Rising: Ten Thousand Years Chapter 1

The First World War erupted on June 1914 when young Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, a.s.sa.s.sinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Against the escalating tensions happening within the curtains of Europe, the a.s.sa.s.sination would set off a chain of events that would lead to the beginnings of the first global war.

Military science developed rapidly. Humans proving themselves ingenious and adaptable when it came to finding various ways to maim and kill their enemies. Weapons evolved causing millions of casualties in four short years.

The Second World War began in the 1930s. Written on the ancient compendium, is a great opinionated divide between the Ancients of how the war began. Either it commenced when j.a.pan invaded Manchuria due to j.a.panese winning the Russo-j.a.panese War which left open doors for imperial expansion in Asia and the Pacific or the invasion of Poland in European nations.

The years after the first global war and prior to the second were a time of great economic instability. The Great Depression plunged the world into a worldwide recession and German leader, Hitler, capitalized on this economic decline and the deep Germanic resentment stemming from the Treaty of Versailles.

An average of 27,000 people would lose their life each day.

Military warfare would be brought over to the air and seas.

The Third World War… not much is recorded on the ancient compendium.

The Fourth World War took place on a newly formed calendar on the 26th year.

The main weapons used were spears and stones.

Year 10,000.

“The Third World War has become a mystery hidden in veil. Not much is known or written down. We have forgotten its beginnings and end. Instead, it became the dividing line of our history since man’s creation. We call the people prior to the Third World War as the Ancients who lived during the Ancient Times.

After the Third World War, a new form of calendar was developed by our ancestors, restarting the calendar to year zero.

When they struggled for survival; enemies became allies and banded together to resist against their common enemy, radiation. Our ancestors used roughly five thousand years to heal themselves from the trials and tribulations they’ve faced.

We have them to thank for. Cause if not for them who survived such cataclysmic event, it is highly possible our existence would cease to exist, but it is because of our ancestors that we are alive and healthy.

From the compendium, or as we call it the Ancient Book, we are able to learn of our history. A Golden Epoch. Nations after nations of advanced technology, efficient communication systems, where Ancients could travel here to there within short time, an era where their G.o.d once watched over from the high peacefully. How the Ancients managed to obtain such remarkable achievements, we do not know because ten thousand years later we are unable to recreate the Golden Epoch, a time where we were once proud people with all our grandeur and exalted accomplishments.

But there is something to be thankful for.

In ten thousand years, we have healed from all our sufferings and ache.

This is Introduction to World History.

The Ancient Times is widely known as the Golden Epoch. It was simply paradise. After the third great war, the new set of calendar was put to use. Our ancestors struggled to survive against this thing called radiation and ten thousand years we have now healed from the sufferings despite great adversity.

Be sure to study on this important key points.

That is all for our lesson today.

Cla.s.s dismissed.”

Kyushu Empire, Southeast Region, Hangzhou City.

The wind blew into a changed spirit, and died away into a zephyr. Bodies of sand covered the terrain, its distance vast and never-ending. Much of the earth barren and seemingly lifeless. Inhabitants are used to such desolate scenic environment since birth.

Long ago, the ancient compendium once described a utopia; plethora’s of clear blue water coated the sh.o.r.elines, forest greens enveloped the land, buildings erected as high as the heavens, diverse kinds of creatures filled the earth and walked alongside the Ancients, overabundance of natural resources, and a surplus supplies of food. It was a beautiful paradise…  but unfortunately, many are reluctant to believe in a safe haven and nothing more than mere fairy tales told to children of a land that once used to be.

However, not all believe the history of the Ancients are mere fairy tales but a phenomenon that once existed and if given the chance, could be recreated.

Within the corridors of Hangcheng High, students have their ears perked and listening attentively. Great minds alike, from the n.o.bility down to the poverty-stricken youths are gathered here.

Their hearts filled with colossal ambitions. Their souls in deep reverence of the Ancients and wis.h.i.+ng to revive the Golden Epoch, a proud and honored era.

They dreamed of a better dream and sought to make the dream a reality.

“Li Zhen, in our previous lessons I said to study on the key points of our last session. Do you remember what caused the sufferings of our ancestors after the Third World War, the dividing line of history?” The teacher questioned, his lips curved upwards and soft eyes warm and filled with adoration towards his pupils.

The students turned their heads with expecting eyes as they looked at Li Zhen. His body thin and undernourished, disheveled hair hanging loosely and gaunt face, a sign of hunger, but it cannot cloak those two pairs of deep s.h.i.+ning eyes.

Li Zhen stood from his seat and answered. “Nuclear.”

“Ahahhhah!”

The cla.s.s burst into laughter, their stomach in pain, surprised that a supposedly intelligent person privileged enough to attend school can make such asinine statements.

“Are you silly?”

“Li Zhen, what even is this thing called nuclear?”

“Foolish Li Zhen.”

“Which Ancient Book talks of such weapon? I’m reluctant to believe such thing called nuclear even exists. Aighhh, Li Zhen, could you be… are you hallucinating?”

“And what sort of weapon is that? Do you think us foolish?”

“Li Zhen, I feel embarra.s.sed… pfftt hhahaha! Embarra.s.sed for you!”

The teacher asked with curious eyes. “Li Zhen, would you care to elaborate?”

“Teacher, did you know nuclear weapons have the ability to cause the annihilation of our species? Our ancestors suffered from this, from nuclear radiation or what is known to us as radiation is the result of nuclear weapons. The Ancients designed a weapon capable of ma.s.s genocide ranging from the thousands. I believe they called them the atomic bomb… anyways, the Ancients made technological progress, a feat so remarkable we could not begin to imagine. And from this advancements of the Ancients, the atomic bomb evolved to something more potent and powerful. Ten thousand years ago, our ancestors suffered by the same weapon, only more dangerous.”

