Hatred. Division. Violence. Everywhere you looked—on social media or out in the open—people were against each other. The days of helping your neighbor, of casual conversations, were gone. Assassinations and attempted assassinations were celebrated like holidays, all because of opposing views.
The United States sat on the brink of civil war. Then it happened. Like a thief in the night when it was least expected. Loved ones, all around the world, vanished like they were never there. Just piles of clothes piled randomly like little bundles of laundry yet to be done. People of all ages, just gone. Violence gave way to panic. Panic pushed aside by grief. And all asked the same question, why?
And then, one day, a man appeared.
He unified the world with promises of peace. He had more charisma than anyone had ever seen. He introduced a new bartering system—one that allowed no one to buy or sell without it. A system everyone soon called the Mark.