Chapter One: Life

Ah, life. A spectacle we all experience from the day we are born to the day we die. It moves in tune with the cycles of the seasons and is the ink by which nature pens every person's story. My story. Your story... it does not matter. We all in the end are connected by this wondrous gift that is so rare and spectacular, that truthfully, I am amazed by how easily you humans take it for granted. I mean, just look all around you. You carry on and maintain a lifestyle where you are always hurrying from one place to another. You never stop. You are always on the move and are so focused on dealing with this world in front of you, that you have no time to stop and appreciate the magnificent complexity of everything which exists around you as well. A sad misfortune I believe, that befalls many humans of your world. I have noticed there are at least some who recognize the gravity of what I am saying here. The ones, I suppose I should clarify, are those who often stop to just enjoy the simple beauty of this creation. I see how it is by fortunate chance, they have given these moments to not only enjoy creation, but also to wonder what else is there to this universe beyond their own existence? For it is poignantly clear to them that if life can exist on your Earth in one form, then obviously it could exist on other worlds. Or perhaps even on other Earths in alternate dimensions?

Lo, a thought, which thus then brings us here.

Hail. My friend, a pleasure to meet you. I have been waiting a long time for this day, the day our two curious minds would meet and when your desire for knowledge beyond borders would bring you to my humble abode. Welcome. My name is C.R. Drakeloch. I am a Cosmic Dragon by race, a member of the Drakeloch Clan by blood, and I am the one-hundred and twenty-third keeper of this strange and peculiar place in space and time known as the Citadel of Stories. A place I suppose I should explain that does not earn its name in any way from how tall it is. But rather, it gets its moniker from the fact that collected in its vaults are an endless number of epics, stories, and sagas which have been gathered from every dimension and reality known to exist. A number, I add, which continues to grow daily and means the library will always continue to grow exponentially as well. For you see, that is something we Cosmic Dragons have long since learned to comprehend. To be able to look at the universe and see it impartially. To be able to look beyond one's own perceptions, and to be able to accept that the universe and its masters are not tied to the thoughts and beliefs of mortal beings. That instead we are just one part, in a design where nature dictates chaos is necessary for balance and order. A grand agenda, in which the flow of energy must always stay balanced, by means of the laws of thermodynamics and of equivalent exchange, which state energy, even energy, which is not in an active state, can left to waste. It will not disappear on its own and cannot be destroyed. For this is impossible and is against the laws of nature. The only other option, left, you then must either transfer or transform that energy into another state. It is needed for order. It is needed for balance. It is the reason why we consider stories from these realities such a treasure. For they, in every word that is written, are the manifestation of the energy exerted by a person in life. They are in every sentence, the manifestation of the toils endured by the chronicled individual. In Every paragraph, they testify to the joys and sorrows a person experienced. And in every chapter, they bear witness to every step the chronicled ones made from beginning of life until the end.

It is for this reason; I am proud of my work. Standing here, observing. Chronicling the events of countless individuals, so that when their time to pass comes they are never forgotten. Never neglected. I vigilantly make sure everyone gets included in the Citadel, when their time comes. I make sure, as I said, their story is written down, and I make sure those stories get to be appreciated, by people like you. A point um...which actually brings us to why I'm glad you're here, visitor. You see, I have a story that needs to get off the shelves. I haven't been able to take it down in a long time. Either due to the fact, that visitors have been scarce lately, or the ones who do come in, aren't the right match for this particular story."

"Hmm? You'll try it?"

