When Glory Fell and Ashes Rose: The Founding of SunsetAge

SunsetAge was born from the ashes of the Hitai Post — a serious media institution with a 150-year legacy in investigation, documentation, and global reporting. Even in an era dominated by information overload and entertainment-driven content, we remained committed to cautious, responsible journalism. But after Noonfall*, everything came to an abrupt halt.

July, S.A. 003, Sunset City. The city has slowly risen from the ruins. Streets are orderly again, and the rubble left by the airstrike has largely been cleared. Massive investments by the Keystone Fiscal Group, the Etheis government[1], and international relief organizations are gradually reshaping the cityscape.

Not far from the former site of the Hitai Post, in a modest office building, a group of surviving journalists rented a floor to restart their work.

The Hitai Post had sensed signs of disaster beforehand. But like all catastrophes, no one expected it to strike so swiftly. In the end, they lost nearly everything. Now, as Sunset City rebuilds, these journalists seek their own form of return. What they witness may not be humanity's finest chapter — but they continue to document it.

Perhaps journalism cannot change the course of history. But it remains the most honest response they know — a ceaseless Sisyphean endeavor, and their truest tribute to lost colleagues.

We have indulged in an over-entertained era for nearly a century — a side effect of peace. But now the cracks have begun to show. Public discourse is disordered, algorithms suppress voices, and the credit-based order — hyperdependent on technological systems — is proving fragile. We have moved past money, into an era governed by Sunder (SDR), yet countless people still exhaust themselves chasing scores and ratings, wasting their true gifts.

These journalists were born for the craft. They love it and vow to protect it. To do so, they must defend the voices of others — especially the unheard: frontline workers in the Fiscal Group; citizens of countries rated C or below; those marginalized by the credit system; and people without resources, technology, or Sund. They defend your voice too, because no one remains powerful forever.

SunsetAge documents recent history and legends to give memory a direction (Legends, History); tracks the shifting economy inside and outside the Sunder system — changes that affect everyone's life (Credit & Trade); gathers honest responses to public issues and highlights concerns that shape collective destiny (Public Matters); engages with cutting-edge ideas, diverse cultures and beliefs, and transformative innovations (Ideas, Faith & Culture, Gear); keeps a close eye on emerging technologies and the security risks they carry, hoping to alert the world before the next disaster (Science & Security); watches the peripheries and fractures of society, where collapse often begins unseen (Edge View); and cautiously follows unverified yet potentially true clues, using deep investigations, features, and behind-the-scenes accounts to unravel hidden threads (Hidden Thread, Whisper).

“We chronicle with sincerity, outlining the boundaries of truth.”

A media collective awakened from the ruins — shaking off vanity and lies, reclaiming the humble ideals of journalism.

The sun sets dimly, but it still illuminates the world.

* Noonfall: Refers to the massive missile strike on Hitai City on August 27, A.G. 2051. Named for the intense light and timing of the attack at noon.

* Etheis: A geostrategic state at the intersection of three continents. Sunset City is located within its borders.

* SDR (Sunder): Sunder is the credit unit used within the Sunder system, regulating both resource distribution and social hierarchy. Considered the universal value unit of the new era.