ZI'S SURVIVAL JOURNAL: YEAR 0, ENTRY 0 – "ASHES OF THE OLD WORLD"

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert Einstein

What do you think will be the cause of humanity’s downfall? Wars? Lack of resources? Or something bigger? Well, let me tell you how my world ended.

They say the world ended 200 years ago. I suppose they’re right. My name’s Zi—just Zi. No last name, no noble blood. I’m not one of those relics from the past who held power. I’m just a wanderer, drifting through the ashes of a civilization that tore itself apart. But you’re not interested in me, are you? You want to know how it all ended.

It wasn’t some simple collapse. My world was ripped apart by three unstoppable factions, each with their own vision for how things should be. But in the end, they only brought destruction. The war they waged wasn’t just about territory or resources—it was about the very essence of power itself. And it was that obsession that doomed us all.

This is where the world burned, where it froze, where it was torn apart piece by piece. This is where it all began to fall. So lets let's get to know who caused it and why 

THE HAMMER

The Hammer was built on iron, war, and unyielding discipline. It wasn’t just a faction—it was a machine, a military state where every person was a cog in the engine of war. Their society operated under a semi-democratic system, but don’t be fooled; only those who served at least 80% of their lives in the military could hold any significant power. To be a citizen was to be a soldier. Even those who weren’t on the battlefield had a role in supporting the military machine.

STRUCTURE:

* The President (Commander-in-Chief): The elected leader, always a seasoned war veteran. The President is also the supreme military commander, responsible for guiding the Hammer both politically and militarily. Current records speak of a towering, cybernetically-enhanced President—a 6'11" colossus with implants that turned him into a walking arsenal, a living weapon who personified the Hammer’s ideals.

* Senate/Assembly: Composed of high-ranking officers and decorated veterans. While the system is technically democratic, the Senate’s decisions are heavily influenced by military interests, with defense always being a top priority.

* Generals and Captains: The Hammer’s true power lies here. These military leaders have semi-autonomous control over regions, with a focus on war strategy and maintaining the ever-ready army. Their influence often rivals that of the Senate, especially in times of conflict.

* Citizen-Soldiers: Every able-bodied adult in the Hammer serves in the military. Military service isn’t just a duty—it’s the gateway to full citizenship and political rights. Service ties the population together, ensuring that everyone is either ready for war or supporting it.

* Civilian Class: Those too old or injured to serve continue to contribute through industry, agriculture, or research, but their political influence is minimal compared to the soldier-citizens.

CULTURE:

The Hammer’s culture is shaped by duty and discipline. Their entire economy, government, and way of life revolve around warfare. Beneath the World, their subterranean bunkers, filled with plasma weapons and exo-suits, hum with activity. The President is more than a leader—he is a living weapon, a symbol of their might, and a reminder that survival comes at the cost of eternal readiness.

ZENITH

Zenith was a shining beacon of knowledge, peace, and wisdom, but beneath its harmonious surface lay a power born from bioengineering and genetic enhancement. Over centuries, the women of Zenith had been bio-enhanced, becoming physically superior to their male counterparts. These enhancements resulted in stronger, faster, and more resilient women who led society, while the dominant female genes caused a significant decline in male births. As a result, Zenith had become overwhelmingly matriarchal. Yet, the men, though fewer in number and less physically imposing, were still integral to the faction’s survival—led by none other than the Matriarch's husband.

STRUCTURE:

* The Matriarch: The supreme ruler of Zenith, the Matriarch is not just a political leader but a paragon of wisdom and strength. Standing 7 feet tall, her presence is both awe-inspiring and terrifying. She is not only the heart of Zenith but its greatest defender. She leads the Valkyries, the elite warriors of the faction, who are bio-enhanced and armed with cutting-edge technology like plasma weapons and gravity-defying exosuits.

* Council of Elders: The senior women who have survived countless battles and spearheaded the technological innovations that make Zenith a powerhouse. They advise the Matriarch and guide the direction of the faction’s growth and defense. Their word carries weight, especially in matters of diplomacy and technological development.

* Valkyries (Guilds of Warriors): Zenith’s greatest warriors, all female, clad in exosuits and bio-enhanced from birth to be almost unstoppable in battle. The Valkyries are not only the protectors of Zenith but also symbols of the faction’s superiority, combining strength and intellect to devastating effect. They patrol the skies and mountains of Zenith, ready to repel any invader.

