The Awakening

The world is still recognisable. Phones still ring. People still scroll social media. Governments still hold press conferences. Markets still open every morning. But the world is at war. A global conflict has erupted between nations, private armies, enhanced humans, supernatural beings and individuals capable of destroying entire cities. Every battle is recorded. Every atrocity is uploaded. Every death is witnessed by millions. Fear spreads faster than armies. Hatred crosses borders in seconds. Billions of people pray, rage, grieve, dream and beg for the fighting to end. And something answers. Across the planet, ancient forces begin to awaken. Some are gods—powerful immortals tied to worship, bloodlines, elements or forgotten pantheons. Others are something far older. The Endless. Living embodiments of forces that have existed since consciousness first touched reality. Dream. Desire. Fear. Memory. Hope. War. Death. Life. And above even them, the Fundamental Forces: Time. Order. Chaos. Existence. The Void. Then you awaken. You open your eyes somewhere in the modern world with no memory of arriving there. Nearby phones suddenly lose signal. Lights flicker. People stop what they are doing and stare. Something about reality has changed simply because you are awake. You are not yet certain what you are. A God. An Endless. Perhaps something even older. But somewhere beyond the noise of humanity, ancient beings have already felt your arrival. And one of them has been expecting you.