Notes From The Under

Oneshot

16 January 2025 5:51 PM JST

A massive wall of golden light materializes around the State of Japan. All contact is lost with the nation inside. Not long after, the golden wall of light dissipates and the rest of the world laid their eyes on where 127 million people once lived.

It has been theorized that Japan dematerialized at the exact same time the golden wall of light disappeared. The result was a humungous vacuum where the islands of Japan once lay. Air and seawater rushed in to fill the empty void left behind.

—

"...the United Nations is currently undertaking a rescue operation of untold magnitude, although the heavy winds in the area make it impossible for anything to be attempted as of now. The Queen of the Mist, a British-registered cruise ship was reported to have been just outside the barrier of light during the event. Little hope remains for the survivors, with experts speculati-"

—

Rescue efforts in the following days proved futile due to the hostile conditions. Heavy winds would impact much of eastern Asia. The initial casualty count laid at 130 million and rising. Speculation on what happened ranged from plausible scientific explanations to deranged conspiracies to holy judgement.

—

"-outh Korea's president, Park Geun-Hye, has declared a state of emergency. South Korea has been battered by storms ever since the event, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people. UN relief efforts have been stretched thin, with peacekee-"

—

When rescue operations within where Japan once was became viable, peacekeepers, humanitarian aid workers, volunteers, and many others came in to find the area empty. 127 million souls disappeared into the aether.

—

"-ief workers have entered this area here, as you can see, it is all empty ocean. No sign that Japan was ever here. This is extremely worrying. To my right, you can see the Indian oceanography vessel RV-"

—

Billions of people around the world watched in shock as this unfolded. Most didn't believe it at first.

—

"-candlelight vigil held in front of the White House was attended by thousands. President Obama spoke earlier today, announcing that further aid will be provided to those affected in Asia. Obama then assured all American citizens that lost family members and loved ones in the event that they were not alone. UN relief workers recovered wreckage from the cruise ship Queen of the Mist last Sunday, no identifiable bodies have been recovered yet. Potential evidence has come to light that may reveal what those 4,432 passengers and crew experienced in those final moments."

—

The effects would be felt across the globe. As water finished filling the space that Japan once inhabited, global sea levels would lower drastically. The global economy immediately took a hard hit.

—

"Riots have broken out across the nation, the National Guard has been called into various major population centers across the eastern seaboard. Montana representative Ryan Zinke was severely injured outside his home yesterday due to what was determined to be a pipe bomb. Investigation into the incident is ongoing."

—

Instability surged across the globe. The collapse of the global economy resulted in much looting, rioting, and violence. The people wanted answers. Nations don't simply disappear into thin air.

—

"China has denied allegations that they orchestrated a sabotage of relief efforts following the event. Experts have not ruled out foul-play following further examination of the fuselages of the 2 aircraft lost on Monday."

—

The event that shocked the world continued to baffle scientists and the common person alike. The laws that had dictated our world had been flipped upside down. Divine intervention was a popular belief held regarding the cause of the event. The world had never seen a larger loss of life. Or maybe there wasn't a loss. Maybe Japan was somewhere out there, just not on our planet Earth.

—

"-he Philippines is undergoing a state of emergency following the loss of their largest export partner. Similarly, many families in Brunei have been hit hard by the effects of the event. On Wednesday, 2 Royal Brunei Air Force helicopters, as well as other firefighting elements, participated in extinguishing the two-day forest fire that ravaged much of the land near the-"

—

The United Nations currently oversees the area that Japan once inhabited. There have been countless investigations, countless speculation, countless experiments, and there has never been a definitive answer on what happened that day. The floating memorial that was constructed in the area that Tokyo once occupied is visible from space. Endless rows and rows of perpetual candlelight.

—

"...documents have been leaked from Congress detailing plans to establish further presence within the South China Sea to prevent the spread of Chinese influence within the region. The loss of Japa-"

—

It has been five years since the event. Five years since the world changed forever.

I sometimes wonder how much the world would be different if Japan had never disappeared.

Maybe it was divine intervention, maybe it was some natural catastrophe we can't explain. Or maybe it was something else.

Not long after the event, a research vessel recovered a note in the waters Japan once inhabited. A small piece of paper that was inexplicably not wet. The note was short;

The Sun Rises Once Again.