*Chapter 1- **From predator to prey*
In a time long forgotten, humanity was cast to the bottom of the universal food chain. Branded as mere primates by higher beings, they were enslaved, dissected, and discarded. Used for labor, experiments, and entertainment, humans were seen as nothing more than tools. Pets, even.
But oppression is the oldest forge of evolution.
Through centuries of torment and interstellar subjugation, mankind's thirst for knowledge deepened. Their pain became their teacher. In their chains, they learned. In their silence, they listened. In their shadows, they observed. And from the bones of their fallen, they built understanding—of physics, energy, space, and the arcane threads that tied the cosmos together.
Then came the turning point.
They uncovered forbidden planets,worlds so far removed from their reach, ancient alien empires believed them hidden forever. On these planets, they encountered other races,
some kindred in appearance, others monstrous, and some… humans. Not from Earth, but from other cradles of life. Other branches of the human tree, once severed by time and space.
It was here that the shift began.
Humans realized their strength lay not in brute force, but in adaptability and fusion. Through dark science, blood rituals, and cosmic grafting, they began merging with other bloodlines,beasts of void, elemental titans, and forgotten gods. This wasn't evolution. This was mutation—raw and primal. They called these pioneers the Hybrids.
At first, their masters laughed.
Then, they flinched.
Then… they feared.
Because for every Hybrid they crushed, two more rose from the shadows. Hidden cells of humanity began to thrive in forbidden zones, terraforming death into defiance. No longer were they prey.
The ruling alien empires panicked.
They realized they weren't just facing rebellion. They were facing reinvention. And where there is chaos, a black horse always emerges.
So they acted.
They initiated the Extinction Protocol.
Entire planets were turned to ash. Moons cracked. Oceans boiled. Billions of lives erased in a blink. But if there was one thing humans were notorious for—beyond adaptation—it was reproduction and vengeance.
You cut off a head, and a thousand more rise.
What was meant to be a swift execution turned into the bloodiest war in recorded history. Years became decades. Decades became centuries. Galaxies bled.
But the tide began to turn.
Humanity, now battle-hardened, mutated, and united, overwhelmed their oppressors with sheer numbers, unpredictability, and strategy. The alien races tried to flee. To vanish. But there was no refuge.
They were hunted. One by one. Until none remained.
At last, the universe was silent.
From that silence, humanity rose—not as victims, not as slaves, but as architects of a new order. The knowledge stolen, earned, and inherited was used to chart over a hundred worlds, each one now under their watchful eye.
To govern this new age, they forged a coalition. One that would oversee planetary politics, hybrid rights, ancient threats, and cosmic law.
It was not just a government.
It was not just a council.
It was The Echelon Concord — a name that echoed their journey from the ashes of extinction to the architects of destiny.