Act 1:
Earth
A planet occupied mostly by human beings
The rays of the rising sun began to bathe the imposing metropolis of Eden, the capital city of the planet Primal. The golden light entered through the windows, flooding the interiors, until it found the face of a young man in his early twenties. Fair skin, dark and messy hair, average height and a slim build, waking up to another ordinary day. Little did he know that this would be the day that would tear the monotony of his existence forever.
He got out of bed and got ready with the same automatic routine as always, crossing the narrow corridor of his small apartment to the kitchen. After preparing a quick meal, he took his first step outside. It was then that a glance at his watch froze him: he was late. His heart raced and he ran through the streets, his eyes absorbing the vastness of the city rising around him.
Humanity's technological advancement was undeniable, yet paradoxical. The buildings, houses, and monuments maintained a familiar aesthetic, but, looking up, the true marvel -- and the true division -- was revealed: colossal structures floated, suspended by platforms that defied gravity. In the background, a gigantic statue symbolized Justice, Liberty, and Democracy.
(Pff... Ironic), he thought, unable to contain his skepticism.
Progress was a broken mirror, reflecting only the gleam of war. Hospitals lacked resources, the streets showed infrastructural flaws, but weapons, military bases, and war transports were never in short supply. All for the bitter and selfish desire of a race that considered itself divine: humanity. Cruelty was the new currency, and the inequality between humanoids and aliens, an open and distressing wound. An alien spat on the street would be forced to applaud, to protect not only himself but his entire family from retaliation.
Focused on his goal, the young man realized with despair that his transport had left early. His only chance was to run to a stop four blocks ahead. It was then that he spotted a dark alley between two buildings – a perfect shortcut. Without hesitation, he plunged into the shadows.
Suddenly, a door to his left exploded outward. A humanoid-looking being, but with an extra arm, was thrown with brutal violence against the brick wall of the opposite building. The air left his lungs in a groan of agony.
"M-my... I'm sorry...", the alien stammered, holding his injured torso. "I couldn't find a job... I needed to eat... It's been almost four days..."
The aggressor emerged from the shadow of the establishment. A humanoid with four eyes -- two in the usual place and two above, cold and calculating. His voice was a growl of contempt.
"Whining won't fill your belly, you filthy pest. This isn't a charity, if you want to eat, pay. This is the third time you've stolen from me, I'm tired of it. I'm no saint to give handouts to alien bums."
He pulled a gun from his waist, the metallic barrel pointing directly at the hungry alien's head. The being's pupils dilated in pure terror, and his laments echoed in the dirty alley. It was then that the establishment owner's four eyes turned to our boy, who was paralyzed, frozen in place.
"Well...", the alien being spat, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "You're a perfect human, aren't you? Tell me, what should I do with this trash? Can I execute him? It's within my rights as a citizen and owner of this establishment. I worked hard to build this. I don't tolerate thieves."
Stunned. A thousand thoughts collided in his mind, a whirlwind of ethics, fear, and impotence. He had never been so close to the raw death of another being. He heard the alien's desperate sobs, saw his tears trace clean lines on his dirty face and tattered clothes. An epic battle raged in his soul.
(I don't... want him to die!)
(I don't want this monster to think I'm not man enough!)
(I don't want to see him go hungry!)
(Why won't my legs move?)
(Why won't my mouth open!?)
(WHY AM I SHAKING!?)
"...Don't..."
A shot echoed, dry and final.
One less alien in the world. One less innocence in his mind.
He averted his gaze, desperately trying to ignore the void opening in his chest, and went on his way. The restaurant owner holstered his weapon and went back inside, without a drop of remorse.
The transport ride was an eternity of deafening silence. His mind, an empty echo of that single unspoken word.
(What if I had said 'No'? What if I had stepped in? What if...?)
He reached his destination: a monumental skyscraper, the tallest in Eden, hovering hundreds of meters above the ground. He entered the pale building like a ghost, without uttering a single word, and headed to the locker room. *Masayoshi: Head Chef*, read the small plaque on his apron. It was early, and his colleagues were having coffee, preparing for an executive lunch that would serve the city's rich and powerful elite.
As he selected, cut, and prepared vegetables, his mind wouldn't stop. It was an infinite loop of horror and regret.
(You could have prevented it! You should have stopped it! Why didn't you say anything?? Why didn't you run!? WHY!? WHY------)
A moment of carelessness. The sharp blade of the knife found his flesh, and a thin trickle of blood ran from his finger. Beside him, Ryan, a tall, slender friend from the same culinary class, put a hand on his shoulder.
