NOVPUBThe Kingdom of Saranjana stood unmatched.
Its technology was decades, perhaps centuries, ahead of the rest of the world.
With unparalleled mastery over energy, magic, and human potential, Saranjana's influence extended far beyond its borders.
Its military might, research breakthroughs, and unity made it seem invincible, a shining beacon of order in an increasingly chaotic world.
But the world itself… Had changed.
Everything began with the rise of a New Earth Core.
It wasn't just a geological event, it was a cosmic upheaval. The very crust of the Earth fractured and shifted. Continents split, shattered, and drowned beneath rising seas. In their place emerged countless islands, scattered like broken glass across the surface of the Earth.
The world map was erased and redrawn.
Some islands became havens for survivors. Others remained uncharted, cloaked in mystery.
Strange phenomena surrounded them: unnatural weather, spatial distortions, and lights in the sky. No satellite could see inside them, and no drone returned.
Humans called this apocalyptic shift The First Calamity.
But the nightmare had only just begun.
With the formation of the New Earth Core came an unforeseen consequence, one far more sinister than shifting lands or rising tides. The Realm Gates, once sealed by ancient civilizations, or perhaps by the gods themselves, began to stir.
One by one, they opened.
And from their depths, they emerged.
Some were intelligent and cunning, ancient predators born from humanity's oldest fears. Beasts of legend, dragons (Another kind of Dragon, not the dragon in Draco), shapeshifters, and many more stepped into reality once more.
Creatures once confined to myth now walked the Earth, no longer bound to fables or folklore.
But that wasn't all.
Something even worse followed.
The Rift/Cracks reopened.
Are they gates? Yes.
Are they realms? No.
They are something far more terrifying.
If the Realm Gates were ancient portals, deliberate, sealed, and forgotten.
The Rift/Cracks were not. They were accidents. Wounds in reality. Hungry.
Each Crack is a foreign world, an invasive plane of existence forcibly merging with Earth, its purpose singular and brutal: to conquer and consume.
Through these rifts, reality began to bleed. Dimensional walls crumbled.
The world groaned under the pressure of colliding realms. From the Cracks surged chaotic energy, warping the land and birthing monsters unlike anything ever recorded.
Some were mindless abominations, twisted forms of pure hunger and rage.
Others were cold, calculating terrors that viewed humanity as prey or playthings.
This was the Second Calamity.
The First reshaped the Earth.
The Second tore open the veil between worlds.
And what followed… Was war.
But Earth's enemies weren't limited to within.
From the stars came new threats. Alien lifeforms, celestial predators, and entities beyond comprehension became aware of Earth's transformation. Drawn by the energy signature of the New Core, they arrived in silence, in fire, in chaos.
Why?
Because the New Earth Core was not just a replacement.
It was the Purest Source of Energy in the known universe.
A cosmic anomaly. A divine resource.
And now, Earth fractured, invaded, and reborn had become an open battlefield for power, survival, and dominance.
Humanity, once the apex predator, now teetered on the edge of extinction.
But within calamity, there is always opportunity.
From the depths of this disaster came a gift...
Not from gods.
Not from aliens.
But from the New Aboriginal Beings of this New Earth.
In response to humanity's plight, He offered a blessing, a final spark of hope:
The System.
It wasn't just technology.
It wasn't just magic.
It was a framework, an interface between will and reality.
With it, humans gained Status, Stats, Levels, Quests, and Titles.
Mana became an extension of breath.
Skills could be activated with thought.
Power was now structured, measurable, and most importantly, trainable.
The Age of Systems began.
New professions were born.
Among them, the most dangerous and respected: Divers.
Divers were elite warriors, mages, and tacticians.
They descended into Cracks, unstable rifts between dimensions, to eliminate the source before it could unleash devastation upon the world.
Their missions were deadly, the risk absolute. But the rewards? Power, wealth, glory, and the chance to reshape the future.
In this new world, danger was everywhere.
But for those brave enough to seize it, so was destiny.
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- The Kingdom of Saranjana.
Within the heart of the radiant Crystal Citadel, in a chamber reserved only for royalty and the highest-ranking officers of the Saranjana Kingdom, a critical meeting was underway.
The room pulsed faintly with Mana-infused runes etched into every surface, a symbol of the Kingdom's mastery over both technology and magic.
