In the year 2045, and the world had become a fractured reflection of its once former glory. The skies were always gray, thick with smog; once-thriving cities lay in ruins, their infrastructures crumbled from weighty neglect and despair. Climate change had laid waste to substantial areas of the planet, displacing millions into an unyielding struggle for survival toward remaining habitable zones. The governments were emasculated by corrupt, internal struggles and thus abandoned their citizens.

All this chaos was centered around the Zenith Institute for Global Research, headed by Dr. Mira Chandrasekhar and a team of scientists who had devoted themselves to understanding and, if possible, reversing the ravages of climate change. Mira was a climatologist whose breakthrough work had earned her accolades but who felt the weight of her knowledge all too heavily. She knew that if something were not done right now, there would be no future for humankind.

One day, sorting through data on seismic activity, Mira stumbled upon something that raised a red flag: encrypted communications referring to a clandestine group called the Obsidian Collective. Her curiosity piqued, she enlisted the help of Lila Chen, a preeminent hacker who had built a reputation for hacking her way into even the most sophisticated of security systems. The encrypted messages they jointly decoded revealed a shocking plot to trigger a succession of earthquakes, tsunamis, and other world calamities—greater than the earth had ever seen—designed to shatter whole countries and lay the ground for a new world order.

Appraised of the potential consequences, Mira quickly convened an emergency meeting with her team. One member was Victor Rhodes, a former intelligence officer tormented by decisions in his past that placed the lives of non-combatants in danger. He had been with the agency but was a very disillusioned man in search of some sort of redemption. They also brought in Dr. Amir Ghosh, an anthropologist specializing in ancient cultures and their connections with nature. Amir believes the old ways of respect for the earth held answers to modern problems.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The fear and determination mixed in the room as Mira laid out a plan of how to stop the Obsidian Collective. She explained that they needed to find some sort of counteraction to the disasters that were being plotted. They had to gather intelligence, infiltrate the operations of the Collective, and find their resources and intentions.

Time being short, Mira set off with her team into the Himalayas, convinced that ancient texts and relics from that part of the world held some kind of key to understanding, perhaps even undermining, the plans of the Collective. It was not an easy journey: treacherous mountain paths and rough weather challenged their resolve. Demons of a personal nature plagued each member-Victor, with his memories of past failures; Lila, with her insecurity about her capabilities.

Reaching the foot of these mountains, they found an ancient monastery that was supposed to house texts on how to take care of the environment. However, the monks were suspicious of outsiders because they did not want the violence of the contemporary world to disturb them. Only through talks and proving their intentions was Mira and her team gradually able to gain the trust of the monks. They promised to provide protection to this monastery against the chaos that was soon going to happen in return for their knowledge.

While here, Mira discovered an ancient manuscript that described many rituals to appease the spirits of the earth. It told of man's connectedness with nature, once more speaking about balance and respect. With this, they started searching out artifacts that might help bring balance back to the Earth. They had no idea they were being followed.

They were ambushed as they came down from the monastery by agents of the Obsidian Collective, who had been hot on their tail. In a harrowing escape through icy crevasses and narrow mountain paths, the team depended on their combined skills to evade capture. They soon realized that they were not just fighting their lives but instead fighting for the very future of humanity.

Just as they reached the bottom, a figure emerged from the darkness-a face well-known from Mira's past, now working for the Collective and holding in his hand a device that was capable of triggering the first disaster. "It's too late, Mira," he grinned. "The countdown has already begun."