Horizon 0

-----Chapter 2: The First Calamity-----

The Horizon had always been there, though few in the Lower Realm truly understood its nature. It was not something one could see with the naked eye, nor touch with mortal hands.

Yet its presence was felt in the way the skies stretched unbroken, the way the stars shimmered in their eternal dance, and the way each world stood firm in its place.

To those who looked beyond the ordinary, the Horizon was a silent guardian—a veil that held the multitudes of the Lower Realm together, bridging the infinite worlds and keeping the fragile threads of existence intact.

Though invisible to most, it was the quiet hum that underpinned reality, a delicate weave of balance and stability. But now, that hum was gone. The veil had lifted, and with it, the safety it once ensured.

Its disappearance should have shaken the very fabric of existence, but in the Lower Realm—a boundless expanse of worlds—it went unnoticed. For the countless beings who thrived in these realms, life carried on as it always had. The skies stretched high, the rivers flowed wide, and the stars twinkled above, unbothered by the truth that the tether binding their realities had been severed.

At first, there was no sign of calamity. Days passed, and nothing seemed amiss. But the stillness carried a weight, a silence that grew louder with each passing moment.

Then, in some quiet corner of the Lower Realm, it began.

---

It started with a fracture.

A line, thin and faint, carved itself into the endless sky. At first glance, it was almost imperceptible—a mere distortion against the heavens. But as moments stretched into minutes, the line grew. It splintered outward, jagged and unrelenting, like the cracking surface of fragile glass.

Those who saw it stared in silence, their minds unable to comprehend what their eyes beheld. The sky, once eternal, was breaking.

And beyond those fractures was Nothingness.

Not darkness, nor shadow, but the absence of all things—a void so profound it seemed to pull at the edges of the soul. Those who looked too long felt an inexplicable terror, as though the Nothingness was reaching out to claim them.

"What is that?" a voice whispered in fear, but no answer came.

---

In another part of the realm, a group of travelers stood at the edge of a great cliff, watching as the land beyond began to crumble.

The process was slow at first, almost gentle. Rocks cracked and fell into the abyss, their echoes swallowed by the void. Then the ground itself buckled, folding inward as though consumed by an invisible force. Entire forests collapsed, their ancient trees disintegrating into ash before vanishing entirely.

The travelers stepped back in horror as the cracks spread toward them. One of them, a young woman, clutched at the pendant around her neck and began to pray, her voice trembling. The others watched, their faces pale, as the Nothingness crept ever closer.

---

In some distant corner of the Lower Realm, a city of spires and magic met its end.

The first sign was a tremor. It rippled through the ground, subtle but unyielding. The people paused, their routines interrupted by the faint rumble beneath their feet. Then came the second tremor, stronger, deeper—enough to shatter windows and topple market stalls.

Panic erupted as the sky above began to crack. The fractures spread like a web, casting eerie shadows over the streets. From the highest towers to the smallest alleys, people stopped to stare at the Nothingness beyond the cracks.

"It's the end," someone whispered.

"No," another replied, their voice breaking. "It can't be."

But the truth was undeniable. The ground beneath them splintered and fell away, taking entire districts with it. Those who ran found no refuge, only more cracks, more Nothingness.

---

Across the Lower Realm, the story repeated itself.

In one place, a great ocean drained away, its waters vanishing into the void until only barren seabeds remained. In another, mountains crumbled, their mighty peaks reduced to dust in a matter of moments. Entire cities, once bustling with life, became ruins swallowed by the Nothingness.

And in every corner, the reactions were the same.

Some fell to their knees, paralyzed by despair. Others screamed, their voices raw with terror. A few stood defiant, wielding weapons or magic against the encroaching void, but their efforts were futile. The cracks advanced without mercy, consuming all in their path.

In one shattered land, a young child clung to her father's hand as they ran from the collapsing horizon. Her tears fell freely, her small voice trembling. "Where do we go now, Papa?"

Her father's eyes were empty. He had no answer.

---

The calamity spread faster than anyone could comprehend.

Time and space unraveled, twisting into incomprehensible shapes before vanishing entirely. The realms that had once stood as symbols of life and creation now crumbled like sandcastles before a rising tide.

And as the cracks widened, those who stared into the Nothingness began to change.

Some simply froze, their minds unable to bear the weight of the void. Others wept uncontrollably, clutching at whatever fragments of their world remained. But there were a few who, in the face of annihilation, found a quiet acceptance. They stood at the edge of the destruction, their eyes reflecting the Nothingness, and whispered their final goodbyes.

---

And so, the Lower Realm fell into chaos.

Worlds vanished, civilizations were erased, and the multiverse itself trembled on the brink of collapse. Yet even amidst the devastation, whispers began to spread.

Whispers of a figure who had foreseen this calamity. Whispers of a group that might hold the key to salvation.

But for now, hope was nothing more than an echo, faint and fleeting.

The first calamity had begun, and its ripples would be felt across all existence.