With humans thrust into their first war, the anticipated casualties quickly became reality, and it finally forced them to grasp the severity of their situation. This planet was no safe haven. It was hell. In the aftermath of the war, the elves made their first official appearance, extending an offer to unite against the creatures plaguing both of their kinds.
With the elves' mastery of magic and the humans' command of science and technology, there was a genuine reason to hope. The more pressing concern, however, was the human population, which had dwindled to just four-tenths of what it had been on Earth. They needed to reproduce, and fast. Fate offered a solution when humans discovered that the anatomical structure of elves was remarkably similar to their own, making intermarriage possible.
Years passed quickly, and ten years later, another war broke out. This time, humanity was prepared. Humans and elves fought together with a single goal: to wipe out the Tradaqs once and for all. The war lasted longer than anyone had anticipated, stretching over a year before any meaningful progress was made. The creatures were relentless, difficult to track and nearly impossible to kill. Eventually, they were brought to the edge of extinction, with only a handful of alpha-tier specimens remaining. These were believed to be the last of their kind on the planet, though that couldn't be confirmed.
Then, as the final assault continued, something far worse came to light. The creatures they had spent so long fighting were never the real threat. They were pets, or something close to it, experiments placed on the planet to test whether humans and elves had what it took to survive. The real enemy hadn't arrived yet, and according to the general, those were the true conquerors, the ones who considered this world theirs to reclaim.
A desperate call to action followed. What they had now wasn't going to be enough, and everyone knew it. Something more was needed, something capable of actually shifting the balance in a war they hadn't even seen yet. That was how the Terium Nexus came to be, a facility designed to train humans and elves to capabilities well beyond the ordinary.
It wasn't optional. It was law, and even the wealthy couldn't buy their way out of it. When a child turned ten, they were taken to the Terium Nexus, where they remained until their military service was complete. That meant roughly fifteen years of a person's life given over to preparing for a war that was still theoretical, against enemies that hadn't shown their faces yet. But the founders were firm on it: the war was coming, and they had to be ready at all times.
....
....
High noon. Year 8 of the Lunar Class.
I was sitting by the window, my usual spot, watching the cherry blossoms outside. Class was in session, and the lecturer was going on about some form of mana liquidation, but I couldn't focus on any of it. Something else had my attention, something I couldn't pin down no matter how hard I tried.
Where am I?
That question kept circling in my head. I couldn't remember why I was here, couldn't remember who I was. My mind was completely blank, except for one thing: a vague certainty that I was inside a game. I don't know how I knew that. I really don't. It was just there, sitting at the back of my head like it had always been.
That, and this.
Mission in progress.
Death looms around the corner.
Objective: Survive until tomorrow. [00:17:34:32]
Reward: An affinity.
Failure: Death.
Respawn: 4/5
Can someone tell me what's going on?