* The Matriarch’s Husband (Leader of the Guild of Men): Though physically smaller than the women of Zenith, the men are not without importance. The Matriarch’s husband, once a defector from the Hammer’s army, rose to become the leader of the Guild of Men. An expert sniper trained in the militaristic ways of the Hammer, he fled the war machine of his homeland and found a new purpose in Zenith. His bond with the Matriarch was both political and personal, as they are an unmatched pair in both love and battle. He commands the men of Zenith, using his tactical brilliance and strategic mind to guide them in fields of intellectual pursuits, science, and covert operations.

* Guild of Men: Though fewer in number, the men of Zenith are the intellectual foundation of the society. They serve as engineers, scientists, strategists, and artisans, supporting the faction’s relentless drive for innovation. Under the leadership of the Matriarch’s husband, the Guild of Men holds significant influence in technological advancements and intelligence operations, although their roles are typically more supportive of the female-led military. These men are not weak; they are agile thinkers and precision fighters, particularly in long-range combat, which complements the brute strength of their female counterparts.

* Scholars and Keepers: These are the custodians of knowledge and the innovators of the faction. They, along with the Guild of Men, continually push the boundaries of science, especially in the fields of genetic research, bio-enhancements, and advanced weaponry. They are responsible for maintaining the faction’s technological superiority and ensuring that Zenith’s strength does not wane.

CULTURE:

In Zenith, women lead, not just because they are the stronger gender but because their bio-enhancements have made them the natural rulers. With a low male birthrate, women have taken the dominant role in every aspect of society. Yet, men are still deeply respected for their intellect and specialized skills, and their importance in fields like technology, strategy, and scientific advancement is acknowledged.

The Matriarch’s husband is a symbol of the balance between genders. Though his wife commands the armies of Zenith and stands as the public face of the faction, his tactical mind and sniper skills make him a key player in the faction’s success. He represents the complementarity of male intellect and female strength, ensuring that Zenith remains both peaceful and powerful.

The Valkyries are the face of Zenith’s defense, but it is the Guild of Men, led by the Matriarch’s husband, who ensure the precision of their strategies and the continued growth of their technological capabilities. Together, this dual leadership creates a faction that thrives on both innovation and warcraft.

THE OLD FAITH

The Old Faith was the religious zealotry that ultimately brought ruin to the world. Unlike the Hammer and Zenith, the Old Faith was less concerned with political power or technology—they sought purity through the destruction of all that was impure. At the heart of their belief was the worship of meta-humans, beings created through horrific human experimentation. The Old Faith’s experiments aimed to forge divine beings, but their most prized creations were the fire-wielders, seen as the highest form of divine power.

STRUCTURE:

* The Divine Leaders (The Prophet and Prophetess): The Old Faith was ruled by a pair of meta-human siblings, worshipped as living gods. The sister controlled fire, the brother wielded water—elements seen as the ultimate symbols of purification. The Prophetess, with her power over fire, was revered above all, as fire was seen as the divine tool of cleansing and renewal. Together, they commanded absolute authority over their followers, enforcing the will of the gods through their powers.

* Priestly Council: Beneath the Divine Leaders was a council of high-ranking clerics who enforced the doctrines of the Old Faith. They oversaw the meta-human experiments, interpreted the divine will, and ensured that the faithful remained obedient to the gods’ commands. The Priestly Council was responsible for the many brutal human experiments conducted in secret, which aimed to create more meta-humans to serve the Faith.

* Meta-Humans: The meta-humans were the warriors of the Old Faith, created through extreme experimentation and genetic manipulation. While most of these meta-humans had short life spans due to the strain of their powers, they were immensely powerful. Even the low-tier meta-humans, with shorter life spans, could bring down buildings with their strength or elemental abilities. The fire-wielding meta-humans were especially revered, as fire was considered the ultimate tool of divine judgment. While they were fewer in number, their mere presence on the battlefield instilled fear in their enemies.

* Crusaders and Inquisitors: Fanatical soldiers of the Faith, the Crusaders and Inquisitors carried out the divine mandate of purification. They were often tasked with leading holy wars or eliminating heretics. Many of them were augmented by meta-human technology or genetic enhancements, allowing them to fight alongside their more powerful meta-human counterparts.

