The cold, robot-like voice of the System wasn't just for Earth. It cut through the quiet of space, went through planet air, and spoke right into the minds of billions, on a thousand chosen worlds. Each world reacted differently, like many different songs playing at once – songs of fear, of anger, and of strange understanding.
On Xylos Prime, a planet covered in shiny, crystal cities, the news hit during their daily group meditation. The Xylorians, who were living beings made of pure light and thought, flickered wildly. Their old leaders, usually calm and steady, shook with scared, wild energy. For them, who spoke by sharing their minds, the System's voice was a loud, painful scream. Their peaceful, neat cities of light grew dim as their shared hope started to fade.
Far away, on the wet, glowing swamp world of Veridia, the lizard-like Skarr, a proud fighting race, growled at the sudden voice. Their leader, a huge male with scales like black stone, hit his clawed hand against a mossy rock. "A game?" he roared, his voice deep and rough like a lizard's. "A game they want? We will show these 'Heavenly Beings' how the Skarr fight!" Their first reaction wasn't fear, but a burst of fierce anger and a hunger for battle, a challenging roar moving through their glowing forests.
On the smooth, super-tech ring-world of Nova Prime, the human-like Vylos were doing their daily robot-controlled tasks. Their busy transport stations suddenly stopped. The System's words cut through the chatter of smart machines. A thin Vylos scientist, whose face was usually hidden behind a smooth eye-cover, quickly pulled it off, showing wide, scared eyes. "They... they've been watching us," she whispered, her voice breaking. Their super computers, made to guess every result, had no answers. Their reaction was a chilling mix of smart horror and a deep, thinking kind of dread.
Then there was K'tharr, a world of harsh deserts and tall, pointy mountains, home to the Q'yalar. These beings, who looked like insects with many arms and hard outer shells, usually focused on their complicated ways of living. The System's announcement stopped an important mating dance. The Q'yalar paused, their feelers twitching. Their elder, a huge creature with shiny, rainbow-like wings, sent a cold thought across his group mind: Change. Live. Get rid of others. This is the only way. Their reaction was cold, calculating, and driven by an old, cruel need to survive. This was not a game to them, but a new, bigger hunt. This elder, known only as the Hive Master, had lived through many planet fights, and saw this as just another, though grander, test of his kind's power.
On Earth, meanwhile, the ten days passed quickly in a blur of fear and desperate getting-ready. Aarav, even with his stubborn, easy-going nature, noticed the changes. His parents talked less about their normal lives, and more about "what if" situations. News channels switched between scared warnings and forced hopeful messages. People tried to find comfort, staying close to family and friends. Aarav, though, spent his days mostly alone, his mind taking in all the information, quietly getting ready for what was surely coming. The mark on his hand, small at first, now glowed a little at odd times, always reminding him.
Finally, the robot-like voice returned for all
1000 chosen planets.
"CHOSEN PLAYERS. THE TIME TO MOVE HAS COME. GET READY FOR IMMEDIATE TRANSPORT TO AETHELGARD'S CRUCIBLE. GOOD LUCK, PLAYERS. YOUR SHOW BEGINS."
On Xylos Prime, beams of light flickered and then vanished. On Veridia, war cries filled the air as the Skarr were pulled from their swamps. On Nova Prime, sleek, human-like figures disappeared from their data-filled offices. On K'tharr, the hard-shelled Q'yalar were swept away from their spiky homes.
And on Earth, in his small living room, Aarav felt that familiar, rubber-band stretch. His parents' faces blurred, the room twisted, and then, with a hard thump, he landed. He was on a huge, reddish flat land under a swirling, alien sky, surrounded by thousands of strange beings from a thousand different worlds. The air smelled wild, like electricity.
"WELCOME, PLAYERS, TO AETHELGARD'S CRUCIBLE." The system's voice boomed from everywhere. "YOU HAVE HALF A DAY TO LOOK AROUND AND UNDERSTAND YOUR NEW POWERS. TO SEE YOUR ABILITIES, JUST THINK 'STATUS' AND FOCUS. MORE INSTRUCTIONS WILL COME LATER."
Aarav, even though he didn't want to be here, finally let out a soft breath. "Well," he mumbled to himself, "this is going to be a long hundred years." He closed his eyes, his mind already thinking hard about what was happening. Status.