Humanity has evolved from one of the most insignificant organisms to the dominant species on Earth. According to various sources, humans are defined by a unique combination of biological, cognitive, and cultural characteristics. These include complex language, abstract thought, self-awareness, empathy, tool usage, and the ability to pass down culture through generations.
According to Darwin, we share ancestry with other animals—particularly primates. He emphasized that humans evolved through natural selection, and that both our physical and mental characteristics have been shaped by that process over time.
---
Linus snapped out of unconsciousness. Blinking rapidly, he looked around and realized he was inside a pristine white room. There were no windows. Only a bed—the one he lay on.
Panic welled up inside him.
He sat up abruptly, scanning the space in confusion. His clothes had changed. He now wore a white shirt and matching pants. Beside the bed was a pair of spotless white shoes.
Fighting through a pounding headache, he slowly put on the shoes and stumbled toward the door. It had no handle. Only a square window allowed him to peek outside. Beyond it, he could see a long, white corridor—sterile and empty. Across the hall, another door was visible, though the room beyond it was dark.
He returned to the bed and sat down, glancing around for any clue, but the room was empty. Just him and the walls.
Time passed—he couldn't tell how long—but then he heard it: footsteps. Multiple footsteps echoing down the corridor. Hope surged in him. He leapt to his feet and pressed his face to the glass.
"Hey! Hey! Is someone there?!" he yelled.
No one responded. The sound of boots gradually faded into silence.
He sighed and leaned back. Then, something caught his eye.
Across the hallway, a shadow disappeared behind the dark room's door. He couldn't tell if it was male or female, but one thing was certain—he wasn't alone.
Glank!
The sudden clatter jolted Linus. He turned toward the door and noticed a tray had been slid through a panel near the floor. It held a plate of food, a bowl of multicolored pills, a glass of water, and a small bottle of fruit juice.
There was a note.
"Eat. Drink. Sleep," it read.
He stared at the door suspiciously, picked up the tray, and carried it back to his bed.
---
"When do we identify someone with mental complexity?" asked a doctor, adjusting his glasses. He sat across from a figure whose face remained hidden in shadow. Their voice was neutral and difficult to place—neither clearly male nor female.
"You need to understand," the individual began, "mental complexity isn't the same as mental illness. Mental health conditions can often be diagnosed and treated. Mental complexity, however... it's something else entirely. Often, even the individual isn't aware of it. It manifests at unexpected moments—sometimes beneficial, sometimes dangerous."
They leaned forward.
"Those with mental complexity think differently from others. They're divergent. Outliers. Their minds function in ways society isn't prepared to handle. They might seem strange—but in extreme situations, it's often those people who survive the longest."
The doctor moved a chess piece forward and tapped the clock.
"How is this experiment supposed to help us preserve what's left of our future?" he asked skeptically.
"That," the figure replied, moving the queen into a checkmate position, "depends entirely on how the subjects respond to crisis."
A pause.
"Has it already begun?"
The doctor looked at his watch, expression unreadable.
"It has," he said flatly.
---
Linus's eyes snapped open.
Alarms blared around him. Red warning lights flashed down the corridor, bathing the sterile walls in color.
Swoosh!
The door suddenly opened. He staggered back, stunned. Beyond it stretched a long corridor. To his left and right, more doors opened in unison.
Breathing heavily, Linus took a cautious step forward. Then he saw her.
A girl stepped out from the opposite room. She had dark brown hair, amber eyes, and a lean, athletic build despite her petite frame. She looked to be around 17 or 18.
But Linus didn't have time to focus on her. One by one, more doors opened, and people began stepping out into the corridor—old and young, infants in arms, teens, and adults alike. All wore the same expression: confusion, fear.
Whispers started. Panic grew.
"Where are we?!"
"Is this a prison?!"
"What's happening?!"
"Someone tell us what's going on!"
"I was just on my way home… how did I get here?!"
"No windows… are we underground?!"
"Are they drugging us?! What are these pills?!"
Despite the chaos, an unspoken understanding began to take hold—staying in place was not an option. They had to move.
Linus took the first step forward.
He walked past the frightened captives. His steps were slow at first, but as he saw a bright light at the end of the corridor, urgency filled him. He began running, pushing past several people in his way.
The light swallowed him.
---
He emerged into a vast plaza—larger than a football field. Everything looked advanced, like something pulled from a sci-fi film. Polished metal, artificial light, floating screens. In the center stood a sleek, high-tech altar of unknown origin. It didn't look human. A transparent screen projected a holographic 4D cartoon of a dancing bunny. It was whimsical—completely out of place in the cold, sterile atmosphere. No one laughed. No one watched.
Soon, the brown-haired girl joined Linus. Then others poured in. People kept coming from multiple directions as more doors opened in the distance.
Thirteen entrances in total. Thirteen groups of confused, disoriented people emerged into the plaza.
Linus, overwhelmed, stepped away from the growing crowd and rushed toward one of the giant transparent walls enclosing the space. His breath hitched.
His hands trembled as he touched the glass. His heart pounded.
Outside—beyond the glass—the city was in ruins.
Collapsed buildings, broken highways, smoke pillars rising into the air.
Behind him, murmurs began.
"Where… where are we?"
"Oh my God… is that… is that outside?"
"No... no, this can't be real."
A boy nearby whispered the question on everyone's mind:
"Why is the city in ruins?"
And silence fell.
No one had an answer.