A forest bathed in the soft glow of perpetual twilight, where towering trees with trunks of iridescent silver stretched toward the sky, their leaves shimmered like gemstones in shades of emerald, sapphire, and violet. The air was cool, filled with the sweet, intoxicating scent of blooming flowers, some that glowed faintly like tiny lanterns, casting a soft luminescence across the forest floor. Vines, thick with clusters of luminescent fruits, twisted up the ancient trunks, pulsing with magic.
The ground beneath was a lush carpet of velvety moss, springy and vibrant, dotted with delicate, glowing fungi in hues of azure and gold. A gentle mist hung in the air, swirling around like enchanted smoke, curling and unfurling as if alive. Above, ethereal birds with iridescent feathers glided silently through the branches, their wings leaving trails of sparkling stardust in the air. Occasionally, one could catch sight of elusive creatures— swift, graceful animals with gleaming, otherworldly eyes peeking through the undergrowth before vanishing back into the shadows.
A clearing was located in the middle of such an otherworldly realm. The flora and fauna around the clearing seemed to cheer with life and vitality. In the center of this clearing was an outwardly simple bamboo hut, but the pressure it radiated seemed to deter all those who came close. A small brick path extended from the hut's door and led to a small pond, its surface perfectly still, like a polished mirror reflecting the world above with eerie precision.
The water appeared dark— almost too dark for its shallow depth— giving it an unfathomable quality as if its true bottom was lost far beyond sight. The air around the pond was thick, almost tangible, carrying a faint metallic tang that made the hair on the back of one's neck prickle with unease.
"My Lady."
A sweet feminine voice echoed in the clearing, but no figure could be seen. The voice was submissive and indicated immense reverence and awe.
"What is it?"
The bamboo hut shivered a little as a cold voice escaped its confines. It was a voice of serenity and poise, one carrying inviolable authority yet the sultriness that could ruin nations.
"The armies have been stationed outside the starfield. We await your command."
The trees subtly vibrated as the sweet and submissive voice traveled in the clearing, rusting the leaves and startling the distant animals.
"It's just a minor civilization, take care of it."
The voice's chill intensified, a testament to the indifference of the person behind the voice.
"Yes, Empres—"
Ohm~
"W-what?"
The pond's surface which had remained eerily still despite the rather strong breeze in the clearing, suddenly rippled with an unfathomable intensity. The owner of the soft voice seemed to have sensed something, for her voice devoid of previous composure and laden with abject astonishment stirred the grass and flowers.
Ohm~
The unexplainable sensation assaulted again, causing further more intense ripples in the pond.
Without any warning or even so much as a sign, the door of the bamboo hut slowly swung open from the inside. It was evident that it hadn't been opened in quite some time, for it was ridden with moss and growth, and as it opened it shed a layer of dust and grime.
"My lady…?"
The sweet voice sounded bewildered, and why wouldn't it be? The door that had remained closed for tens of thousands of years had shown signs of movement. The small and unassuming bamboo hut that seemed one gale away from destruction yet had remained standing for who knows how many years now shook incessantly as if signaling the departure of the entity within.
A figure suddenly materialized at the base of the steps of the path that led to the hut. The individual resembled a woman in her early twenties. She was gorgeous beyond words, with blue hair covering her back, pale white skin, a modest yet powerful figure, turquoise eyes, and a gaze flooded with reverence. She was donned in leather armor that shimmered under the slight glow of sunlight, and a quiver attached to her back filled with arrows.
The figure was on her knees with her forehead barely an inch above the ground. Her breathing was somewhat uneven, and her expression a painting of respectful excitement. Her long and sublime ears turned red from anticipation as the fluffy pink-colored tail behind her moved sporadically despite her best efforts to calm it down.
The door finally opened in its entirety and a resplendent figure walked out with a slow gait.
The cascades of golden hair fell like molten sunlight over her shoulders, framing a face that was sculpted with a beauty beyond mere mortal definitions, a beauty that seemed almost otherworldly. Her eyes, the color of a storm-tossed ocean, held depths of ancient wisdom and concealed perils. Her figure was strikingly voluptuous, every curve enhancing her imposing presence, yet nothing about her felt softened or submissive, for her every movement exuded an unignorable sense of power.
