NOVEL WEB Chapter 1: The Awakening
The world had changed since Mira and her team’s narrow escape from The Nexus. Weeks had passed, but the echoes of that encounter still reverberated in their minds. The data they had retrieved from The Nexus had sparked international outrage, but the Obsidian Collective had already retreated further into the shadows, making it harder to track their next move.
In the aftermath of the summit, Mira found herself exhausted but unable to rest. The countdown to global disaster continued, and the Obsidian Collective was still out there, planning their next strike. The earthquake that was supposed to cripple the world's largest cities had been delayed, but not for long. The team had bought themselves some time, but it was running out fast.
At the coalition’s newly established headquarters in a remote, hidden location, Mira and her team regrouped. The atmosphere was a mix of urgency and quiet determination. They were preparing for the next phase of the mission.
Lila, tired but unyielding, poured over the encrypted data they had managed to recover. “There’s something here that doesn’t make sense,” she muttered, staring at her screen. “This encryption is… different. It’s like they’re trying to hide something bigger. Something we haven’t even scratched the surface of.”
Victor, standing by the large table in the center of the room, crossed his arms. “Bigger? We already know they’re planning to wipe out half the world’s population to create their ‘new order.’ What could be worse than that?”
Mira, who had been silent for the past few minutes, spoke up. “The Collective isn’t just planning disasters. They’re planning something… irreversible. It’s in the way they talk about ‘resetting’ the world. They’re not just looking to control the future—they’re trying to erase the past.”
Amir, who had spent his time since the summit studying ancient cultures and their relationship with the earth, looked up from the texts scattered across the floor. “They’re tapping into something primal,” he said. “Something old. The rituals, the disasters—it’s all part of a cycle. They’re using modern technology to harness ancient powers. If they succeed, the earth itself might never recover.”
The room fell silent.
“We need to figure out what they’re really after,” Mira said, breaking the stillness. “We need to stop them before they trigger something we can’t reverse.”