"Wonderful. Just settle in, okay? Are you comfortable? You are? Good. This is a long story, and it's only the first part of many. So I wanted to make sure you were good and ready, before we started. You are? Okay. Off we go then. As we open this tome, we travel far away from this place, to a world known as Earth-890. An Earth, which as the name implies, originated in the 890th variation of your own source universe; It was a place that surprisingly was not all that different from a vast majority of other Earths which exist in this diverse cosmic multitude. In fact it is written in the journals of past Citadel keepers, that if you either had seen at least one thousand Earths or had the ability to hold a thousand Earths in your hand; you probably would only be able to select ten Earths, which you could identify as being unique and significantly different from your own, based solely on their exterior appearance. They say the other 990 Earths of which Earth 890 is included, just are too similar to be identified by external physical features. A trip must actually be taken down to the surface of these Earths, to see how some of them are worlds on which history played out in a similar, but reverse fashion to what you know.  While for others, they are dead Earths which never gave rise to life. For others still, they are worlds of unimaginable diversity, as in the case of the world where our story takes place. The world known as Earth 890, by a most peculiar origin, began life as a world with a very distinctive political geography and political structure. It was not a structure derived entirely in communism, socialism, or capitalism. Instead, the humans of this Earth were all referred to as the same title of "citizen." They used the title, "Citizen First," for those who were wealthy and who lived in cushy, artificially intelligent residences called 'Living homes.' The title of, "Citizen Second," was for those who were part of the barely evident middle class, and the title of "Citizen Third," for the poor and impoverished. A title, I should note, no citizen wished then of course, to be branded with. For once a citizen fell into the tier of "Citizen Third," it was similar to falling into the jaws of Charybdis. She, the great undersea beast whom Homer mentioned in his epic poem, The Iliad, was a beast who used whirlpools to suck men, women, and ships down into the darkest depths. The only escape from this fate, sailors say, is to manage to come back up when she spews water at the surface. After this harrowing experience, these sailors are often left worn and a shell of themselves. And so, this too, is in fact, exactly what being "Citizen Third," could do to a person. The state of being destitute and of being treated as the lowest class, was not only difficult for many to contend with, but it was also almost impossible to escape, and was enough to create instances where formerly nice people turned mean and pessimistic. An atmosphere where those who were ethical and moralistic citizens, turned unethical and began acting as if they had to fight the whole world to survive. It was only a matter of time, before fear led more and more citizens of this world, to support a "Social Darwinist" mentality. For of course, no citizens wished to end up like this. The average citizen naturally wanted to fight to avoid falling into the "Citizen Third tier. A natural drive for self-preservation, that no human can avoid, which then led to society to be more supportive of a system in which only the toughest would survive in this world, and that all persons had a right to be protected from outside interference in matters of commercial and economic freedom.

Well... the one thing they never considered was that their attempts to stay out of poverty by changing their policies to more 'Social Darwinist,' beliefs, resulted in the humans of this Earth to actually exacerbate their problem. In their attempt to provide financial and personal security for themselves, they actually created a world where 50% of the population was comprised of the "Citizen First" tier, while 49.097% fell in the class of "Citizen Third," because no one actually thought to try and help the impoverished, but rather made it into a world where things were better for the "Citizen First," class but was made much worse for the least of society.  Honestly, with this nearly equal distribution of the populace between the very wealthy and the very poor and with a negligible middle class, there eventually arose a terrible disagreement between the two halves. This disagreement started about social equality. It was between the class of "Citizen First", who were of course by this point still pushing for freedom to pursue their business practices in whatever manner they pleased, and their impoverished counterparts of the "Citizen Third," class, who fought equally as hard for changes in the system. Changes which would not only provide equal opportunities at jobs and better chances at escaping the class they were in; but also, to change the laws of society so that the upper classes would not be allowed to act so irresponsibly in their own personal and professional business practices. For it was an undeniable truth, that in the time where citizens of the lower tier had spent homeless, they also had come to know first-hand the detrimental consequences which arose in direct correlation with the higher tier's actions. The things such as the thick blankets of smog now stood in place of what once had been miles of clear blue sky, or the water pollution which had left once clean lakes and waterways now dead and green... it was well, these things, that caught the attention of the Citizen third class. They came to realize rather quickly, when crops began dying as a result of this polluted air and this tainted water that was leaching into the soil, how quickly a recipe for mass extinction could come together if no action was taken.

