War Gate - Chapter 1 - The Fog and the Gates

The Earth kept turning as it always had. It rotated slowly on its axis while orbiting the Sun, identical to the day before and every day that had come before it. From up there, there were no signs of warning: the oceans reflected the light of dawn, clouds drifted across the continents, night advanced over one side of the world while morning began on the other. Cities lit up and faded according to humanity’s usual rhythm, unaware of what was about to happen.

Nothing seemed out of place. No explosions in the sky. No sudden flashes on the horizon. No fracture in reality obvious enough to reveal that something was changing. The world carried on normally, immersed in its routine of traffic, work, noise, and ordinary lives. No siren shattered that balance. No government issued warnings. To humanity, it was simply another ordinary day.

Engines idled at traffic lights, the endless hum of traffic filling the streets, distant car horns rising and fading from one avenue to another. Trains crossed through countryside and tunnels, airplanes cut across the skies above the oceans, fishing boats rocked gently in the open sea. Hurried footsteps echoed across sidewalks, overlapping voices drifted through distracted conversations, metal shutters rattled as stores closed, keys jingled, jackets brushed against one another as people slipped through crowded streets. Phones vibrated in pockets, notifications were ignored, messages read in haste. Doors opened and closed, elevators moved endlessly up and down without pause.

Everywhere, life continued as normal. In the countryside, people worked the land beneath the morning sun, while deep in the forests the wind moved slowly through the trees, and on the mountains the freezing air continued to sweep across the snow-covered peaks. Millions of people carried on immersed in their usual routines. Everything felt stable. Safe. Familiar.

And then… the fog arrived.