At the end of the modern age on Earth, the world descended into catastrophe. Rival superpowers had entered the opening stages of World War III, and global conflict spread rapidly across continents and oceans. Military fleets deployed across the world as nations prepared for total war.
One of these fleets belonged to the United States Navy.
It was a carrier strike group traveling across the Atlantic when reality itself suddenly broke.
A massive portal opened above the ocean, stretching across the sky like a storm made of glowing fractures. Before the fleet could escape, the ocean twisted and the ships were pulled into the rift.
When the fleet emerged, Earth was gone.
They had arrived in a new world.
The fleet that arrived in this new world was powerful but relatively small compared to full wartime deployments.
The force consisted of 8,000 American personnel, including sailors, pilots, marines, engineers, and support staff.
At the center of the fleet was one United States aircraft carrier, a floating military base capable of launching dozens of aircraft and coordinating naval operations.
Aircraft carriers are among the largest warships ever built and serve as mobile airbases that project power across oceans.
Escorting the carrier were five guided missile destroyers, fast warships equipped with advanced radar systems and defensive weapons.
Below the ocean traveled five submarines, stealth vessels designed for underwater reconnaissance and surprise attacks.
The fleet’s air wing included fifty fighter aircraft, mostly carrier-based jets used for air combat, reconnaissance, and ground strikes. Modern carriers typically deploy dozens of fighters as part of their air wing.
In addition to aircraft, the fleet transported one hundred modern battle tanks, stored aboard transport vessels within the task force.
Together the ships, aircraft, and vehicles formed a self-contained military force capable of operating independently for months.
The soldiers soon began experiencing strange symptoms.
Within the first day several personnel became ill. A few collapsed with severe dizziness, while others reported intense headaches and strange sensations in the air.
Some soldiers began vomiting shimmering rainbow-colored fluid, which dissolved into glowing particles before reaching the ground.
Medical officers initially suspected chemical contamination or radiation exposure.
But something far stranger was happening.
A few soldiers suddenly discovered they could produce sparks of light, small bursts of wind, or minor electrical discharges from their hands.
The new world was filled with ambient magical energy, and certain humans seemed capable of adapting to it.
The phenomenon was completely unknown to modern science.
Reconnaissance flights soon revealed the geography around them.
The fleet had arrived near the western coast of a continent called @Oktoberland.
Several powerful civilizations existed nearby.
To the north stood the disciplined city-state of @Dopenhagen, a fortress society ruled by a strict military council.
To the east spread the terrifying @Echuilia Prime, an enormous insect empire ruled by a demon lord and defended by vast armies of giant ants.
Further inland lay the forests and mountains of the @The Kingdom of Wolfenstein, a powerful nation whose warriors included lycans—humans capable of transforming into werewolves.
The Americans had entered a world where magic, monsters, and medieval kingdoms ruled the land.
After several days of cautious navigation, the American fleet began moving slowly toward the coastline.
Fighter jets flew patrol routes over unfamiliar seas.
Submarines mapped the ocean floor.
Destroyers scanned the horizon for unknown threats.
The soldiers watched strange landscapes appear beyond the mist—towering forests, ancient stone cities, and mountains far older than anything on Earth.
President Winterbelt gave the order to establish a temporary coastal base.
They would attempt peaceful contact if possible.
But the military was prepared for anything.
The arrival of the American fleet marked the beginning of a historic moment for both worlds.
The people of @Oktoberland had never seen aircraft carriers, jet fighters, or modern tanks.
At the same time, the American soldiers had never seen dragons, demon lords, magical saints, or kingdoms ruled by ancient magic.
Two civilizations—one technological and one magical—were about to meet.
And neither side yet understood how dangerous the other could be.