MTLNOVEL Chapter : Prologue
The wind, a restless banshee, howls across the Fractured Continent, whipping sand from the Whispering Dunes into a blinding frenzy. Here, beneath a dark sky perpetually stained with the aftershocks of the Cataclysm, the scars of a shattered world run deep. Jagged mountain ranges pierce the clouds, their peaks piercing the underbelly of massive storms. Once-lush forests writhe in agony, their vibrant hues replaced by a palette of decay and thorns. The remnants of pre-Cataclysm civilization lie scattered like broken teeth – grand cities reduced to skeletal monuments, monuments to a forgotten time.
Generations have toiled in the shadow of this devastation. Humanity, a fractured reflection of its former glory, clings to survival in this harsh new reality. Powerful Guilds, like the Barterers with their network of spies and trade routes snaking across the continent, have risen to prominence, facilitating the flow of scavenged goods and fragments of forgotten knowledge of an era long gone. Fierce Legions, each with their own unique culture and agendas, vie for territory and resources. The Children of the Storm, their bodies etched with lightning tattoos, revere the destructive power of the Cataclysm and wield salvaged electrical devices as weapons. The Iron Veins, Dwarven survivors driven from their subterranean cities by monstrous incursions, offer their unmatched skills in tunnel warfare and explosives to the highest bidder.
Ideologies clash like titans in a never-ending struggle. The Solar Dominion, a decaying echo of the pre-Cataclysm empire, clings to a fading dream of rebuilding a centralized, authoritarian society. Their iron-fisted rule extends from fortified outposts, a stark contrast to the Freeborn, who operate from hidden bases scattered throughout the wastelands. These rebels, inspired by the legendary Cyrus the Shepherd, fight for a decentralized, egalitarian society where all are free, a stark contrast to the Dominion's rigid hierarchy.
In the swirling chaos of this fractured world, whispers of forgotten legends dance on the wind, carried on the backs of dust devils and sung by the mournful howl of mutated beasts. Tales of Anya Ironheart, the peerless hunter whose courage and skill in navigating the treacherous wastelands remain unmatched, inspire a generation of scavengers and explorers. General Tiberius, the brilliant strategist whose loyalty may have wavered in the face of the Dominion's corruption, is a figure shrouded in both admiration and suspicion.
But whispers can be as deceiving as the mirages shimmering on the horizon. The Heretic, an enigmatic figure who delved too deep into the secrets of the Gates, may hold the key to unlocking humanity's psionic potential, or bring about its doom. The Ghost, a spectral warrior who vanished after purging demonic incursions from the wastelands, leaves behind questions of their true nature and the ever-present threat of demonic forces clawing their way into the world from beyond the Gates.
This is a world where the past whispers in the ruins of shattered cities, where the future hangs in the balance, a prize coveted by both the righteous and the depraved. It's a world where fortune awaits the bold, the cunning, and the desperate in the unforgiving embrace of the Fractured Continent.