Something should always remain buried
Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Archive; all characters belong to their original creators.
Chapter 5: A record of a desperate man I.
"Before we begin showing this groundbreaking discovery, here are some words from the Vice President of the GSC, Nanagami Rin," Shinon announced as she handed her mic to Rin.
"Greetings, everyone; before we start this show, I want to say that this finding shocked Millennium Science School and the GSC itself, flipping everything that we've known about our world upside down. The information in the videos we are about to show you may not be suitable or comfortable for some people, so please proceed with caution," Rin warned.
As she finishes her warning, Rin walks off-stage, pulls out the first USB, and plugs it into the mainframe of the studio filming the scene. Moments later, the information in the USB is now broadcast across Kivotos.
"Hello... Hello... Is this thing on?" a man said while tapping on the screen of a camera.
"Okay, It's finally on. Thank goodness," the man said before sitting on the chair before the camera.
"Hello to whoever found this video; my name is Yamamoto Okazaki, a researcher from Japan and the Chief Director of Lab #11," Okazaki introduced himself. He is a man who looks like he is in his 30s with brown, smooth hair with a tired face. He is also wearing his glasses and lab coat with a hunched posture.
When Okazaki appears, many Kivotos citizens are surprised that another adult resembling Takashi Sensei can exist. "Wow, other adults like Sensei do exist," "He looks so handsome," "This guy seems like a big shot."
"Firstly, I have to congratulate you for finding this video. If your civilization is advanced enough to break through our defenses, then I suppose you are at least ready to hear what I'm trying to say here," Okazaki added.
"I recorded this video not to keep secrets or hide my research in this facility. I did this because I didn't want the future generations to forget about us, to forget about the histories and achievements of our people. We fought so hard, but in the end, it did not amount to anything. Many species on this planet have already gone extinct, even the Gods, Demons, and Phantasms. They are all gone, the Mystics and Wonders of this world, reduced to dust in just 10 years," Okazaki cried as tears ran down his cheeks.
While this sparks the sympathy of many Kivotos citizens, it also raises many questions. "Did he just say Phantasms, Demons, and Gods?" "I thought they only exist in fiction!" "This is way over our head now!" "How can a mass extinction like that happen?"
After a while, Okazaki composes himself by taking a deep breath and begins to speak again: "I'm sorry for that pathetic display. I did say I want you guys to know about us, didn't I? Okay, where do we start from...?"
After scratching his head for a while, Okazaki speaks up: "Let's start with what we were working on in this lab first. It was called the ABS project, which stands for Augmented Biological Soldiers in English. This project revolves around creating super soldiers for our war against the Primordial, or the Nameless Gods, as their followers called them. We did this by combining the genetic materials of various species on Earth with Human DNA. You name it: gods, demons, phantasms, bears, cats, dogs. Every species on this planet, whether containing a high level of Mystics or not, was chosen for this research. Under normal circumstances, this would not be possible, but we could pull this off due to the Aether particles."
"In case you are wondering what are the Aether particles, they are why Mystics exist on this planet in the first place. Every star in this universe is capable of emitting a large amount of Aether particles. When these particles come into contact with any object, they coagulate and become the object's soul. Aether also allows us to perform our own miracles and magic, like controlling the weather, life, death, light, and so on. In short, Aether is the stuff that blurs the line between the science world and the fantasy world. The power of Aether can only be limited by the users' imagination, which may not be true considering there are many things we still don't understand about it."
"In any case, let's get back to how all of this started in the first place. Before the war, this world was ruled by Gods, Demons, Phantasms, and Mortals. There were 3 plains of existence: The Earth, where the Mortals and Phantasms live; The Heaven, where the Gods shepherd us; and The Underworld, where the Demons and other Gods call home. We all lived in harmony until 2112 when the 3 realms were temporarily merged into one to fight the largest war ever in this planet's history. In 2111, a cult named The Nameless Priests announced themselves to the whole world, saying that they were there to return this world to nothingness and give it back to their Gods. Of course, nobody took them seriously at the time; even the United Nations said that they were just a group of over-reactive terrorists. How could they? Even higher beings with high levels of Mystics, such as Gods and Demons, dismissed their presence. This was the case until the end of 2111 when multiple pantheons and nations across the world reported attacks from the Priests and their Gods. It was a war on all fronts; the Heaven, the Land, and the Underworld were being attacked simultaneously."
"Naturally, our first response was sending our best soldiers to end the conflicts quickly, but that decision, in the end, proved to be our undoing. We didn't know that the Primordial could manipulate Aether and force any Mystics to submit to them. We lost too many to the hands of the enemies during our first year. Children fought against their parents; kings betrayed their own nations; angels slaughtered the people who once worshipped them. Even some of the best combat A.I. we had, like Divi:Sion, submitted to the rule of the Primordial."
"Even with a solution to fight against their corruption, their numbers and strength far outweigh us. Every thrall they collected was powered up to an unimaginable degree; every soldier in their rank, albeit angels, phantasms, humans, or demons, was just as strong as each other. Furthermore, their Gods can even bring the dead back to life and grant them the same power. However, we did not give up and, in time, found a way to combat the Nameless Gods and their Priests. We would send negotiators and researchers to parts of the world that hadn't been ravaged by the war to gather the support of the neutral factions. We would create our own Demi-Gods using what we have. That is the ABS project."
"I guess I should show you what the ABS project looked like," Okazaki said as he pulled out a USB and connected it to the camera, replacing the current footage with another one.
It is a horrifying shock to all the students watching the news that day. The footage shows various girls growing up in large tubes with wires connecting to their heads while many scientists keep their watches on them. Not a moment later, one of them speaks up: "Okazaki-san, this one is ready to be released."
