Venus, the second planet from the Sun.
As Earth's closest planetary neighbor, Venus was one of only two extraterrestrial worlds where humans had established a presence. Yet it remained profoundly inhospitable—its surface scorched at 500 degrees Celsius under crushing atmospheric pressure of 90 atmospheres, periodically swept by highly corrosive acid rain.
Two centuries ago, anyone suggesting Venus once harbored advanced civilizations would have faced ridicule. One hundred years ago, humanity was just emerging from the devastation of the nuclear war, with the World United Government reassessing the fragmented knowledge left behind by pre-war powers.
It was during this archaeological excavation of data that WUG scientists discovered photographs taken by North American space agencies in the 2040s, during the final phase of the second space race between North America, Europe, and East Asia. The images showed something extraordinary in Venus's Maxwell Montes region.
The photos revealed anomalous metal distributions on the Venusian surface—ordered structures with clear protrusions and indentations that defied geological explanation. Most compelling were the massive metallic formations that appeared deliberately constructed.
The evidence pointed to one astonishing conclusion: non-natural structures existed on Venus—likely remnants of an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, the holy grail humanity had sought for generations.
Shortly after these initial Venus explorations, however, the nuclear war erupted, and research abruptly ceased. The photographs remained buried for years until scientists rediscovered and analyzed them, finally reporting their findings to WUG leadership thirteen years later.
The World United Government took the matter seriously. Within thirteen years of receiving the report, they launched an advanced probe to Venus specifically targeting Maxwell Montes. The mission captured extensive imagery and conducted geological surveys that conclusively proved what had seemed impossible—an advanced civilization that surpassed humanity had once thrived on ancient Venus.
The probe photographed hundreds of distinct extraterrestrial structures across Maxwell Montes, penetrating some to document their interior architecture. Analysis of surface materials dated these ruins to approximately 450 million years ago—coinciding with Earth's Ordovician mass extinction.
Despite the harsh Venusian environment limiting operations to just 164 hours—a fraction of what Mars missions achieved—the probe gathered revolutionary data.
Over the next twenty years, the World United Government dispatched twelve additional Venus exploration satellites and surface vehicles, seeking to understand both the extent of Venusian technological development and the mystery of their extinction. These missions documented countless colossal structures and discovered numerous technological artifacts, though none remained functional after millions of years in Venus's corrosive atmosphere.
During this comprehensive exploration, scientists identified two distinct categories of ruins.
The first category consisted of severely degraded structures—little more than irregular metal distributions forming rough frameworks, barely recognizable as artificial constructions. They survived only because Venus lacked Earth's active tectonic plates that would have long ago buried such ancient remains.
The second category preserved more complete structures. Though their interiors were often chaotic, their external forms remained identifiable as deliberately constructed. These structures contained less metal than the first category, instead consisting of metal components integrated with an unusual variant rock material.
The distinction between the two types was striking—as if separated by some catastrophic event. Within the few relatively intact examples of the first category, scientists found efficient, minimalist designs with no superfluous elements. The second category, however, contained something unexpected: elaborate murals depicting a strange, three-headed winged entity soaring above various cities.
Initially, researchers speculated these might be self-representations of the Venusians themselves. This theory changed after the third wave of Venus explorations and the establishment of permanent orbital stations, when linguists finally deciphered fragments of Venusian text found within the second category of ruins.
The texts revealed a name: King Ghidorah, the Winged Doom of the Stars.
This entity was the architect of Venus's destruction, responsible for transforming a once habitable world into the hellscape it became. The second category ruins documented King Ghidorah's terrifying power—how it descended from beyond the solar system, bringing followers that unleashed devastating storms across Venus, evaporating sulfuric oceans and triggering massive volcanic activity that caused planetary extinction.
Curiously, according to Venusian records, King Ghidorah itself never directly attacked their civilization. It merely existed in their world, a living catastrophe. The Venusians fought primarily against King Ghidorah's followers—monstrous beings they managed to defeat after tremendous sacrifice.
But the story didn't end with passive acceptance of their fate. In their civilization's final days, the remaining Venusians mounted one last desperate offensive. Against all odds, they succeeded in capturing and sealing away King Ghidorah.
The victory came too late. Venus's environment was irreparably transformed, and the last Venusians perished in the extreme climate of their ruined world, leaving behind only their technological tombs and warnings for future civilizations.
Now, following coordinates preserved in Venusian records, humanity had located King Ghidorah's prison.
And they had just blown the door open.