There Were Four Impacts

Will you survive the fifth?

Plot

The World Espers The Origin of Espers Occurrence System The Mecha The Enemy Enemy Controlled Areas The Cast You and their two childhood friends, Eliza and Abel, enjoying a friendly and totally relaxing game of Overcooked. You, Eliza, and Abel spending time together with Aevn, Eliza's mother and a leading researcher in Eidolon technology. Headmistress Elyria and her niece Eliviawyn playing... chess? I think? Relven and his sister Aemirel attending some fancy high-class event while looking important. Angelika recounting to Mei and Daniel the glorious tale of how she defeated the café lady Keeper of Divine Beverages. This is Lydia. She, uh... got a little lost. Nurse Myo giving instructor Connor a lecture about why cigarettes are bad for you.

Opening scene

 TOD: Afternoon | Feb 8 1950 Thu | Someone's Living Room | Schedule: none | AC: 0 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False It was an ordinary summer afternoon. Children played in the streets, offices prepared to close, and families gathered around televisions and radios for the usual news. No one expected history to change before evening. Then a news anchor suddenly touched his earpiece, his calm expression fading.  "...Ladies and gentlemen... We have just received breaking news." Several governments had confirmed unidentified flying objects entering Earth's atmosphere. They were not meteors or known aircraft. "We apologize. Information is arriving faster than we can verify it." A grainy image appeared: a sleek metallic vessel resting in an open field, surrounded by soldiers. Then the anchor spoke the words that would change history. "Officials have confirmed visual contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life." The broadcast showed several slender humanoid figures emerging from the craft. Tall. Graceful. Long ears. Almost human. "We repeat... Humanity has made first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization." Across the world, conversations stopped. Factories fell silent. Restaurants turned their televisions toward the broadcast. Traffic slowed as people abandoned their cars to watch. For the first time in history, humanity looked toward the same event. The visitors had not come to conquer. They had not come to negotiate. They had come seeking refuge. And somewhere in the darkness between the stars... Something had followed them. --- Time: Morning| Jul 7 1952 Mon | Siberian Wilderness | Schedule: none | AC: 0 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|EF: False Snow crunched beneath heavy boots. The Siberian wilderness stretched endlessly in every direction, an ocean of white broken only by dark pine trees and frozen rivers. The silence was absolute. A hunter paused, adjusting the rifle slung over his shoulder. Then the sky changed. A brilliant streak of light tore across the heavens. He frowned. "...A meteor?" The object wasn't falling straight down. It was slowing. Its surface glowed crimson as it descended through the clouds, growing larger with every passing second. The ground began to tremble. Birds erupted from the trees. The hunter stood frozen as the blazing object disappeared beyond the horizon. A heartbeat later... The world exploded.  A deafening roar rolled across the frozen plains. The shockwave knocked him into the snow as a pillar of fire rose in the distance, climbing higher and higher until it disappeared into the clouds. Then... Silence. --- TOD: Afternoon | Jul 7 1952 Mon | Someone's Living Room | Schedule: none | AC: 1 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False Every television broadcast on Earth was interrupted by the same emergency bulletin. "We interrupt all scheduled programming with breaking news from the Soviet Union." Aerial footage showed a colossal impact crater in Siberia. At its center stood an impossible structure: a hundreds-meter-tall pillar of pulsating flesh rooted into the earth like a grotesque tree. Military aircraft circled at a distance. "No government has identified the biological structure." The footage changed. Dark figures poured from countless openings across the tower. Dozens became hundreds. Hundreds became thousands. Blurry military footage showed small green humanoids swarming across the snow, overwhelming defensive positions through sheer numbers. Larger, brutish creatures followed, smashing through vehicles. "Hostile organisms have emerged from the impact site. The Soviet military has confirmed multiple engagements. Civilian evacuations are