As Li Zhen clarified his answers in intricate details, the students ridicule ceased and threw their heads towards the front, their face flushed with peach and lips shut tight unsure of how to respond on a speech that could be described as nothing but intellectual.

The teacher adjusted his gla.s.ses, his heartbeat palpitating in excitement. Yes, this is the sort of thing he wished to occur in his cla.s.sroom.

A discussion of theories.

He could somewhat verify the legitimacy of Li Zhen’s answer.

The Ancient Books in his collection vaguely mentioned of some sort of ‘atomic’ weapons and such he could not arbitrarily reject his speech. The past is filled with numerous unsolved mysteries where many are in the pursuit of attempting to unearth the answers. It is likely Li Zhen had discovered an Ancient Book describing the ‘atomic’ weapon to such great degree.

Moments of silence pa.s.sed.

The teacher crossed his arms, brows furrowed in confusion pondering over his answers.

“This… then when the atomic bomb is released, what will be the effect and how would the world be affected? A specific pa.s.sage from one Ancient Book mentioned that when the world is a sea of fire, it is the sign of the Ancient’s G.o.d making an appearance to deliver its tribulations of their grievous sins. And so our ancestors suffered, the land once fertile with its chaos of green had become a barren desert. It is the popularized teachings of the historical accounts of the scorching flames the Ancients once experienced. Li Zhen, can you explain this?”

“Of course.”

Li Zhen did not hesitate. He stepped out of his desk and shuffled towards the podium, picked up the chalk, faced the students, and began to speak in an intelligible manner.

“In a conventional sense, an ordinary weapon of today does not have the capability and potential to bring about our destruction. Because of this, we are simply unable to fathom such dangers. We’ve not seen it. Teacher, currently the greatest weapon in our hands is the bomb, right? It can cause a violent explosion for a few meters, right?”

“Yes.” The teacher nodded. “50 years ago, a great scholar from the Imperial Society came across a blueprint from the time of the Ancients. 20 years ago, the top scientists and inventors across the world gathered at the center of the world and attempted to recreate what was in the blueprint. With the help of the Ancient Book, they discovered it to be a bomb. When the bomb is activated the explosion can spread to a radius of more than 10 meters square.”

“And the same nuclear sized weapon can destroy a city.”

“Impossible!”

“How could that be?”

“…”

The students cried in disbelief. Such concept to them seemed unimaginable. The Ancients creating a weapon capable of wiping out a city? Impossible! They flashed their heads towards the teacher for verification.

The teacher was stunned. His fingers twitched and soul an inner turmoil. He dictated a lifestyle based on a sense of rationale and solved problems with logic.

Based on Li Zhen’s answers, the Ancients did have the qualifications to compose weapons sufficient of causing the sufferings of his ancestors to last thousands of years. A weapon with ability to destroy the city? Not too far off!

The teacher’s fondness for the Golden Epoch grew deeper.

“How do you know this?”

Li Zhen pressed the chalk on the blackboard and wrote down nuclear fission.

“What is nuclear fission?”

“Ah… uhmm… lets see…” Li Zhen pressed his fingers on his temples pondering over how to answer such complex subject into a more basic term.

“Okay, so it contains atoms, a source of nuclear energy and is composed of a type of particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. Beyond this… I don’t know much of the specifics, but the basic principles is the splitting of a single atom into two or more atoms. Now imagine this, in a short amount of time, atoms can split from one singular atoms to millions or trillions even, and when they split, vast amounts of energy is released. When all those energies are released, a nuclear explosion occurs. The results are scorching hot temperature that could incinerate the land we walk on. We then suffer from nuclear exposure or nuclear radiation. Our ancestors suffered from this.”

The students widened their mouth. Li Zhen was this clever? No, he was a genius!

They watched with excitement.

E = mc2  was written on the board and rows of Arabic numerals.

2 * 2 = 4 * 4 = 16 * 16 = 256 * 256…

“Is this the formula for nuclear fission?”

“Not exactly but the formula E = mc2 and the geometric sequences written on the board has relations to nuclear fission.”

All heads looked at the teacher.

The teacher sighed and chuckled lowly. Never did he expect a youth with brains able to rival those from the Imperial Society to appear in such a small city.

“I once had the pleasure of reading an Ancient Book dating from year 100. The people at this time had more knowledge of the Ancients chronicle of events. They called it fission explosion. Neutrons and atoms were mentioned in the compendium as you said earlier but so far no one has been able to comprehend the compendium to an extent of full understanding. No one knows exactly how fission works or what is fission but… I think so far, your version is closest to the truth.”

Li Zhen nodded. “The world was destroyed by nuclear weapons.”

Clap. Clap. Clap. 

The students made a sincere applause, amazed and overwhelmed by the revelations they’ve learned. So, the Ancients was this powerful? Huh, no wonder. No wonder. No wonder they seemed like omnipotent beings, a legend of the legends.

Moreover, it was Li Zhen, a person whom they thought was garbage, the lowest of the low that they’ve learned of their past. What an erroneous mistake they’ve made.

Li Zhen walked down the podium and at this time, the school bell rang. The students crowded the door in a hurry while not forgetting to congratulate Li Zhen on the way.

“Li Zhen!” The teacher quickly shouted.

Li Zhen looked back and tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Where did you learn all this? From which Ancient Books?”

Li Zhen smiled awkwardly. “Someone told me.”

“Who?”

“My dreams.”