Prologue

 

The world is in ruins. It has become a dangerous place. We write the year one hundred and five after Ragnarök, the day when everything changed.

 

Kokoro was once a world where people felt safe. Wars were rare and criminality has been steadily decreasing. It seemed as if humanity had developed for the better and the people’s desire for peace dominated. The world gradually became a dreamlike paradise.

Hence, people were able to focus on other things. Science became gradually more relevant.

People longed for more knowledge and the benefits of it.

 

It was only a matter of time before they managed to fully decipher the human gene code.

Mankind enjoyed its own genius. They had managed to rise to the next level in the evolutionary ladder. With the help of a synthetically created atom, the Zig particle, one was now able to change the human body in unimaginable ways.

One could adapt the body to such an extent that transformation into animals, application of telekinesis, or even dissolving oneself into elementary components became possible. As a measure of control, laws had been drawn up by the World Organisation to clearly regulate the use of such gene modifications. In sequence, the black market virtually exploded. Trade and consumption of gene modifications started to spin out control. The fate of the world began to take its course.

 

So far peaceful people began to abuse their newly acquired abilities and swerved for more power. Theft, looting and murder - the chaos was perfect.

Genetec Industries' large-scale gene factories were gradually plundered and ravaged. In order to protect these factories, the world organization had decided to engage the largest mercenary army to date, the "Private Legionary Army". The mercenaries fought under the name suffix "Genetic Diversity underlying Evolution". They also had to modify their own genes to match their adversaries’ powers.

It wasn't long before the first mutations appeared as a side effect, turning people into mindless raging monsters. More and more people mutated into these monsters at a rapid pace until there were more of them than humans themselves.

Those who did not mutate had to flee, because these so-called "myriads" laid everything to rubble.

A variety of abilities helped these monsters to turn the whole world into a place of war. Ultimately the mutated smog myriads were the ones that polluted the atmosphere with their toxic smoke, transforming about ninety percent of the remaining non-mutated humans. Humanity was beaten and hid. This day went down in history as Ragnarök and heralded a new age.

 

 

The "Private Legionary Army, Genetic diversity underlying Evolution", or "PLAGUE" for short, was able to maintain a large part of its armed force with the help of its protective masks and assumed the role of world government. At first, they fought the Myriads, but their attitude changed when they realized that the monsters neither aged nor needed food.

A shift in the executive ranks triggered the change, and the Plagues began researching the Myriads and eventually refused to kill them. "Another Step in Evolution.”

Their motto became more and more explicit in the coming years, when they regarded the remaining people only as tertiary ranked. The soldiers often abused their position of power and made life difficult for the inhabitants of safe shelters.

With the years passing, various rebel troops formed and finally joined together. The large rebel faction "CORE" was created.

 

Now one hundred and five years have passed since Ragnarök. Safe places have emerged all over the world. Bunker towns, islands, castles and many more. Humanity seems to have come to terms with its destiny and yet there is still a restless war. Plagues, Myriads, the climate... The world has become a dangerous place.

 

 

But there is still hope. In the whole world heroes rise, stand up for the good.

 

 

The stories of some of these heroes begin here...