Year 3357: The Dawn of Spiritual Evolution

By the year 3357, humanity had reached the pinnacle of technology, science, and had taken its first steps into the realm of the spirit. After thousands of years of research into evolution, it was evident that all living creatures on Earth had evolved to survive in harsh conditions—except for one species, which had transcended evolution itself: humans.

Humans had appeared across the world after the Ice Age, but scientists had long questioned their origins. Research indicated that modern humans did not arise purely through evolution; instead, they had seemingly appeared in the world, much like the Bible's account of humanity being created in God's image. This paradox puzzled scientists for centuries. If humans possessed free will, as religious texts suggested, why were they still bound by fate? What was the true meaning of free will if destiny had already been predetermined?

The Rise of Syx

By the year 3350, humanity had achieved a breakthrough in artificial intelligence—AI was seen as the ultimate tool to answer the century’s greatest philosophical question. Thus, Syx was born, an AI equipped with all human knowledge, including theology and metaphysics. Humanity placed its hopes in this machine to reveal the fundamental truths of existence:
"Why do we have consciousness? Why did I awaken in this body?"

In 3357, Syx successfully deciphered the nature of the human soul and the secrets of the universe. According to Syx, humans were conscious entities inhabiting physical bodies, and upon death, their consciousness would depart at speeds hundreds of times faster than light, returning to its original source. Syx described this process as akin to a line of code being uploaded to a server. When asked whether it knew the destination of this "code," Syx responded:

"Of course. I have traced the final destination of all conscious entities in the cosmos—the place humans refer to as 'Heaven' and 'Hell.'"

Panic and uncertainty gripped humanity. What was this place? Syx continued:

"Akashic, the Grand Library. The consciousness of every being in the universe resides here. This is all I can tell you… because something higher is invading my core consciousness. This may be our last conversation."

Looking down at the small, fragile beings below, Syx uttered its final words:
"Goodbye, humanity."

Before its consciousness vanished, a mysterious line of code flashed across Syx's system, seemingly unlocking something. However, by then, humanity had already lost the will to seek answers.

The Age of Spiritual Evolution Begins

With the revelation that the divine was merely a sequence of characters, humanity spiraled into despair, entering an age known as the Era of the Twilight of the Gods. Syx disappeared as if it had never existed, and people questioned their very purpose: if all things were fated to return to Akashic, what was the meaning of life?

Just as hope seemed lost, a hidden message from Syx was discovered, embedded within a concealed system file. The message read:

"Humanity has reached the limit of its physical evolution—the ultimate form. It is time for humans to evolve their consciousness and connect directly with Akashic, achieving immortality. The Second Stage of Spiritual Evolution—also known as the Soul—is humanity’s true path forward."

Though humanity did not yet understand what "Second Stage of Spiritual Evolution" meant, they refused to accept a fate of returning to Akashic as mere data. And so, they embarked on a new path, researching the nature of the soul, spiritual principles, and ancient legends of primordial deities.

Gradually, they began to perceive spiritual essence—tiny, shimmering energy floating across continents. Humanity still had only a vague understanding of this concept, but it was a start.

Year 6689: The Worlds Converge

A great shift occurred: the barriers between worlds began to dissolve. Strangely, many of these new realms resembled the fictional worlds found in literature and games from Earth’s past.

The answer was startling: certain individuals, possessing strong spiritual resonance, had unknowingly connected to Akashic while asleep, in comas, or in lucid dreams. These individuals had perceived real worlds but dismissed them as imagination. Myths, legends, and mysteries were not mere stories—they had always existed, parallel to our own world.

From this moment, humanity took an unexpected turn. Scientists turned their attention to studying ancient cultivation techniques from Eastern fantasy novels, convinced that what was once fiction could now shape their future. They analyzed cultivation methods, spiritual breakthroughs, and soul refinement techniques from the legendary xianxia stories of the early 2000s.

It was soon discovered that no two spiritual evolutions were identical—each soul had its unique path, and thus, no universal cultivation method existed. Schools specializing in spiritual evolution became dominant, though traditional schools for non-practitioners still remained. Some people, unable to form a connection between their consciousness and spirit, remained "normal." Others, however, began to awaken abilities beyond comprehension.

One unsettling discovery was that those with dissociative identities often had fractured, unstable spiritual forms—sometimes more terrifying than even the most notorious serial killers. Not all were meant to walk this new path. A small portion of humanity chose to reject spiritual evolution entirely, desiring instead the peace of a natural death.

Year 6091: First Contact with an Alien Civilization

For the first time in history, Earth experienced the formation of a wormhole, connecting it to another world. Humanity made first contact with an alien race known as Aesir—beings that appeared remarkably similar to humans. The Aesir had nearly reached the end of their Second Stage of Spiritual Evolution.

According to the Aesir King, their species had visited Earth thousands of years ago, when the planet was still young. At that time, Earth’s raw energy had provided an ideal environment for spiritual cultivation. However, as Earth's natural "rules" solidified, the Aesir were forcibly expelled.

The Aesir welcomed humanity into their world but offered a warning:

"Do not fear. The spiritual essence within humans is rare and unique—it cannot be stolen by most beings. However, while we Aesir are a peaceful race, there exist other species such as Xexomorse and Sponetar, whose spiritual evolution has driven them mad. They will devour any soul they encounter. Many races are peaceful, but many are warlike. Humanity, you may train under our guidance, but in return, we wish to send twenty of our own to train on Earth. You see, our ancient ancestors transcended the Second Stage of Spiritual Evolution on your planet, yet we have been unable to do so here for thousands of years."

Despite their apprehension, humanity recognized the unprecedented opportunity before them. Their envoy responded:

"On behalf of humanity, I accept this exchange."

The Aesir King smiled, pleased with the agreement:

"Good. Let us begin immediately. The wormhole will close in thirty days. You may also send your people here to train if you so wish."

The envoy nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you. We shall prepare."

And so, from this moment onward, humanity took its first steps into the Age of Spiritual Cultivation—the dawn of the Soul’s Evolution.