DATE: 10th July 2093
Ken Evans, a young boy of 12, woke up in his home at Mullingar, Ireland, when his alarm clock sounded. It was 6:00 a.m. and the sky was bright and sunny, as it had always been since The Collapse. Ken was exceptionally bright for a boy his age. It was the year 2093. Approximately 70 years ago, the asteroid named Exitium crashed into the Earth. Everything had changed after that. The Earth fell to pieces. Chaos reigned. Entire nations were wiped off from the map. Exitium had crashed into the Norwegian Sea, wiping out half of Scandinavia upon impact.
Britain suffered a massive blow, too. A huge wave had wiped out the Shetland Isles along with a huge chunk of Scotland. England was in a very bad state. It was full of riots and chaos. Ireland had been spared from destruction caused by the Great Tsunami, that decimated Scotland, due to the Grampian Mountains. The wave was said to have touched the skies.
Ken had lived in England since he was born. However, as the situation of England deteriorated, his family moved to Ireland. They had a nice little house to themselves; him, his father, his mother and his little brother Stephen.
Shifting to Ireland had been difficult, amidst all the chaos. When Exitium crashed into the Earth, it changed the Earth's geography as well as it's biosphere. Since that day, no one had been able to step out in broad daylight without being turned to dust. The only time you could leave your house was only after 7 p.m till 3 a.m. Other than that, you had to be locked indoors around the clock. The deadly rays of the sun were now termed as the "Ash Rays". Scientists around the world were actively searching for a solution to this problem, but so far, no luck.
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Ken's father, Michael Evans used to work from their home. Mr. Evans was himself one of the scientists working on the project to find a solution for overcoming the Ash Rays. As he was no longer living in England, he was permitted to work from his home laboratory, which he kept locked at all times. Ken attempted to break in once or twice, but gave up after his father scolded him harshly. His father had said, "You aren't ready for what's down there, son. I will show it to you when the time is right."
The Collapse was a term coined aptly. After Exitium, the world was divided into Factions. The aim of the Factions was clear: they wanted to take control over the whole broken world and mould it into the world they wanted it to be. There were 4 major Factions:
The Desolators
The Devils of Hell [also known as Ignis]
The World Citizens.
The Peacemakers
What most of these Factions wanted was total control over the world. But none came close to what The Ignis did. The Ignis were believed to be the most evil and violent organisation on Earth. They destroyed entire colonies for their profit and personal gain. Ignis had also managed to take over some of the major manufacturing plants over the planet. Ignis made a company named Fireburst Corp., to act as cover for their illegal operations.
The World Citizens, on the other hand, had the best interests of the civilization at heart. They did everything in their power to stop the Ignis, but they didn't gain enough support due to fear and oppression by the Ignis.
Not much is known about the Desolators or the Peacemakers. It is believed they prefer to carry out their plans quietly. I wasn't until 2088 that the Desolators and Peacemakers came to public eye. Desolators and Peacemakers are rumoured to have a contract between them, but what it is, remains unknown.
The Collapse had been a huge disaster for Wall Street. Shares tanked. The los was unimaginable, worse than even the Great Depression many decades ago. The governments of the world started falling apart. France and Brazil lost their government entirely and are now ruled by The Ignis.
Ken Evans, however, didn't care about all these things. He had everything he wanted and loved in this world: his family. But, Fate had other plans for him.
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