Entropy

WG| Chapter XI: Billions of Years

Part 2: The Great Heat

Two million years have passed since the first settlement. Their greatest challenge came from this first extinction event. Verantuvia's core and mantle layers were extremely unstable. There were no tectonic plates to recycle the heat and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus, magma built up beneath the crust within a large range. The first sign of the upcoming catastrophe was the rising earthquakes. The geysers in Jurusai erupted frequently and the water's temperature increased. Juruians suffered burns and had to wait to bathe. They grab buckets of water and let it set until comfortable temperature before using a cloth to wash their skin and hair. That wait time increased as the event drew near.

"Something must be goin' on here," Seril said worriedly, "My people are getting burned."

"The planet is still somewhat young compared to all other planets in the universe," Cocoa replied, "Maybe it's going into another phrase?"

"Should we ask the other Gods, Cocoa?"

"Relax, Seril, it'll pass by soon."

"It doesn't hurt to ask the other Gods."

Gaeriscelleh reported tremors.

Teketa reported tremors as well.

Ferilocks reported nothing.

Evanity reported higher ocean temperatures, killing aquatic life. They also reported earthquakes.

Phirus reported minor tremors.

Two weeks after the first report, acres of land became barren and hot. It reeked in sulfur. Most of the spots covered Evanity, Jurusai, and Gaeriscelleh.

"Most of the islands have blackened. There's little plant life sufficient enough to feed my people," Lady of All Kind said, "We should prepare for what happens next. When it's over, we need to revise this planet."

The lack of transportation made Evanity unable to escape what happened next. Gaeriscelleh's people tried to send boats, but it took them more than a week to get to Evanity. A week later, a mantle plume split the crust into large areas, covering large layers of lava. Evanity was destroyed quickly and the people perished. Those who stuck around in Jurusai died instantly. Bracus ordered an evacuation the moment the large patches of blackened land started to form, but his evacuation was not large enough to avoid the lava flows, causing Gaerisians to flee in a hurry with many dying in the process. Ash had fallen on all sides of the world. The Gods' empires only covered half of the planet due to Verantuvian being considered a Mega-Earth by its size. This was only the beginning of the end.

Over the next 7 million years, lava continued to erupt. Temperatures rose around thirteen degrees celsius, killing life all around the globe. Gaeriscelleh's trees died off, Evanity was no longer conquering small islands. Land formed from the flood basalt. It didn't matter at all; Evanity was extinct already. Oceans turned acidic. Teketa suffered from the rising temperatures. Their bodies began to malfunction. Their skin was not turning into a wooden texture, so they migrated north. Lava flows did reach them, but they were able to get out of the way. Ferilocks experienced avalanches and flooding from the rising temperatures. The people weren't used to the heat wave.

Even when the lava stopped erupting, toxic gasses leaked onto the surface for another 2 million years. They were released from the dying waters as well. The only immunity to toxic air was the Teketa. The rest of them experienced major respiratory problems and suffocation. By the time this extinction had drawn to a close, 98.25% of life species were dead. 95% of the people perished. There were 28 million people on Verantuvia before the event started. Hence, less than 1.5 million Verantuvians survived. Their lifespan decreased decently .

Evanity was extinct. The Lady of All Kind stayed and rebuilt another.

Teketa survived. Netedinark stayed.

Gaeriscelleh's people survived, but land was destroyed. Bracus stayed to help.

Jurusai was extinct. Cocoa and Seril left the planet.

Phirus survived only by a thread. Ablen stayed.

Ferilocks have survived. Forgison remained.

The Forgison and Lady of All Kind revised the planet, creating tectonic plates to decrease the chances of the extinction event. They made the surviving species stay inland as the planet recovered and changed before spreading back out again. This process occurred over the next 100 million years. There were now two very large continents on Verantuvia: Ylith and Rini. One in front and one in back of the planet. The Gods are on Ylith, the smaller one.

Gaeriscelleh settled near a very large peninsula northeast of Ylith, six times the size of Italy. A thick, dense, and moist forest covered the peninsula. Storms were common there, yet hurricanes were rare. Hurricanes were three times stronger than the most powerful hurricanes on Earth.

Phirus returned to the southern region, but the place is now a desert from the tectonic plates. They have to adapt to the dryer climate with different animals. Lady of All Kind created small ponds for the convenience for Ablen, so plants could grow.

Teketa settled east of Gaeriscelleh. Their region is covered in sturdy trees, but not as heavy as Gaeriscelleh. They used those trees as support for their large hives. Three to five hives can be built on the same trees.

Ferilocks stayed in the northern mountains. They were able to recover homes destroyed and casualties.

Evanity was built where Jurusai once was, but there were no longer geysers and was filled mostly with the ocean. It was closer to other empires. Tropical and fertile plains live among those lands.

They are still living in these territories after all these years.