It had been several days since Taufik and his family had returned from Planet Draco, and though Aksara now sat on the throne as King, his father, Taufik, the Pioneer and First King of Saranjana, sat at his side, more out of boredom than duty.
"...About the Crack," Began a man clad in obsidian military armor, his cape bearing the sigil of the Royal Army. Sir Admund, the Supreme Commander and a direct descendant of Sir Axel, addressed the room with the practiced confidence of a seasoned warrior. "Our forces have faced no significant resistance from the creatures emerging from the Crack. Our history has prepared us well"
Aksara nodded, flipping through a glowing data-slate of reports.
"And what of Crack exploration? Any complications?"
"So far, we've only engaged with Low-Level Cracks," Admund replied. "Those expeditions have proceeded without incident. However… We lack confidence in diving into High-Level Cracks. The risks are still too great"
Aksara leaned back on his chair and nodded with calm resolve.
"Understood. You've done well, Commander. Regarding the High-Level Cracks, I'll assign the Research Department to analyze their structure and magical intensity before we consider any further action"
A graceful woman stepped forward. She wore a flowing robe of white and silver, her glasses shimmering under the room's ambient light. Her long, wavy, golden hair was pulled to one side, and her blue eyes were sharp with intellect.
Abigel, descendant of Briel and Farak, bowed respectfully.
"Leave that to me, Your Majesty," She said, her tone formal but warm. "My team and I will dedicate ourselves to the analysis. No assumptions, only facts"
"I trust in your brilliance," Aksara replied with a slight smile. "As I trusted Briel's." He looked across the room. "Are there any other reports?"
A tall man with a serious face raised his hand. His aura was steady, sharp like a blade unsheathed. Mahesa, the Head of the Information and Communication Department, cleared his throat.
"Your Majesty. I must report something urgent"
"Speak"
Mahesa's tone darkened. "It is not only the Cracks that have reopened. The Realm Gates… Have begun to activate as well. Unlike the Cracks, these Gates do not simply rupture space... They alter reality itself"
The room grew tense.
Mahesa continued, "Each Realm Gate appears to bring with it the will of an entirely different world. The space surrounding them is slowly merging with Earth. If left unchecked, Earth may no longer remain Earth… But becomes something else entirely"
Aksara frowned. "Do you suggest preemptive action?"
"I ask… If we should act at all, or if it is already too late"
Before Aksara could answer, a soft yet ancient voice echoed through the chamber.
"That Realm Gate is dangerous"
All eyes turned to the towering woman standing at the far end of the room. Gaia, the living embodiment of Earth's will and Aksara's mother.
Her presence silenced the air. When Gaia spoke, time felt slower, heavier.
"They were sealed long ago," She said. "By gods, the gods all of you know from every myth you've ever heard. Sealed not to preserve power… But to protect what remained of reality"
Aksara turned to her, his voice respectful but curious.
"So what do we do, Mother? Should we seal them again? Can we?"
Gaia's expression was unreadable. Slowly, she shook her head.
"No… Not even I can close them now. Not anymore. Once opened, the Gate becomes part of this world"
The room fell into silence.
"…Then is there anyone who can?" Aksara asked, his voice laced with both urgency and disbelief.
Gaia turned her gaze slowly to her husband. To Taufik, who had remained quiet throughout the entire meeting, his attention seemingly occupied by Lavanya, the toddler giggling in his lap.
He played with her absentmindedly, as if the fate of the world wasn't being discussed around him.
Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of absolute truth.
"…There is only one person in the entire world, no, in the entire universe, who might be able to close them"
She didn't say his name.
She didn't need to.
Everyone already knew.
And one by one, all eyes turned toward Taufik.
"…Father," Aksara spoke, the silence broken by his steady voice. "Can you?"
Taufik let out a long sigh, gently lifting Lavanya and handing her to Tina, who stepped forward without a word.
"I'll try," He said plainly, standing up and adjusting the coat that bore the faint insignia of the First King. "But before I do anything, I need to see the Realm Gates myself… Understand what they've become"
Without waiting for further discussion, he turned on his heel and began walking toward the grand exit of the chamber.
His footsteps echoed with quiet certainty.
And then, he was gone.
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