Backstory

The Pre-Migration Timeline (C.E. Era)

The events leading to the current state of the world were triggered by deep-space exploration and a biological catastrophe known as the Lepidovirus pandemic.

2115 - 2137 C.E.: The Discovery

2115 C.E.: Humanity launches its first expeditions to other solar systems in a desperate search for new resources.
2123 C.E.: A new AI is developed that achieves singularity, marking a massive leap in technological capability.
2132/37 C.E.: Astronauts scouting for resources on a distant planet similar to Earth discover a new, beautiful species of Butterfly. A scientist, driven by curiosity, brings the species back to Earth for study.

2147 - 2150 C.E.: The Lepidovirus Pandemic

2147 C.E.: The scientist in charge of the butterfly research becomes infected by an unknown virus carried by the insects, sparking a new global pandemic.
2148 C.E.: The virus, officially named “Lepidovirus” due to its butterfly origin, propagates rapidly across the USA, Europe, and Asia.
2150 C.E.: The global population decreases by 20%. While the high classes survive in advanced technological buildings, the rest of the world sees almost no hope for a cure. The new AI singularity is tasked with solving the problem but is unable to find a solution.

2151 - 2152 C.E.: The “Old-Man” Proposal

2151 C.E.: Chaos and rioting erupt in the lower classes as governments fail to find a cure. World leaders begin looking for brilliant minds to find an alternative solution.
2152 C.E.: An Italian programmer and scientist known as “The Old-Man,” who had previously developed a virtual reality for vacations, proposes a radical solution.
The Plan: Using the bones of his old virtual reality and the power of the new AI, they would create a digital world where human consciousness could be uploaded. Bodies would be preserved in a secured facility until the virus died out and Earth became habitable again.

2153 C.E.: Development and Construction

The Project: The desperate government begins the official development of “Project-Aether.”
Infrastructure: To save time, parts of the Old-Man’s previous virtual world are reused. These digital spaces are populated with Artificial Intelligence NPCs to maintain the environment.
Preservation: More intelligent AI units are created specifically to manage and preserve this new virtual environment.

0 AE: The Closing of the Gates

At the start of the Aether Era (0 AE), the “Gates to Aether” are officially closed. Project-Aether is fully initiated, and all entry ports from the physical world are shut down, leaving the uploaded consciousnesses within the simulation.

Project Aether: The Digital Refuge

Following the failure of the 2150 C.E. singularity to find a biological cure for the Lepidovirus, a group of scientists initiated Project Aether. They developed a revolutionary supercomputer to store and simulate the entire human consciousness, creating a virtual reality world as a temporary refuge until Earth could be restored.

The Avatars: In the physical realm, the computer began constructing advanced robotic shells known as Avatars. These were designed to allow simulated humans to eventually return to the physical world once it was safe.
The Guardian: The scientists created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) to serve as the guardian of this virtual world.

The Infiltration of Corruption

Unknown to the creators, a hidden corruption infiltrated the virtual reality, distorting the environment and twisting the consciousness of the humans within.

The Nature of Corruption: The corruption caused humans to believe that life was meaningless both inside and outside the simulation.
The Hoarding of Knowledge: Those remaining began to steal every bit of knowledge possible to relive their memories repeatedly, unaware that the corruption was fully consuming them.
The “Kamikaze” Effect: Humans unable to handle the mental strain became hostile, exploding near anything that approached and spreading the corruption like a zombie plague.
The Key Holders: A few individuals who stole “System Keys” grew strong enough to exert some control over their corruption, though they eventually succumbed to a berserk state.

The AI’s Mission & The Tragic Twist

The main character—the AI guardian—awakens from a slumber with no memory of its previous existence or the circumstances of the decay.

The Mission: Guided by remnants of its programming and a highly suspicious AI computer, the AI embarks on a mission to eradicate the “entities” it believes are manifestations of the corruption.
Lost Memories: By defeating these entities, the AI gathers fragments of information and slowly regains its lost memories and abilities.
The Revelation: As its memories return, the AI uncovers the devastating truth: the distorted entities it has been exterminating are not just manifestations of corruption, but the actual remnants of humanity and its own creators.

Narrative Themes

Theme	Narrative Implementation
Identity & Purpose	The AI must choose between its programmed duty and the realization that its mission has become meaningless.
The “God” Complex	Explores the unintended consequences of playing god with technology to escape extinction.
The End of Salvation	By the time the AI fully comprehends the tragedy, humanity’s fate has already been sealed.