God’s Cube

5 years had now passed, but the events of that day were still vivid in his memory. The holes had also been filled in by the unfamiliar people he found around him. The group’s name was Inveniam, a vigilante group. Information on a bunker complex had reached their network and they decided to directly investigate after finding potential links to state bribery. They raided the whole complex, making the discovery of the red Cube held in the complex.

Nearly a hundred years since the Cubes had first appeared on Earth. Their origins were unknown, their purpose unclear, but there was one undeniable truth. The Cubes had altered the course of humanity. The world was no more divided into borders or ideologies but into distance from these enigmatic objects. Nations rose and fell depending upon who had access to the Cubes, and entire societies were quickly redefining themselves based on what that power gave them.

The Cubes, as named by the always original populus, came in three different forms, blue, red, and yellow cubes. Each Cube, given its relatively plain appearance, actually held within it the possibility of granting unfathomable power to any that could survive its test. The blue Cubes enhanced intelligence to otherwise normal individuals, making them prodigies capable of doing the most unbelievable scientific and technological wonders. The red Cubes granted physical prowess beyond compare, making those who survived the ordeal creatures of unprecedented strength, speed, and resilience. It was the yellow Cubes, however-the most mysterious and feared-that truly set the world on edge. They granted supernatural powers that deny the laws of physics in a world of surprise and danger. No two yellow Cubes had the same effect, and thus each survivor of their trials was a unique and often fearsome force.

Trying to unlock the power of a Cube was not an easy task. Each one presented a trial to be overcome. A test that pushed human endurance and will to the limit. Success meant unimaginable power, while failure meant death. A Century had now passed, and a pattern was noted. It all boiled down to one factor, age. The odds of survival were thin, but the ideal candidates had to be between 18 and 22 years of age. In this age bracket, the success rate was about 23%, but it was pulled upward in that calculation by the much less dangerous blue and red Cube trials. Those much younger or older had a radically worse chance of survival, the rate falling below 5% for nearly all age groups. The yellow Cubes were known to be quite unpredictable, and only 5% within the optimal age range would live through it, to the rest, it was deadlier. There was but a single known survivor of a yellow Cube trial outside that range.

The world was truly chaotic during the beginning years after the Cubes first appeared. The idea of power sending people into a mad rush to try trials, bringing about countless deaths, with panic spreading everywhere. Not long after, governments began to set strict rules to control entrance into the Cubes. In the European Union, the rules stated that only people who went through the proper process in their youth. Attending select highschools. Were to be granted access to the Cubes. This became a sort of symbol of power and prestige, grievously guarded by nations. Some entities like the EU hoarded more than one Cube of each type, which they used as resources and weapons in the global arena; smaller nations that couldn’t get even one or two, were forced into submission by more lucky neighbors.

But these regulations did not satisfy everyone, and there were those who wanted more than what the rules could give them. Rogue factions ceaselessly plotted around the government controls, yearning for the power the Cubes would promise. While the world wasn’t in complete anarchy, the control exerted by these states wasn’t limitless, and these rogue factions were often left unchecked.

This was where Inveniam came into play. A vigilante group which saw themselves as a necessity in this modern world. Exposing corruption and bringing down those who abused power. This was no ordinary find-the locations of the Cubes were well-documented and highly controlled by the world's various governments. To find one outside of the established registers was to suggest a level of secrecy and corruption that was as unseemly as unsafe.

Thesi as he was now called was the recovered child in that complex. Fearing for his safety, the full truth still covered up, Iveniam had kept his existence a secret. His discovery was a grim reality, and one turned darker after he had pointed them to the forest where the final trial had taken place, before he was put in the cube. The idea that hundreds of children were brought up in such a brutal manner, meant for the refinement and survival of a very select few was sickening to them. Yet, despite years having passed, nothing more was uncovered about the origins of the bunker and the mysterious leader named the Dagda. All captured personnel died, and the only answer uncovered was that he was a blue. 

Hence, Inveniam had since decided to take care of Thesi. Trying to give back humanity to the killing machine that was found laying on the floor that day. They did have some form of success, having sent him to Gladiatori, the Italian peninsula’s high school destined to form Cube candidates, in an attempt to interact with peers that had some semblance of his combat ability, most of which having as well been trained to enter the cube, making him a lot less of a standout. He was guarded by Flavio, a red that had taken part in the bunker raid, but had since retired from duty and took on the role as the kid’s guardian. Though Thesi effectively was now the representation of an antisocial and introverted teenager, with few friends and very unsuccessful with women. The last part, much to Flavio’s dismay. A true womanizer in his youth.

“Hey Thesi, stop spacing out man. High school’s coming to an end, take in these last details, you’ll need them before the final test. Talking of, have you decided what cube you wish to attempt? Personally I’ll go for red! Gaining some muscle will definitely change my luck with women.”

A blonde haired kid with blue eyes called Augusto, Thesi’s closest friend, brought him out of his trance. He had been reflecting a lot on his past these last few days. He had shocked Flavio when he told him he’d attempt the blue Cube, the latter continuously insisting red was more suited for him. The only problem was that Thesi had already completed the red trial. A certain instinct made him hide the successful completion of the test, with no technology to confirm the truth, and such a young child never having actually completed this test, Inveniam had just assumed that the test had malfunctioned and ended early due to the chaos around that Cube at the time, an event that had already been recorded in humanities past.