37. Great War 2,000 Years Ago
Exactly 2,000 years ago, the Earth witnessed an event that changed the course of history forever. The sky, once thought to be nothing more than the empty boundary of the atmosphere, suddenly cracked like a shattered mirror. From these fractures, bursts of blinding light emerged, as if something from another dimension was forcing its way into the human world. Beneath these flashes that tore through the atmosphere, unimaginable beings began to descend—demons and angels.
The Earth, once peaceful and thriving with technological, political, and cultural advancements, was suddenly plunged into a conflict far beyond the mere affairs of nations. The demons, with their black wings and bodies cloaked in hellfire, descended from the fractured sky, spreading darkness and destruction. Meanwhile, angels, glowing with divine radiance, also appeared, wielding blinding swords of light, ready to combat the forces of the demons.
A great war erupted, and Earth became the battleground for two cosmic forces that had been at odds for millennia. Nowhere was safe; great cities, forests, mountains, and even oceans bore witness to this epic conflict. Nations that had once wielded immense power fell in mere days. The advanced technologies of humanity—tanks, fighter jets, and even nuclear weapons—were rendered meaningless against the magical forces that science could not comprehend.
The First Day of the Arrival
Above the city of New York, the sky trembled. At first, people thought it was an extreme weather event or perhaps a solar flare. But as the sky began to split open, fear spread rapidly. The first to emerge from the rift was a demon, towering and ominous. With enormous black wings and glowing red eyes, he descended among the skyscrapers like a ravenous predator. Fire blazed around him, and the ground quaked beneath his feet.
Minutes later, the angels descended. Radiant and full of hope, they too came armed for battle. Their glowing swords sliced through the air, sending beams of holy light toward the descending demons. However, hope quickly faded as the angels' attacks were effortlessly repelled by the forces of darkness.
Within the first few hours, New York was in ruins. Skyscrapers collapsed, streets were littered with debris, and fires raged everywhere. Survivors were forced to flee underground or seek shelter in emergency hideouts, while the war between angels and demons intensified and spread further.
A Continent Transformed
The war raged on for weeks, with no sign of an end. The Americas, once home to sprawling modern cities, were reduced to blood-soaked landscapes. Mountains crumbled, rivers burned with fire, and the continent began to break apart into scattered land masses, torn by the destructive power of the cosmic conflict.
Europe, too, was not spared. Paris, Rome, and London—centers of history and architectural grandeur—were obliterated in the fierce battles between angels and demons. Above the ruins of the Colosseum, the archangel Michael clashed with Azazel, a high-ranking demon general. Michael's sword of light shone as brightly as the sun, while Azazel unleashed waves of darkness capable of tearing through dimensions. Each strike not only demolished the surrounding buildings but also reshaped the very land beneath them.
The Collapse of Technology and Civilization
Global communication systems were obliterated. Satellites fell from the sky, the internet vanished, and power grids across many nations failed. Superpowers like the United States, Russia, and China were powerless against this otherworldly threat. Armies, fighter jets, and nuclear arsenals were deployed, but all were futile against the supernatural forces at play. This war wasn't about who wielded the most powerful weapons—it was about forces of magic and energy beyond the realm of human comprehension.
In Asia, cities like Tokyo and Seoul fell in mere days. Tokyo, a hub of futuristic skyscrapers and cutting-edge technology, was obliterated by the demonic forces' magic. A black fire explosion engulfed Shibuya, and in an instant, the city was swallowed by darkness. The people of Japan could do nothing but watch in helpless terror.
In Africa, the Egyptian pyramids crumbled under waves of energy from the battles between angels and demons. Mount Kilimanjaro split in two, while the Sahara Desert was engulfed in fire and ice, a testament to the chaotic struggle for dominance between the two forces.
The Great Battle in Australia
In the southern hemisphere, Australia became the site of one of the largest battles in the war. In the barren deserts, Gabriel, the angel known as God's messenger, led an army of angels against the legions of demons commanded by Beelzebub. With lightning speed, Gabriel struck, cracking the ground beneath him and creating massive explosions that ripped through the desert. Yet Beelzebub, his giant form covered in wounds, endured, cloaked in a darkness that devoured all light around him.
The Australian desert became a moving, burning sea of sand. Each strike from either side altered the climate, creating colossal sandstorms that shook the entire continent.
