Glimpse of the Past

The world at present is drastically different compared to 700 years ago.

If someone from that time were to witness the present world they would definitely think that this is some kind of modern fantasy and sci-fi world.

In fact even now I can't believe that this same earth I lived in.

There is a possibility that this is the earth from a parallel universe but I can't say anything for sure yet.

And I had a strong reason to think in such way. That would be the history of this world, the history that was taught to Lucas Morningstar.

On the morning of 1st January 2023, the whole world was enveloped in a bright blinding white light for well over a minute.

When the light subsided, the world was not the same as it was a minute ago.

Rifts– tears in the fabric of space and time connecting to a parallel world– opened up throughout the globe.

A hostile humanoid race known as 'Demons' emerged from those Rifts and threatened the peace of Earth.

However, humanity was quick to fight back.

The modern weapons possessed at time worked fine on those creatures of unknown origins.

The weapons weren't -very- effective but it's not like they did no damage at all either.

Plus, with the aid of nuclear weapons, they stood their ground.

Humans and Demons engaged in a fierce war of survival and dominance soon after.

And despite the fact that they were up against a race of supernatural origin, humans did pretty well.

That was until a Demon named Michael Gracefell stepped out of the Rift one day.

He resembled a human more than a Demon and claimed himself to be one of the 'Demon Generals'— a strong, high-ranking member of the demon army.

In a single day he wiped out all the major army bases on Earth and crippled the resistance forces as easily as taking a stroll.

According to the legends, it is said that he possessed the power to bend the very fabric of space according to his will.

He threw a god-like power in the face of humankind and watched them fall to their knees, too powerless to do anything.

Needless to say, with no troops to fight back, humanity quickly started losing the war.

Everyone thought that the fall of humanity was nigh.

But right then, for some unknown and mysterious reasons, the Demon army decided to fall back.

They abandoned a winning war and decided to retreat to the Rifts they had come from.

However, while retreating, they did leave a final message for humankind, "We will come back."

Although still terrified by their threat, humanity rejoiced and celebrated their survival.

But unfortunately, the following years were even harder for them.

Right when the demons retreated and Rifts disappeared, mana– a latent dormant energy that was always present in the world– started moving and became active.

The continents of the Earth started colliding together and the mass of the land itself started enlarging slowly.

Over the span of a few decades, the continents merged into one and created a single new mega-continent with a few new islands.

Then suddenly one day Rifts appeared again, but this time instead of Demons, several other races came out of it– namely Elves, Dwarves, and Vampires.

They had come to seek refuge because their worlds were being destroyed by the demon army.

Since these races were already well-versed in using mana, humanity offered them a deal.

They were asked to teach humans how to use mana in return for their refuge. Elves and dwarves obliged, while vampires straight-up declined the offer.

In simple words, vampires wanted to take over the world since humans were clearly weaker than them.

To no one's surprise, a war broke out between vampires and humans. Dwarves allied with humans, while elves remained neutral.

Several years after that, the war between vampires and humans reached a stalemate.

Just when things were looking a little bit peaceful for humans and the rest of the world, an extraterrestrial civilization known as Kalis appeared from space.

Their home planet was also destroyed by Demons, so they had come seeking another habitable planet to inhabit.

Earth was that planet.

Kalis, much like vampires, didn't seek coexistence. They were a dominant predatory species.

They wanted this world's resources for themselves and they were ready to hunt anything that stood in their path for that reason.

Once again, humanity had no choice but to engage in a war with another species to avoid an extinction-level threat. This time the threat came from above their heads— from space.

Kalis were much smarter and stronger than vampires. They could perform space travel, after all.

Although they weren't very well versed in using mana like elves, dwarves, or vampires, their superior technology and peak biology made up for that.

And the fact that humans were fighting two wars on two fronts– vampires on earth and kalis in space– didn't help them one bit.

Seeing that humans were in thrall, the elves decided to extend a helping hand and join the war.

With the aid of elves along with dwarves, humans managed to stop Kali's invasion from space and hold off vampires on the edge of the Northern Continent.

Finally, after six long centuries, things are a little less chaotic now. But peace is still far from reach.

Kalis have settled their base of operations on Mars. They have almost exhausted all of their resources and are planning for one final invasion on Earth.

It's basically do or die for them.

Vampires are still trying to push their borders from the north every day, so naturally humanity is still engaged in conflict with them.

Now, with elves teaching humans how to harness the pure unlimited energy called mana, there was no limit to what they created with the help of dwarves.

Floating castles, flying cars, futuristic weapons, fully immersive VR worlds and much more!

But their best creation was the Global City— a city armed with all kinds of futuristic technology.

A few years ago, seeing that the centuries-old wars on two fronts were showing no signs of ending, a program was launched by the Central Government— the government that basically rules the world.

The program dictated that every person who could use mana had to go through 3 years worth of military education.

After their military education, they will serve four years in the ›United Military‹ at their assigned posts.

This program, or rather this law, applied to all races of the world. Elves and dwarves included.

Because of this, several thousand military academies were created throughout the globe.

Although so many military academies were created, with time, only two of them stood above the rest.

 One of them being Global Military Academy or ‹Global Academy› for short.

Global City is an isolated walled enclave island somewhere within the great southern oceans. This city was built around the Global Academy to provide its cadets with a place to live and train. 

This city had the most advanced technology, along with a few of the most powerful people residing in it.

It will not be incorrect to say that this city is among the earth's most powerful cities.

The only other city which could rival the might of the Global City is Ethereal City with its ›Ethereal Academy‹.

These two cities are the pride of the United Military– an armed force made from merging the human, elven and dwarven armies into one.

But this is where the real mystery begins.

In my previous life, there was neither a blinding light nor did any rifts appear in the year 2023.

The world didn't have any dormant mana in it, rather it flowed from space into the Earth due to an incident.

Neither did any of these other races including demons appear at that time. Maybe they came after I died but even then a lot of things didn't make sense.

If there were really wars with demons, vampires, and kaalis then my friends would have been more than enough to deal with them and these elves and dwarves wouldn't living here. 

The more I think about it, the more mysterious and interesting the situation becomes.

Anyway, I am quite interested in seeing how much the technology has developed. I already know from Lucas's memories but I want to see them again nonetheless. 

I went out and looked at the sight of Global City as I walked towards the railway station.

I must say that the scenery looked quite futuristic just like a sci-fi movie.

Huge buildings and tall skyscrapers along with holographic billboards and security robots that filled the streets altogether looked just like a sci-fi movie.

There were also flying cars and hoverbikes travelling around the city.

I could also vividly see a floating castle far ahead in the sky, which bestowed a historic look onto the scenery. It contrasted the futuristic look and added a little touch of fantasy to the view.

It felt like I had seen all this before but it was not until now that I was 'truly' seeing it. If were to give an example for my current situation then it is similar to the sensation of the breeze touching your face after being inside for a long time.

But I am also a bit disappointed that even after seven centuries, the technological world only developed this much.

"Fuuu!" Letting out a deep breath, I started walking toward the train station.

This would be the very first step I take so that I could live a peaceful life far from war and destruction.

What I didn't know at that time was that I am going to be in center of the same situation that I didn't want.