Faust was gazing at the amethyst-colored sky when something caught his attention.
A small point of light had appeared high above the horizon.
At first, he thought it was a falling star. However, the light continued to grow, and within seconds, his sharp vision began to make out something hidden inside it.
"Hmm?"
Faust narrowed his eyes.
The object was black, with a long, rectangular body that narrowed toward its upper end. Strange patterns covered its surface, and despite the speed of its descent, it showed no signs of breaking apart.
"An obelisk?"
He leaned forward, examining the object more closely.
'That's no meteorite.'
Whatever it was, it appeared to be artificial.
The black monolith continued falling until it struck the ocean several kilometers away.
BOOOOM!
A massive column of seawater erupted into the air. The impact sent waves racing across the surface, rocking the small boat beneath Faust's feet.
He steadied himself and watched as the water slowly settled.
"Agony, head in that direction."
The boat responded immediately, turning toward the impact site.
Faust kept his eyes on the distant water, wondering what kind of material could survive such a fall.
However, before he could examine the situation further, another light appeared in the sky.
More and more of them keep appearing.
"What?"
Faust raised his head.
The sky was filled with falling objects..
More appeared with every passing second, descending toward the planet from different directions.
Faust turned his head, following one of the objects as it fell toward the horizon.
'How many are there?'
Across the globe, the same scene was unfolding.
Black monoliths descended upon cities, remote lands, mountains, and oceans. Some struck the ground with enough force to send debris flying, while others disappeared beneath the sea.
Regardless of where they landed, every monolith remained standing upright, as though someone had deliberately planted it there.
Then something else happened.
The strange patterns engraved on their surfaces began to glow.
Red, blue, violet, green, and countless other colors spread across the black structures. Each monolith emitted a different light, illuminating its surroundings.
Faust noticed the change almost immediately.
"The engravings are activating?"
He leaned forward to get a better look.
Suddenly, a circular wave of energy burst from the monolith in the ocean.
It expanded rapidly, spreading across the water in every direction.
At the same time, similar waves emerged from the other monoliths scattered across the planet.
The expanding waves passed through the atmosphere and across the land, overlapping with one another until they covered the entire world.
Faust watched the approaching wave with growing interest.
He could see the disturbance spreading across the sea, yet the water itself remained strangely calm.
'An energy pulse?'
Before he could investigate further, Agony reacted.
Black material surged from the boat and wrapped around Faust's body. Within a second, it had enclosed him inside a protective cocoon.
The wave passed over them.
For a brief moment, Faust felt a strange pressure against his body.
Then it disappeared.
Agony waited another few seconds before withdrawing its protection and returning to its previous form.
Faust looked down at his clothes.
"Interesting. You reacted before I even gave an order."
He was about to question Agony when something else caught his attention.
CLANK!
A small object had struck the surface of the boat near his feet.
Faust lowered his gaze.
What initially appeared to be a solid crystal had collapsed into a puddle of strange liquid. Its transparent surface reflected the colors of the sky as it quivered and vibrated.
"A liquid crystal?"
He crouched and extended his hand.
However, before his fingers could reach it, a strip of black material shot out from his clothes.
Agony enveloped the crystal and began pulling it into its body.
"Hey, what are you..."
Faust stopped.
A voice had suddenly appeared inside his head.
"Greetings, humans."
The voice was neither male nor female. Its tone was calm, and every word came through with unnatural clarity.
Faust straightened.
'Telepathy?'
He looked around, searching for its source.
There was nobody in sight.
The voice continued, reaching every human on the planet regardless of their location or language.
"We are your progenitors."
"Long before your civilization existed, we came to this planet. We terraformed its environment and planted the seeds of life that eventually gave rise to your species."
Faust's expression changed slightly.
'Progenitors?'
He glanced toward the distant monolith.
The voice continued.
"Of course, your planet is hardly special. It is merely one of the countless worlds cultivated under our project."
"However, now that your civilization has developed to this point, there is one universal truth you should understand."
"Nothing in this universe is free."
Faust listened silently.
"Across the cosmos, we have installed devices to monitor the development of the civilizations we cultivate. Once a civilization reaches the appropriate stage, these devices notify us that the world is ready for harvest."
"Your civilization, however, has managed to trigger our automated systems far earlier than expected."
There was a short pause.
"At first, we believed that an extraordinary individual might have emerged among you."
"Perhaps a prodigious intellect had appeared, someone capable of advancing your technological development by several millennia and bringing your civilization far beyond our original projections."
Faust's eyes narrowed.
"Unfortunately, our investigation revealed something far less impressive."
"The abnormal energy readings came from your own conflicts. The destruction you unleashed upon yourselves generated enough energy to activate our detection systems."
Faust remained silent.
'So that's what attracted them?'
He considered the explanation.
Whoever these beings were, they possessed monitoring equipment capable of detecting events across interstellar distances.
Their claim of having terraformed Earth was another matter entirely.
Without evidence, he had no reason to accept it as fact.
"Under normal circumstances, we would simply continue waiting until your civilization matured."
"However, since you have already attracted our attention, we have decided to make things more interesting."
"We will start a game."
"A game?" Faust muttered.
"We shall call it the World's End Game."
"The objective is simple."
"Destroy every monolith we have planted upon your world before the worlds beyond them succeed in exterminating your species."
Faust looked toward the ocean.
'The worlds beyond them?'
He studied the distant impact site once more.
Did that mean the monoliths were connected to other planets?
Or were they some form of gateway?
The voice gave him no time to consider the possibilities.
"There will be three parties participating in this game."
"First, there are us, your creators."
"Considering the limitations of your current civilization, you may refer to us as Gods."
"We will observe your struggles and provide rewards, blessings, or curses depending on your actions."
Faust let out a quiet scoff.
'Gods, huh?'
"Second, there are the Imagin."
"These are abstract beings born from your own creations."
"We have examined your civilization's culture, including its art, literature, mythology, religion, and countless fictional stories."
"Anime, manga, novels, webtoons, and the many other forms of entertainment you have created."
"Your imagination has proven surprisingly entertaining."
"Some of these creations have even caught our interest."
The voice paused briefly.
"Therefore, we have decided to grant them an opportunity to exist beyond the boundaries of your imagination."
"The Imagin will be permitted to select champions from among your species and bestow their blessings upon them."
"Through their chosen champions, they may accumulate the strength necessary to manifest in reality and become genuine living existences."
Faust raised an eyebrow.
'Turning fictional characters into real beings?'