It is written in the journals of my ancestors, that because of this realization the least of this world decided they would be the ones who would try to take action to turn the situation around. They realized, while time was short, they did indeed still at least have some time to stop such a catastrophe. So thus, that is why they made it such a primary concern to fight for this movement of drastic changes in their society. They wanted to save their race, all of it, even though that meant constantly fighting with the "Citizen First'' class, in an attempt to try and get them to understand that this was an issue more important than any of their own personal vendettas or agendas. The "Citizen Third," class was trying to get their counterparts to work with them, so that together they could save their entire race from the possibility of this grim fate. A compromise, the citizens of the upper tier, refused to make for various reasons. Alas, you can imagine then the disappointment in the hearts of these citizens, who were designated as society's least important, when their upper-crust counterparts refused to take part in the venture and focused only on that which benefited them and them only. I mean, to work so hard for the salvation of your race and to always be blocked by someone who is selfish and who can only think and focus on their own visions of grandeur... honestly, it always amazes me how the citizens, designated "Citizen Third," never gave up. But rather, they kept fighting, until finally they decided to take the issue beyond the arenas of social agenda vs. social agenda and on to the Council of World Leaders. This four-body council of leaders, which my predecessors note, resided at 2043 Unity Circle and was responsible for governing all of humanity fairly. Finally, it is noted each member of the council was duly elected by the nationality or race from which they originated. Take Councilmaster Alpha, for example.  This distinguished gentleman, who had long pulled-back hair, a sculpted silver beard, and a quote for every occasion, was a man born of the Japanese archipelago. A man who had earned his seat as leader, not just because of his wisdom, but also because of his heritage. You see, Japan and Asia were countries which had long dominated in fields of economics, science, medicine and almost everything else. They long had commanded the respect of the other nations, such as Europe, America, Africa, and Latin America. Something, which in regard to the council, meant they had been given the privilege of electing a representative to be the "Councilmaster Alpha," or the leader of the entire council for generations. Africa had always been awarded the privilege of electing the "Council Master's Second," known as "Councilwoman Beta." After this came the election made by Latin America, "known under the title of Councilman Gamma," and finally the Caucasian representative, known as "Councilman Delta." (Note: It should be noted, the elections of Delta and Gamma, once were reversed. However, a response by the Caucasian culture to a virus known as C-19, weakened them to the point where the power structure was reversed. Thus, those of the Latin American society took over as the third most powerful of the four major human cultures, and left the Caucasian society as the weakest.)

All in all, these were the most powerful people in the world. For they were the ones who made the laws, the ones who interpreted the laws, and the ones who enforced the laws, all in one. A situation which people for the most part, were happy with. Unless, of course, it was a drastic situation like this. Then if the council agreed, they also had the power to implement a drastic legal measure which was named after Janus, the Roman god of doorways, decisions, and new beginnings. For it is written, this "Janus Amendment," as it was called, was exactly the kind of change which the "Citizen Third" folk were seeking. For when they came to plead their case before Earth-890's Council of World Leaders, they explained how they thought such an amendment could be used to benefit all humanity. They explained the dire implications of what they had observed beyond the walls of the Council Hall and how they had tried to solve the issue themselves by parlaying with representatives of the "Citizen First" class. An attempt which had proven fruitless, as the citizens of this tier had already made it clear that they would not voluntarily place restrictions on a person's right to do business any fashion that he pleased.

This brought them before the audience of the World Council. The delegation who listened, who pondered, and who after debating the issue, unsurprisingly, ended up being split on the issue themselves. For see, it seems the one factor that the "Citizen Third," representatives did not consider, was that the Council itself might have their own Political-Economic based prejudices. An example, the two who voted in favor of the amendment, Councilwoman Beta, who had Yoruba and Haitian heritage; and Councilman Gamma who represented the Hispanic regions, were representatives of nationalities with long histories of social and economic equality. It is written that they seemed to resonate with the message of concern that these citizens were issuing. Likely, because they had not been as far removed from the issue as Councilmaster Alpha and Councilor Delta were.

For these two, they were simply suspicious of the whole thing. Councilmaster Alpha, who again represented the affluent and powerful Asian populace, did not want to "rush into a decision," the same way he saw Councilwoman Beta and Councilor Gamma doing. He in his own way described it as, "not wanting to be the foolish soldier, who attacks an enemy on a hill, without first knowing from which direction the sun will rise, or from where the nocked arrow will fly." And essentially, Gamma who represented the Caucasian populace, agreed. Though for him, it was less for the reason that he did not trust the situation, but more from the standpoint of not having trust in the people because of their social position. He thought, because they were of what was considered to be lesser standing, they must have an ulterior motive. And thus, because of this prejudicial standing, it is written that the Council then stood at a deadlock over whether to move ahead with a Janus Amendment, or whether to drop the consideration completely.

Well, after about six months, as my notes show, they eventually decided to move ahead. The representatives of the "Citizen Third" apparently spent that time scouring the world for evidence of their claims. They brought this evidence to the council in person, by courier, and by mail. It swamped the Councilor's desks, and then just kept coming, until finally Councilmaster Alpha admitted there was no way he could ignore the overwhelming proof of environmental collapse. That this was indeed an event happening around them at an exponential rate. An event, he also admitted, which had correlations to frivolous human actions, and which he conceded was best stemmed by a Janus amendment that would restrict the fashion in which humans could engage in commercial practice.

