"It's not the dark we fear… but what resides within it."
Chapter 1
The year was 3099, April 5th.
The city blazed with endless lights, its colossal towers piercing through the clouds as humanity flourished alongside its rapidly advancing technology. Neon advertisements shimmered across the sky while streams of hovering vehicles drifted between the buildings like rivers of light.
As I stood beneath one of the towering skyscrapers, gazing upward in awe, a voice suddenly startled me from behind.
"Surprise! Hey, Nazu — it's been a while!"
An uncontrollable smile spread across my face.
"Suze…? That's unexpected. It's been so long. What have you been up to?"
It had been months since I last saw her. She had traveled abroad for advanced studies, yet somehow, she looked completely different now — more mature, more confident.
"I recently found a job," she said proudly. "I'm an astronaut."
The moment those words left her lips, a heavy weight settled in my chest.
In this era, becoming an astronaut was no longer impossible. The barriers to entry had become incredibly low, and the profession was in high demand. But despite that… it was still dangerous.
"Wait… what?" I frowned. "Why would you become an astronaut? In the Republic of Sanjose, everyone knows the truth. Anyone who has ever traveled beyond the clouds has never returned. The government labels every mission as a tragedy… or a failure."
Suze responded with only a faint smile, and somehow, that expression irritated me even more.
"To be honest, Nazu…" she said softly, "I've always been fascinated by mysteries. Even after all these years — even with technology evolving beyond imagination — we still know almost nothing about what exists beyond the clouds. Our hands and eyes are filled with digital screens every second of the day, yet all we truly know are the sun, the moon, and the stars."
As she spoke, something dark began stirring deep inside me.
Jealousy.
All my friends had reached incredible heights while I remained stuck in place. I dropped out of school. I never attended university. I barely had enough money to survive. The worst part was constantly lying to people just to comfort my own selfish decisions and failures.
"Nazu… are you okay?" Suze asked, concern visible across her face.
I forced a smile.
"I'm fine. I'm just happy for you."
"Oh…"
A sharp beep interrupted her. Startled, Suze glanced to the side as a digital notification flashed across her eye implants.
"Sorry, Nazu. I've got a call. I'll catch up with you later."
Before I could reply, she hurried away into the crowd.
I watched silently, surprised by how brief the conversation had been. Suze had always loved talking for hours. As I waved goodbye, I began walking through the glowing streets alone.
The sun shone brightly overhead, reflecting against the endless glass towers.
Not far ahead, a man stood on a platform shouting toward a gathering crowd, recruiting explorers for the Ocean of Serpents — a place infamous for being as deadly as its name suggested.
Not a single person had ever survived its waters.