"This one greets the Empress."
The kneeling figure's forehead touched the ground as her soothing voice reverberated across the clearing.
"Ovevi."
The Empress's voice was clearer and more alluring than ever, but it carried a hint of destitution that made Ovevi's ear twitch.
"Empress?"
"Stop groveling on the floor and tell me the strength of the army."
Ovevi instantly shot up yet still kept her head low, not daring to look at the Empress in her eyes.
"Empress, we have five para-galactic units stationed outside the star system, each with a quadrillion soldiers. We also have a logistics unit with an additional three quadrillion members that can be deployed in combat if necessary."
Ovevi responded curtly and sneaked a glance at her superior's expression. Dissatisfaction and resolution clouded the Empress' immaculate visage.
"Not enough." Her voice was cold. "Recall all of our troops in conflict, mobilize all of the stationary forces, and cancel all plans of expansion. I want every single soldier outside this starfield immediately."
"Empress!?" Ovevi, despite all her devotion and fanaticism, couldn't help but raise her voice.
"Ovevi, I understand your confusion, but it is no time for petty conflict, for true war is about to commence."
The Empress's words sent a chill through Ovevi's entire being, her stomach dropped and her heart went cold. A single drop of sweat trailed around the edges of her face and fell from the top of her chin.
"E-Empress, does that m—"
"I trust you Ovevi, do not disappoint me."
As Ovevi tried her hardest to vocalize her erratic thoughts, she was cut off by an uncharacteristic soft voice. Before Ovevi could even process those words, she bore witness as Empress, the strongest warrior of her race and the bearer of the immortal mark of myth vanished in a colorless vortex, as if engulfed by the world itself.
"I shall, my lady."
Ohm~
x—X—x
In a star system that spanned thousands of light years and occupied a significant portion of its host galaxy, a certain realm was suspended over an expansive sea of mystical fire. The realm was immensely ginormous and monumentally vast, with mountains over millions of kilometers tall and oceanic depths that touched billions.
The realm wasn't a spherical planet but a plane that went on for light years, and even from quadrillions of kilometers away, one could make every crevice of this unfathomable realm of pure chaos. In this world resided beings that had gained the reverence and fear of all across the cosmos, the Delgians.
Delgians were one of the strongest creatures across this universe, their species a member, and the leader, of the POSDAC. The adult delgians, even if untrained, carried the capabilities to destroy star systems in a matter of days. They were one of the most feared species, for their hunger for destruction and chaos ran deep, and had run the local galactic cluster to extinction.
In a particular area of this enormous plane of existence, a certain delgian, an enormous serpentine creature covered in horrifying lava-spewing scales, was lazily floating with a partner by their side. The two were teenage delgians, merely two hundred thousand years old, with bodies that were five thousand kilometers in length. Their scales were polished well, their horns were over a dozen kilometers tall, and their eyes carried a hint of golden, signifying their noble lineage among the delgians.
"So, when do you think the war will begin?"
One of the floating monstrosities howled, their arrogant and somewhat high-pitched voice distorted by the extreme speeds at which the two were traveling, causing continuous sonic booms that destroyed the surrounding landscape. However, the two could understand each other pretty well, for them it was a mere after-meal stroll.
"Hmm? Well, all the forces have been called back since the great mother made the prophecy, but it's been ten thousand years, I don't think the day is too far away."
The partner's voice was calm and soothing, in complete contrast to the whiny voice of the first delgian.
"But I am bored~"
The monstrosity growled, releasing a dark pulse of energy from one of its orifices, inadvertently decimating a mountain over ten thousand kilometers tall.
"I feel the same, but we can't run wild since all those bigwigs are on edge, and all the interesting prey have returned to their home worlds. You don't want to mess around with some weaklings right?"
One of the gigantic serpentine creatures said in a jovial tone, evidently satisfied with his current life, hoping to deter his easily excitable friend from creating trouble.
"You're right, hmph!" The creature huffed, annihilating another ridge, and shook its fifty-kilometer-long head, brandishing and reveling in its magnificent golden whiskers.
As the two creatures bickered, bantered, and had fun destroying the ever-expansive landscape, a sudden chill forced them to halt.
