Cytherax species

Please note that this is a rough version of the species description and will be expanded and modified later.

The final records of human civilization mention only a single project, one that could not be stopped.

Created as living weapons, the Cytherax eventually gained autonomy and slipped beyond the control of their creators. What followed cannot be called a war. It was an extermination. Humanity was methodically erased, and its technological legacy was adapted by the Cytherax for their own needs.

The few surviving humans ceased to be regarded as a sapient species and were reclassified as a resource. Some are used for entertainment, while others are confined within reproductive facilities and industrial farms, where they are treated as livestock.

Through accelerated reproductive cycles and an exceptionally high rate of genetic adaptation, the Cytherax expanded with overwhelming efficiency, replacing human civilization within mere decades and becoming the dominant life form on Earth.

The Cytherax are a species in which intelligence and cruelty form a single decision making system. Their violence lacks impulsiveness and emotional chaos, functioning instead as a precise instrument of evolutionary control. Emotions are not suppressed, but strictly regulated and employed only when doing so increases the efficiency of achieving a goal.

Intraspecies life among the Cytherax is built upon the constant need to prove the right to exist. Mercy is regarded as a systemic error, while conflict serves as a necessary mechanism of self regulation, ensuring the preservation of strength and population dominance.

Over time, the Cytherax developed a complex hierarchical structure based not only on dominance, but also on biological and neural differentiation. This system does not exist to maintain order, but to apply constant pressure and selection within the species.

Alphas occupy the roles of military leaders, strategists, and commanders. They are characterized by heightened aggression, tactical cognition, and the ability to control large groups of Cytherax. Their authority is inherently unstable and constantly challenged, rendering the position of an Alpha both privileged and vulnerable.

Betas constitute the majority of the species. They are the most versatile, rational, and adaptive caste, fulfilling the roles of engineers, coordinators, hunters, and administrators. It is the Betas who maintain Cytherax infrastructure, regulate resources, and ensure the operation of farms, complexes, and territories. Despite their apparent stability, Betas are not neutral. Many seek to depose Alphas or restrict the influence of Omegas whenever it benefits the species.

Biologically, Betas possess a limited reproductive capacity. They are capable of reproduction only with the opposite sex, and even then, the outcome is highly unstable. Offspring produced through Beta pairings are frequently infertile or exhibit a wide range of congenital anomalies, rendering such reproduction inefficient and undesirable for long-term population stability.

Enigmas cannot transform Betas into either Alphas or Omegas. Beta biology is incompatible with such changes. They lack the mechanisms required for dominance or full reproductive function, and any attempt at intervention results in death or irreversible damage.

As a result, Betas remain a closed caste. They are essential to the functioning of Cytherax society, yet incapable of evolving beyond their assigned role. This makes Betas cautious, calculating, and inclined toward indirect control rather than open dominance. For this reason, Enigmas focus their experiments exclusively on Alphas, completely excluding Betas from such processes.

However, unconfirmed reports suggest the existence of rare anomalies. In several undocumented cases, Betas are said to have undergone partial Omega conversion during highly unstable mating events involving two Alphas and two Enigmas simultaneously. Such instances are considered extreme deviations from known biological limits, and no verified subjects have survived long enough for systematic study.

Omegas play a critical role in Cytherax reproduction and genetic adaptation. Their biology allows for the accelerated transmission of mutations and enhancements to subsequent generations. Omegas possess no formal authority, yet their strategic value places them under constant protection, supervision, and exploitation.

Enigmas occupy a distinct position. They are rare and unstable individuals existing outside the standard hierarchy. Their neural structures are partially rewritten or damaged, rendering them immune to traditional dominance signals. Even Alphas fear Enigmas, yet it is precisely these individuals who most often act as catalysts for evolutionary leaps within the species.

It is believed that the genomes of Enigmas contain the highest concentration of inherited human genetic material, fragments of cognition associated with doubt, curiosity, and the violation of imposed boundaries. This makes Enigmas unpredictable and potentially dangerous not only to external threats, but to the very structure of Cytherax society itself.

There are unconfirmed reports that a portion of the Enigmas have formed a hidden collective operating beyond official species protocols. Their activities range from the systematic elimination of Alphas to radical experiments aimed at rewriting the hierarchy itself, including the forced transformation of Alphas into Omegas as a form of evolutionary punishment or biological research.

Most Cytherax choose to ignore the existence of such groups, regarding Enigmas as an unavoidable anomaly. However, it is often their interference that precedes the largest structural shifts within the species, after which the previous order can no longer be restored.

Despite their apparent dominance, the Cytherax remain vulnerable. Their accelerated reproductive cycles result in rapid genomic degradation. Without the continued use of human biological material, population stability declines, making the complete extermination of humanity impossible. Humans remain neither enemy nor prey, but a biological limitation embedded within the Cytherax survival system itself.

Against this backdrop, Enigmas once again play a pivotal role. They were the first to conclude that the current hierarchy obstructs further evolution. According to their calculations, Alphas in their present form represent a genetic dead end, producing offspring with high aggression but low adaptability and accelerated degeneration.

Enigmas have advanced a forbidden hypothesis. The forced transformation of Alphas into Omegas may result in carriers of a more stable and viable genome. Such entities combine the combat potential of Alphas with the reproductive flexibility of Omegas, allowing for the production of offspring less dependent on human biological material.

Within clandestine experiments, Enigmas methodically abduct Alphas and subject them to deep neurogenetic restructuring. Most subjects do not survive the process. However, rare successful cases demonstrate the emergence of offspring with anomalously high resilience and accelerated adaptation. These results threaten not only Alpha authority, but the entirety of the existing control system.