End of Ends
No one saw it coming, not this way. All of the prophets, all of the clergy and seers, they all had it wrong. The end came without warning, striking the whole of the world in disaster. In the sky, at each corner of the planet, appeared four gates, and, above it all, emerged the Higher Power. With one command, all the souls of the just and righteous were brought to the white gate, granted salvation. In another, the vile and wicked were sent into the black gate, doomed to torment. Upon opening the red gate, the universe as a whole was taken in, physical being having no meaning at the end of days. However, to her dismay, some still remained on the Earth. They were the fence-sitters, those too good to be damned yet too evil to be saved. In a decision that could not be told as either compassionate or vengeful, they were spared from any fate. They had chosen neither side, only to live, and this is what they would be given. With the stars, Sun, and Moon ripped from the heavens, only the blue orb remained adrift in the void, bathed in a dim, cold light from an unknown origin, and this she left to be, never to return to it. There was still a fourth gate left, however, colored green. Behind it lied the ungodly forces sealed away from the Higher Power's creations, born from the darkness and fear within their hearts. With her divine presence removed from the forgotten world, the imprisonment was lifted, and the world was to be shared by all those who denied her.
The world was left in turmoil. Disaster struck, most of it laid in ruins or fire. Bodies piled, whether from the events or the hopelessness or madness that followed. Very few found the strength to carry on as things were, not with knowing what had happened. Factions were quick to form. Upon the demise of any moral watch keeper up high, several abandoned any decency they once had, whether or not they showed reserve previously, and took to greedy pillaging among the chaos, killing and raping in their path. They only saw survival of the fittest and aimed to be on top. The few religious that stayed true, dubbed Jobs after the Biblical figure, held the belief that this was merely a test to see who would keep faith in the most dire of times. They stayed true to the Old Code and were the only to count a sin as a wrong in the time that came to be. Deserving of their judgement, some saw no change to how to live and just lived on. These indifferent filled the husks of cities left behind and carried on how they thought things ought to have been. Rather than just accept it, a slim few saw the catastrophe as an opportunity and tried to learn from it. They studied the new world and analyzed how it came to be, some seeking a way to make it whole again. The boundaries of traditional physics was broken as the occult and scientific crossed and melded into one. Some used this course for the sake of learning or betterment. Others used it to try to become the new gods.
Regardless of affiliation, all thought that the events had passed and the world would heal itself in time. However, their troubles had only begun. It became apparent quickly that the departure from above would affect their lives. In particular, life itself. Nothing was born, from humanity to the lowest of animals. Not even plants sprouted seeds. There was no soul, no spirit, to be bestowed, and life would not be. Many species that had not yet perished did, and even humanity was on the brink. This epidemic lasted seven years, but then suddenly resided. Few questioned the phenomenon, but the shrewd few that remained made note of it. The Jobs cried out against the newly born as well, claiming them to be devils. Both were mocked until time came to pass, and the truth was seen. The new progeny, of man or beast, were, indeed, different. Some of it was minor, a slight change in color, yet other times extreme, such as extra appendages. Most commonly, however, the changes could not be seen until they were invoked.
The end of eternity was only the beginning...