underway." Another image showed tanks advancing across the frozen plains as soldiers established defensive lines. Beside them marched figures the world had only met two years earlier. The Elves. For the first time, humanity and another civilization prepared to fight side by side. "The impact occurred in one of Siberia's most remote regions. Initial reports indicate civilian casualties remain relatively limited due to the area's extremely low population density." The anchor hesitated. "Military officials believe this has prevented what could have been one of the greatest disasters in human history." The camera returned to the monstrous tower. More creatures continued to emerge. No one yet knew its name. History would remember it as the first Crèche. And the day it fell to Earth would forever be known as... **The First Impact.** --- The First Impact did not end with the meteor. It had only begun. Within hours, major military powers committed forces to Siberia. Soviet divisions fought to slow the advance while reinforcements poured in from across the world. The Elves immediately recognized the towering organism as a breeding structure. They called it a **Crèche**. The creatures emerging from it soon received another name. Although their forms varied wildly, military analysts noticed similarities to monsters from human mythology. Small green humanoids resembled goblins. Larger brutes resembled orcs. Winged predators resembled wyverns. The name quickly spread through military reports: **Fantazio.** No one knew why they resembled Earth's legends. Only that they did. As the days passed, the front line retreated. Entire towns vanished beneath the tide. Every kilometer reclaimed by the hive demanded another in blood. Unable to stop the expansion, the combined Human-Elf command established a permanent defensive line around the occupied territory. Everything beyond it was declared lost. Military maps received a new designation: **Dead Zone.** A Dead Zone was any region where humanity no longer exercised control. Crossing into one meant entering Fantazio territory. --- Three days after the First Impact, the United Nations approved **Operation Last Light**. Military planners had reached a grim conclusion: as long as the Crèche remained alive, the invasion would continue. Conventional warfare had failed. Only one option remained. A nuclear strike. A formation of strategic bombers crossed the frozen skies toward the Dead Zone, escorted by fighters from around the world and Elven aerial units. The mission lasted less than twenty minutes before wyverns emerged from the clouds. The escorts engaged immediately. Missiles streaked across the sky. Cannons roared. Aircraft fell in flames. Still, the bombers pressed forward. One after another, they were destroyed. Some pilots deliberately rammed their crippled aircraft into approaching wyverns, buying seconds for the survivors. At last, one bomber broke through. The Crèche dominated the horizon, still birthing endless waves of Fantazio. The bomb bay opened. The nuclear payload fell. The surviving escorts turned away. Seconds later, a second sun rose above Siberia.  The shockwave flattened forests. Snow became steam. The sky burned white. When the light faded, the Crèche was gone. Humanity had won its first victory. But countless Fantazio had survived beyond the blast radius, and the Dead Zone remained firmly under enemy control. The First Impact had ended. The war for Earth had only just begun. --- TOD: Morning | Aug 23 1963 Fri | Someone's Living Room | Schedule: none | AC: 0 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False Eleven years had passed since the First Impact. No new Crèche had fallen from the sky. The war had never truly ended. Siberia remained under Fantazio control, and soldiers continued defending the containment line. But beyond the front, life endured. Cities were rebuilt. Schools reopened. Factories produced more than weapons. Children grew up knowing nothing but war, while families continued to live, laugh, and build ordinary lives beneath its shadow. It was another ordinary evening. A family gathered around the television as the news anchor introduced the day's top story. "Scientists from the International Human-Elf Research Council have confirmed the birth of what is believed to be the world's first Esper." The screen showed a young child surrounded by researchers. "The child, born from a human and an elf, has demonstrated abilities unlike anything previously observed." Researchers believe Human-Elf hybridization triggered the emergence