"Drains the solution and detach the wires," Okazaki said while stepping forward.
After hearing the command, the other scientist follows the procedure to release the girl from the tube. The girl is tall and has 2 horns on each side of her head, wavy white hair, large bat-like wings, and a tail. As she wakes up, a black with purple stripes 3D halo appears on her head. When she sees the researchers, her eyes turn a deep purple as she hisses at them and spreads her wings out. She is then approached by Okazaki as he tries to calm her down.
"Don't worry, we are not going to hurt you, just try to calm down a bit okay," Okazaki lowered himself as he tried to offer her his hand.
"Who...are...you? Where...am...I?" the girl asked with a growling voice.
"My name is Okazaki. I know you are panicking right now, but please calm down. If you are calm, I will try my best to explain everything to you," Okazaki replied with a low tone.
"Okazaki? I...knew...you, saw...you...and...others...in...my...dream. You...were...a...nice...person" she replied while lowering her wings. After a while, the girl finally calms down with her eyes returning to a normal shade of purple again.
"Who...am...I?" she asked innocently as she took Okazaki's hand.
"Right now, we still don't know what to call you, but why don't you take a tour around here first? I will answer all of your questions once you've familiarized yourself with this place," Okazaki replied while handing her his lab coat.
"Thank...you," she accepted the coat before using it to cover her body. Eventually, she is led out of the chamber by other scientists.
As the footage ends, the video is paused for the audience to process the information they have just witnessed.
"Those girls, they... they look just like us," one student said.
"Does this mean that... we are just weapons after all?" another one asked.
"Onee-chan, I'm scared; why did those people in white coats do that to those Onee-san?" one child cried.
"Doesn't that girl look like the Head Prefect of the Prefect Team?" another asked.
"So this was the reason why we were created. I know life is meaningless after all!" another cried.
"It's so sad, but it's hard to believe at the same time. I don't know what to feel anymore," another commented.
As every citizen chat among themselves, the video continues, showing Okazaki detaching the USB from the camera and speaking again: "I don't know what you guys may feel from watching this video, but it was, in the end, the reality of this world. Our world was dying, and we only wanted to protect the future of our children. But like I said at the start, it was all for naught, even if we won the war. In the end, although we emerged victorious and the Nameless Gods were destroyed forever, we lost 80% percent of all life on Earth, humanity once again faced extinction, the realms are now in ruins, many Gods were slain, and Demon Kings were vanquished. Many Phantasms cannot recover their numbers and will go extinct in a few years. North, South, and Central America were all burnt to ashes. Australia is just a barren wasteland now. Europe is constantly ravaged by eternal blizzards, while Africa turned into a giant desert with temperatures that can cook any creature alive. Almost all of the continents in this world had been stripped of their Aethers. Right now, the only viable place for life is this pocket of land here in Asia."
"Now, as every remaining species on Earth gathers here at this land, waiting for the day we all die out, a final decision is made: "Our sacrifice would not be in vain. If we cannot continue as individual species, we will let one become our successors after we are all gone." But, one species alone cannot carry the whole legacy of an entire planet, so, in the end, we chose you guys."
"You, who are humans but with strength that can destroy an army. You, who are Phantasms but can't cast a single spell. You, who are Gods but don't hold any sway over nature. You, who are Demons but can't judge Mortals. You, who were once our ultimate weapons, tools, and saviors, will become our last hope. This land will be called Kivotos, named after ΚΙΒΩΤΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΝΩΕ, or Noah's Ark, the Ark in legend that was said to contain every species on this planet to save them from a global flood."
"The ABS project will be restarted, not as a military project this time, but as our hope and dream for a better future. The remaining Mystics will be used to forge the Haloes of this city, shielding you from extraterrestrial threats and absorbing Aethers from the Sun to boost the recovery of the land they covered. The Haloes will slowly expand until the day they cover the entire planet. A machine will be constructed to produce more of you, hidden away in a pocket dimension and maintained by the brethren you will never meet. Phantasmal hybrids and A.I.s will populate the city to take care of it before you mature. Finally, if Kivotos is ever to face a crisis, a guide will be born, containing all of the best qualities of a teacher and armed with the strongest Mystic to lead Kivotos back to its original course."
"I don't expect you to worship us as your creators or ask for forgiveness. All I want is for you to at least know about what has transpired here, who used to exist here, and what terrible mistakes we committed. From now on, our future, achievements, and hopes are yours. By the time you find this, we've probably long gone from the face of this planet, swept away by the sand of time. Right now, I can only wish you good luck on your future journeys." Okazaki finished as he turned off the camera, signaling the end of the footage.
"That was... a lot to take in," one student said.
"If this wasn't officially published by the GSC, I wouldn't believe it either. This story sounds so grand and mystical," another commented.
"So we are supposed to be their last hope, huh? What a weird time to be alive!" a delinquent sighed.
"I guess this just means that they wanted us to live a normal life and continue into the future," another hoped.
"This seems to be a heavy duty to bear, but I guess they just wanted us to continue their legacy just by living and being ourselves," another concluded.
"When he mentioned we were meant to be weapons, I was scared of them, but now, I can only feel sorry for them," another commented.
In the end, many opinions are discussed and shared among the citizens of Kivotos. Some are angry at the people of old, some pity them, and some want to forgive them. Although their emotions are mixed, they eventually accept the past for what it was and continue on with their life.
What do you guys think about the world building that I made for the old civilization pre-dating Kivotos and the reaction of the citizen to it? Do you think it is too cliche? To boring? or not detailed enough? Please let me know.