* Devoted Citizens: The general population of the Old Faith lived under strict religious codes, worshipping the Divine Leaders and the meta-humans as incarnations of the gods’ will. These citizens were expected to obey the religious doctrines without question, and any sign of heresy was punished swiftly and brutally.

CULTURE:

The Old Faith was driven by religious fanaticism. The fire-wielding meta-humans were worshipped as divine beings, believed to be chosen by the gods to cleanse the world. Their power was both feared and revered. Human experimentation was not only accepted but celebrated, as it was seen as a way to bring humanity closer to the divine. However, the experiments were often fatal, creating meta-humans who lived short, violent lives, but who could wreak untold destruction in that short time.

Their society was built on fear and obedience. Rituals of fire and purification were a common part of daily life, and the Old Faith saw the world outside their borders as impure, needing to be cleansed by the flames of their meta-human gods.

THE FALL

So, how did it all end? It wasn’t one cataclysmic moment—no single flash that reduced the world to ash. No, the fall came in stages, as the three great powers—the Hammer, Zenith, and the Old Faith—hurtled toward an inevitable collision. Each was unyielding, each driven by its own obsessions, and in the end, their clash brought the world to ruin.

The records, fragmented though they are, tell the story. The Old World, as we call it now, didn’t crumble overnight. It died slowly, over five harrowing stages that came to be known as The Five Stages of Grief—a grim reflection of humanity’s descent into chaos.

It all began when the Old Faith finally succeeded in creating their ultimate weapons. They called them gods incarnate: Serapha, the Priestess of Fire, and Elian, the Priest of Water. The Old Faith worshipped them as divine, seeing them as the perfect embodiments of their elements—fire to purify, water to cleanse. Serapha, with her devastating fire abilities, was given the highest reverence. She was seen as the harbinger of destruction, a force meant to bring the world to its knees. Elian, her brother, was different. Though he wielded water, a force of life, he embodied the other side of water's nature: destruction. His power could flood cities, drown armies, and sweep away entire civilizations.

But here’s the twist—the world’s cruel joke on the Old Faith’s grand plan. These so-called gods, these perfect beings, had a fatal flaw. They were not eternal. They only had 24 years to live, and 18 of those were wasted in training, learning to master their powers. In the year 3100, their lives—and the world as it once was—would be cut short. And that’s when the first stage of the end began.

THE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF

DENIAL

The first stage of the world’s end was Denial. No one wanted to believe the truth when it began. It started on what was supposed to be a day of celebration—a marriage that was to unite two great powers: High Matriarch Cecil of Zenith and Jason, a skilled sniper from the Hammer. Their union was more than just a personal bond—it was a symbol of peace, a rare moment where the factions were aligned, hopeful for a future of unity.

The wedding was a grand event. Dignitaries from the Hammer, Zenith, and even the Old Faith were in attendance, supposedly to celebrate this historic moment. Allies, enemies, and rivals all gathered in one place, united by the hope that this marriage would bring stability to their fractured world.

But that hope was shattered.

As the priest, who had been sent by the Old Faith, prepared to say the sacred words—“You may kiss the bride”—something was wrong. His voice shifted, dark and twisted. He uttered a chant, words that no one had ever heard before: “Fire and water will be our keepers.” In that moment, everything changed.

Suddenly, the wedding hall erupted into chaos. Serapha, the Priestess of Fire, appeared in a blaze of fury, and Elian, the Priest of Water, followed like a tidal wave. They unleashed their elemental powers without mercy. Fire roared through the grand hall, consuming everything in its path, while water surged, drowning those who tried to escape. The once-beautiful gathering of leaders became a slaughterhouse. Flames and torrents of water collided in a storm of destruction.

High Matriarch Cecil was spared, but only just. Her husband, Jason, fought to protect her, but in the ensuing chaos, he lost an arm, maimed by Elian’s deadly water attack. The dignitaries—some of the most powerful and influential figures in the world—were massacred. Twenty percent of the top echelons of both Zenith and the Hammer were dead in minutes. And the Old Faith's true intentions were revealed.

