place my mind on it. You’ll have to remind me.”
The green creatures said nothing, their eyes switching to each one in their group, and they nodded to each other slowly. After an awkward amount of time, Nick put his hand down. “Guess they don’t know what a handshake is…” he muttered to himself, and put his head down to eat more of the chicken. Unbeknownst to him, the green creatures reached behind their back, and suddenly the sounds of metal on leather rang out.
“Ohh, I think I might remember your kind! What was it, Yoda? Or something? It’s been forever since I saw that movie, so I wouldn’t really know. Wait, I take that one back, it sounds dumb. I’ll get it, just give me a second.” Nick continued to casually speak, seeming oblivious of the now unsheathed blades that were stealthily placed in each one of their green hands.
All at once, the creatures screeched, and pounced towards Nick, their blades aiming for his throat. Nick however, was lost in thought, still speaking aloud. “I got it! You’re goblins! I remember you little guys from Dungeons and Dragons! I’ve played a little bit but I was never too into that.” He began to stand up, but by now it was too late. The goblins went in for the kill. Their blades edged closer and closer, their mouths drooling with delight at the idea of fresh human meat, already hearing their blades cutting into the man’s flesh, hearing his screams and dying pleas as they feasted on his body. It was too late, their blades were too close to dodge! Poor little human, they thought, he picked the wrong pla-
Thunk!
The goblins’ blades bounced back from Nick’s body, their blades meeting a force harder than steel, then pushing back against them as they collapsed to the ground, thrown off balance. Nick however, was unharmed, with an annoyed expression on his face. “Now why did you have to go and do that? I was prepared to be nice with you guys, and share some food, since I haven’t eaten in several days, and you do that? I’m disappointed with you guys.” Suddenly his calm and casual demeanor instilled fear into the goblins. This man was not afraid of them. He was much stronger than them in any way.
Nick raised his hand, a Tsk emerging from his mouth as he did so. “You guys still don’t get it, do you? I am willing to be friends with you, if you share some of your food. Just sit with me for a while, and don’t try to kill me, and we can go our separate ways. Deal?”
The goblins merely snarled and got to their feet, helping each other up. With a Skree! The goblins charged him from all sides, convinced his utter defense was a trick of the mind. Humans were not stronger than goblins! They had feasted on the flesh of man for two decades, and they would not be scared of one with a good shield. They had seen human trinkets before, so maybe it was only a one time thi- Nick snapped his fingers, and instantly the front goblin exploded in a flash of blue light.
The three remaining goblins took a step back, halting their advance. Fear flashed in their eyes, as they watched their partner disappear into dust. Nick didn’t falter, and snapped his fingers again, causing another one of the goblins to explode in a shower of gore. One of them rushed him in a panic, and met the same end, leaving one final goblin. Instead of fighting, this one screamed and fled in fear, dropping his weapon and sprinting towards the tree line. Nick sighed: “You goblins are always like this, even when faced with a stronger being. Just accept your death and be done with it.” With a last flick of his fingers, the goblin melted away, the only trace of his existence being the various body parts splattered across the grassy clearing.
Nick calmly sat down by the fire and continued eating, enjoying the leftover food until his hunger was satiated. Smacking his full stomach, he stood up and stretched, before doing a light jog around the campsite. “I suppose it’s about time to leave” he said, picking a direction, and walking straight ahead. This time, nothing disturbed him, and he enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature until he left the forest. From then on, he continued to walk until he saw a small farmhouse, and approached it.
Without having to knock, a man swung open the door, barging outside. In his hands was a large double barrel shotgun, and behind him was a young woman, looking about Nick’s age. From what he could tell, the man was in his fifties, and he angrily yelled at him. “Back away monster! We don’t need any of your kind around here!” The man screamed, shoving his shotgun towards Nick.
Nick merely ignored the gun, and spoke up: “Monster? I don’t see any monsters around here, unless there’s one behind me. I’m just trying to figure out where I am. I got a little lost in those woods, and some directions would be a great help.” His voice never stuttered or cracked, instead being completely calm and confident, which startled the old man.
“You got lost in the middle of that?! That’s UZ-143, it’s not some place you can just walk though and expect to get out alive, unless you’re one of them hunters. I’ve speculated for years that there’s shapeshifting monsters out there in those woods, and I ain’t gonna bend to one of you goblin swine!” The man exclaimed angrily, and the woman started trying to calm him down, turning her head towards Nick. “W-we’re in Wyoming. The closest city near here is many miles away.” She stuttered in fear, looking to the old man for support.
Nick didn’t reply, but mapped out the nearby area in his head. He was always good at geography, and he quickly remembered the region. Nodding his head to the woman, he couched down in a squatting position, as if he was readying himself to jump. “W-what are you doing?” the man inquired. “Yer one of them crazy peop-“
His jaw fell in awe as a pair of bright blue wings emerged from Nick’s back. Each one created by solidified glowing energy, emitting a bright blue glow. Strands of energy that looked like lightning bolts occasionally rippled across the wings, looking like a flowing storm. With a final wave of his hand, Nick launched from the ground at the speed of sound, creating large blasts of noise as he broke the sound barrier. This was common from the final returnees, but to see one in the flesh… the pair fell to their knees in shock.
The woman raced inside the house, and picked up a book from one of the back shelves. She picked up her father off the ground, and got him on his feet. “Please put away the gun, Dad. You know guns are relics of the past.” He only nodded and slowly walked back inside, then turned around towards her. “Why do you have that book? It’s a… what do you call it? Spell tome”?
She nodded and held the book close to her chest. “I’ve been saving up for years to buy one, you know. With this, I can learn to be a magician! I can fight the monsters just like he does!” She exclaimed in excitement. She opened the window and screamed into the air, as if Nick could still hear them:
“Just you wait! One day I’ll be more powerful than you can ever imagine!”