A Civilization's Downfall

Just as the ancient prophecies had foretold, he was borne to us from the Surface in a womb of steel and glass. Down he floated through the realm of the upper hydrospheres, eventually coming to rest in the holy place of the Gods. When we found the Hairless One, he was wounded and starving for air. We took him into our hospitals and nursed him back to health, mobilizing our entire economy in order to ensure his survival. Once he had regained his strength, he was given lordship over all our lands, and became our king. The time of splendor had begun.

As a giant he walked among us. He was a peaceful leader, surpassing us all in stature and intelligence. He reorganized our social programs, ended poverty, and oversaw the construction of vast monuments that served as testaments to our people's culture and ingenuity. He was a hero to our children, and a saviour to our elderly. Our new king enlightened our society with technological improvements and innovations that our people had failed to achieve despite many generations of research. As well, he shared with us stories of the many wonders of the Heavens that existed beyond the Surface. For several years he ruled this way, earning both the respect and trust of all our citizens.

But then things started to change.

Over time, he became fixated on the metal womb from which he arrived to us, constantly studying it and complaining of its deficiency of something he called "shtearing weele". His leadership too began to change. He began to recluse himself in his favorite palace and draw maps of the Heavens. He began to instruct our military leaders to build more armaments and enlist more soldiers, even though we had not gone to war for over a thousand years. As well, perhaps saddest of all, the Hairless One ordered more and more of our women to his palace, in a vain attempt to fill the void left in his heart by being severed from the Heavens beyond the Surface. With his change of focus, we were left essentially leaderless.

It was in his eleventh year of rule that the Disease began to spread. Many of our kind fell victim to it and developed spots and sores all over their bodies. Our immune systems seemed unable to fight off the virus, and thousands died. Just when we thought we were closing in on a cure for the murderous sores, another mysterious disease --the Illness-- broke out and began to devour our population. It was said that if the first Disease didn't kill you, the second Illness would. Our underwater farms and fisheries began to be devoid of labour, and as a result there were riots in the cities. The military fragmented, with half loyal to the king's protection and the other half bent on destroying him as a way to end our troubles.

When the war began, there was little hope left for our kind. Our population had dwindled, our people were starving and sick, and the king was left powerless on the throne. Tens of thousands died, and there weren't even enough of us left to pick up the bodies of the fallen. The military factions were fighting over nothing more than crumbled remains of an empire. Towards the end, as they closed in on the king's throne hall, we all watched as he escaped in a giant bubble that floated up to the Surface.

Many left behind ended up dying alone in the ruins of our once great cities. Some of us escaped in our aquapods, looking to find a new place to call home under this beautiful blue planet we call Sea.