Preface
[edited by PN]
It is an artificially sunny day. Under the glass dome that covers the grassy space, two children are looking up into the blue-sky image that is displayed on the dome. The image is real enough to fool anyone; only the true sky of this world is not quite as pretty.
It is just a week before Alex's sixth birthday, the official recognition for his future leadership had already leaked to the public. Yes, during his upcoming birthday party, his status will be announced to the world. Luna had already had her announcement during her sixth party last year. She will be the first lady for the next world leader.
In this world where man has taken every advantage and can modify the world to their own liking, man has also taken advantage of the power to modify themselves to meet their own ideal of perfection. As a result, they have created the ideal leaders by giving them high IQ and other necessary components for a great leader. The two children here are the greatest epics of this modification yet.
Though only at the ages of six and seven, these two have already learned knowledge that would take most people some 20 years to learn. However, that does not change the fact that they are children, and they are yet to truly realize the responsibilities that come with being the leader of a generation.
As of now, they are dreaming about the party and the future.
"Alex, what do you want as your birthday present?"
"I want to go to the central library where all of the old books are."
"That is limited to Historians."
"I know, that is why I want to go. All the books that we have are editions that have been changed by the Historians so they are fit for general use. But, I want to read the books as the original print; I want to know about the past as the people in the past see it; not what the Historians think of them."
"Ha ha, and I thought my wish was strange." Luna laughed.
"Really? What do you want then?"
"I want to see the real world outside of the crystals."
"That's not allowed unless you're one of the selected scientists. They say that it's dangerous outside of the crystals."
"I know, but I still want to see it for my own eyes. Remember I told you that I found some small animal hiding in my dome?"
"Yeah...?"
"Well, I did some reading, and it was a 'bird' that would fly in the sky in the old times."
"Umm, you did not hack into the locked database again, did you?"
"Oh, come on, how else am I going to find out about it? Besides that little thing was the strangest and cutest thing I have ever seen. It's grown now, and I have to find a way to let it go outside of the crystal or it might end up... elsewhere..." The girl trailed off.
"Yeah, too bad that the cities are covered under the crystals as well. And so are the roads."
"Yeah, and to think that the world used to be so different, and the birds were everywhere. The people could go to the hills and enjoy the nature as they please."
"That is why I want to read into the past if I can. But they are keeping me on a short leash. I can't even bypass the blocks to the public network without getting caught."
"Well, that is because you are the most important person in the world, other than the president. They don't want you to get distracted from your studies."
"The studies, ha, they are nothing more than notes taken by the Historians and most of them are just repeating each other."
"Well, that is true." Luna looked up at the dome again. "I wonder what else is out there..."
"I have seen the pictures of ruins in the past. The Historians said that the photos are all we have left of those places, but I believe there are still ruins existing today. Since you have found birds that are 'extinct' I am guessing that there are many more animals still alive outside of the crystals. Who knows, I might even be able to get you a puppy later on when I become the president and change all of the rules."
"Change? You will need to go through the grand council if you want to change anything,"
"Well, guess I better find a way to get them out of the way first." Alex made a face at the thought.
Yes, this is the world as it is now, a place where everything is controlled. The past knowledge is locked up and censored. Only sections that are filtered by the Historians are accessible to the general public. Nature is now represented by no more than photos displayed on the walls of galleries. Small AI pets have completely taken over the spot that live animal friends once occupied.