In a moderately sized hall in chaos, the pillars supporting the ceiling were cracked in several places, and the collapsed dome revealed a view of a dark sky. Fire blazed in various spots, and debris and dust swirled around, making the hall look like it had suffered a devastating natural disaster.
Even the furnishings inside—wall paintings, chairs, tables, and the like—had been reduced to ash floating in the air.
In the center, right under the collapsed dome, stood four figures, each clad in tattered clothing. Their garments were partially damaged, covered in dust and ash, giving the impression that they had crawled out of the depths of destruction.
One of them was an old man with hair, partially gray, and a mustache and beard that concealed his mouth. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, indicating his advanced age. Yet, his eyes burned with a fiery determination, making him seem more like a young man still full of energy.
Despite the black robe torn in several places, sweat and blood soaked it, the old man showed no signs of injury. Only his hair, unkempt, and his robe, tattered, were visible.
He stood motionless, his gaze focused upwards. His face displayed deep seriousness.
Next to him stood three others: two young men. One appeared to be around 18-20 years old, his face still filled with youthful vigor, while the other seemed to be in his mid-twenties, with a mature aura.
The younger of the two had jet-black hair tied in a ponytail, eyes as blue as the ocean reflecting the first rays of dawn, and skin as white as jade. He stood about 175 cm tall, his youthful, handsome face captivating anyone who looked at him. His clothes, a white robe as soft as silk, were pristine, unlike the old man's, with no signs of wear or dust.
The man beside him, slightly taller at around 185 cm, had short black hair and piercing blue eyes. His face, sharp and composed, radiated seriousness, exuding a mature and slightly cold demeanor, quite unlike the younger man beside him. Despite his worn, bloodstained white robe, he retained an air of elegance.
Lastly, there was a woman, incredibly beautiful, like a goddess descending from the heavens. She resembled the two young men beside her, but her appearance was distinctive. Her eyes were the same deep blue as the ocean, but it was her snow-white hair that set her apart. Soft as silk, her hair cascaded down to her waist. Her beauty was striking, yet her cold eyes made anyone approaching her feel as though they were facing a hungry beast.
She wore the same tattered white robe as the two young men. Despite its disarray, it did not diminish her ethereal beauty.
All four stood, gazing upwards with an expression of utter seriousness. Their intense focus made anyone meeting their gaze feel an immense burden.
Above them was nothing but the collapsed dome and the pitch-black sky. But upon closer inspection, a small ripple could be seen just beneath the dark expanse.
From that ripple, a faint, multicolored energy emerged, too thin to see clearly, detectable only by those with special abilities in their eyes.
Suddenly, a hoarse, deep voice shattered the silence in the hall. It came from the old man in the black robe.
"It's still there. They are fine, don't worry…"
But before he could finish his sentence, a soft, worried voice interrupted him.
"How can I not worry, when even Beyond Heavens has fallen?"
The voice came from the youngest of the three men. His tone, soft and full of concern, echoed in the hall. He turned to his left, where the old man stood.
His gaze, gentle yet filled with fear, worry, and sadness, was like that of a lost child searching for their parent in vain.
The old man didn't turn to him but continued staring at the rippling energy in the sky. After a few seconds, a soft voice, filled with affection, came from his right.
"Don't worry. Elder Rex is right. They are fine, and…"
But before the soft voice could finish, the young man spoke again, his voice louder this time.
"But even…"
Before he could say more, the gentle voice cut in, this time more forcefully, but still full of warmth.
"But what? Because Beyond Heavens has fallen? No, they're not gone. If they were, the entire world would fall with them."
The young man turned to his right, where the voice came from. It was the woman with white hair standing next to the serious-faced man.
Sensing his gaze, she turned to her left and smiled at him. Her smile was full of warmth and affection, yet beneath that smile lay the same concern and fear the young man felt.
"It's okay, Gill. Don't worry about them. They'll be fine. What we need to do is focus on our task."
Realizing something, the taller man lowered his gaze. He looked forward, at the ruins where walls had collapsed. He nodded in agreement.
"That's right. We need to do what we must. We've wasted too much time. Let's get to work."
Hearing his words, the old man turned to look at him, nodding in acknowledgment. The white-haired woman did the same. Only the younger man in the pristine robe ignored them and continued focusing on the energy ripple above, as though waiting for something.
Before he could fully focus, a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder from the right. Before he could process it, his vision became distorted and blurry, and then they all vanished from the spot, leaving only the old man behind.
Staring at the place where the others had been, the old man turned his gaze back up, his face more resolute than ever. Gathering his resolve, he leapt into the air, heading toward the faint energy ripple in the sky.
