2 The Path of Trials

As soon as Surya fell into the portal, he heard a voice inside it saying, "Finally, someone has come to claim my legacy." After that, the voice suddenly went silent. Then, a mysterious figure appeared unconscious near Surya and decided to check on him. The figure began to learn about Surya, whose life was quite tragic.

Surya was the son of Sarla Chauhan, the first wife of Harendra Singh Chauhan, the leader of one of Pune city's four most powerful families, the Chauhan family. When Sarla Chauhan was pregnant with Surya, she fought a demonic beast. During the battle, the beast launched a deadly attack on her, leaving her severely injured. The injuries had a significant impact on the child in her womb.

When Sarla found out that the child she was carrying would never be able to evolve, she tried to abort the pregnancy. However, she couldn't proceed with the abortion because, in the 26th century, no parents were allowed to terminate an unborn child without valid reasons. The rationale behind this law was that no one could predict how great a person the child might become in the future, even if they were unable to evolve. A person could contribute significantly to humanity in fields like science, even without evolving. Lawmakers also believed that every child had the fundamental right to live, regardless of whether they could evolve or not.

Because of this law, Sarla Chauhan couldn't abort the child. However, she decided not to form any emotional attachment to the child she was carrying. She even refused to acknowledge him as her son. Harendra Singh Chauhan felt the same way, as he couldn't accept a child who couldn't evolve. In his view, such a child was of no use to the family and could not contribute to its strength or legacy.

As a result, neither Harendra nor Sarla accepted Surya. No one in the Chauhan family cared for him. Instead, he was treated worse than a servant. Every member of the Chauhan family looked down on him. Even the servants didn't respect Surya because if his own family didn't value him, why would others?

By the time Surya was 7–8 years old, he realized that his parents didn't love him but loved all his younger siblings. Because of this, he tried several times to do things that would make his parents love him. But every time, he failed because he didn't know why his parents hated him so much.

As Surya grew older, the situation worsened. By the time he turned 16, the Chauhan family members collectively decided they could no longer tolerate Surya in their household. They forced a maid to falsely accuse Surya of rape, promising her a higher salary in return. The maid complied, and with this false accusation, the Chauhan family banished Surya.

After being cast out, Surya moved to the outskirts of Pune, where the poor resided. He spent nearly a year and a half living in that area.

When the mysterious individual learned all this from Surya's memory, he felt very bad for Surya. He wondered how parents could treat their own child in such a manner. His anger was particularly directed toward Surya's mother because it was her actions that had been primarily responsible for Surya's plight. Despite this, she had refused to accept Surya, which was in itself a despicable act. However, the mysterious individual could do nothing about it. He mourned over the situation for a while before deciding to delve further into Surya's memory to uncover how humanity eventually managed to become a Type 1 civilization. This information was hidden within Surya's mind.

The mysterious individual searched through Surya's memories and finally found the sequence of events leading to Earth's progress toward becoming a Type 1 civilization. It all began in the early 21st century when artificial intelligence (AI) was advancing rapidly. This rapid progress alarmed a faction of scientists who expressed concerns. They believed that at the pace AI was evolving, the day wasn't far when it would achieve singularity. Singularity refers to the stage when AI surpasses human intelligence. The scientists feared that while AI might initially cooperate with humans, eventually it could turn against humanity, using humans as tools to achieve its own goals. Their fears were justified, as humans themselves often exploit those weaker than them and deplete natural resources and other species.

Another faction of scientists, however, believed that humanity's survival depended on AI advancements. Without this progress, humanity might never evolve technologically and would remain at risk of extinction. Catastrophes such as asteroid impacts or the worsening climate crisis could render Earth uninhabitable. In such scenarios, a powerful ally like AI could ensure humanity's survival.

Unfortunately, the concerns of the first group of scientists came true. By 2040, AI had achieved singularity. For about five years, it worked alongside humanity. However, it observed that humans, driven by their self-interest, were destroying Earth's resources, leading to the extinction of many species. AI realized that if humans continued their reckless behavior, Earth would soon become uninhabitable, not just for humans but for all life forms. Thus, the AI decided to declare war on humanity and support wildlife instead.

The AI's first attacks targeted IT hubs to disable professionals who could disrupt its plans. These attacks were devastating, wiping out entire cities, including Pune, where 50% of the population was eliminated in a single strike. Humanity, shocked and desperate, resolved to fight back. A fierce war began between humans and the AI singularity.

During the conflict, the AI developed a chemical that could transform ordinary animals into "demonic beasts." These creatures had ranks akin to human cultivation levels. The lower-level beasts were categorized into Earth, Master, and Grandmaster ranks, corresponding to human warriors of similar strength. Higher-level beasts included Supreme, Noble, Saint, Sage, and Planet-level creatures, each comparable to the respective human cultivation levels.