The Continuation of the War and the End of the Old Civilization
The war dragged on for years, with no clear victor in sight. Humanity no longer had control over the Earth. The great cities were destroyed, with only a few remaining. The survivors formed small, isolated communities, living in fear and uncertainty. They could do little but endure, trapped in a world shattered by the ongoing war between these cosmic forces.
The Earth itself was transformed. The continents no longer held their original shapes. New mountains and valleys formed, oceans rose and swallowed islands, and everywhere, the planet seemed as though it had been reshaped by the titanic battles that continued to rage.
The arrival of angels and demons on Earth 2,000 years ago marked the end of the old civilization. The modern world, once full of technological advances, collapsed, replaced by a new world steeped in destruction, magic, and uncertainty. Continents shifted, great cities vanished, and humanity could only wait in anxious hope, praying that one day this war would end.
After the great war between demons and angels erupted, Earth slowly transformed into a wasteland. Cities that once boasted towering skyscrapers and cutting-edge technology crumbled into ruins in mere days. Fertile lands turned into barren deserts, and oceans, once calm, became turbulent seas of storms and devastation. Humanity, once confident in the supremacy of its technology, fell into despair, realizing that modern weapons were powerless against the divine and infernal forces.
As angels and demons continued their endless battle, humans began to disappear from the surface. The waves of destruction not only tore down buildings but also shattered the minds and spirits of the people. They could no longer live on the surface, unable to face the dangers coming from the sky. Hope seemed to evaporate, leaving them with only one option: to retreat underground.
Slowly, the remaining groups of humans scattered, vanishing from the surface and seeking refuge below. They dug tunnels, built shelters deep within hidden caves. Underground cities began to take shape, spread across the world, away from the gaze of the ongoing war between angels and demons. In these unseen places, humanity started to rebuild a new kind of civilization.
Darkness became their new companion. Deep beneath the Earth, far from the light of the sun they once took for granted, the survivors had to find ways to live without the sunlight that had once defined their world. They developed new technologies, using geothermal energy and glowing algae to light up their dark environment. With limited resources, they innovated, creating sustainable systems and recycling every drop of water, every scrap of food.
As the war above continued to rage, the remaining human leaders turned their attention to long-term survival strategies. They knew that the battle between angels and demons was not something they could stop, and it might not end anytime soon. So, they focused on ensuring humanity's survival underground.
In the quiet and shadowy underground cities, humans faced overwhelming fear and uncertainty. They knew that up above, on the lands they once called home, a titanic struggle was destroying more of the earth each day. Every tremor they felt underground was a reminder of the ongoing conflict above. All they could do was hope, and in their desperation, they prayed that the war wouldn't completely destroy the planet.
One of the largest underground civilizations was located beneath the ruins of what was once Japan. There, the best surviving engineers, scientists, and technicians worked tirelessly to build an interconnected network of tunnels, creating vast underground chambers complete with ventilation systems and hydroponic farms. They understood that they might remain underground for centuries, possibly forever. They began teaching the new generation how to survive without ever seeing the sun.
In other parts of the world, smaller and more primitive underground cities formed. Those without advanced technological skills relied on whatever they could dig out for themselves. They built simple cave cities, relying on scarce resources and occasional aid from more developed underground communities. A new sense of brotherhood grew among humans, as the destruction above forced them to unite once more.
Yet even in their underground sanctuaries, the shadow of fear never fully lifted. Survivors were still haunted by memories of the devastation they witnessed before fleeing. They heard stories of the gigantic creatures still battling above, of cities wiped out in a single strike, and of the people who didn't manage to escape the chaos.
Over time, some began to lose faith. Despair deepened, and many started to doubt whether humanity could survive indefinitely underground. They wondered if they would ever be able to return to the surface, or if they were doomed to live in darkness forever. As time passed, more people began to accept that the surface world might only be a distant memory, something they would never see again.
Despite this, there were still those who held onto hope. The optimists believed that the war above would eventually end. They dreamed that one day, whether it took a hundred or a thousand years, they or their descendants would return to the surface and rebuild a new, better civilization. They founded schools underground, teaching children about the world beyond, about humanity's history before the war, and about the hope for a peaceful future.
As time passed, the underground civilization became more complex. Humanity found ways to adapt to life beneath the Earth's surface. Their hydroponic farms thrived, geothermal energy was abundant, and slowly, underground society began to find stability. Despite the destruction of the world above, they realized they could survive—and maybe, one day, rise again.
