Chapter 1: The End

The end of the world started with fire.

Rain was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through his school notes, when the ground shook so hard the dishes fell off the shelves. He didn't even have time to wonder what was happening before his dad yelled out.

"Get outside! Now!"

By the time Rain scrambled to the front door, the street was chaos. The sky above Seoul was painted a dark, unnatural red. Buildings swayed like they were made of paper, and the roar of something immense, some unworldly roar, rumbled through the air. Rain's mother snatched Hana, his seven-year-old sister, up and pushed her towards him.

"Hold her hand!" she shouted, pale.

"What's happening?" Rain stuttered, clutching tight to Hana as she sobbed.

His father didn't say a word. He was gazing at the horizon, his jaw clenched. Rain followed his gaze and saw it—a monstrous tidal wave welling from the Han River, taller than any building in the city. Its shadow swallowed the skyline.

And behind it, the sky cracked.

The tear in the fabric of the heavens wasn't like anything Rain had ever seen. It spewed golden light and something else-something dark and alive. Shapes too large to understand writhed their way out of the fissure, their forms twisting and writhing. Some were like those of mythical creatures: a snake with wings that reached from one horizon to the other, a humanoid figure swathed in shadow and flames, and a beast of twisting tendrils that pulsed with evil.

"Rain! Move!" His father's voice jolted him back to reality.

The wave was almost upon them. Rain ran, dragging Hana behind him, his legs trembling as the earth split apart beneath their feet. The sound was deafening-roaring water, shattering concrete, and screams blending into one cacophony.

They didn't make it far.

---

Rain turned just in time to see the wave hit. It wasn't water; it was a force of nature, carrying cars, debris, and people in its crushing embrace. Rain held Hana close, but the impact threw them both into the air like rag dolls.

He landed hard, the world spinning around him. Through the haze of pain, he saw his family: his mother pinned beneath a collapsed beam, her face contorted in pain; his father crawling toward her, blood streaming down his face; Hana lay motionless, her small body half-submerged in the rushing water.

Rain tried to crawl to them, but something huge loomed above. A creature out of the sky, its body a twisted amalgamation of bone and fire, its claws sinking into the earth, cutting deep into the ground. Rain watched, paralyzed, as the beast raised one clawed hand and brought it down on his family with a crushing blow.

The world went silent.

Rain didn't scream. He couldn't. His voice was gone, swallowed by the sheer weight of what he had just witnessed. His family—the only people who mattered—were gone.

---

When Rain woke, he was no longer in Seoul.

The ground beneath him was smooth and cold, like glass. He sat up slowly, wincing as pain shot through his body. Around him, thousands of others were stirring, their faces pale and haunted. Some were crying, others shouting for loved ones who would never answer.

"What… is this?" Rain whispered, his voice hoarse.

Before anyone could answer, the air shimmered, and a figure appeared in the center of the crowd. It wasn't human. Its form was constantly shifting, a swirling mass of light and shadow that radiated power. Its eyes burned like twin suns.

"Mortals," it said, its voice echoing in Rain's mind, "welcome to The Crucible."

The crowd murmured in confusion, some shouting questions, but the being ignored them.

"Your world has been judged," it continued. "The gods have spoken their verdict: humanity does not deserve to live. Billions have already fallen, their souls cast into the emptiness of space. You—this pitiful handful—are all that is left. One thousand of you, selected by destiny or caprice, will represent your species in the trials yet to come. Only eight shall survive. The rest…" Something ominous entered the being's voice. "The rest shall die."

Panic rippled through the crowd.

"That isn't fair!" somebody hollered.

"Why us?" another wailed.

It cocked its head to the side, seemingly with some form of amusement. "Fairness is but a construct of mortals. You want mercy? Work for it. Live." And before any could cry out further, the ground they stood on suddenly heaved. Strange markings below their feet started glowing-intricate, dancing webs of light and shadow that pulsed with malevolent energy.

Your first trial begins now," it boomed, its voice impossible loud. "Survive the Forest of Dread. Prove your worth… or perish."

The ground dissolved, and Rain fell.

He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring his entire body. Around him, others were coughing and groaning, struggling to their feet. Rain sat up, his hands sinking into damp soil. The air was thick and humid, carrying the scents of rot and blood.

They were in a forest, but it was unlike any forest Rain had ever seen. The trees were twisted and blackened, their branches like skeletal hands reaching for the sky. Strange, bioluminescent fungi glowed faintly, casting eerie shadows across the ground.

"What the hell is this place?" someone muttered.

A scream cut through the air, sharp and raw. Rain turned just in time to see a man being dragged into the darkness by something fast and silent. His screams faded quickly, leaving only the rustling of leaves.

"We have to move," a woman said, clutching a jagged piece of wood like a weapon.

Rain nodded, even though he had no idea where to go. The forest seemed endless, the trees closing in around them. He followed the group, his heart hammering in his chest.

---

The first night was chaos.

The creatures came in waves, their glowing eyes piercing the darkness. Some were huge, their forms blotting out the faint light of the bioluminescent fungi. Others were small and fast, darting between the trees like shadows.

Rain didn't sleep. He couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his family—their faces frozen in their final moments.

By the second day, there were few in the group. Screams echoed one by one as the people got picked off through the forest. Rain was among a few survivors in this group of people that consisted of Yuna-a little girl carrying a knife she'd scrounged up-and Ji-Hoon, an older man who seemed like he knew how to fight.

"We need to keep moving," Ji-Hoon said as they huddled around a small fire.

Rain looked at him, his eyes empty. "Move where? There's no way out."

"There has to be," Yuna said. "We just have to survive long enough to find it."

---

By the third day, their number had been reduced to less than half. The body of Rain ached all over, his clothes torn and bloodstained. He had killed one of the creatures, too-a spider-like monstrosity that had hunched over him in darkness. The dying screech still echoed in his mind.

He wasn't the same person he'd been when this started. The quiet, invisible boy who had faded into the background was gone. All that remained was someone desperate to survive, no matter the cost.

---

By the time they stumbled upon the gate—a massive structure glowing with violet light—Rain was barely standing. Only 736 of the original 1,000 made it.

He staggered through the gate and collapsed onto the cold, smooth ground on the far side. The voice was back.

"Congratulations, survivors. You have survived the first trial. But do not become complacent. The next will be much worse."

Rain lay there on his back, staring at the ceiling, his body still shaking. He had made it through, but at what cost?

And how many more trials could he survive?

---

End of Chapter 1.