Ohm~
The two creatures closed the distance between their bodies and huddled together, experiencing a terror like no other.
Ohm~
"It's happening..." The previously moody and arrogant voice gave way to a grave and somber tone.
"Who do you think will be selected?" The calm voice rang out again, but the trembling and hesitation within those words couldn't be completely concealed.
Ohm~
"I think it should be one of those six mo-"
The excitable teenager was in the middle of his growl when a sudden force took over him. His friend watched in horror as his body was engulfed by a colorless vortex and swallowed by the world. The last words he heard before losing consciousness was the cry of his friend calling his name.
"PAAA-KHEEEL"
Ohm~
x—X—x
In a certain sector of a desolate and lifeless galaxy, a single planet revolved around a dying star, barely maintaining its structural integrity under the climbing gravity of the impending supernova.
The entire planet was rotting away, but a particular area remained completely unaffected. It was a simple pavilion colored in white, radiating an unearthly sanctity one would find difficult to place in such an apocalyptic situation.
A simple house with a beautiful courtyard, a small pond with thriving sea life, and a couple of healthy trees decorated this peaceful scenery.
Suddenly, the pavilion's sliding door cracked open and a figure dressed in a loose robe walked out with a gourd in his right hand. He was a middle-aged figure with considerable facial hair yet sharp handsome features that couldn't be concealed by the messiness of his countenance. The figure tumbled over to a certain corner of a courtyard where a single beautiful white sword was lodged in the ground, in front of which the ground seemed to have been recently dug out.
The man stumbled over his steps as he approached the sword and fell in front of it, just before the distorted ground. He took a swig of his gourd, a red liquid escaping from the gap between his lips and the gourd, trickling down from his lips to his neck, staining the robe with a color reminiscent of blood.
"Why are you here?" The figure drunkenly hiccupped and said with a low voice, for a figure had materialized behind him.
"It's coming, Xakash."
The figure was a man who could only be described as the epitome of martial elegance. With a black-red robe, sharp eyebrows, clear silver eyes, and black hair that fell to his back, he emitted a swordsman's charm with his every movement. On his hip, he carried a number of swords, each more beautiful and more dangerous than the other.
"So, what? I don't wanna participate!" Xakash took another hefty swig of his seemingly unending beverage and spoke in a drunken stupor.
"That is not your choice." The martial figure's voice was serene, as if unaffected by the drunken antics of his friend. He observed as the messy man flailed around on the ground in front of the sword, covering himself in dirt and grass.
"Hmph! I do not deserve the honor, my hands have been stained with the blood of innocents..." Xakash's low voice sounded after he took a swig. "And not just a few."
"You were enraged, Xakash, they took your beloved." The figure raised his hand and grabbed Xakash's shoulder, staining his pristine white hand with dirt.
However, even with the serene and soothing voice comforting him, Xakash merely slapped away the martial figure's hand and raised his gourd, this time engulfing the contents for over a minute, staining his robe further with the red beverage. His face reddened and his body language deteriorated further.
"I killed quintillions, Lindel. I destroyed a galaxy." The figure's drunken voice gained a somberness and chill that even made Lindel frown. "Nothing can ever justify that. I am sure she is cursing at me from the afterlife."
The figure raised his gourd at the sword and chuckled in exasperation.
"Xakash, li-"
Ohm~
Lindel's eyes widened as a chill penetrated his entire being. His hands subconsciously reached for the handle of one of his many swords.
"Xakash."
The calmness and serenity in Lindel's voice was no more, replaced by a deep horror.
Ohm~
"Yes, looks like the information was accurate. Those condescending bunch finally did something right." Though Xakash experienced the chill as well, which made his instincts scream at him to flee, he merely raised his gourd once again and took a swig.
"See you on the other side." Lindel smiled as he felt his body being disintegrated and swallowed by the space around him.
Ohm~
"Haa~ Hopefully I can find death through this farce at least." Xakash matched his friend's smile as his body was swallowed as well, but as he was disappearing, he managed to grab the white sword.
"I will miss you, my beloved."
Xakash vanished, and the instant he did, the star exploded into a supernova and swallowed the planet, expanding to the edge of the star system and collapsing onto itself. As if a foreign power had halted the entire process in time.
Ohm~