Of those who speculated as to how the world would end, some were more correct than others, but no one knew in the end. Of course, how could they have known? No one foresaw the events that unfolded in the years leading up to the singularity. The moment that machines finally outgrew their creators surprised a world that always speculated about such an event in endless fictional endeavors. Oh, how foolish they had become.
The great nations of the world, complacent in their wealth and power were too comfortable and ultimately unwilling to give up their luxuries for the good of the world. Obrisium was the key component for energy production, manufacturing, and weapons. One could find the material used in anything from your car to a nuclear warhead. After Obrisium’s nearly supernatural ability to store energy was discovered, its indigenous continent of Obrus began to acutely feel the world’s attention. When the surface veins ran dry, the mining corporations dug deeper, and over time discovered smaller quantities of more energized obrisium.
The power that was gained from obrisium was unparalleled. The people of Obrus made themselves gods. Nothing would ever be the same. Medicine, science, literature, philosophy, and robotics. Anything and everything was possible, and we were on the eve of being cemented into the cosmos as a permanent fixture among the stars. Obrissium had ushered in a new age of abundance.
Oh, how foolish we had become, indeed.
Eventually, The mines couldn't go any deeper, and any obrisium that was left was beyond their reach. As reserves began to deplete, the collective dreams of an entire plant so too faded. The superpowers of the old world began putting conservation measures in place. Energy cuts every other day of the week, government-mandated fuel caps, and rationing of food and water. People complained, but they didn't realize how good they had it. In many of the surrounding nations, obrisium reserves had already run out, sending them back over a century in technology. It didn't take long for tensions to rise between powers. Soon the sobering flames of war reminded us of our mortality. Like Icarus, we were rapidly approaching the sun.
The world map the players managed to create