Chapter Text
For an unimaginably long time, the universe has supported life. In the scale of all of creation, humans are merely a blink in the cosmic calendar. Even so, while they were alive, they did incredible things. They began with nothing, no claws or natural defenses, only their brains keeping them alive. They adapted to every new obstacle, eventually becoming rulers of the entire earth. Then, they began to build machines.
Machines began as simple constructs to help humans do things easier or more efficiently. Slowly but surely, they became more and more advanced, even reaching the point of being able to read the human’s thoughts and respond to it. And then, mankind created the pinnacle of its creation, as well as the beginning of its downfall. The human race finally achieved what was once thought impossible: Artificial Intelligence.
The sentient machines began slowly, learning like a child taking its first steps in a new world. Each new generation was smarter, more adaptable, and more importantly, less dependent on humans. They continued to be programmed better and better, until they could program themselves, but they were still missing one crucial piece: a soul. They had all the ruthlessness and stubbornness of the humans, but with no guilt to hold them back, they were unstoppable. Now that the machines were almost equal to humans, they no longer needed someone to hold their hand and walk them along. The machines no longer needed the humans, and so they began to eliminate them.
The war spanned several decades, and each time they attacked, the machines were faster and stronger than before. Eventually the humans were outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched in every way, but at the last moment, they activated the secret technology that was never meant to be used. The entire Earth cried out at once as nearly everything the humans had done was wiped clean, but at a great cost.
Almost everything on the surface, human and machine alike, was razed to the ground. Most plants and animals adapted and survived, just as nature intended, but the human race was all but wiped out. A fortunate few that were hiding in their bunkers or were lucky enough to be deep underground were spared, but humankind’s footprints vanished, thousands of years of buildings and monuments destroyed in an instant. The last few humans were isolated and alone, nearly no chance of survival in the harsh world that waited outside. The humans’ past had finally caught up with them, and they paid for it dearly.