"Go outside and get some air, Masa. I'll cover your part. Don't forget to grab one of the oxygen canisters... the air is thin out there. Man... you're paler than usual."
Staggering, "Masa" climbed the stairs, grabbed one of the air pumps, and heavily opened the door to the service deck. The strong wind hit his face. From up there, he could see the whole city: the floating buildings, the ant-like people, the houses... the hunger. A gray world. A boring world. A profoundly unjust world.
"I wonder... is this more common than I imagine?", he whispered into the void. "Why do people... even though they are so similar... still fight so much? Why do they care so much about differences?"
It was then that he saw it. A shooting star, tearing through the daytime sky with a tail of purple and red fire. It was hypnotically beautiful. But, in an instant, almost as if obeying its own will, the meteor altered its trajectory. It was no longer a distant spectacle. It was coming straight for him.
Masayoshi didn't panic. The building had protective shields. Nothing could penetrate them.... Or so he thought.
The light moved with inconceivable speed, passing through the energy barrier as if it didn't exist -- as if the immaterial scorned the material... And then, it hit him squarely.
It wasn't a physical impact, but an absorption. The light fused with him.
And then... he was alive. But his eyes burned with an incandescent red. His body was a crucible, his body temperature spiking in unbearable agony. He groaned, bending over in pain, as his body entered a frantic metamorphosis, his form oscillating, transforming and untransforming in a matter of seconds. He thrashed about, coming dangerously close to the edge of the building. Until the ground beneath his feet... simply ended.
Gravity, merciless, reclaimed his body.
As he fell in free fall, a voice resonated inside his skull, not as a sound, but as a crushing presence, ancient and infinitely evil.
"You... are different. Why do you resist so much? This world... what is it? What made it this way? Hmm... It is perfect. Perfect for someone to rule it. Perfect... for me."
Inside his mind, two consciousnesses collided, two wills waging a cosmic war for control of a single, fragile human body. Masayoshi's mind was weak, his body, even weaker....He was still falling...There would be a safety barrier!... Ah. It failed...Again.
Outdated but still useful security robots emerged from the platforms, their jets propelling towards him to capture him. But Masayoshi was agonizing, his eyes vomiting a red heat so intense he could barely see. Instinctively, his right arm rose. A divine and internal force, that red charge of absolute power, coursed through his veins, from his face to the palm of his raised hand.
A blade of pure energy, red as the fury of a dying sun, formed in the air and shot out. It was so fast and subtle his eyes didn't capture it. All he saw were the security robots, silently sliced in half, their carcasses exploding in a rain of metal and sparks.
"What... what was that? How did that happen? I don't want to die... My God... how??"
The voice inside him answered, now with a perverse and calculating interest.
"...Interesting. I have never been able to manifest like this... Why can you?"
"What?? I don't know! I don't know what's happening! I didn't even know I could do that... but it doesn't matter anymore... I should have stopped it... I should have run..."
The ground rushed up to meet him. The impact was an explosion of concrete and dust, a crater marking his potential grave.
But behold, he stood up. Not as a man who survived a fatal fall, but as a god who scorns the laws of physics. He got to his feet as if he had merely fallen out of bed. Something inside him had changed....Fundamentally...Forever.
Unable to process it, his brain simply... shut down.
The darkness was total.
An absolute void.
.
.
.
.
The sun's rays begin to illuminate the metropolis of Eden, as the light enters the houses, a young man with fair skin, just over 20 years old, dark and messy hair, now tall stature with an athletic and powerful physique, awakens.
Haven't we seen this before...?
He gets up, his movements now laden with a grace and a latent strength. He crosses the narrow corridor of his small apartment. Upon reaching the kitchen... he is not alone.
A colossal being waited. His skin was like gray granite, his garments were armor of a menacing design. An aura of pure evil, of absolute tyrant, took over the place, making the air feel heavy and the ordinary world, fragile.
The entity spoke, its voice a deep thunder that echoed not through the ears, but through Masayoshi's very soul.
"Sit down."
The young man, now transformed, looked on in astonishment, but a part of him -- a new and dark part -- felt not fear, but... recognition. He obeyed, sitting at the table.
"Let's talk. Tell me more about this world... how it became like this."
Masayoshi observed that aura of primordial power, and a chill that was not fear, but a cosmic premonition, ran down his spine.
The entity leaned forward, its red eyes glowing with infinite intelligence and cruelty.
"Forgive me. Where are my manners?" He said, his voice a soft roar laden with threat. "I am Darkseid. And I will be the one to bring total domination to this universe."