But the world refused to accept it. They couldn’t believe it. The Old Faith, the seemingly pious faction, had just declared war in the most horrific and treacherous way possible. People were in shock, in denial that something so catastrophic could happen at what was meant to be a day of peace. It was like discovering that the sweet grandmother you’ve known all your life is secretly a murderer—a revelation so shocking, so twisted, that you can't process it. The masses couldn’t comprehend that their world was about to unravel, and so they denied the truth staring them in the face.

This Denial was only the beginning, the first crack in the foundation of a world that was destined to collapse. The Old Faith had shown its hand, and now the Hammer and Zenith were left scrambling, caught off guard by an attack no one had seen coming. The world was plunged into war, and no one was prepared for the devastation that was to follow.

But this was just the start. Denial would soon give way to the next stage of the fall: Anger.

ANGER

And so anger came. A seething rage that would scorch the World as much as the flames of Serapha, the Priestess of Fire.

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

High Matriarch Cecil was livid—her husband's injury was deemed superficial only because the next day, Jason, the sniper, was fitted with a bionic arm and ready for battle. But the injury was a wound to her pride, to her people, and to the alliance they had worked so hard to forge. The Matriarch was determined to exact revenge not just for her husband, but for the insult and treachery the Old Faith had committed at their wedding.

The Hammer, too, was incensed. The attack hadn’t just been a breach of trust—it was a declaration of war delivered through ambush and deceit. There had been no formal declaration of hostilities, no honorable warning. The Hammer’s culture, built on discipline and military honor, had been spat upon by the Old Faith’s underhanded tactics. The President-Commander Zaro, a towering figure of iron and cybernetics, could not stomach such disrespect. His rage, cold and calculating, turned to one singular focus: the total destruction of the Old Faith.

Both the Zenith and the Hammer, now bound in fury as much as in their fractured alliance, declared all-out war on the Old Faith. But would their anger be enough to eradicate the largest and most entrenched religion in the world?

Of course, it wasn’t.

The Old Faith had its claws sunk too deep into the foundations of both factions, infiltrating their ranks like venomous snakes. Their spies had been operating in secret for decades, and the betrayal that followed struck deep. Officers within the Hammer, devout followers of the Old Faith, turned on their own, sabotaging military efforts and leaking secrets. Even Zenith, despite their isolation in the mountains, wasn’t spared. A faction of zealots within their society, seduced by the promise of divine salvation, turned against their leaders.

With their ranks filled with traitors, the Hammer and Zenith found themselves bruised, beaten, and humiliated. The betrayal from within was as painful as the attack from without. But there is a truth that history has shown time and again: when you corner even the smallest creature, it will fight back. And that’s exactly what the two factions did.

WRATH UNLEASHED

Once the traitors and spies had been rooted out, both factions set aside their peace-loving ideals and opened the floodgates of their darkest innovations. The Matriarch, no longer bound by the constraints of peace, unleashed the forbidden technologies that Zenith had kept hidden—horrors born in secret labs, created by mad scientists once deemed too dangerous even for war. Weapons that had been shackled by morality were now unchained.

The world bore witness to bombs that could reshape entire landscapes within minutes, bending and twisting the terrain into inhospitable wastelands. Biological weapons, odorless and tasteless, permeated the air. These silent killers mutated those who breathed it in—sometimes killing them, other times twisting them into grotesque forms unrecognizable as human. Entire cities were rendered uninhabitable, transformed into wastelands where only monstrosities could roam.

The Hammer, ever the well-oiled war machine, adapted quickly to the chaos. With Zenith’s technological marvels now at their disposal, their ruthless efficiency only grew. Commander-President Zaro, equipped with a mind of steel and a body of cybernetic might, launched brutal, precise assaults on the Old Faith’s territories. His army, now bolstered by weaponry that far outpaced their previous arsenal, cut through enemy lines like a scythe through wheat.

Yet despite the devastation, the meta-humans of the Old Faith proved resilient. Their genetically-enhanced bodies were immune to many of the horrors unleashed upon them, resistant to the biological weapons that ravaged the common people. Though they were weakened, they survived. Serapha’s flames burned hot even under the most extreme of conditions, and Elian’s waters continued to drown the Hammer’s forces in unexpected deluges.

But the Old Faith made a miscalculation—they had believed it would be a one-on-one war, a fight between the faithful and the heretics. They didn’t anticipate the combined might of two of the world’s most powerful factions turning against them in tandem. It wasn’t a 1v1; it was a 2v1, and the Old Faith had underestimated the vengeance of its enemies.