But every time the ground trembled, they were reminded that the war between angels and demons still raged on. They knew that the surface was unsafe, and the time for their return had not yet come. Until that day arrived, they had to endure the darkness, protect the fragile civilization they had built, and hold onto the hope that someday, light would shine again upon their world.
So, in the stillness of the underground darkness, humanity persevered, waiting patiently within the Earth's depths, while the great war above continued to reshape everything.
Years passed in the silence and gloom of the underground. The survivors lived in isolation and uncertainty, while the war between angels and demons on the surface laid waste to all that was once familiar. Those who had survived the initial devastation could only hope that the conflict would soon end, though every tremor of the earth made that hope seem more distant.
Humans had learned to live without the sun. In the vast caves and network of tunnels they created, they built a new life within severe limitations. Their technology, though diminished, allowed them to survive. Hydroponic farming, though imperfect, sustained them, and small, self-reliant communities began to thrive. Yet, despite their relative stability, despair crept into the hearts of many. No one knew when—or if—they could ever return to the surface.
In time, a few brave souls began organizing small expeditions to venture above ground, cautiously observing the situation on the surface. Each mission was carried out with great care, knowing that the powerful forces battling above were still active. They had to avoid not only the roaming demonic creatures but also face a transformed and hostile natural environment. The atmosphere itself had been tainted by strange energies, a direct consequence of the millennia-long clash between Heaven and Hell.
On one such mission, a young man was exposed to mysterious particles drifting through the air. These particles were barely visible—like fine dust carried by the wind—but they held a power unknown to mankind. Unaware of what had happened, the man completed his mission and returned underground. However, a few days later, something strange began happening to him.
While working with the hydroponic team, his hand accidentally touched the water in one of the plant containers, and it instantly froze, even though the temperature was not cold. Everyone around him was shocked, including the man himself. A short while later, while trying to fix a light in one of the tunnels, his hand began to glow, the light seemingly coming from within him. Witnesses began to realize that something extraordinary had happened to him—he had changed.
Word of the event spread quickly through the underground community, and it soon became clear that he was not the only one affected by the mysterious particles. Others who had gone on similar expeditions also began showing remarkable abilities. Some could summon fire from their hands without being burned, while others could heal plants on the verge of death with a mere touch, accelerating their growth despite the lack of sunlight. Most astonishing of all were those who could emit light from their own bodies, illuminating the eternal darkness that had surrounded them for so long.
These individuals came to be known as "sorcerers," though no one could be sure where their powers came from. Some speculated that the magic they wielded was a byproduct of the endless conflict between angels and demons. The immense forces released in the ongoing battle, filled with divine and hellish power, seemed to have been absorbed by the Earth itself, carried by the wind and dispersed across the atmosphere. The particles that held this strange energy had apparently settled on the surface, giving humans who came into contact with them unimaginable abilities.
Under the influence of these particles, select individuals could now perform feats that had only existed in myth. They could control the elements, shaping water, fire, wind, and light with their thoughts and desires. It was a miracle no one had ever thought possible—a new glimmer of hope in the darkness that had enveloped them for so long.
Before long, these sorcerers became integral to underground society. Their abilities improved the quality of life for all. Those who could produce fire provided warmth and light, while those who controlled water ensured a steady supply of fresh water, even deep in the earth's most remote caves. The sorcerers who could accelerate plant growth revolutionized food production, making the underground farms more productive than ever before.
These miracles brought newfound hope to the people. They began to believe that perhaps, just maybe, there was a future where they could return to the surface. The sorcerers were seen as blessings, signs that humanity had not been completely forsaken. Despite the war that continued to rage above, there was now a flicker of optimism for those below.
However, this new power also raised concerns. The leaders of the underground communities began to question whether these abilities were truly a gift or another curse they didn't fully understand. There was fear that the magical energy, born from the war between angels and demons, could eventually draw the attention of those mighty forces. If the sorcerers grew too strong, might they inadvertently attract the attention of Heaven and Hell, bringing the war to the underground world that had, until now, remained hidden?
Despite these fears, the first generation of sorcerers became symbols of strength and hope. They helped humanity endure in the depths of the Earth, bringing light, life, and warmth to the silent underworld. The hope that had nearly vanished began to grow again. Even though the surface might have been irrevocably changed, the people underground found a new source of strength to continue their lives.
With their newfound powers, they were no longer just surviving—they were beginning to thrive. The sorcerers would become the foundation of a new human civilization, one born out of chaos and war but filled with hope and the wonders of magic, something they had never imagined before.
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