The Rosera Crystal[1]
"I finally found it."
The archaeologist Manhattan whispered in disbelief as a glowing crystal floated in front of him deep inside an ancient cave. The crystal emitted a soft silver light that illuminated the stone walls around him. Symbols carved into the cave glowed faintly as if responding to the crystal's presence.
For years, Manhattan had searched for this artifact.
The Rosera Crystal.
Legends claimed that whoever touched it would uncover the truth of the universe itself. Some myths even said it granted immortality.
Most people believed the story was nonsense.
His colleagues mocked him. Scholars called him obsessed. Even his family eventually stopped supporting his research.
Yet here it was.
Floating quietly before him.
Manhattan slowly reached out his hand.
"If the legends are true," he muttered, "then everything will finally make sense."
The moment his fingers touched the crystal, the cave vanished.
In an instant, Manhattan found himself floating in a vast empty void. Endless darkness stretched in every direction, yet distant stars sparkled like scattered diamonds.
He was not alone.
Eight other people floated nearby.
Four men.
Three girls.
One boy.
They all looked just as confused as he was.
"What is this?" Manhattan muttered, his heart pounding. "I thought touching the Rosera Crystal would reveal the truth of the world… and make me immortal."
Before anyone could respond, a strange presence suddenly appeared among them.
A man.
No one saw him arrive.
One moment there was nothing, the next he stood calmly at the center of the group.
His face was impossible to recognize. No matter how long someone stared, they could not remember his features.
A strange pressure filled the air, forcing everyone's attention toward him.
Sweat formed on several foreheads.
Finally, one of the men gathered the courage to ask,
"Where are we?"
The mysterious man only smiled.
Then he laughed.
"Hahaha."
His voice echoed across the endless void.
"Welcome, demi humans."
"You have been selected to participate in the trial."
"The trial to cast away your mortal bodies and ascend into beings that cannot be killed."
The empty darkness around them suddenly changed.
With a snap of his fingers, the void exploded with light.
Stars appeared.
Planets formed.
Entire galaxies spread across the endless space.
Manhattan stared in awe.
"So I really did not waste my life," he thought.
Memories flooded his mind. The ridicule. The doubt. The loneliness of chasing a legend nobody believed.
If he succeeded here…
He would prove everyone wrong.
But one question remained.
"What exactly is the trial?" Manhattan asked quietly.
The mysterious man gestured toward a nearby solar system that slowly rotated before them.
"You received power the moment you touched the Rosera Crystal."
"You will now use that power."
The planets before them were full of life. Oceans, forests, mountains, and strange civilizations could be seen across their surfaces.
"Each of you will choose a world."
"Guide the creatures of that world."
"Lead them to prosperity."
"When your world reaches the required level of development, you will pass the first trial."
"You may begin."
One of the men suddenly scoffed.
"You are telling us to rule a small world?" he said arrogantly. "If that is the trial, then it is meaningless. I already own a small world in my pocket that has prospered for centuries."
The mysterious man slowly turned toward him.
Without warning, the man's clothes were instantly torn into pieces as if shredded by invisible blades.
"This trial is different."
"Your world that traps living beings is not the same."
Manhattan frowned.
Small world?
Are we not even in the same universe?
While the two argued, something unexpected happened.
The boy among them suddenly shot forward like a meteor, flying straight toward the largest planet in the system.
Everyone froze.
"What just happened?" someone whispered.
The mysterious man looked at the remaining participants.
"Why are you still here?"
"The trial has already begun."
Panic spread among them.
Several people attempted to fly like the boy.
Two more succeeded, shooting toward different planets.
Four people remained.
Including Manhattan.
They tried again and again to move, but nothing happened.
"I'm not a bird," Manhattan muttered nervously.
Suddenly the mysterious man appeared behind them.
He sighed.
Then he kicked all four of them.
They shot forward like cannonballs toward a nearby planet.
As the wind roared past Manhattan's ears, he heard the mysterious man's final words.
"You may now START."
[1] a powerful crystal that is said to make one transcend or become immortal