Today marked the 50th year of the WC. To be precise, in just a few hours, it would officially become the 50th year. The calendar had changed in the year 2050 AD, which also marked the birth of Year 0 of the WC—World Calendar.
This change came about due to the discovery of missing years—periods erased from history across various sites where no records were found during specific time gaps. This led to the conclusion that during the conversions between different calendar systems throughout history, more and more years were effectively lost. It was believed to be a diplomatic maneuver, strongly backed by China and India, to break away from the dominance of the Western calendar system.
In the past, history was written by the victors, and so were calendars. But times had changed, and the world had begun to resist that precedent. Thus, in the year 2050, alongside the end of World War 3, a new global system of time was introduced: the World Calendar (WC).
Under the WC, the year consisted of 13 months. April was now the 1st month, and "Phagan" the last. Each month had 28 days, totaling 364 days, with a single extra holiday added at the end of the year—bringing the total to 365 days.
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Kurt Vince was a normal high schooler in India, 16 years old, standing at 5 ft 7 inches. His skin was bronze-tanned, typical of many Indians, with an average build. A sparse beard clung to his chin, clearly not groomed properly, with patches where facial hair had yet to grow. A few dark spots marked his cheeks—likely due to puberty, though people often assumed otherwise and his hair was curly and messy. Basically he was, by societal standards, what many would label as ugly.
Kurt came from a middle-class family that had known poverty during his early years. His mother and father worked hard to keep the family just above the poverty line and managed to enroll him in a government school. Despite the circumstances, he was excited today. He hurried home with a lightness in his steps—today and tomorrow marked the grand New Year celebration. Tomorrow would be the 1st of April, the start of the new year, while today was the extra, global holiday at the year's end.
Even though it was a holiday, Kurt had gone to school to study in the library, fully focused on his academics. He had ambitions—desires he was determined to fulfill. He had no close friends; no one wanted to approach him. Though he once yearned for friendship, over time he had stopped longing for affection and began treating school as a place solely for learning. Home was where he found warmth. And to him, that warmth was enough.
Kurt was now on his way to the railway station, excitement in his heart and a subtle rush in his step. It was 7:00 PM. His train ride home usually took three hours, followed by a one-hour walk to his house. He would reach by 11:00 PM—just an hour before the new year. His daily schedule never changed, regardless of holidays or celebrations.
He boarded his train on time and took his usual spot in the corridor corner—his place of peace—where he could listen to audiobooks without interruptions. The train would not be crowded at this hour.
His village however wasn't the place where he grew up. His family moved to the village after going thick and through in the slums. It was ironic that even in the year 2100, the world hadn't changed much—the rich grew richer, and the poor still struggled for basic sustenance.
As the train moved at its usual pace, Kurt listened to his audiobook, though his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking of the mutton curry his mother promised to make for the celebration tonight. But little did he know—fate had different plans.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice—mechanical, cold, and unmistakably artificial.
<< Greetings, all humans. Congratulations! You have successfully advanced your planet to a Tier 1 planet. >>
Kurt was shocked and froze in place. "What did I just hear?" he mumbled.
<< Planet Earth has now been officially recognized as a living planet and has been invited to the Multiverse Galaxy Association. It is numbered as the 1929645204253502253rd living planet. >>
He blinked rapidly. Was he dreaming? He lightly pinched his arm. "Am I asleep?" he wondered.
The voice continued in his mind.
<< All humans have been granted access to the "System Panel." It will appear before you when you think about it. >>
Kurt didn't know how to react. "I hope this is a dream," he whispered. But his intuition and clarity—sharpened through years of studying—told him it wasn't.
"System," he said aloud, testing it hoping it would not show up.
Sadly, hope has a habit of breaking easily.
A blue translucent screen appeared in front of him. His name and age were displayed at the top right. As he scrolled his eyes downward to read more, the system voice chimed again.
<< The panel displays your personal statistics and attributes. You may ask the System for help or guidance regarding any queries. >>
Kurt examined his stats:
[Name]: Kurt Vince (16.6)
[Race]: Human
[Affiliation]: Earth (100%)
[Strength]: 7
[Speed]: 8
[Stamina]: 7
[Intelligence]: 15
[Spirit]: 13
[Karma]: 17
"I wonder if my stats are good," Kurt murmured.
The voice returned, this time with more information.
<< Every planet recognized by the System must choose one of the following options, or else it will be classified as an anomaly and thereby eliminated:
1. Come under the rule of one of the 12 Rulers of the Multiverse .(Permanent)
2. Participate in Interplanetary Wars and earn your place through combat.
3. Come under the System's Protection. (Free trial for 1 year)
Please make your choice by 00:00 EST, April 1, 2100.
Total votes: 6.73644 billion
Time left:4:10:3 >>
Kurt took a deep breath as he processed what he had just happened. He looked down at his watch. It was 7:51 PM.
Earth had only 4 hours left to decide its fate.
A drastic change was already underway.