Darkness.
That was the first thing Gyan felt as his consciousness slowly returned. A heavy sensation weighed down his entire body, making it difficult to move. The air around him was cold—colder than the nights after the asteroid struck Earth. Only the faint rhythmic pulsing—like the heartbeat of a massive machine—accompanied the silence.
His eyes opened. A blinding white light stabbed into his pupils, making him squint. He was inside a metallic room, more like a prison cell than a hospital room. The ceiling was low, with flickering unstable lights. The air reeked of metal and chemicals.
Gyan tried to move, but his wrists were bound by thick black straps attached to a steel table. So were his ankles. Panic spread through his body.
"Rendi!"
He tried calling out for his friend, but his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in days. Before he could try shouting again, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed from beyond the wall.
The door before him slid open.
A tall figure with four arms stepped inside. Its dimly glowing eyes stared at Gyan with no expression. It wore dark armor with pulsing blue lines that throbbed in sync with the machine's heartbeat-like hum.
"Human..." The deep voice reverberated through the room, slightly distorted, as if processed through a translator. "You survived the apocalypse. You survived the selection. But are you worthy of something greater?"
Gyan gritted his teeth. "Where is my friend?"
The creature ignored his question and approached. One of its hands reached for something on its belt—a device shaped like a syringe, but the tip was unlike any ordinary needle. It looked more like a black spike, pulsating as if it were alive.
"Your body and your friend's are special. You were unaffected by the asteroid. But are you strong enough to survive this?" The creature's eyes glowed brighter. "We shall see."
Without warning, it drove the device into Gyan's neck.
Pain exploded instantly, like thousands of insects biting into his nerves all at once. Gyan screamed, his body arching in reflex, but the restraints held him in place. His vision trembled, and his heartbeat pounded erratically.
Then… something happened.
For a brief moment, he saw the creature's movements—just a fraction of a second ahead of time. The creature's hand was about to touch his chest.
Gyan instinctively twisted to the side.
And sure enough—the creature's hand nearly grazed him, but he had just barely dodged it. Not by much. No more than a second faster than before. That wasn't normal reflex.
The creature's head tilted slightly, its expression shifting.
"Interesting..."
But before Gyan could comprehend what had just occurred, his consciousness blurred again. His body felt drained, as if his very life force had been siphoned. His vision darkened, and the world slipped into oblivion once more.
When he awoke again, something felt different.
This time, he was no longer strapped to a table. Instead, he sat slumped in the corner of a different room—larger, more open. A red glow pulsed from the walls, forming patterns like the veins of a giant organism.
Across from him, Rendi sat hunched over. His clothes were torn in places, and small wounds covered his arms. But he was still breathing.
"Ren!" Gyan crawled toward his friend.
Rendi slowly opened his eyes. "Gyan…?"
"What did they do to you?" Gyan asked, but before Rendi could answer, the sound of an automatic door opening interrupted them.
This time, only two creatures entered. One was slender, while the other was massive—almost three meters tall, its body resembling living stone, exuding an aura of superiority. Yet, it was still not as formidable as the leader they had encountered yesterday.
"You have passed the first stage," the deep-voiced creature spoke again. "Now, you must choose."
Gyan and Rendi exchanged glances.
"Choose? Choose what?" Gyan asked, trying to suppress the growing fury in his chest.
The creature stepped closer, its glowing eyes intensifying.
"Survive, or die now."
Gyan was momentarily taken aback by the statement. Rendi, upon hearing it, suddenly burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA…! You think you get to decide my fate? Even without your so-called choice, I'd still choose to survive! And YOU…! HAVE NO RIGHT TO GIVE ME OPTIONS…!"
Hearing that, the soldier's brow furrowed, and he immediately struck Rendi. Rendi managed to dodge the first attack but not the second—and certainly not the ones that followed. How could he, when the creature had so many arms?
Smack!
Blow after blow rained down on Rendi. Gyan struggled to stand, but his body was still too weak—even just to support himself. Before the beating could continue, another soldier stepped in, issuing a warning in their alien language.
"What are you doing? The Captain will be furious if he sees the state of his 'toys' like this."
The enraged soldier froze for a moment, then took a deep breath. Though visibly irritated, he now appeared calmer. "You're right... As beings far more intelligent than them, I shouldn't let my emotions get the better of me. But they're foolish if they think surviving here is easy. Since he has chosen to live, we'll take him to the second location."
Gyan, initially panicked, felt a slight sense of relief—no, in one way, he was relieved, but in another, he realized that their lives could be taken at any moment. Now, his mind focused on one thing: how to survive and escape. Maybe by learning the alien language or finding an opportunity to flee—whatever it took, he would do it.
One of the aliens spoke again in human language, this time with a sinister grin.
