The sky stretched endlessly, dark like an infinite canvas, speckled with faintly glowing stars. Yet, this beauty was marred by the destruction surrounding it. Fragments of planets drifted aimlessly, remnants of civilizations long gone. Occasional bursts of energy crackled through the void, the lingering echoes of an interstellar war that had reduced everything to debris.
Amidst the ruins, twofiguresclashedfiercely.
The man leaped back, hisbreathragged. Hisbattlecloakbillowed, its grand design adorned with silver patterns that faintly shimmered in the darkness. His athletic frame was clad in lightweight metal armor, adapted to zero gravity. Hissilverhairgleamedunderthestarlight, highlighting a face of unwavering determination and eyes lockedontoa singletarget—the monstrous being before him.
The creature growled, its voice a harsh, cold echo in the void. Itsskinwasjetblack, likeflowingtar. Its form was massive yet unstable, as if space itself struggled to contain its existence. Itseyesblazedcrimson, glaring at the man with seething hatred.
Between them, aBlue-WhiteBook hovered, radiating a soft glow. This artifact was the heart of their battle.
Themantightenedhisgriponhistwinswords, their blue-and-white blades seemingly forged from the stars themselves. He couldn't allow this creature to claim the book—the stakes were far too high.
The creature snarled, and in an instant, itsshadowsplitintothreeidenticalfigures.
"Tch," the man clicked his tongue. " A clones?."
The three creatures moved simultaneously, surging forward at impossible speed. Theirblackclawsslashedthroughtheair, creating spatial distortions that rippled around them.
Themanreactedimmediately.
With swiftprecision, he twisted midair, dodging the first strike and parrying the second with his sword. Sparksofenergy scattered as the light of his blade clashed against the creature's darkness.
But the third attack was unavoidable. Ablackclawtoreintohisshoulder, rippingthroughpartofhiscloak.
The man letoutasharpbreath, but he did not falter.
With a single motion, hepropelledhimselfbackward, channeling energy into his blades before swingingforwardwithimmenseforce.
One of the clones wascleavedinhalf, dissolving into a vortex of shadows.
Theremainingtwoclonesattackedinunison.
The man twisted his body in midair, blockingoneattack, then, with an acrobatic flip, evading the other. Thecreature'sclawsbarelymissedhisthroat.
Without hesitation, he slashed atthesecondclone, piercing straight through its core. The creature convulsed, its form flickering before shattering into thousands of black fragments.
One remained.
The original, much larger than its clones, lungedathimwithterrifyingspeed.
The man barelyhadtimetoevade. The creature's claws grazed his abdomen, cracking his armor and sending droplets of blood drifting in zero gravity.
He exhaledsharply, but his focus remained unshaken.
With a burst from his thruster boots, he propelled himself backward, creatingdistance. His eyes locked onto the creature, searchingforanopening.
The creature letoutalow, menacinglaugh, its voice like the whispers of thousands of tormented souls. "You are strong… but not enough."
Suddenly, shadowsbegantogatheraroundit. The air trembled, forming agrowingdistortioninspace.
Themanfurrowedhisbrows.
"Its final attack…"
The creature spreaditsarms, conjuring a massiveblacksphere—as large as a small asteroid. The sphere's gravitational pull began consuming everything around it. Planetarydebris, smallasteroids, evenlightitselfbenttowarditscore.
"Perishwithme!"
The man knew that if he didn't act now, he would be swallowed by the void.
Taking adeepbreath, he broughthistwinswordstogether, merging their energy into a single, much larger and more powerful blade. The glow of his weapon intensified, piercing through the darkness.
He **surgedforward , breakingthroughthegravitationalfield of the black sphere.
Hisbladestruckdirectlyatitscore.
For a moment, timeseemedtofreeze.
Then—
Amassiveexplosioneruptedfromthepointofimpact, consuming everything around it. A blinding white light flooded the void, erasing all remaining shadows.
The creature screamed, its form fracturing as glowing cracks spread across its body.
With one final, agonized shriek that echoed through the void, its body shatteredintothousandsofblackfragments, vanishing into nothingness.
The remnants of its dark energy dissipated.
The silence that followed felt almost unnatural after such an intense battle.
Themanremainedstill, breathingheavily.
Thewoundsonhisbodybegantomakethemselvesknown. Parts of his battle cloak were torn, and blood seeped from cuts on his arms and sides.