A WORLD IN FLAMES

As the Old Faith's defenses crumbled under the relentless pressure from the Hammer and Zenith, their holy cities and cathedrals, once impenetrable, fell one by one. The faith that had spread like wildfire across the world was now itself being consumed by fire and blood. Even as Serapha and Elian fought with the fury of gods, their powers were not enough to stop the tidal wave of military precision and technological brutality that bore down upon them.

For three years, the war raged, spanning continents and leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. The very world itself began to crack. The unholy weapons unleashed by Zenith warped the natural order, turning fertile lands into toxic wastelands, and in some places, the fabric of life itself began to unravel. Wildlife mutated, twisted by the remnants of bio-weapons and unchecked energy blasts. Beasts that had once been prey grew to monstrous size, developing teeth and claws that could tear through armor. Some mutated beyond recognition, turning into creatures so fearsome that even the superpowers dared not approach their territories.

And still, the war raged on. As the Old Faith continued to lose ground, Commander-President Zaro of the Hammer saw his chance. Like a predator cornering its prey, he moved with ruthless efficiency, cleaning up what remained of the Old Faith’s forces. His army, enhanced by stolen technology and a strategic mind as sharp as any blade, delivered the killing blow.

But by the time the Old Faith’s forces were defeated, the world had already been changed forever. Vast swaths of land were uninhabitable, the population decimated. The sky itself was choked with ash and smoke from the fires that Serapha had ignited, the waters poisoned by the floods that Elian had unleashed.

The anger that had driven the Hammer and Zenith to fight back had left the world in ruins. What had started as a calculated retaliation had spiraled into a global war that left no corner of the planet untouched. The wrath of the Matriarch, the cold vengeance of Zaro, and the zealotry of the Old Faith had all but consumed the world.

BARGAINING

Five years into the war, with their gods’ lifespans dwindling, the Old Faith made a desperate plea—a final, arrogant attempt to bargain for peace. Their once-mighty gods, Serapha and Elian, had only a year left before their powers would fade. Believing they still held leverage, the Old Faith called for a summit. They expected the Alliance—the Hammer and Zenith—to come to the table, to bow before them, and negotiate terms of peace.

But no one came.

The Old Faith, once unshakable, found itself cornered, its gods ticking down like time bombs. The Alliance had learned from spies that Serapha and Elian’s powers were fading, and the Old Faith’s once divine protectors were no longer invincible. Why would the Alliance strike a deal when victory was a waiting game? Who would bargain with a dying devil?

The Old Faith realized too late that its hubris had blinded them. They had waited too long to act, and now the end was inevitable. Their gods were living on borrowed time, and the Hammer and Zenith only needed to wait for nature to take its course.

DEPRESSION

As the end drew near, depression set in for both sides, though in vastly different ways. For Zenith, the war had slowed to a crawl, and they began to celebrate their looming victory. High Matriarch Cecil, now pregnant, felt hope stir within her people as they prepared to rebuild from the ashes of war. They mocked the dying gods of the Old Faith, spitting on their legacy. They had pushed their technological marvels to the limit, and now all that was left was to wait for the final fall of Serapha and Elian.

But the Hammer, ever pragmatic and cold, did not allow themselves to revel in premature victory. President-Commander Zaro was as calculating as ever, refusing to lower his guard. He knew the Old Faith wasn’t finished, and he had seen too much to believe in a peaceful end. He kept the Hammer bunkered down, preparing for any desperate final moves. His own son, Jason, was at risk, but Zaro wouldn’t intervene. If Jason was foolish enough to fall into danger, then so be it.

Meanwhile, within the Old Faith, despair spread like a disease. They had lost too much. Their gods, once invincible, were now mere shells of their former selves. Serapha, fiery and wrathful, could no longer burn the world, and Elian’s once-powerful torrents had weakened to mere trickles. But in that despair, a plan was born. They couldn’t burn the world. They couldn’t drown it. So, they would freeze it. If the world was to die, it would die on their terms.

ACCEPTANCE

The world had calmed—at least on the surface. Though ruined and scarred by the war, small pockets of life began to return. Nature, slow but steady, had started to heal. The Alliance believed they had won, preparing to reap the fruits of their labor. Elian, the Water God, had fallen ill, bedridden and unable to move. Word spread that Serapha, too, was weakening rapidly. The Old Faith’s end was near.