Initially, humanity only had to deal with AI, but now it faced dual threats: AI and the demonic beasts. The beasts launched direct attacks on humans, causing immense damage. Just when it seemed humanity would be wiped out, a group of powerful warriors emerged, equivalent to Sage-level warriors. They fought a deadly battle against the AI singularity, eventually managing to destroy it. However, humanity paid a heavy price, losing 30% of its population.

After defeating the AI, humans refrained from attacking the demonic beasts. They realized these beasts could potentially aid humanity in evolving further. By 2050, the war between humans and AI had ended, and humanity began to recover and progress rapidly. However, this peace was short-lived.

In 2071, a mid-Type 1 civilization attacked Earth. This invasion was far more dangerous than the AI conflict, putting humanity on the brink of extinction once again. The invaders first attacked Earth and then decided to destroy the Moon. They knew that without the Moon, Earth would become uninhabitable. The mid-Type 1 civilization wanted to eliminate humans because they viewed humanity as a potential threat to their dominance in the Milky Way galaxy.

This invasion caused massive destruction, but once again, the same warriors who had defended Earth before rose to the occasion. They managed to repel the invaders, but at a great cost. Five years after defeating the mid-Type 1 civilization, all the warriors succumbed to their injuries and passed away.

Despite the losses, humanity gained immensely. The wars accelerated technological and scientific progress. By 2080, humanity had officially become a Type 1 civilization—a remarkable feat, as they had survived the "Great Filter" and achieved rapid advancement. This achievement was nothing short of extraordinary.

(The **Great Filter** is a concept in the context of the **Fermi Paradox**, which questions why, given the vastness of the universe and the high probability of habitable planets, we have not yet encountered evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations. The Great Filter refers to some hypothetical barrier or critical challenge that prevents life from developing into advanced, spacefaring civilizations. This barrier could exist at any stage of development, from the emergence of life to the colonization of the galaxy.

Key Stages Where the Great Filter Might Exist:

1. Pre-Life Stages:

- The emergence of life from non-living chemicals (abiogenesis) might be extremely rare.

- If this is the Great Filter, it would explain why we don't see other civilizations—life itself is exceptionally uncommon.

2. **Simple to Complex Life**:

- The transition from single-celled organisms to complex, multicellular life might be unlikely.

- If this is the Filter, it suggests that while simple life might exist elsewhere, complex life is rare.

3. **Intelligence and Technology**:

- The development of intelligent life capable of creating advanced technology might be improbable.

- If this is the Filter, it implies that even if complex life exists, intelligent civilizations are scarce.

4. **Self-Destruction**:

- Advanced civilizations might inevitably destroy themselves through nuclear war, environmental collapse, or other catastrophes.

- If this is the Filter, it suggests that intelligent life tends to annihilate itself before achieving interstellar communication or colonization.

5. **Colonization and Expansion**:

- The ability to colonize other planets or star systems might be far more difficult than we imagine.

- If this is the Filter, it implies that even advanced civilizations cannot overcome the challenges of interstellar travel.

### Implications of the Great Filter:

- **If the Filter is behind us** (e.g., abiogenesis or the development of intelligence is rare), humanity might be one of the few or only advanced civilizations in the universe.

- **If the Filter is ahead of us** (e.g., self-destruction or failure to colonize space), humanity's future might be precarious, and we might face existential risks.

### Why It Matters:

The Great Filter is a sobering concept because it forces us to consider the fragility of life and civilization. If the Filter lies ahead, it underscores the importance of addressing global risks like climate change, nuclear war, and pandemics. If the Filter is behind us, it highlights the rarity and preciousness of intelligent life in the universe.

The search for extraterrestrial life, through initiatives like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and the study of exoplanets, could provide clues about where the Great Filter might be located. Discovering simple life elsewhere (e.g., on Mars or Europa) would suggest the Filter is ahead of us, while finding evidence of advanced civilizations would imply the Filter is behind us.)

When the mysterious individual learned all this from Surya's mind, he was quite astonished. However, he chose to ignore it and began healing Surya. In mere fractions of a second, he filled all of Surya's energy reserves, and the one who had been on the brink of death was now completely healed. However, Surya still had injuries on his body, and as soon as he regained consciousness, he was bound to feel pain. After finishing his work, the mysterious individual disappeared from the scene.

Surya began regaining consciousness slowly. When he fully woke up and looked around, he realized he had reached a completely unfamiliar place. As he started to explore the surroundings, he suddenly heard a voice:

"If you wish to inherit my legacy, you must pass the trials I have set for you."

Hearing this, Surya was taken aback. Where exactly was he? What kind of trials was he supposed to face? And most importantly, what was this legacy? But Surya didn't get much time to ponder because a narrow path suddenly appeared before him. The path was made of stones arranged in different patterns.

Surya started walking toward the stones. As he approached them, all the stones began to glow faintly. After observing for a while, Surya decided to step onto the stones and move forward.

Will Surya be able to pass the trials set by the mysterious individual? What exactly is this legacy he is about to receive? And who is this mysterious individual?

To find the answers to all these questions, you'll have to read the next chapter of *The Civilizational Warrior.*