Throughout history, life within The Boundary had its ebbs and flows, ups and downs. But the people prided themselves on their upward trajectory, ensuring that they always overcame the challenges, and that each generation enjoyed a better quality of life than the one before. Whenever they noticed a Downward Spiral beginning, they would quickly act to rectify the problems and restore the upward momentum.
However, as the second millennium ended and the third millennium began, a troubling pattern emerged. Downward spirals grew longer and more severe, lasting longer than anyone could recall happening in the past, while Upward Spirals diminished in strength and vitality. The comforting LIght of upward progress seemed to dim, allowing ever smaller problems to extinguish it.
An uneasy complacency spread across Earth. The people clung to the perceived safety of their Walled City, isolating themselves even further. They even began to build Boundaries around their own homes within The Boundary. As they grew more and more insulated and afraid, they refused to think about about the dangers and opportunities beyond The Boundary, and their collective memory of it faded. They grew arrogant and self-centered, hoarding resources behind their walls and clinging to their shreds of luxury, while neglecting the needs of the less fortunate who suffered in the darkness beyond their gates. Trust among neighbors dwindled, and the once vibrant community spirit waned.
For the first time anyone could remember, people began to close their shutters and lock their doors. Very few people still attended the town ceremonies, and the singing and dancing gradually melted away as the years ticked by.
As things grew darker, some of the elders began being reminded in their dreams of the frightening stories of ancient heroes who had ventured beyond The Boundary, warning of entire civilizations consumed by the Downward Spiral, never to be seen again. The people of Earth had never thought such a tragedy could befall their walled sanctuary. Now, parents feared for the future of their children, their grandchildren, and the generations to come.
Inside the walls of The Boundary, a dark and sinister power had taken root and was growing. The deaths and suffering were not just inflicted from without. Suicides, substance abuse, and depression ran rampant through the streets, seizing the innocent. But the people of Earth were not just facing problems within. An even greater threat was looming on the horizon.