Chapter Text
On the note of the past epidemic that brought us to the present date, a cloud went off. A gaseous cloud swept a city, spreading throughout the world’s atmosphere and causing mutations and, at first for many, developmental defects. Who really knows the intentions that it had that fell on the people that day? Was it planned? Was it an accident that was released, much like a natural cloud, accumulated before it rained and swept through the streets like a foggy mist? Was there something in the forces of nature that somehow created this on its own and not generated to alter the course of time? At first, it caused unbelievable horrors. Insanity boils minds and hives prickled skin and throats, some couldn’t breathe, and some couldn’t do more than twitch as it entered their bloodstream. Some thought it was the beginning of an apocalypse, others believed that governments conspired to take out the weaker, and the poorer. People helped fill online forums sweep with outlandish ideologies full of speculation that soon spread to the streets in whispers on what could have transpired that day and every day before leading up to that day with the mysterious mist, and fearful ponders of what to do with their time in the liminal unknown they found themselves living in.
No one could have anticipated what came to be from that day. Humanity morphed and atrophied into a future generation of new capabilities that could only be understood as a comic-turned-reality state of existence we live with and have turned into a commonplace full of excitement and strange buzz. Heroics is well known now as a mix of politics, special evolution, eventual development towards space exploration, and a response to demands of mortality expansion of our species, thus impacting morality and our current ethical climate, and even businesses and laws considered under scrutiny, appraisal, and public safety in response to heroism that arose from these newfound abilities. It's a hot topic since it's only been around a couple of decades in the beginning, still even now, and job fields worldwide open up supporting markets, study fields, and discussions everywhere always, and overall interest in this development grew like a virus upon world-spread understanding. A wonder, a fear, an opportunity for so many. Or a plight, even. A hot commodity for most intergalactic societies upon our first surviving blast off into the cosmos deemed a true success, we soon connected with other worlds, and collaborated ideas and efforts. Think like a new kind of gold rush. Decades built up, revolutionizing science fiction and fantasy become reality sort of gold rush. In fact, its development in a succession of popular media and cultural genres since the dawn of time, to this day is utilized as a glimmer of hope for those with new capabilities to contribute to society and those in support to do their part to progress humanity through heroism. Those seemingly unaffected by the mist all those years ago are often employed or taken on as support in the ongoing discussion and progression of heroics, whatever sect they were deemed fit to aid in the new future to come. The new tool or quality of humanity as well as supportive aids as a conduit to that force for humanity. Who wouldn't want to have their namesake honored forever, to follow a noble tradition, to transcend the former possibilities of life, to be larger than life, to follow their favorite childhood heroes' footsteps; fictional or not, and to virtually become immortalized beyond their extensive life and, for some, near-immortality?
Earth's remembered for, and by proxy, humans have played an idyllic role in our fascination that has sparked a level of inspiration for this new future once our stories reached new, uncharted spheres. Not as though we were the only ones with these tales, fables, and legends; sharing these stories showed the opposite. Their own stories of heroes and villains spurred much like ours, but these optimistic and hopeful stories; similar to our own species as a whole, captivated minds and some of the hearts to make science fiction and fantasy, fact, and reality as we see it today further outstretched. Inspiring other species to look at their capabilities as a commodity towards the greater good and using their elevated skills to further means of intergalactic evolution or even personal evolution. As a result of some of history passed, several and many colonies and planets forego resource depletion in the wake of other areas growing, loss of some funds where others gain more, revolution and devastation, apocalypse by nature, or poor decisions made through special impact, mere fading out of memory, and other forms of obsoletion of homes inhibited. Earth, sadly, falls under this category today but time has dismissed classical textbook perception of memory as colonization pursues and the outreach of humanity spreads despite more limited lifespans and despite our simplicity. Though we are still appreciated with a sense of admiration and novelty for the hopes we paved. Earth will not be removed from memory, but still be held in high regard even if the planet no longer lingers, the impact of those generations, and the species are seen as an admirable addition to the collective history of existence widespread.
And with this, begins the crystallization of humanity's impact in the grander scheme of the cosmos, proven to be somewhat endearing as a species, not quite the brightest all around, but always striving for the future to shine brighter than the ideas we've conjured. To illuminate more than the pictures we print. To paint the worlds with more color than what we prescribe and code based on our ocular perception. Though some spectrums were blown wider and our dim reality showed to grow with it for most, it's always been a test and testament time and time again to see if we can learn what's already been learned. To see if we can handle the fire we comprehend. To weigh our chances and choices with our hope of stretching our fingertips to the edges of the universe. Only time can tell whether our wishes and our payment of the blood and lives of those days when Earth was still breathing and coughing with us are enough to justify where we've gone, what we do now, and where we might go from here with new species; friend and foe alike. Only time can tell what the mist had done to our souls, too.