“I have no doubt that in reality the future will be vastly more surprising than anything I can imagine. Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.”

J. B. S. Haldane

Foreword

The 21st century was the end of an era for the earth. But it was also the beginning.

Water wars, climate problems, political conflicts, famine, and desertification, along with the loss of arable land, brought humanity to the brink of collapse in the second half of the 21st century.

It was in the midst of this maelstrom of decay that something else was added to the long chain of misfortune.

The strange events began so slowly that no one noticed them at first. All kinds of strange theories about the nature of the events were put forward. However, even so, the only certainty is that when humanity became aware of them, many were terrified and others did not believe what was happening, even though the events themselves were happening right under their noses.

Space-time anomalies, accelerated evolution of certain people, mutations of all kinds, changes in parts of the planet, mysterious disappearances, and the appearance of species that had never before existed on the planet. This was in addition to the reappearance of others that had technically been extinct for millions of years.

Science, to its own amazement, theorized that the phenomena were due to changes in the physical laws of the universe. And many scientists went as far as to say that it was even possible that the phenomena had been occurring since before mankind existed, as if it were simply a part of the evolution of the universe itself. Most would not listen, but they could no longer deny the phenomena when, on the first colonies on the Moon and Mars, the same kinds of strange and frightening events began to occur.

They were called Dark Events.

Slowly, but gradually, the different types of strange events began to increase, and then came the war that changed everything.

The first contact never came from the vastness of the cosmos.

It happened one cold Siberian morning in the year 2094. From that day on normal days ended for the common human and Aeon society, and the strange days began.

It was a portal, a massive dark sphere floating hundreds of meters above the ground. From it came the species that nearly wiped out all intelligent life on the planet.

Humanity together with the Aeon, the first species of artificial intelligence's that managed to obtain the rights of sentient beings, joined forces and intellects against the threat coming from another dimension. The strength of both species bore fruit, increasing the technological and war potential against the invader, but the capacity of the Fractus, such was the name given to the creatures, proved to be much greater than expected.

It was then, in the year 2095, that they appeared.

The Feys.

Because many of them bore some resemblance to the creatures of ancient fables and tales they were called Fey.

As it became known much later, almost all those who received the title of Feys, had been humans in some past era. But these people disappeared and were transported to some unknown place, due to some kind of anomaly caused by the Dark Events. Their entire existence disappeared, as if they had never existed.

These people would return, after years, with no memories, and many of them would return with characteristics that had completely changed their minds and their physiognomy many times. And, some of them, showed abilities that did not fit into any canon of science.

Many of the Feys had been the forerunners of legends of ancient times, but with the advance of modernity, many opted to live in hiding. That is, until the war with the Fractus drove many of them out of their anonymity and they joined the battle.

And, only a few days later, when humanity was still in shock, something else appeared.

The Nevermore Institute.

The Nevermore Institute, originally called the Nevermore Initiative, was created in the year 2050, by a series of founders of whom almost nothing is known. Nobody paid attention to them for decades due to the strange activities they carried out.

Its first purpose was focused on the investigation of strange and paranormal phenomena. Although, over time it developed research departments linked to all kinds of areas, from medicine to the production of resources in defense and aerospace transport.

But what caught people's attention was something else.

The Nevermore Institute was composed of Feys, Humans and Aeons, which effectively established the first union of the three species to enter the conflict. It was a union that had been carried out in secret, since most of Nevermore's staff was composed of people who had been affected in some way by the Dark Events, and many of them joined the ranks of the armies that sought to push back the enemy. At the same time, the different branches of the Nevermore Institute lent almost all the logistical resources at its disposal to help in combat.

After five years, when the planet was almost devastated, things changed. In November 2099, the united forces of Humans, Feys and Aeons managed to close the portal-sphere through which the Fractus entered, at a great cost of lives that were lost in the final battle.

It was when the portal was closed that everything changed.

Technology had advanced so much. The application of the knowledge and resources that had been obtained during the war completely changed the planet. It was possible to re-clean the atmosphere and the seas. At the same time that reverse technology was able to increase the knowledge gained from the enemy to apply it to everyday life on earth, and in the extraterrestrial colonies to terraform planets.

And so were born the shared neural networks, that would later become the Neurowire. It was no longer necessary to travel miles to be with someone if virtual life was almost as real as life on earth.

With all this knowledge and more, it was decided that it was time to take a new step in civilization. The new era was called the "Singularity Age", at the same time that the time beyond 2099 would be called the Ancient Era.

With all the technological knowledge gained in such a short time, although the cost would have been too great, there was one thing about which there was no doubt. A new step had been reached in the evolution of civilization on the planet and in the solar system.

Not only did the social order have to change completely, integrating the Fey into society, but to prevent something like what had happened from repeating itself, a new step had to be taken regarding the consideration of intelligent life.

The new era was called the Singularity Era, beginning a new count of years that started from zero. Everything up to the year 2099 would be called the Ancient Era.

The years passed. New wars and conflicts followed, though on a smaller scale. There were riots and demonstrations, but the lesson was learned. If they wanted to survive they would need each other, because, regardless of the technological advances, the truth is that the Dark Events never went away, they only increased.

Distortions in reality occurred to such a degree that the science known up to that time had to be revised. New terms were born and expanded to study these phenomena, at the same time that new parameters had to be developed for the measurement of certain abilities and preternatural phenomena that in other times many would have called magic. Among humans some of these phenomena were called Thelesics and those who could use such abilities were called thelepaths.

The Dark Events were here to stay and had modified the rhythm of life in such a way that there was no turning back.

With the study of the Feys also came the era of immortality for humans. A new advance that would not know its repercussions at a social level until much later.

New organizations were born, laws for the integration of the new humans, the Aeons and the Feys.

Thus passed the first 125 years since a war that almost destroyed everything, and at the same time changed the world.

Today the Nevermore Institute, more than 175 years after its creation, has been transformed into a worldwide and extraplanetary network of agencies. Equipped with different departments of study and development, it continues to search for a solution to the Dark Events, studying them and trying to prevent future disasters.

The agents in charge of investigating the different cases that arise belong to a special branch within the institute. This is the Special Investigation Division, or better known as SID.

The cases that its special agents investigate in their travels have a special classification.

They are called the Enygma files.