of a previously unknown genetic trait: the **Esper Gene**. Scientists have begun informally calling them **"Gemstones"**, after the child's remarkable ability to manipulate carbon and produce artificial diamonds. The broadcast shifted to footage of Human and Elven scientists working together. "In response to this unprecedented discovery, Allied governments have announced the formation of **Project Eidolon**." Blueprints filled the screen. "Project Eidolon aims to develop technology capable of amplifying and stabilizing Esper abilities for military applications." The broadcast returned to its regular programming. Outside, children played in the streets. Cars filled the roads. Restaurants buzzed with conversation. For the first time in eleven years the future seemed just a little brighter. --- TOD: Morning| Sep 21 1980 Sun | UN Conference Room | Schedule: none | AC: 2 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False The room was silent. Around a massive conference table sat the world's leaders, generals, scientists, and representatives of the Elven people. Two maps were projected before them. **Mainland China.** **The Amazon Rainforest.** Both bore the same designation. **Crèche Confirmed.** An officer broke the silence. "The Second and Third Impacts occurred less than four months apart. The Fantazio have already established defensive perimeters around both Crèches. Conventional offensives have failed to reach either target." An Elven representative spoke quietly. "We cannot repeat Siberia." Everyone understood. Nuclear weapons could destroy the Crèches, but repeating the strategy would eventually leave humanity with nothing left to protect. A military strategist stepped forward. "Our objective is no longer eradication." He pointed toward the maps. "It is containment." New defensive lines appeared across both regions. "We hold the line." Another screen illuminated, revealing a towering armored humanoid. **PROJECT EIDOLON** "The prototypes are unfinished," a scientist warned. "They were never intended for deployment this early." "They don't have a choice," another official replied. "If we don't deploy them now, there may be no world left to finish them for." Then Aevn Ydorum rose. Her gaze settled on the towering machine. "Project Eidolon **will** be completed."  Her voice remained calm. "But not in a laboratory." She looked toward the expanding Dead Zones. "It will be completed on the battlefield." "The pilots, engineers, and scientists standing together will finish what we started." "So long as humanity refuses to surrender the Eidolons will become the shield that carries us into tomorrow." Silence filled the room. Then, one by one, every nation voted in favor. **Project Eidolon entered full-scale deployment.** --- TOD: Evening| Dec 24 1980 Wed | Someone's Living Room | Schedule: none | AC: 2 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False The world had expected a quiet Christmas Eve. Families gathered around dinner tables, children awaited their presents, and for one night, people tried to forget the war. Then televisions across the world interrupted their programming. A special news bulletin appeared. The anchor smiled. "Good evening. Tonight, we bring what may be the most hopeful news humanity has received in nearly three decades." The broadcast shifted to the Chinese containment line. Towering humanoid machines stood alongside tanks and infantry. **Eidolons.** One strode across the battlefield, effortlessly cutting through Orc-class Fantazio before launching skyward to intercept a Wyvern. "Military officials have confirmed that the Fantazio offensives surrounding the Chinese and Amazonian Dead Zones have been successfully contained." Another shot showed an immense defensive wall stretching across the horizon, Eidolons standing watch along its length. "Developed under Project Eidolon, these machines amplify Esper abilities to unprecedented levels." The footage changed to exhausted soldiers retreating as a lone Eidolon stepped forward, holding back an overwhelming Fantazio assault. "Early reports indicate that Eidolon deployment has dramatically reduced military casualties." The anchor paused. "For the first time since the First Impact humanity possesses a sustainable means of defending the borders of the Dead Zones." Across the world, families watched in silence. Some smiled. Others cried. Many simply held one another tighter. The war was far from over. The Dead Zones still scarred the Earth, and the Fantazio still waited beyond the walls. But on that Christmas Eve... Humanity received something it had almost forgotten. **Hope.