Ash scattered everywhere. Countless buildings burned and collapsed—houses, temples, towers, from the smallest huts to the grandest structures, everything in this world was engulfed in flames and crumbling to ruin.
Cries and sobs echoed throughout the chaos, explosions roared like thunder. Humans, elves, dwarves—even countless dragons—ran in every direction. From the youngest to the oldest, from the smallest creatures to the largest beasts, all of them fled in desperation from the destruction around them.
Flames soared high into the sky, making the air thick and suffocatingly hot. People sweated under the unbearable heat, their vision clouded by dense smoke. Burning wood and scattered debris littered the ground, making it difficult to run. Corpses lay everywhere—from children to the elderly, from various races such as elves, dwarves, and dragons.
Many died unnaturally—burned alive, crushed beneath falling buildings, or mutilated beyond recognition. Some were left with nothing but their heads, others were torn into countless pieces. Their blood dyed the earth a deep crimson, and the stench of blood mixed with the devastation around made the scene look like a torture ground.
Above, the sky was pitch black. There was no moonlight, no stars—nothing but utter darkness. A void, an empty abyss, hung over everything. Only the blazing fire lit the surroundings.
Despite the inferno that burned like eternal flames, the darkness above seemed to draw closer, threatening to swallow everything. Even the dragons, who once soared with pride, were forced to the ground, terror gripping their hearts.
No matter their race or origin, everyone ran—desperately trying to escape the chaos. The scorching flames, the countless corpses, and the blood splattered across their bodies did not stop them. They ran like madmen.
The mass panic made escape even harder—people pushed and trampled one another. Some died beneath the feet of the fleeing crowd. No one cared who they shoved aside or who they stepped on. The only thought in their minds was to get away.
Among them, a tall young man with messy black hair and a face obscured by ash, ran through the crowd with a small child—who looked just like him—clutched in his arms. Pushed from behind by the crowd, he lost his footing and fell face first, the child thrown from his arms.
The crowd surged forward, trampling over the young man. Again and again, he tried to rise, only to be crushed back down by the frantic masses. He screamed, calling out for the child—but his cries were drowned by explosions and the chaotic roar of people around him. Slowly, his vision blurred, and before he could realize what had happened, everything turned to black.
Elsewhere, an elderly woman with fully white hair and a face lined with deep wrinkles crawled away from the blazing wreckage of what had once been her home. Her clothes were scorched and filthy, her body covered in ash and dirt. Behind her, the house collapsed further, fiery debris crashing down.
She dragged herself forward with the last ounce of strength she had. But before she could get far, a beam fell from above and crushed her. She screamed in agony, eyes squeezing shut as darkness claimed her.
A beautiful elf with seaweed-green hair and radiant green eyes dashed across the ruins in a blur, her movements faster than humanly possible. Wearing a once-white robe now stained with blood and dust, she leapt from one ledge to another with precision. But as she took a final leap, a massive explosion blew her off course. She was hurled through the air and impaled on a towering iron beam—right through her chest. Blood dripped slowly from the beam, and as her thoughts faded, so did her vision.
A massive red dragon, the size of a cruise ship, ran along the ground in terror. Its thick scales gleamed, but even they could not protect the smaller beings beneath its feet. It trampled the fleeing masses, reducing them to bloody pulp.
Suddenly, something enormous shot toward the dragon at lightning speed. It didn't even have time to react before it was struck, causing an earth-shattering explosion. When the blast finally settled, only a giant crater remained, flames burning endlessly. Not even bones were left—only ashes.
A dwarf...
A human...
An elf...
The destruction continued on and on, an endless cycle of devastation.
*
Not far from the catastrophe engulfing the world and its many races, stood a colossal castle amidst the chaos.
Once grand and majestic, the castle was now surrounded by destruction. Its towering walls, once a hundred meters tall and encircling the entire structure, had crumbled. Rubble scattered everywhere, flames erupting from the gaps. Human soldiers, once stationed to guard the perimeter, now lay dead—buried beneath the ruins, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, their blood soaking the earth.
Through the collapsed walls, the castle's inner grounds could be seen. What had once been lush gardens and orderly storage buildings were now reduced to ash and craters. Fires still burned without end.
The castle stretched as far as the eye could see. No matter how one imagined it, its scale was overwhelming—something more fit for giants than humans.
It spanned over a thousand square meters, rising twice the height of the surrounding walls. Seven towers stood at each corner, a large dome crowning its center. The walls were made of white stone, strong and unyielding. Each doorway stood fifty meters tall, with elongated windows and jagged battlements crowning the towers.
It looked more like a home for titans than mortals. If compared, it was like a cockroach living in a human mansion.
But now the castle was in ruins. Cracks marred the once-pristine walls, windows shattered, doors broken. It looked ready to collapse at any moment.
...
At the heart of the castle, deep within its halls, lay a massive throne room. Grand pillars supported the ceiling above, and at the center stood a towering golden throne.
But the pillars were cracked, the walls damaged, dust choking the air. The marble floor had shattered. Statues, paintings, and every ornament once adorning the hall were now destroyed—beyond recognition.
In front of the throne, a massive crater gaped in the center of the hall, a bottomless hole so deep the end could not be seen. It stretched up to the ceiling, as if a devastating laser had pierced straight through.
Even the throne bore marks of destruction.
And right above, where the ceiling had been torn open, through the hole left behind—four figures stood amidst the void.