Yet, hiseyesremainedfixedontheBlue-WhiteBook still floating in the air.
He extendedhishand, and without resistance, the book driftedtowardhim, as if recognizing its new owner.
"Strange," the man thought as he examined the book's plain cover, which read MemoryoftheStarrySky. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to dwell on it.
Pain surged through his body, his vision blurred from the blood flowing down his face. He stumbled several times as he tried to walk.
In the distance, his spaceship hovered, waiting for his return. The navigation lights on its hull glowed softly, like a beacon in the midst of ruin.
He activated the thrusters on his boots, propelling himself through the void, weaving between floating asteroids and fragments of shattered planets. The weightlessness of space mixed with the persistent ache of his wounds.
The communication system on his wrist flickered to life.
"Welcome back, Captain."
The voice of the ship's AI was calm and devoid of emotion.
"Battle analysis complete. Bodily condition: 42% optimal function. Significant injuries detected. Medical bay has been prepared."
The man let out a quiet sigh, offering no response. Fatigue gnawed at him—the battle had drained most of his strength. Yet, the only thing keeping him going was the simple fact that he was still alive.
The ship's main entrance opened automatically as he approached. As he stepped inside, the sensors greeted him with a soft silver-white light.
The artificial atmosphere filled his lungs. The ship's interior was spacious and modern, its design sleek and elegant. The walls were lined with a black metallic alloy that reflected the blue glow of hovering holographic panels along the corridor.
This vessel was more than just a means of transportation—it was a moving fortress, a masterpiece of technology capable of traversing the stars. Within its vast structure lay defense systems, advanced weaponry, research laboratories, and state-of-the-art medical facilities.
But right now, there was only one thing on his mind—recovery.
He limped toward the medical bay, the automatic sliding doors hissing open as he approached.
Inside, a Recovery Capsule awaited him—a transparent chamber filled with advanced healing fluids. Its indicator lights blinked, signaling that the system was ready.
"This is fine, but they say to keep the mind conscious, awareness will be taken to play a game."
The man gazed at the capsule with a grim expression, as if recalling something dreadful.
"But why are the games so terrible, as if designed to torment the mind?"
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. Without another second of hesitation, he placed the Blue-White Book on the nearest table, then began removing parts of his battle armor, revealing a body covered in cuts and bruises.
As he stepped into the capsule, the system immediately activated. The chamber filled with liquid, enveloping him in a soothing warmth. Micro-recovery waves began their work, accelerating his cellular regeneration.
His eyes slowly closed.
His consciousness began to fade.
But he did not realize what was about to happen next.
The Unknown Awakening.
Outside the capsule, the Blue-White Book, which had remained still on the table, began to tremble. A soft blue glow traced its surface, growing brighter and stronger.
Then, in an instant, the book shot forward—piercing through the capsule, straight to his forehead.
The moment it touched him, the blue light enveloped his head, merging with him.
Yet, he remained asleep, unaware of what had just transpired.
The ship's AI detected an anomaly but failed to analyze the mysterious energy.
"Unknown energy detected. Analysis... failed. System interference. Activating protection protocols."
However, before the system could take action—something outside the ship began to change.
The Birth of a Black Hole
1,000 kilometers from the ship's location, a tiny rift appeared in space—almost invisible to the naked eye.
At first, it was no larger than a pinhole, but it pulsed, like an open wound.
From within, swirling black energy churned and stretched.
Then, in one terrifying moment, the rift burst open.
A black hole was born.
Instantly, it began pulling everything into its grasp. Planetary debris, asteroids, even the light of distant stars bent around its event horizon.
Its gravity was inescapable.
The man's spaceship shuddered violently.
Inside, panels flickered, the navigation systems glitched, and alarms blared.
"Warning: Extreme gravitational pull detected. Black hole within danger radius."
The AI immediately attempted to activate the emergency escape protocol, but it was already too late.
The gravitational force escalated exponentially.
The ship's hull groaned under the pressure, the overwhelming force causing fractures to spread across its structure. The metallic walls buckled, crumpling like paper under an unseen hand.
The system made one final attempt.
"Activating Hyperjump in 3… 2…—"
But before the system could complete the sequence, the black hole reached critical mass.
The ship was torn apart, sucked into the abyss.
Inside the Recovery Capsule, the man remained asleep, oblivious to everything.
He had vanished into the void.