---
The world was in chaos, destruction was everywhere. From corner to corner, not even the most remote places were spared from devastation. Ash floated in the air, and flames rose high, adding to the already overwhelming sense of terror.
These black-and-white flames burned so hot that anyone near them would instantly turn to ash. Even those at a distance could feel the intense heat.
It seemed as though the fire came straight from the depths of hell, and it burned endlessly. No one could stop it.
Thick smoke billowed into the air, spreading across the land, making it difficult for anyone to breathe, while obstructing their view. With destruction all around, the world felt more like hell than the world it once was.
Humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, giants, and all races here felt the terror of this destruction. It seemed as though the end of the world had arrived—the apocalypse, as foretold by God, had finally come.
Explosions echoed like thunder, making everyone who heard them feel a fear they had never experienced before. All living creatures in this broken world tried to save themselves.
The darkness in the sky drew nearer, and even though it was still far from the world, it felt ever closer with each passing hour, minute, and second. The darkness signified the end of the world.
Amidst the chaos, a beam of light shot toward the darkness in the sky. It came from a magnificent, towering castle. Though parts of the castle were destroyed, like the walls, it still radiated a divine aura that all races admired.
The light shot out at such speed that it was hard for anyone to see. It stopped at a certain point, where a figure finally appeared. A man, old with slightly graying hair and a wrinkled face, stood there, his tattered robe billowing in the wind.
He stood still in the void, staring seriously at the approaching darkness. Clenching his fist, he raised his hand and opened his palm. As he did, a beam of light shot out from his hand, spreading to form a thin barrier that enveloped the castle, no—this barrier covered the entire world.
It felt as if time had stopped, as the world seemed to slow. The destruction even appeared to halt. All beings, all races, felt as though time had come to a standstill. Their thoughts and movements slowed, making it hard to comprehend anything.
In the ruins of a broken tower, two figures appeared, followed by a third. One by one, figures emerged, and the last to appear was a werewolf—a human with the features of a wolf.
They all gazed at the destruction, where time seemed to slow. But what was actually happening was not that time itself had slowed, but rather that it was being weighed down by an immense burden, causing time to feel heavy and unmovable.
What was causing this immense weight on time? It was the thin barrier created above them. This barrier pressed upon time, causing everything within its range to slow. However, a few figures above the tower were unaffected by the slowing of time. They could still move and think normally.
Above the tower, representatives of all races—humans, dragons, elves, dwarves, giants—had gathered. They all stared at the slowing destruction.
Finally, a voice broke the silence. It was deep, sending a chill down the spine of anyone who heard it.
"We've finished. All we need to do now is activate it."
The voice came from the werewolf, his sharp fangs visible as he spoke.
In response, a tall human nodded, then took a black, plain box from his robe. He crushed it in his hand, shattering it into a thousand pieces. As the box disintegrated, something strange emerged.
Thin, transparent threads of energy poured out from the broken box. The threads expanded rapidly, as if to cover the entire world.
Moments after the box shattered and the threads continued pouring endlessly from its emptiness, something strange began to happen. The world suddenly trembled—an immense earthquake shook every corner of the land.
The world kept quaking, every second felt like an eternity. Cracks appeared everywhere, even the very fabric of the void itself began to tear apart.
After what seemed like endless moments, another phenomenon occurred. All around, black holes began to appear, emerging one by one in countless numbers—too many to count.
Beyond each black hole, there was nothing but eternal darkness. Empty. Hollow. That was all that could be seen.
In the midst of the horror and chaos, a voice finally pierced through the tension.
"It's done. Send all members of your races through. It should be safe... unless something goes wrong. Once inside, they will be transferred to another realm."
Once the voice stopped speaking, every representative from the gathered races nodded in agreement. And in the blink of an eye, they vanished—leaving only three humans behind.
After a moment of silence, the voice echoed again. This time, it came from the tall human.
"You should go too. This place is no longer meant for you. If you stay here any longer, you'll only become a burden to us."
The younger, shorter human beside him turned to look.
He stared at the older man, wanting to say something. But before he could utter a single word, a hand grabbed his shoulder tightly—then threw him with inhuman strength.
He was hurled into one of the nearest black holes at an incredible speed, leaving him no time to react.
He tried to resist, tried to do something—but everything he attempted within that split second yielded nothing. Just before he passed through the black hole, that deep voice spoke once more, this time softer and filled with emotion.
"Gill, keep living. You can do what we never could. Forgive me... this might be the only thing I can still do for you."
As the voice faded, everything around him began to change. His vision blurred, and everything in his surroundings turned pitch black.