On December 31 2999 just as the world was welcoming a new year a new millennium, life on earth as we know it ended.

It started in the East, the countries in the far east continent that was once known as Asia were the first to witness the End of the World.  What was thought to be just the effects of the marvelous fireworks display turned out to be the sky-splitting and gruesome creatures raining down on the continent.

The unaffected continents and countries paid no mind to what was happening, scoffing at the monsters that ran rampant in those countries as visual effects.

However, their scoffs and laughter soon turned into screams of terror as soon as they welcomed the new year. When midnight came and the year 2999 was behind them, the skies split open and terror like never known found them. Earth’s birthday which was once a joyous occasion and was welcomed with laughter and joy became a dreaded occasion that was met with cries and screams of horror.

The creatures were nightmare-inducing, while some were bipedal others ran on all fours, while others ran others flew, while others flew others skittered. Some had one eye that was always on the watch for new prey, others had multiple eyes that blinked at different intervals. Some ate human, some laid their eggs in them. Some were the size of a cockroach that burrowed into people's bodies and ate them from the inside out while others were the size of mountains that destroyed cities and killed millions just by a single step.

Fear and confusion became close companions of humanity as helplessness constricted people’s throats making the thought of living far worse than dying.

No one knew the reason why such atrocities were happening, all the weapons humans had just seemed to anger or power up the monsters. Cities were destroyed and countries were overwhelmed, people got displaced as they moved from one place to another. Safety was not an option as there were no safe havens anywhere. Billions died and continents were scorched, frozen, and destroyed.

As humans do in moments of the terrible, they cried out to higher powers,  cries and pleas filled the earth as prayers to gods and even demons were shouted to the sky.

For years the situation remained unchanged, it was not until less than a quarter of the original human population was left alive that change began…

Miracle.

Was what it was called by the first human to experience it.

Overwhelming power like she had never felt before filled her and a voice rang in her head telling her that her prayer had been answered and she was chosen to serve a god as an awakened.

She was surrounded by Soundies, a huge bat-like creature that fed on humans and was able to defeat a whole brood of them. She a human defeated over ten monsters by herself.

Her story sounded unbelievable, but she was alive, and if that was not proof enough nothing would be.

After that more and more people went through similar scenarios; when their lives were in danger, a voice rang in their head calling them the chosen awakened of a god, and then they were filled with overwhelming power that allowed them to fight and defeat monsters.

This power was later referred to as Blessing; as it was truly a blessing from the gods that allowed humans to fight back.

More and more people went through an awakening and got Blessing, which allowed humans to defeat the monsters and build up the New World; it started as a small village, that became a city then later expanded into the only country for humans. At long last, humanity had a haven that the creatures could never take away.

Blessing awakened differently for different people. While others got abilities to fight others got the ability to build. Depending on what god blessed you, one would have a Blessing that was closely related to whatever the god was a god of.

For example, if one got chosen as an Awakened for Ares, then their Blessing would be amazing fighting abilities.

If one was blessed by the god Thoth, then their intelligence and strategist abilities would be past genius level as per their Blessing.

A god could have multiple Chosen Awakens however humans could not become a Chosen Awaken for multiple gods. If one did so then the god that blessed you would revoke their blessing turning you back into a normal human.

Later the awakened were referred to as Chosen.

However, there were no cases of the Blessing getting revoked for years as no one wanted to be powerless anymore, thus for once humans curbed their greed.

Those who were yet to awaken were called Unchosen.

With more and more people getting Blessing, faith in the gods among humans increased, and temples and shrines were built to try and appease the gods to avoid rebuke or revoke of blessing. The old way of life was forgotten giving way to a new way and a new era; The Era of Gods.

Having Blessing soon became an indicator of power and having a major and powerful god’s Blessing was even better.

With safety came bliss, then the horrors of the monsters outside the New World Country were soon forgotten and more familiar monsters came back.

Not everyone had Blessing but a majority of the humans had it and as always humanity began dividing itself into groups; whether it was unconscious or not, the Chosen saw themselves as superior to the Unchosen. They were called burdens and freeloaders who depended on the Chosen.

Meanwhile, the Unchosen saw the Chosen as prideful and undeserving, mean and selfish.

As always, the one with the most power is the one in the right, the Chosen classified themselves as being in a higher caste and the Unchosen as being in the lower caste. Odd jobs, manual labor, worst housing, and food and degrading tasks were left for the Unchosen while the Chosen ate the most lavish, lived in the most expensive and well-kept places, and held the most prestigious positions.

Of course, the Unchosen revolted and fought against these situations but those who dared raise their voices were banished from the New World into the Outlands where monsters waited for them and feasted on them.

A choice being submit or die was not a choice anymore. So the status quo was formed, and accepted, and became Chosen were the elite of the society while the Unchosen were the scum of the society.

The Unchosen could escape their gruesome fate if they became Chosen and got Blessing, however for whatever reason becoming awakened and getting blessing was scarce; it seemed like the gods were satisfied with who they had, or being the fickle beings they were got bored of humans already. Awakenings went from happening every day, to thrice per week, four times a month, and barely six per year.  

It seemed like the gods had abandoned them yet again.

That was what Damien believed after he saw his wife in the arms of another man, kissing him and her stomach stretched out under the pale pink chiffon dress she had on, a telltale sign that she was pregnant.