A realm beyond human understanding shimmered into view. This was the Starlight Realm, a dimension where galaxies were born and died in the span of a single breath. In its heart stood a magnificent palace, and within its grand hall, a meeting of cosmic consequence was underway.
Seven beings of immense power, the Supreme Lords, sat around a table carved from the heart of a dying star.
"The reports are confirmed," rumbled a figure whose form was sculpted from living magma and obsidian. He was the Sun-King, and his voice was the low roar of a stellar furnace. "The Monarch of the Beasts stirs. In twenty-five years, its horde will descend upon Earth. The planet will be scoured clean of all life."
A being who resembled a mountain given consciousness, the Earth-Warder, slammed a granite fist. "And the Traitors will seize their chance! They who were once our brethren now hide in the void, waiting to stab us in the back."
A shadowy figure, the Soul-Reaper, let out a cold hiss. "Five of the original Twelve Guardians. They saw humanity as vermin, fit only for subjugation."
"The Beast God was the first to turn," added the Ocean-Soul, her voice like the gentle yet powerful pull of the tide. "He now sees the approaching Monarch as a kindred spirit."
The Life-Binder, whose form was intertwined with blooming flora and a soft, healing light, spoke with sorrow. "Our victory over them left us weakened. The other true lords are bound by conflicts in distant galaxies. We seven stand alone. If we fall, Earth has no defenders."
A heavy silence filled the hall.
It was then that the most serene of them, the Fate-Weaver, broke the quiet. His robes shimmered with the threads of countless destinies. "Then we must utilize the resource the Traitors so foolishly dismissed. Humanity." His eyes gleamed. "I have observed them. Their potential is boundless. We will initiate the Genesis Arena on their world. We have twenty-five years to transform their species into a shield."
"A sound strategy," the Life-Binder agreed. "But their leaders must be made to understand."
"Who among us will go?" the Earth-Warder's voice echoed. "I am reinforcing the dimensional barriers. My absence would be an invitation for the Traitors to attack."
"Then we shall enlist the Angels," the Fate-Weaver declared. "They are the messengers of the higher realms."
The Sun-King stood, his intense light casting long shadows. "I will journey to the Angelic Citadel and secure their aid. It is decided." His molten gaze swept across the table. Seeing no dissent, he gave a final, firm nod. "The fate of Earth is now in motion."
---
The transition from the cosmic realm to a small apartment in Seoul, South Korea, was jarring. The room was neat but sparsely furnished. The only signs of something amiss came from the bathroom, where the air carried a faint, coppery tang.
Inside, a young man named Ji-hoon scrubbed a combat knife with methodical precision. The water running into the drain was tinged with a faint pink hue. His phone was on speaker, a fragile link to a world he was desperately trying to protect in his own, twisted way.
A girl's voice, strained with tears, broke the silence. "Ji-hoon... oppa... when did you start all of this?"
"Before the New Year," he replied, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.
A long, painful pause followed. "...How many?" she whispered.
"Eighteen."
The line was filled with the sound of her heart shattering. Sobs wracked her body. "Wae?" she cried out, her voice cracking. (Why?*)
"Seori-ya... please," he said, her name a soft, pained plea.
"Aniya!" she screamed. "The Ji-hoon I loved wanted to build a future! He wanted to build things, not... not destroy lives! What are you now? Are you even human anymore?" (No!*)
"Seori-ya, just listen—"
"Ani! You listen! I hate this! I hate what you've become! Stop this, please! Just come back to me. We can still run away."
His grip on the knife tightened, his knuckles white. "I can't. I won't marry you until I have enough money. Focus on your studies. My work... it's not your concern. The people I eliminate are filth. They deserve their fate. And I am not leaving this path."
From the other end, he heard a sharp, startled gasp, followed by the dull, sickening thud of a body collapsing.
"Seori-ya? ...Seori-ya! SEORI-YA!"
Only a hollow silence answered him. For a single, terrifying moment, the cold facade of the assassin crumbled, revealing the terrified young man beneath. He stared at his hands, then at the silent phone, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm of panic and regret.
The moment passed. His expression solidified into a mask of impenetrable ice. He ended the call and returned to his gruesome task, the water washing the evidence from his tools, but never from his soul.
---
The scene shifted to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The leaders and representatives of the world's most powerful nations were gathered, their faces a mixture of confusion and anxiety. An unprecedented global emergency had been declared.
At the front of the hall, a being of ethereal beauty materialized. She was an Angel, her magnificent white wings folded gracefully behind her. Her eyes, pools of liquid gold, surveyed the room.
As one, every world leader, every diplomat, rose from their seats. A profound silence of awe and respect fell over the chamber. They bowed deeply, a universal gesture of gratitude and submission to a higher power.
"Leaders of humanity," the Angel began, her voice a divine melody that resonated in their very souls. "I bring you a warning of an existential calamity. A force of destruction, known as the Monarch of the Beasts, approaches your world. It will arrive in twenty-five years."
A wave of stunned silence was her only answer.
"Your world was under celestial protection. But a schism occurred. Five guardians betrayed their oath. The remaining lords are few and face threats from all sides. When the monster wave comes, you will be defenseless."
She let the grim truth sink in.
"However, there is a path to salvation. The Supreme Lords have seen the limitless potential slumbering within humanity. To awaken it, we will enact the Genesis Arena. On the tenth of February, a System will be granted to chosen individuals—a framework that will guide your evolution, granting you the power to fight back."
With a wave of her hand, detailed digital files appeared before every leader.
"Your task is to prepare your people. Train them. Forge them. Those who endure will become the warriors who save all of creation."
The leaders, still standing in a gesture of deep respect, listened intently. After a moment of hushed consultation, the Secretary-General spoke, his voice filled with grim determination.
"On behalf of all humanity, we accept this charge. We offer our eternal gratitude for this warning and this chance. We will prepare."
A faint, solemn smile touched the Angel's lips. "Then it begins. May your courage outlast the coming darkness."
Her form dissolved into a shower of luminous particles, leaving behind a room of stunned silence and a world forever altered, standing on the precipice between annihilation and evolution.
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