A vast plain of black sand stretched endlessly in all directions, broken only by low, uneven hills. The air was still and heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
At the edge of one such hill stood a small army.
At its front was a man clad in black armor lined with faint golden patterns. A dim green glow seeped through the gaps between the plates, pulsing softly. His blond hair shifted slightly in the dry wind as he stared ahead, his expression filled with cold determination and quiet disdain.
On a distant rise of sand, someone sat.
A figure draped in black and purple robes rested lazily on the slope, holding a short metal pipe wrapped in worn bandages. A small lantern flickered beside him, its weak light barely pushing back the surrounding darkness.
He looked down at the army.
Not with concern. Not with fear.
With mild annoyance, like a man watching insects crawl across his path.
"Oh my… that's a lot of people."
With a quiet sigh, he rose to his feet and stretched slightly.
"Nothing personal," he added in an easy tone. "You're just in my way."
In the next moment, a burst of deep violet energy erupted from both ends of the pipe, extending outward and curving into a long, elegant scythe. The air around it trembled faintly.
The lantern flickered once, then went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
20 years earlier
A door creaked open.
A young man stepped into a cramped apartment and flicked on the light. The room was a mess—clothes scattered across the floor, empty wrappers piled into corners, and a half-filled trash bag slumped against the wall.
Only the desk was clean.
He closed the door behind him and walked over, dropping into the chair as his computer began to boot up. While waiting, he changed his clothes and tossed the old ones onto the bed without a second thought.
An ID card slipped out from the pile.
Neel Roy. Age: 16.
Unnoticed, it disappeared beneath the mess.
Neel sat down, the faint glow of the monitor lighting up his tired face. After a brief pause, he moved the mouse and clicked.
Discord opened.
Messages flooded in instantly.
He stared at the screen for a second, then opened his DMs. As expected, Alan had already filled the chat.
Alan: BROOOO YOU'RE FINALLY ONLINE
Alan: ARE YOU READY FOR THE RELEASE TONIGHT??
Alan: we're grinding day 1 right??
Neel leaned back slightly, reading the messages.
Release… right.
A game launch.
He hesitated for a moment before typing.
Neel: i remember but… does grinding on day 1 really matter?
Neel: and when are the servers opening anyway?
The reply came almost instantly.
Alan: BRO WHAT!
Alan: since when did you start talking like an old man
Alan: of course it matters, day 1 players get all the good stuff
Alan: don't tell me you're backing out now??
Neel exhaled quietly.
Neel: relax. i'm joining
Alan: THAT'S MY GUY
Alan: game opens in like 3 mins
Alan: download done right??
Neel glanced at the game icon on his desktop.
Neel: yeah
He clicked it.
The screen turned white before shifting to the image of a frozen planet. Endless snowfields stretched across its surface beneath a pale sky.
A message appeared.
[System Message: Maintenance ending. Gateway opening in 60s]
The timer ticked down slowly.
When it reached zero, the screen flickered—
Then something appeared in front of him.
Not on the monitor.
In the air.
A translucent blue panel hovered before his eyes.
[System Message: Maintenance complete.]
[Gateways opening across all regions.]
[Spatial distortion detected.]
[Transfer begins in 5… 4…]
Neel froze.
"What the—"
A voice suddenly rang out in his headphones.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS—NO—AGH—!"
The connection cut abruptly.
At the same time, space in front of Neel twisted unnaturally, splitting open into a dark, writhing tear. From within it, black tentacles shot outward.
He barely dodged the first one, stumbling backward in shock.
Another followed immediately.
A new message appeared before his eyes.
[Warning: Physical interaction enabled.]
2…
Neel's expression stiffened.
"Are you serious…?"
[Please do not resist.]
1…
The tentacles wrapped around him.
Cold. Tight. Unyielding.
Before he could react, they dragged him into the portal.
Pain surged through his body, sharp and overwhelming. It wasn't just physical—something deeper was being twisted, stretched, as if his very existence was being pulled apart.
His vision blurred.
His thoughts scattered.
Then—
Silence.
Neel opened his eyes slowly.
His body ached as he pushed himself up from the ground, wincing slightly. For a moment, he just sat there, trying to steady his breathing.
Then he looked around. People, everywhere.
Men, women, children—countless figures spread across a vast, empty expanse. Some were whispering, some shouting, and some had already begun to panic.
The noise grew louder with every passing second.
Then a voice cut through the chaos.
"Everyone… look down."
Neel frowned slightly, then followed the instruction.
He turned and lowered his gaze, and froze.
Below them was a planet.
White. Frozen. Endless.
The same one from the game.