The Great Reset

In the Wake of Stars

What was once a great and civilized world had been reduced to rubble, its remains long buried under a thick layer of dust, hiding the extensive long history that humans had once made. Shooting stars, symbols of hope, and fortune now instill fear in the few people who survived. Humanity has been sent back to the Stone Age, leaving no trace of the sophisticated beings they once were. Scattered across a vast and desolate world, humans lost touch with one another, and civilization fragmented, developing in isolation.

In this vast land, a group of people cling to survival, believing themselves to be the remnants of a bygone era. Though thousands of years have passed, the world remains cold, with few forests and even fewer tribes inhabiting them. Hidden within the depth of a vibrant yet cold forest is a small tribe, with a population that does not exceed five hundred. Inhabiting the village of Heaven Pillar, named after its founder, Astraeus, believed to be one of the titans who held up the sky as it threatened to fall; the tribe alongside their customs clung to survival.

...

Zarek sat at the edge of his pit, tightly wrapped in furs to fend off the biting cold. His pit was modest, dug into the ground, and lined with animal hides and scavenged materials. Wooden beams reinforced the walls, and a small fire crackled in a stone hearth at the center, providing the much needed warmth. Above, a wooden roof covered the pit, with a small opening to let out smoke.

Villagers moved about, tending to their needs... a sense of unease hanging over the settlement. They wore rough leather garments, stitched together from the hides of hunted animals. Their expressions ranged from weary determination to quiet desperation, reflecting the harshness of their lives. From his secluded spot, Zarek observed them, his mind drifting to the world beyond their small village.

Having always been an outcast, shunned since birth due to a shooting star spotted during the day he was born. He was friendless and isolated despite being the sun on an elder. Yet it didn't bother him too much. He found joy in studying the plants and animals of the cold forest they lived in, his pit filled with sketches and samples of his findings. On some rare occasions, he would even manage to collect some of the intriguing items the warriors brought back from their expeditions, each piece a small treasure in his lonely world.

"I wonder what the old world was like," Zarek mused aloud to himself, tracing the lines of a dried wooden block with his finger. "Were there really titans that held up the sky? Did people live without fear of the cold and hunger?... it's a mystery!!"

...

Away from Zarek, and in one of the larger communal pits near the village center, his stepmother, Nara, and her father, the village healer and fortune teller, whispered quietly. Nara's eyes gleamed with ambition as she spoke.

"We need to secure everything before that boy can claim his birth right," Nara hissed. "With the elders' support, we can ensure my position and our influence."

Her father, Elder Varek, nodded, his expression cold. His blind eyes stared into nothingness as he flashed an unsettling smile, which slowly revealed the gaps where teeth should have been. "He will be out in the wild soon... and for a year at that.... Accidents happen!!! If he doesn't return, all will be ours. I'll see to it that the elders agree to our plan. Perhaps the stars have spoken that he should be our next sacrifice."

...

The village elders, five wise individuals, gathered in the great hall at the village center. This hall, larger and more imposing than the rest, stood as a symbol of their authority. The elders, each with their own group, walked through the hall... each with their own purpose. The cold stone floor echoed with their footsteps as they approached the giant wooden doors.