Watch Me Rise

Prologue: Watch Me Sink

Author's note: All credit for the title goes to the amazing hardcore punk band, Have Heart. I'd like for readers to picture this as an anime and comic book influenced cartoon.

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Prologue: Watch Me Sink

Later in the early 21st Century, mankind had just reached a new breakthrough in the forms of technological advancement and ideas, akin to a modern Renaissance. Society had been raised to a high level of standards that was previously unheard of. In a turn of events that seemed impossible, humanity, a little less sinful, came together and celebrated in their greater unity. Worldwide peace, excluding communist countries, seemed as if it were just out of reach, inching closer with every passing year. Unfortunately, this new height would only truly serve as a higher point from which to fall.

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New York City - Times Square - December 31, 2022

Time Square was the most alive it would be all year. It was New Years Eve and the infectious atmosphere of celebration was unconquerable, as was every year. Everyone was on top the world, arm in arm, unselfishly sharing the feelings of accomplishment and elation. The New Year's Eve Celebration was in full swing as everyone was preparing to watch the ball drop, signaling the start of another year.

In homes and streets all across the world, people celebrated in similar fashion, while others watched their televisions eagerly and enjoyed the company of family and friends. It would not last.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the world was about to change forever as the New Year approached...

The crowd waited anxiously as the ball finally began to drop and the last seconds of the old year ticked away, honoring the time-old tradition of counting down the final moments.

The whole world chanted in unison, "Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

At last, the giant ball in New York dropped to the bottom... and the power went out, casting the city into darkness. The massive crowd only celebrated for a few seconds, beginning to murmur among themselves, wondering what was going on.

Suddenly, there was a feint rumble in the distance, which eventually evolve into the sound of a great, deafening explosion, and a great tidal wave of multi-colored energy swept through the whole city, bathing everything and everyone in a strange energy. Sporadic sound waves and frequencies followed. Children cried as they were lost in the sudden commotion. Select buildings began to collapse. The world was thrown into a hostile stream of consciousness.

People began screaming and pushing each other, trying to get out of the way, many people getting trampled underfoot. Self-preservation reared it's head, exposing everyone for the corruptible human beings they always were. But eventually, the energy got to them all. However, just as soon as it came, the energy wave was gone, disappearing without a trace.

The energy swept past, some of the living beings caught in the energy wave - human, plant and animal alike - began to change in a variety of ways such as growing larger, sprouting extra limbs, shedding skin, and, in some cases, even bursting into flames or spontaneously dying, causing the crowds, all around the earth, to panic more.

And now, there was violence and looting, a good number of them being newly-transformed people.

Sirens wailed through the air as pillars of smoke rose from the wreckage, as a night of joyous celebration turned into a terrible, worldwide catastrophe. And this was only the beginning.

The world would watch itself sink further and further….

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One Week Later