Ten years back, the world got rocked by this insane explosion we now call The Converter. It didn’t just blow stuff up—it changed everything we thought we knew about life. Some folks say it was a new beginning; others think it’s the end of the line.

A couple years before it hit, weird things started popping up. Strange signals on our radios, creepy lights in the sky, and whispers that gave you chills. Nobody knew what to make of it. Scientists called it junk data, but now we know it was a warning. We just didn’t see it coming.

In Year 1, we sent scouts to check out the blast site. They couldn’t get close—the air felt wrong, heavy. But they saw this thing, like a building from a sci-fi game. Pure white, smooth, no marks, just… perfect. It was shooting a beam of light into the sky. We called it The Beacon, ‘cause what else fits?

Every year since, The Beacon sends out this pulse across the continent. We don’t know what it does, but it’s bad news. Each time, a giant mechanical thing shows up—not a monster, but like a robot boss from a game. Some years, we take ‘em down with grit and luck. Others? Brutal. The worst one, in Year 4, took us 11 months and 29 days to beat. We were wiped out when the next one came.

That next one, Year 6, destroyed everything we’d rebuilt. We called it The Fracture of Despair ‘cause it broke us—our homes, our hope, gone. Plus, every time a big one shows up, these smaller, twisted versions of it scatter everywhere. They’re sneaky, dangerous, and getting worse.

We got close to The Beacon once, in Year 6. Thought we had a shot. Our best fighters, our smartest people—they were right there. Then, boom, they were gone. Wiped out in a flash. It crushed us. The new generation’s trying, but they’re not the same. Some say we’re done for.

So we split up, spread across the continent into four groups, with The Beacon sitting in the middle, mocking us. It feels farther away every day. Each group’s fighting their own battles now.

Up north, The Bulls are tough, building walls that won’t budge. The Operators are crazy smart, planning every move. The Techiqua dig up old tech to fight back. And The Southbound? They’re survivors, hardened by the worst conditions out there.

They’re all we’ve got left. We’re building our own machines now, not monsters, but stuff strong enough to face The Beacon’s creations. It’s our way of fighting back.

But Year 10 feels off. The pulses are stronger, scarier. Something’s coming—something worse. If we don’t reach The Beacon before the next wave, the next boss might finish us. We gotta be ready, no matter what.