---
Chapter One: The Dawn of Chaos
The Milky Way Galaxy shimmered in the endless stretch of the cosmos, its countless stars forming rivers of light across the void. Among them drifted a single blue planet, faintly pulsing within the darkness—Earth.
For billions of years, Earth had been protected by an invisible barrier known as the magnetosphere. It stretched tens of thousands of kilometers into space, deflecting cosmic radiation and charged particles, preserving the fragile life beneath it. Humanity had never truly seen it, yet their entire existence depended on its silent protection.
On that day, the shield failed.
Across the globe, alarms erupted without warning. Scientific stations, satellites, and orbital facilities blared emergency signals as red lights flooded control rooms. Data spiked beyond safe limits, numbers climbing into ranges that defied known physics. Researchers stared in disbelief as readings updated again and again, each worse than the last.
This was no natural fluctuation.
The magnetosphere was not weakening.
It was being torn apart.
Communication channels flooded instantly. Voices overlapped in panic as analysts scrambled to identify the source. Satellites adjusted trajectories, deep-space scanners pushed beyond their limits, and military tracking systems locked onto the disturbance. Yet no matter how far they searched, no origin point could be identified.
Then a single message appeared across every major command center on Earth.
UNIDENTIFIED ENERGY SOURCE DETECTED
Threat Level: Planetary Extinction Potential
Silence followed.
Screens flickered as raw data streamed in uncontrollably. The energy pattern was erratic yet rhythmic, pulsing as though guided by intent. It did not resemble solar radiation, antimatter, or any known cosmic phenomenon. The longer scientists observed it, the clearer one truth became.
This energy was alive.
Within minutes, all findings were forwarded to White HQ—the highest authority governing planetary defense and advanced research. Emergency protocols were activated worldwide. A priority directive was issued: all non-essential operations were to be suspended, and personnel were to seek immediate shelter.
The order came too late.
The Earth shuddered violently as the unknown force breached the atmosphere.
The first wave arrived.
It manifested as a red pulse—neither flame nor light, but a force that carried an overwhelming sense of will. It expanded outward from the breach like a living storm, sweeping across continents in seconds. Skies darkened as the atmosphere warped under its pressure. Cities lost power instantly. Oceans roared as massive surges formed without warning.
Disasters followed in its wake.
Hurricanes were born in moments. Long-dormant volcanoes awakened, spewing molten fury into the sky. The air itself vibrated violently, crushing buildings and rupturing infrastructure. Humanity watched helplessly as the world they knew began to collapse.
At first, governments believed it to be a weapon—an attack from beyond Earth. That illusion shattered when animals began to change.
Dogs twisted grotesquely, their bodies swelling with unnatural muscle. Birds grew jagged wings of bone and energy. Insects mutated into armored nightmares. The red pulse reshaped life itself, turning instinct into savagery. These creatures hunted relentlessly, drawn to human presence with terrifying precision.
Entire regions fell within days.
Military forces fought desperately, but conventional weapons proved ineffective. The beasts regenerated faster than bullets could tear them apart. Tanks were overturned, aircraft torn from the sky. Each reclaimed zone cost thousands of lives, only to be lost again days later.
Nuclear retaliation was considered.
It was abandoned just as quickly.
The red energy devoured radiation as if it were nourishment.
The world descended into absolute chaos. Governments collapsed, communication networks failed, and civilization fractured. In the span of a single year, billions died. Cities became graveyards, and the planet itself seemed hostile to human existence.
History would later name that time The Year of the Red Pulse.
Yet even in the face of extinction, humanity endured.
Among the ruins, survivors began to notice strange anomalies. Glowing fractures appeared in reality itself—dim rifts that shimmered with unstable energy. They were later called Soul Bridges, gateways leading to sub-worlds untouched by Earth's laws.
Those who entered rarely returned.
Those who did were changed.
Within these dangerous realms, humanity discovered something beyond technology or science—a method of growth tied directly to the red energy. It was called cultivation. By refining mana within their bodies, humans could strengthen themselves, evolve, and survive in a world no longer governed by old rules.
The discovery spread rapidly.
Hope ignited once more.
The remnants of civilization reorganized. Academies, guilds, and factions rose, dedicated to mastering mana and defending what remained of humanity. Scholars declared the beginning of a new age—The Era of Magic.
From the ashes of despair, humanity took its first step toward ascension.
The dawn of chaos had passed.
But the true story had only just begun..