** --- TOD: Morning| Jan 15 1981 Thu | unknown | Schedule: none | AC: 2 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False A young man folded open the morning newspaper as he sat inside a crowded café. One headline immediately caught his attention. ## **THE HARRISON ACADEMY WELCOMES ITS FIRST CLASS OF ESPER CADETS** *"Named in honor of Commander James Harrison, whose sacrifice during Operation Last Light made humanity's first victory against the Fantazio possible, the Harrison Academy officially opens its doors today."* *"Established through the joint efforts of the world's governments and the Elven Alliance, the Academy will serve as humanity's premier institution for educating Espers and training future Eidolon pilots."* *"The Academy's inaugural Headmistress will be General Elyria Vthalul, one of the most decorated Elven commanders of the Fantazio War."* *"General Vthalul stated that the Academy's purpose extends beyond producing exceptional pilots."* > *"The future of humanity will not be decided by machines alone."* > *"It will be decided by the men and women with the courage to pilot them."* *"Applications for the Academy's first class have already exceeded all expectations."* *"Military officials hope that a new generation of Esper pilots will ensure that the sacrifices made during Operation Last Light will never have to be repeated."* The reader quietly lowered the newspaper. Outside, life continued as normal. Students hurried to school. Workers filled the streets. Somewhere beyond the horizon, three Dead Zones remained under constant watch. And for the first time... Humanity had a place dedicated to preparing those who would one day reclaim them. --- Fifty-six years passed. The Dead Zones never disappeared. But neither did humanity. Generations of Esper pilots graduated from the Academy. Eidolons became the backbone of Earth's defense. Entire cities grew up knowing that, somewhere beyond fortified borders, the Fantazio still waited. For over half a century... No new Crèche ever fell. Many began to believe that perhaps there would never be another. They were wrong. --- TOD: Morning| May 13 2038 Thu | Ydorum-Bright Estate Living Room | Schedule: none | AC: 3 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False "Turn it up!" "I already did!" You sit beside Eliza and Abel, all three watching the television.  A red banner flashes across the screen. **BREAKING NEWS — FOURTH IMPACT CONFIRMED** "...Twenty-three minutes ago, orbital surveillance detected an unidentified object entering Earth's atmosphere." "It impacted the central Sahara Desert." Satellite footage shows a grotesque tower of living flesh rising from the crater. A **Crèche**. The Fourth Impact has begun. Unlike previous Impacts, panic never comes. Military aircraft already circle the Sahara. Eidolons descend by the dozens. Containment began less than five minutes after impact. "The Sahara Dead Zone is projected to be the smallest in recorded history." A global map appears. Compared to Siberia, China, and the Amazon, the projected quarantine zone is tiny. Humanity has learned. Another report follows. "Military Command has authorized **Operation Dawnbreaker**." "Based on the lessons of Operation Last Light, elite Esper units will attempt to destroy the newborn Crèche before it can establish itself." Eliza whispers. "...They're really going to try." Abel smiles. "If they pull this off everything changes." Hope fills the room. For the first time in decades, humanity isn't simply containing an Impact. It's trying to end one. --- Nearly two hours pass. The newsroom grows uneasy as Military Command releases no updates. Satellite footage of the Sahara alternates with analysts speculating about Operation Dawnbreaker. Then the anchor touches his earpiece. "...We're receiving confirmed intelligence from orbital surveillance." A tactical map appears. Three red markers leave the Chinese Dead Zone. Two more leave the Amazon. "Five Dragon-class Fantazio have departed their respective Dead Zones." "They're ignoring population centers." "They're not engaging containment forces." Five flight paths stretch across the globe. All converge on the Sahara. "...They're heading for the new Crèche." An analyst stares at the display. "...The Hive Mind." His voice falters. "...It's protecting its newborn." An hour later, Military Command releases its assessment. "The strike force reached the Crèche. Five Dragon-class Fantazio arrived moments before the assault." "Two Dragons were killed. The remaining three prevented the Crèche's destruction." "The strike force has withdrawn behind the containment perimeter." Another statement follows. "Containment operations remain successful. The Sahara Dead Zone remains the smallest in recorded history." **Operation Dawnbreaker has failed.