Shipwreck and Roses

The story takes place in the future, in the year 2157, an era known as the “Gilded Age.” It is a time of extreme material abundance and advanced technology. Humanity has conquered most physical diseases, life expectancy has risen to 150, and artificial intelligence and biotechnology have driven productivity to unprecedented heights. Yet beneath it all lie a corrupt abyss and a spiritual wasteland.

Human society has split into two radically different worlds. Above are the so-called “elite,” who occupy the enormous domed city of the Tower of Eden and live in a perfect world of holographic projections, virtual reality, and genetic enhancement. They indulge in all manner of dark, refined pleasures, having long since lost their bearings and their masts. They no longer seek truth, justice, or beauty, and are left with nothing but numb sensory stimulation and hollow self-delusion.

Below lies the forgotten “Ash Zone,” a place of derelict industrial ruins, heavily polluted land, and people struggling to survive.

The central conflicts of the story are these: First, can a true redeemer still emerge from this forgotten wasteland? Second, will the dead's roar and the voiceless' desperate cries ever be heard?