And so, it was done.

Known as the "Verdant Janus Amendment," this amendment to the Constitution of Humanity did just as Councilmaster Alpha said it would. It restricted certain ways in which humans could engage in commercial practice. They no longer could pump toxins into the air without reporting the amounts to a newly formed ecological management department who ensured that a company was not surpassing a set "safe limit."

Companies also could no longer pump waste directly into water systems. This change, alongside the additional control of air pollution, did help stem the rate of deterioration which had been previously noted by those classified under the tier of "Citizen Third." The skies got a little bit clearer and the waters saw a little bit of life return to them. Still, this provided no false sense of security to those who had seen things as they were before and knew there was no way to fix the damage which had already occurred. This they knew, was the eye of the storm. A beast which began to show its true form, when over time farms started reporting smaller and smaller crops.

First, it was about a dozen farms, an amount which didn't seem to amount to all that much. Then they lost more than a dozen, then about thirty, then fifty, then a hundred. Then several hundreds... eventually there was nothing left. Not a single crop would grow, and it was found after testing the soil that in some cases this was due to the nutrients in the soil being spent, while in others it was due the soil being tainted. A mystery my predecessor, Cyril Drakeloch, elaborates on when he writes that this was an example of rebellion by some of the humans of Earth-890. For he elucidates, these humans did not feel it was any person's right to tell another how to pursue capitalistic and commercial practices. They had decided, if they wanted to continue doing things the way they did before the implementation of the "Verdant Janus Amendment," they would. This stance of refusal to sacrifice or compromise then contributed greatly to the rise of, "The Bleakness." A five-decade social winter which not only brought famine, drought, starvation, and dehydration to the world, but also erased seventy percent of the population. As a result, it left the remaining thirty percent of the surviving population in a situation where they fought over how best to react to their new environment. Should they as one half saw it, use the stellar travel technology they'd achieved and leave what they saw as a barren ball of dust behind to go find a new world with similar composition and resources that would serve them well in building a new and better society. Or should they stay and accept their actions? A proposal the other half of the surviving humans, A group who called themselves the "Verdantists," after the "Verdant Janus Amendment," suggested and supported, claiming that since this was humanity's mess, it ought to be fitting, that they should stand up, and take responsibility for the consequences of their civilization's own reckless actions. It was to them, irresponsible, to consider leaving the planet, after putting it in such a state. That was to the Verdantists, like not only making a mess and refusing to clean it; but also, going somewhere far away, after you had made the mess. It was to them, the equivalent of putting that mess or problem out of sight long enough, that you could convince yourself it not only would be forgotten, but that it also would just disappear without any effort on the part of the individual. A statement and assumption, which actually then enraged the Nomadists factions of humanity. For as a defense, they then insisted that this was a false line of reasoning made by the Verdantists, and that the real reason they the Nomadists, thought it was necessary to leave Earth, was that they saw it as an illogical and irrational feat for the remaining human population to try and recover on an Earth that was hardly in a state to support them or to provide the resources which would be needed for a recovering civilization. Instead, they were merely suggesting that if a disaster which nearly extinguished mankind were to occur, the best place to re-start would be on a new world where they could start over with plentiful resources. They believed in a world like this, they could re-start strong, and could rebuild their societies based on the lessons they had learned here. They believed without a doubt, this was the most viable and probably the best prospect for recovery. And the Nomadists swayed many fellow surviving humans into believing this as well. That is many, excluding the Verdantists. That stubborn group who refused to go along, because they still believed their Nomadist counterparts were walking down this path out of ignorance and out of abandonment of the planet. A belief I find ironic, because as these two groups grew more and more distant; then the harder and harder it became, for them to understand they each were doing what they thought was best for humanity. They each in a word, shared a perspective that had value and which had some sense of moral logic to it. The problem came, when both parties got so caught up in their own crusades, that they stopped listening to one another, and decided it was better to what they each thought was best. A final footnote of divisiveness in the story of humanity, which would be the nail in their coffin as they were doomed to be replaced by a new kind of life. A race, who of two names, is known to the thinking minds as  Fauvis Sapien, or "Thinking Beast." And to common folk as," Mintaran." This is the beginning of their story. This is the birth… of their world.