"You will enjoy the second location. Prepare yourselves!"
He continued in a casual tone, "Oh right… My name is Raff. In human military ranks, I would be equivalent to a Second Lieutenant. I am the leader of Platoon Four under the command of Pak Tran, the leader of Company Two, who directly serves the one who found you. In other words, you humans should feel honored. Our commander doesn't usually interfere in matters like this."
Gyan furrowed his brows. Enjoyment? What kind of enjoyment?! Was torturing other beings their form of entertainment?
"Oh, and looking at your friend's condition, we should treat him first… But that can be done at the second location. Just prepare yourselves."
Gyan had no idea what would happen next. However, hearing such serious statements from the platoon leader, he and Rendi at least knew one thing—they were safe… for now.
For the first time, Gyan and Rendi were taken out while conscious. As they stepped out of their confined space, Gyan was left in awe. They were inside an enormous structure, stretching for miles in symmetrical formation. In every corner, triangular portals flickered. When activated, these portals formed dimensional pathways of swirling blue, resembling black holes—only far more stable.
Gyan saw that they were on the fourth floor, with each level being approximately six meters high. The structure of this building demonstrated just how advanced these beings' civilization was. Around them, numerous other rooms were visible, similar to the one they had been held in before.
As he observed further, Gyan noticed the presence of other beings besides the blue aliens and humans. Some looked humanoid but were taller—over two meters—and had pointed ears. From their appearance, they resembled elves from fictional stories. They, too, seemed to be prisoners, just like Gyan and Rendi.
Gyan took a deep breath. The more he saw, the more he realized that they were not the only victims here. The thought of what awaited them in the second location began to haunt his mind. Was it just another trial? Or a hell far worse than what they had already endured?
In front of them, Raff stood with an expression of enthusiasm that sharply contrasted with the dread filling the room. He raised his hand toward a monitor, his long fingers swiftly tapping the surface. Instantly, a blue light pulsed from the screen, forming a large hologram that slowly rotated in the air. A planet appeared, with glowing lines marking specific regions.
"There it is..." Raff murmured, his voice filled with an unnatural excitement. He moved his hand, mapping the location with precision. "A place that will push you to your limits. A place where only the strongest can emerge whole."
Gyan and Rendi exchanged glances, their sense of unease growing stronger.
Raff chuckled, almost like a human enjoying entertainment. But to Gyan, that laugh carried a sinister edge that cut deep into his bones.
Then, the portal formed.
A swirling blue light spiraled endlessly within the triangular portal device, creating a dimensional corridor that looked like it could consume anything in its path.
"You primitive creatures will never even come close to our technology," Raff's voice dripped with mockery. "Your intellect is too low, too slow. Don't expect to comprehend what lies beyond your reach."
He turned, his eyes gleaming as if he had just opened the door to a thrilling new game.
"It's time for you to witness something truly spectacular! Hahaha...!"
The portal pulsed, its swirling blue vortex beckoning yet menacing at the same time.
Gyan felt his heart pound as Raff stepped closer, gesturing for them to move forward.
"Welcome to the next stage," he said with a satisfied grin. "I hope you're strong enough to survive..." He then smirked. "...or at least, entertaining enough when you die."
Before Gyan could react, an invisible force pulled him into the swirling light. Along with Rendi and Raff, he was sucked in, losing his balance in the seemingly endless dimensional tunnel.
But something was waiting for him on the other side.
When his eyes could finally register his surroundings, a colossal golden figure stood before him.
It was so massive that Gyan felt like a mere insect in its presence. Its face wasn't entirely alien but radiated an aura of overwhelming authority—like a living Buddha statue.
The figure gazed at Gyan with glowing eyes, its voice echoing through the vast emptiness. Even its words alone made Gyan feel as if he had stepped into hell.
"You are incredibly weak. You should not yet be worthy..."
Gyan tried to move, but his body felt unbearably heavy, as if an unseen gravity was pressing down on him.
"Your energy, still unformed, meant to lie dormant until its time… has now been forced to awaken early," the voice continued, sounding like a judge delivering a sentence.
Gyan opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but no words came out. Before he could even attempt to speak, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on him.
"But I can awaken it faster. You must bear the consequences."
Suddenly, his body felt as if it were burning from the inside. His muscles tensed, his blood boiled. His vision fractured into shifting colors—green, blue, purple, gold. Then, an explosion of pain struck him.
Gyan screamed.
His body trembled violently, but he remained conscious. His breath came in ragged gasps, the world spun, yet amidst the chaos, he saw something.
The future. A glimpse of what was about to happen.
When his awareness returned, he, Rendi, Raff, and their companions were already standing in a different place.
A vast arena stretched before them, resembling a colossal colosseum. But this was far grander, far more immense.
And in the distance, Raff's comrades were already waiting for them.