It was a chaotic, hectic, and congested morning on the planet fragment city of Tera Con Prime. Thousands of citizens of various alien species flocked all over the relatively narrow and circular streets lining the hollow wall of the city's natural crater to head to work. Because there was never really enough space to traverse the limited cityscapes, people were often prone to get in each other's way, slowing things down distinguishably for everyone. One particular alien individual, a female Hooblot, was feeling exceptionally cramped. She tried very hard to avoid getting too close to any alien around her, hoping she wouldn't have to accidentally smell one or get touched by another's limbs. She wondered to herself why these people were like this, why they won't at least try to give each other room to make their trips and working lives easier, to make this city a better place to live even if the way said city was built never could. She couldn't be spared a single second to contemplate some kind of solution when a random alien stepped on her foot. Unable to hold back her pain, her eyes darkened and she burst, a shockwave of burning energy and living darkness enveloping everyone on the street, smashing and scorching everything in its path.
It was a listless afternoon on planet Ventrexia. Most of its cat-like natives were either out on the planet's surface doing some patrols or were in their military installations preparing for hypothetical ambushes and campaigns. The greatest chunk of Ventrexian culture revolved around combat and the prowess that came with it. Aside from that, no other part of these people's lives never really stood out enough to matter in the eyes of the known galaxy. One particular Ventrexian struggled as he got knocked down again during another tedious sparring match. Knocked off his feet, he wanted to focus on the pain he felt from falling to ignore the mean-spirited remarks of his sparring partner and several other cadets who were watching too. No matter how many times he tried to improve his techniques, he never quite seemed to qualify as a standard Ventrexian warrior. He questioned why he was being forced to allow his life to be like this, why he had to be a soldier even if he possibly wouldn't get to fight anything. He only wished he could just stay where he lived on the planet, living a peaceful life like most other people across the galaxy who weren't interested in conflict. The taunts from his sparring partner and the other cadets were the final straw. His eyes darkened and released a shockwave of burning energy and living darkness, consuming everyone present in the room.
It was a dreadful and apprehensive night on the planet Serepentis. Cultists were lined up in preparation to offer up another sacrifice to one of their serpentine deities in hopes of gaining everlasting blessings. Effectively almost all the time, people were flocking together to volunteer themselves to give up their own lives, hoping they can get some kind of reward that would outweigh their current mortal existences. A Serepentian woman stood in the crowd, and she was getting very close to the front before the site where one of the planet's gods resided. When she first joined the line of would-be sacrifices, she thought long and hard of the possible rewards she could ask of the serpent deities, but with each reward she thought of, she began to wonder more and more about the actual cost of those rewards, especially in comparison to whatever she got in her current life now. She started to question why she and the rest of her people were so easily willing to end their own lives just to satisfy some being that will hunger again. She had second thoughts. She wasn't ready to end it all soon. She wondered why she was even in line to begin with. A shove from another cultist behind her to get moving prompted her to try and escape. Seeing no way out, she panicked. Her eyes darkened and she screamed, releasing a blast of burning energy and living darkness that destroyed everyone unfortunate enough to be standing around her.
In other parts of the galaxy, more of this same phenomenon was happening on different planets with their own residents: On Yarno, an alien unleashed dark energy at a bigger alien that fanatically tried to tear his head off. On Earth, a human exploded with dark energy on their way to give a report. On Zetakron Alpha, a colonist fired dark energy that tore up a residential facility. On Sorbo, another colonist caused a dark energy-based collapse of a major installation. On Galang-22, a commoner razed a neighborhood with dark energy during a royal procession. On Rugaro, a Beforian engulfed a group of his fellows with dark energy. On Talpa-X, cave systems housing settlements collapsed under violent emissions of dark energy from individual residents. Blazes of dark energy tear up the structures composing Darga Space Port while causing crashes. The Toro Regatta race was cut short with a series of dark energy discharges. Many more planets were pulsing with individuals suddenly emitting dark energy across their surfaces.
"Unexplained cases of individual combustion all over the galaxy…"
"The Infinity Guard is responding to incidents of spontaneous fission…"
"Tenebrism, a sudden mutation that is thought to cause self-detonation…"
"Governments on all planets and systems take action to stop Tenebrus-related surges."
"Segregation policies are being implemented…"
"Terrorist attacks by the radical group Mad Tenebri are on the rise…"
"Infinity Guard-appointed specialist Dr. Bluestein say that oppression of the Tenebri may lead to concurrent blazes galaxywide."
While these incidents had started out small and isolated, they rapidly grew over the years: individuals being detained by authorities, extended mass funerals and screenings, movements between both sides springing up and getting into fights with each other, other various groups using their powers on settlements and landscapes to assert devastating displays and statements. It eventually all culminated with entire planets being engulfed by explosions of dark energy, enough that every planet's surface was effectively blanketed by this destructive darkness. Some were scorched, others shattered, even laid barren or toxified. Thankfully for those who survived, these disasters did not last for long.
"The Great Galactic Blackout has come to an end."
"50% of the galaxy's overall population suffers…"
"30 years after the Great Galactic Blackout, we must strive more than ever to keep the peace."