It was Christmas Eve, and the Alliance was ready to celebrate not only the coming of a new year but the end of the Old Faith’s gods. Even more joy spread when news broke that High Matriarch Cecil was expecting a child—an heir, a symbol of renewal. But while the Alliance celebrated, the Old Faith wasn’t ready to die quietly.

"If we go down," the Old Faith declared, "you go down with us."

In a desperate act of final vengeance, the Old Faith revealed its final trump card: in secret, they had spent the last year replicating Zenith’s weapons. Though their technology was incomplete, they had enough to launch a devastating strike. They threatened to fire 3000 nuclear bombs, aimed at the world’s major cities. The Alliance was unimpressed—they saw it as a bluff. But the Old Faith was relentless. They couldn’t burn the world, they couldn’t drown it, but they would still destroy it.

And then came Serapha’s final act of madness.

THE FINAL ACT OF DESTRUCTION

Serapha, driven by fanatical rage, did the unthinkable. Using the last of her fading powers, she detonated herself in the atmosphere, triggering a chain reaction with the nuclear payloads. The bombs didn’t hit the cities, but they exploded high above the planet. The result was catastrophic.

The nuclear blasts, combined with Serapha’s fiery detonation, ripped through the ozone layer—the planet’s natural shield against the sun’s harmful rays. The ozone was torn to shreds, allowing intense solar radiation to flood the World.

Within days, the consequences of the detonation became clear. Heatwaves, more intense than anything humanity had ever experienced, began to sweep across the planet. The sun, once a source of life, became a deadly force. The atmosphere could no longer block the ultraviolet rays and solar radiation, causing temperatures to spike to unbearable levels.

Water sources dried up as lakes and rivers evaporated under the relentless heat. Crops withered, and livestock began to die. The surface of the World, especially in exposed regions, became a barren wasteland. Without the ozone, the once-thriving ecosystems collapsed.

The ozone layer, a thin but crucial shield high in the World’s stratosphere, absorbs the majority of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UV-B and UV-C). This radiation is lethal in large amounts, and without the ozone’s protection, it bathed the World in harsh, unfiltered sunlight.

The damage caused by the nuclear detonations and Serapha’s self-destruction introduced high concentrations of chlorine and bromine compounds into the atmosphere—chemicals known to deplete ozone. This triggered a feedback loop where the ozone continued to thin at an accelerated rate.

With the ozone layer compromised, radiation levels spiked across the planet. The effects were immediate and devastating:

* Massive heatwaves ravaged the planet, making large swaths of land uninhabitable.

* The remaining bodies of water evaporated at alarming rates, leading to severe droughts.

* Plant life could no longer survive, leading to widespread crop failures and food shortages.

* Animals and humans alike began to suffer from radiation poisoning and heat exhaustion.

SURVIVAL AND ADAPTATION

Yet, while the surface of the World became a living hell, the Alliance had prepared. Zenith, with its mountain cities, burrowed deep into the stone. The rock formations provided natural insulation from the heat and radiation, protecting the faction from the worst of the devastation. Their advanced technology allowed them to create controlled environments where crops could still be grown and water could be synthesized.

The Hammer, ever the pragmatists, descended deeper into their underground bunkers, creating self-sustaining fortresses. Protected from the surface’s chaos, they began working on a solution to reverse the damage done to the atmosphere.

THE PLAN TO REPAIR THE OZONE

The scientists of Zenith and the Hammer developed a plan to repair the ozone layer. Using aerosols and other compounds capable of breaking down the chlorine and bromine in the atmosphere, they designed a way to gradually rebuild the ozone. Special devices were sent high into the stratosphere to release these chemicals, which would bind with the harmful compounds and neutralize them, allowing the ozone to slowly regenerate.

The process would take decades—if not centuries—but it was the only hope of saving the planet. In the meantime, life retreated further and further from the sun’s reach, into mountains, bunkers, and underground cities.

A New Beginning, One Last Fuck you from Mother Nature

The war was supposed to be the end of everything—the final conflict between the Old Faith, the Hammer, and Zenith. And it was. But it wasn’t the war that wiped out the world—it was what came after. When the Old Faith, in its final act of madness, shattered the atmosphere, it wasn’t just the ozone layer they damaged. The skies bled chemicals, and the world caught fire. Radiation soaked the ground, the oceans boiled, and the sun—once a giver of life—became an executioner.

