In the 1870s, a visionary president embarked on a bold initiative to transform a modest port into a thriving hub for trade and industry. Years earlier, his father had led the townspeople to safety after a devastating storm ravaged their homeland, forcing them to relocate to more secure ground. However, rumors persisted that their new land was blessed—or perhaps cursed—by a powerful witch, who had warned that disturbing the land's balance would come at a terrible price. While many dismissed these warnings as superstition, others feared the land's unnatural success had come at a dark cost.
What began as a small, strategic effort to rebuild soon blossomed into the bustling metropolis known as Bigg City Port. The city thrived as businesses signed lucrative contracts and workers poured in from all corners of the region. It became a haven for those fleeing war-torn lands and a vital artery for transporting goods across the rapidly expanding network of railways. Yet, amid the city's success, there were whispers—rumors of an impending curse that had taken root because of the land's disruption. Some citizens believed the witch's warnings had been ignored for too long and that the city's prosperity was only a veneer hiding something more sinister.
The first sign of trouble began innocently enough with an isolated incident. A husband and wife, longtime city residents, noticed something unusual about their newborn son—sharp, canine-like teeth. At first, they brushed it off as a strange but harmless trait, joking about his future toughness. However, their concern turned to alarm a few days later when their son began to sweat profusely, his skin pale and clammy. Fearing he had fallen ill, the panicked parents rushed him to the hospital, certain something was wrong.
At the hospital, their worst fears were realized—but not in the way they expected. Before their eyes, their ordinary child began to change. His small body contorted and expanded, his skin took on a metallic sheen, and within moments, their son had transformed into something entirely unrecognizable—a vehicle resembling an anthropomorphic boat, complete with a face where the wheelhouse should be. The parents, once hopeful for a simple diagnosis, stood in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Word of the bizarre transformation spread like wildfire through Bigg City Port. Old superstitions resurfaced, and whispers filled the streets. Some claimed the curse was finally taking shape—retribution for settling on sacred land. Skeptics dismissed the claims, chalking it up to coincidence or exaggeration. However, as weeks passed, the phenomenon only escalated. More children were born with sharp canines and the ability to transform into various vehicles—planes, boats, cars, and trains. What had begun as a localized oddity quickly spiraled into global confusion and fear. Parents worldwide began to wonder: Was this truly the curse of the witch or something far more mysterious?
Alarmed by the growing crisis, scientists and scholars launched urgent investigations into the anomaly. After carefully examining the affected children and years of meticulous research, they revealed a strange virus-like entity embedded within their DNA. Scientists named it the Iron Mutation Virus, theorizing that it unlocked humans' inherent ability to shift into mechanical forms. While they had identified the cause, a solution remained frustratingly elusive.
Despite the scientific explanation, fear of the curse lingered in the hearts of many. Desperate to 'cure' their children and return them to normalcy, many parents have turned to radical medical interventions. However, these treatments often led to devastating results—surgeries aimed at removing the vehishifter abilities frequently ended in tragedy, leaving children dead or irreparably harmed. Grief-stricken families were left to grapple with the failure to protect their children. The mounting sense of helplessness only deepened society's fear and mistrust.
Amid the chaos, an ominous organization began to rise from the shadows. Known by hushed whispers, this group—rumored to have government backing—believed vehishifters were an existential threat to humanity. Their mission was clear: eliminate the danger at any cost. In the dark of night, children were taken from their homes, never to be seen again. Over a million vehishifters, ranging from toddlers to young adolescents, vanished. Those who had already transformed were eliminated. Some parents, overwhelmed by fear and societal pressure, abandoned their children, unable to reconcile the transformations with the babies they once knew.
But not all parents succumbed to fear. Many, driven by unconditional love, embraced their children's differences. They remained steadfast, determined to shield their vehishifter children from a world that did not understand them. However, this defiance only deepened the divide within society. While some viewed vehishifters as monsters cursed by the land's witch, others saw them as innocent victims of an unstoppable force. Protests erupted across the globe, and soon, violent clashes between supporters and detractors became commonplace. Government forces, stretched thin, struggled to maintain order.
Years passed, and the conflict seemed unresolvable. Society fractured into factions, with vehishifters caught in the crossfire. The world teetered on the brink of collapse. Then, a weary president stepped forward in a desperate attempt to end the violence. Recognizing that continued conflict would destroy both human and vehishifter societies, the president called for peace. Urging both sides to come together, they initiated months of grueling negotiations, bringing vehishifters and humans to the table in a final attempt to broker a truce.
Through patience and persistence, a fragile peace was achieved. All warring factions reluctantly signed a Peace Pact, which halted the violent protests and granted vehishifters basic rights and recognition under the law. While the world sighed in relief, the scars of the conflict remained. Many vehishifters had disappeared, never to return. For those who survived, life was an uneasy balance between their dual identities. They found themselves working in roles that blended their vehishifter abilities with human responsibilities—ferrying cargo as ships, transporting goods as trains, or even becoming essential infrastructure for the city.
By 1920, the world had entered the Roaring Twenties, and Bigg City Port had emerged as a symbol of progress and recovery. The harbor buzzes with activity, home to two rival companies: Star Tug and Marine and Zero Marine Bigg City. The two firms controlled much of the port's operations, fiercely competing for dominance in a city that had become a vital global trade hub.
Yet, beneath the surface of this prosperity, something dark continued to stir. Contracts mysteriously vanished, only to reappear under different names or not at all. Rumors of shadowy cults and dark forces persisted, suggesting that not all had accepted the peace forged years earlier. Whispers of vehishifter abductions remained, and some speculated that the organization responsible for the mass disappearances still operated, quietly pulling strings from the shadows.
In this atmosphere of uncertainty, a curious individual—a tireless investigator, long obsessed with the mystery—began to piece together fragments of the truth. Hidden documents, strange contract patterns, and whispered conversations at the docks hinted at a far darker conspiracy than anyone had imagined. What they uncovered had the potential to shatter the fragile peace and change the course of history forever.