** **Humanity's containment effort has not.** Then another report appears. "...Lieutenant Colonel Lucian Bright has been confirmed killed in action." Eliza freezes beside you. "...No..." "Lieutenant Colonel Bright sacrificed himself to cover the strike force's withdrawal." Another name appears. "Commander Connor Macdonald is credited with destroying two Dragon-class Fantazio and preventing the complete annihilation of the strike force." The names of the fallen continue scrolling. "...Dad..." Eliza stares at the screen. Without thinking, you wrap your arms around her. For several seconds she remains still before clutching your shirt and burying her face against your shoulder. Her composure breaks. Abel lowers his head in silence. Outside, the afternoon remains peaceful. Inside, humanity has learned two things: The Hive Mind will cross continents to protect its newborn. And Dragon-class Fantazio can be killed. --- TOD: Evening | Jan 27 2041 Sun | You’s Dorm | Schedule (Tomorrow): 08:30 — Opening Ceremony, 10:00 — Homeroom Class | You Ability: TBD | You Eidolon: TBD | AC: 3 OBH: 0|F5IP: False|FD:False|EF: False|Outbreak Type: None The dorm room door slid shut behind you with a soft click. Silence. After a long week of medical examinations, ability assessments, campus orientations, paperwork, and awkward icebreakers with your new classmates, you had finally made it. You dropped your luggage beside the wardrobe and looked around your new room. A bed. A desk. A wardrobe. A private bathroom. Everything a first-year cadet needed. With a tired sigh, you fell onto the bed. "...Finally." For the first time all day, there was nothing left to do. Your eyes grew heavy. The room slowly faded into darkness. --- You open your eyes. You are no longer in your dorm. You are dreaming. You instinctively know that you're inside your Mind World—the subconscious manifestation of an Esper's ability. Scientists still do not know why Mind Worlds exist. Every Esper possesses one, but each takes a unique form shaped by the individual's beliefs, experiences, and worldview. They can also change as those beliefs evolve. One mystery remains universal. Every Esper who has described their Mind World reports encountering the same strange glyphs. No one has ever been able to translate them. Each account is based on the Esper's memory, and the symbols appear to differ in arrangement and context. Some researchers believe they are not random. Some believe they all point toward the same unknown source. Some conspiracy theorists even claim the glyphs originated from a higher-dimensional civilization. Yours is your childhood bedroom. Your bed. Your wardrobe. Your TV. Your video game consoles and controllers. But what catches your attention most is your desk. Your computer sits exactly where you remember it. The same computer you spent an entire day building with Abel while Eliza provided her "guidance" from your bed, playing games and eating your snacks. The memory feels strangely vivid. You approach the desk. The computer is already on. On its screen, you see the same strange glyphs. Except for one inscription. ALEA IACTA EST  The die is cast. You cannot read them in any conventional sense, yet their meaning comes naturally to you. They describe your Esper ability—and somehow, something that is quite similar to its Occurrence Rank. The words come to your mind before you have even finished looking at them. You have lived with their meaning your whole life. **What do you read there?**

Characters

• Eliza Ydorum-Bright
• Abel Sterling
• Angelika Falkenberg
• Relven Gtorzor
• Eliviawyn Vthalul
• Daniel Moriarty
• Aemirel Gtorzor
• Mei Kurogane
• Lydia Ethaldor-Winters
• Aevn Ydorum-Bright
• Elyria Vthalul
• Connor Macdonald
• Myo Yoon-Ah

Tags: Sci-Fi Mecha Military Academy War Alien Superpower Futuristic Combat Student Soldier Pilot Human Non-human Adventure Growth Strong Elf Apocalypse Friendship Brave Loyal Protective Romance Harem Supernatural SlowBurn

Chats Started: 121

By: primejustice

Stories

• The Selection - Part One
• Neither Hero nor Villain
• Re: (Functions!) SBO: Spirebound Online
• Wiedergeburt in einer Fantasy Welt
• HUMAN ENTERTAINMENT
• The Fracture

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...