The moment Neel saw what was below them, his body reacted before his mind did.
He took a step back—
—and bumped straight into someone.
He turned quickly. "Ah—sorry—"
A girl.
He froze for half a second, then awkwardly stepped away like he'd touched something he wasn't supposed to.
"Sorry," he repeated, quieter this time.
She hadn't even said anything yet, but Neel had already turned around and walked off, slipping into the crowd as if nothing had happened.
Only after putting some distance between them did he slow down.
His chest rose and fell unevenly.
"…What the hell is this?"
He ran a hand through his hair, glancing around.
People. Everywhere.
Not just a few. Not dozens.
Thousands.
Some were whispering, some were arguing, some just stood there looking completely lost.
Neel swallowed and forced himself to look down again.
That planet… was still there.
Huge. Silent. Unreal.
"…Did we seriously get pulled into the game or something?"
He let out a dry laugh, but it didn't last.
"…Or am I just dreaming?"
A pause.
"…Yeah. No. This doesn't feel like a dream."
He clicked his tongue softly and shook his head.
"Doesn't matter… I don't know enough yet."
Even as he said that, his fingers curled slightly. He wasn't as calm as he sounded.
Then—
The noise around him started to die down.
Not gradually.
All at once.
Like someone had just… lowered the volume of the world.
Neel frowned.
And then he heard it.
"Attention… contenders."
The voice didn't come from anywhere specific. It wasn't loud either.
But it reached him anyway.
Neel's shoulders tensed.
"I know you have questions," the voice continued, almost sounding bored. "Relax. I'll answer them."
A short pause.
"But first…"
Neel frowned slightly.
"…a story."
He blinked.
A story? Seriously?
"There was once a wanderer," the voice began, slow and steady, "someone who went from world to world, looking for a place to build his own version of heaven."
Neel listened, his expression tightening a little.
"But everywhere he went… things fell apart."
A faint chuckle echoed.
"Chaos followed him. Or perhaps… he carried it with him."
Neel didn't like the sound of that.
"In the end, he gave up on the worlds… and chose to stay in the void instead."
A small pause.
"…With chaos."
Silence.
Then the voice casually added—
"Anyway. That's enough of that."
Neel frowned deeper.
No way that was pointless.
He didn't understand it, but something about that story felt… intentional.
Before he could think more about it, the voice spoke again.
"You can ask questions now."
A short pause.
"I'll answer… eight."
Immediately, the quiet broke. People started talking over each other, voices rising, panic creeping back in.
Neel clicked his tongue.
"Only eight…?"
That's not nearly enough.
His mind started racing.
Where are we? Why us? What is this place?
He opened his mouth—
"Um…"
He paused.
That voice again.
Neel turned slightly.
It was the same girl from earlier.
She looked nervous, but she still raised her hand like she was in a classroom.
"Um… excuse me… who are you? And… where are we? What are we supposed to do here?"
Her voice shook a little near the end.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
A quiet chuckle.
"One at a time, Ms. Elina."
Neel's eyes narrowed slightly.
He knows her name?
"That said…" the voice continued, sounding amused, "I'll let it slide."
A small pause.
"As for who I am…"
The air felt… heavier, somehow.
"You may call me… the Lost One."
A few people around Neel shifted uncomfortably.
"And where are you?"
Another pause.
"You're in space."
This time, the reaction was instant.
"What?"
"No way—"
"Are you serious?!"
Voices overlapped, confusion turning into panic.
Neel didn't say anything. His jaw just tightened slightly.
…Space?
"And what are you supposed to do…"
The voice dragged the sentence out a bit, almost like it was enjoying this.
"I called you contenders, didn't I?"
Neel's gaze hardened.
"That means you'll be taking part in trials."
Neel didn't wait this time.
"Why are we here?" he asked, his voice sharper than before. "And what exactly are these trials?"
For a brief moment, everything went quiet again.
Then the answer came.
"You're here," the Lost One said calmly, "to awaken your magic cores… and to learn how this place works."
A pause.
"As for the trials…"
Neel felt something twist slightly in his gut.
"They're simple."
Another pause.
"You conquer the world below you."
Neel looks down again and said with a nervous tone.. "yeah just conquer the world no biggie just an average Tuesday"