In the beginning, we tried to fix it. The survivors, the ones left scrambling in the ashes of what was, worked tirelessly. They rebuilt bunkers, created underground cities, and turned mountains into sanctuaries, all while the surface of the World burned. Scientists from Zenith and the Hammer calculated everything down to the molecule—how to repair the ozone, how to block the deadly UV rays, how to reverse the damage.

For a time, it seemed like hope was possible. The ozone was mending, and the heatwaves began to recede. But no one anticipated what came next. A year after the Old Faith's suicide, the planet began to cool. Too quickly.

The elements up there, the radiation, the chemicals—something had gone terribly wrong. Instead of repairing the atmosphere, chlorine and bromine compounds had fused, forming a dense shroud that stopped not just the UV rays but nearly all the warmth from the sun. It was as if the planet had thrown a final tantrum, blocking out the last light of hope.

The air chilled, the skies turned gray, and it began to snow. At first, the survivors celebrated. Snow felt like a reprieve from the scorching hell they had known. But this snow was wrong. It carried a radioactive bite, and it didn’t stop. Every month, the world cooled further, until they realized that Mother Nature was done playing games.

She had taken her last strike. The chemicals in the atmosphere had triggered a nuclear winter. Rain turned to radioactive snow, and soon, every corner of the globe was buried under white ash. No crops could grow. The water—when not poisoned—was frozen solid. The scientists who had once thought they could tame the planet's rage realized too late that they had only made things worse. Mother Nature, wounded and furious, had decided to wipe the slate clean.

But humans, ever resourceful, weren’t ready to bow. The remnants of the great factions—the Hammer, Zenith, even those few who survived the Old Faith—gathered what was left of their strength. They had five years, maybe less, before the planet’s surface became completely uninhabitable. And so, they devised two plans: to go up or to go down.

They built ships, intending to escape into space, seeking refuge beyond World’s reach. Simultaneously, they dug deeper beneath the planet's surface, creating underground sanctuaries far from the frozen wastelands above. Metahumans, once slaves created for war, now became essential in the construction, their powers put to use in building humanity's last bastions of hope.

It wasn’t a question of saving the World anymore. The scientists predicted it would take 150 years for the planet to heal itself, for the atmosphere to reset, for the sun to break through once again. But humanity didn’t have that kind of time. The surface would freeze over in just five.

So, they gambled everything on their two paths—one upward, one downward. Two desperate plans to escape Mother Nature's wrath. And as the New Year approached, those who remained prepared to celebrate—not just the fall of the Old Faith, but the indomitable survival of the human spirit. They had been broken, scattered, but not defeated.

As we huddle beneath the cold stars, under skies that no longer give warmth, we don’t know what comes next. But one thing’s for certain—Mother Nature has made it clear she’s done with us. And if we want to survive, we’ll have to find a way to outlast her fury.

Zi’s Journal, Year 0, Entry 0 – Ashes of the Old World

ZI'S SURVIVAL JOURNAL: YEAR 1, ENTRY 1 – "A NEW DAWN"

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. And we will understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum

So, the big question is, did we succeed?

If you're reading this, then the answer is yes. Hell yeah, we did. Well, at least some of us did—the grounders, the ones who stayed. At least, that’s all I know for now.

This isn’t a story about how the underdogs called humans survived. No, this is a survival guide from me, an adventurer and a nameless human. My name is Zi. They sent me to the surface to explore, probably expecting I wouldn’t make it back. I thought I’d die out here too, honestly. But I’m one of the lucky ones.

When I first stepped onto the surface, I expected nothing but a white path of death—a frozen wasteland of nuclear winter, endless snow, and radiation. But that’s not what I found.

Instead, I was met with something unexpected. A beautiful mixture of white snow and lush greens. The planet had healed. Through all the devastation we caused, somehow, she had mended herself. The world I had only known from broken, dying memories was alive again.

Now, my mission is to send my findings back to the settlements underground—to let them know that the World, our World, is alive once more. Maybe my next entry in this journal will be about the new world we’ll build up here.

But for now, this marks the first entry.

Zi's Journal, Year 1, Entry 1 – A New Dawn