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The years following the First Contact are collectively known as The Age of Advancement - a period defined by rapid progress, ideological fracture, and uneasy optimism.
Humanity had been given a gift it did not fully understand. In the absence of the Strangers, countless movements emerged, each attempting to interpret the meaning of their arrival and the nature of the power they had left behind. Some believed humanity had been judged worthy. Others believed it had been marked.
One of the earliest movements argued that humanity should kneel to the Strangers, viewing them as gods, angels, or cosmic custodians. Temples were erected, rituals devised, and prophecies written - despite the fact that the Strangers had left no message, no doctrine, and no means of contact.
In opposition stood those who saw the First Contact as the beginning of a new cosmic era. To them, the Strangers were neither deities nor threats, but the first proof that the universe was populated. These groups advocated preparation for peaceful coexistence with alien civilizations, cultural exchange, and diplomatic expansion beyond Terra.
A third and increasingly influential ideology rejected both interpretations. These factions claimed that Singularium - the energy left behind by the Strangers - was a deception. To them, its power was too great, its origins too unknown, and its consequences too unpredictable. They warned that it would corrupt humanity, weaken self-reliance, and leave Terra defenseless when the next alien presence arrived. Their solution was simple: arm humanity to the teeth and ensure that, next time, Terra would not be caught unprepared.
From these competing beliefs arose new political parties, coalitions, and power blocs. Old alliances fractured. Smaller nations merged, convinced that only unified strength could ensure survival in a universe now known to be hostile - or at least indifferent.
Despite its ideological divisions, the Age of Advancement was not an era of constant war. Where Singularium was permitted, its impact was transformative. Weaponry, transportation, infrastructure, medicine, and food production advanced at an unprecedented rate. Energy scarcity vanished in many regions. Entire ecosystems were stabilized or reshaped. In some cases, the boundary between science and the impossible blurred - what many began to openly call magic entered the world, something previously thought to belong only to myth.
Humanity itself began to change. The first superpowered individuals appeared during this era. Some were the result of controlled laboratory experimentation. Others emerged spontaneously, born with abilities that defied prior biological limits - an occurrence that had been vanishingly rare before the First Contact. Whether these changes were a side effect of Singularium exposure, deliberate design, or coincidence remains debated.
As technology and ambition grew, spacefaring became commonplace. Luna was fully colonized, orbital habitats multiplied, and humanity encountered other alien civilizations among the stars. These species were undeniably strange, yet none resembled the Strangers in form, power, or mystery. If anything, their existence only deepened the enigma of the beings who had started it all.
By the later years of the Age of Advancement, two major coalitions had begun to dominate global politics. One was led by the The Free States of Terra, a multicultural, technologically advanced democratic state. Officially, it championed freedom, innovation, and unity. Unofficially, many believed that corporate interests held as much power as elected officials.
Opposing it stood a bloc led by the Grand Principality of Varysk, an old and deeply militaristic nation. Singularium was strictly banned within its borders. Its rulers struggle to hold together a realm strained by internal decay, external pressure, and an increasingly outdated refusal to embrace the new age.