Outside, the familiar streets blurred past, the neighborhood gradually shrinking as the city gave way to wider avenues. Hyun-Jae kept his hands in his lap, fingers lightly tracing the strap of his bag, the watch on his wrist a constant reminder of the promise he had made to his father.
The bus was mostly quiet, the occasional whispered conversation or soft sigh breaking the silence. He stole glances at the other volunteers, faces unfamiliar yet familiar in the way worry and determination could make strangers seem connected. Some stared out the windows, others fidgeted nervously with their gear, and a few simply sat with their eyes closed, lost in thought.
Hyun-Jae leaned back in his seat, letting out a slow breath. The road ahead was long, and the uncertainty of what awaited weighed heavily on him but there was no turning back now.
The bus rolled onward, carrying him closer to the preparation site, and with every passing moment, the anticipation of the trials to come tightened in his chest.
The bus slowed to a halt at another stop, its brakes hissing as the doors opened. More recruits climbed aboard young men and women of all shapes and sizes, some carrying themselves with stiff resolve, others with hesitant, shuffling steps. Hyun-Jae watched them quietly as they filled the seats, wondering how many of them had chosen to come and how many had been pushed into it by their families.
The ride stretched on until the landscape outside began to change. Concrete and glass gave way to chain-link fences, guard towers, and long stretches of open ground. The bus turned through a heavily guarded gate, rolling into a sprawling military base brimming with activity. Rows of soldiers in uniform moved with rigid precision, trucks rumbled along wide roads, and the sound of drills echoed faintly in the distance.
Hyun-Jae pressed his forehead lightly against the glass, scanning the groups of volunteers being led off other buses. He couldn't help but wonder if Soo-Min was somewhere among them, stepping into this new life just as he was.
The recruits were directed off the bus and into a massive hall. The room was wide and high-ceilinged, with rows of chairs lined neatly across the floor. The air carried the faint tang of polished steel and disinfectant. Hyun-Jae found a seat among the crowd, the low murmur of nervous chatter filling the space as more and more participants gathered.
After a few minutes, the noise quieted on its own as a commanding presence strode toward the podium at the front. Hyun-Jae recognized him immediately he had seen this man on the news several times, always at the forefront of military briefings. His broad shoulders and sharp gaze radiated authority, and the medals pinned to his uniform caught the light with every step.
"Participants," the man's voice boomed, deep and unwavering, "I am the commander of our countries armed forces, and I want to to thank you all for coming out here".
The room fell into an uneasy silence. Hyun-Jae straightened in his seat, heart pounding as he realized the weight of where he was and what lay ahead.
His gaze swept across the massive hall, sharp and commanding. "Before I begin, I know many of you have questions. Raise your hands."
A sea of hands shot up. The General gave a short nod. "Alright. I'll do my best to answer what I can."
The first soldier-like student stood. "When will we meet up with the other countries?"
The general's jaw tightened. "The Celestials themselves said they would handle the transportation of all competitors. We don't know when or how. That is the extent of what we've been told."
Another participant asked, "Where will the tournament even take place?"
The General shook his head slowly. "We don't know. The Celestials did not share that detail with any government. What we do know is that they promised they would arrive… around this time."
The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of his words pressing down on every chest. People exchanged uneasy glances, a mix of anticipation and dread swirling in the air.
General Kang's hand curled into a fist behind the podium. "So, until they appear, our only job is to prepare. Do not expect answers we don't have. Expect only the unexpected."
Hyun-Jae shifted uneasily in his seat, the General's words echoing in his head. They don't know anything... . The thought gnawed at him, the unknown looming larger than the threats they'd been drilled to face for years. What kind of "tournament" are we even walking into?
Then-
A ripple of energy surged through the hall. The hairs on the back of Hyun-Jae's neck stood up before he even realized what had happened. Gasps broke out, chairs scraped against the floor, and all eyes snapped to the podium.
Something had appeared behind the General.
At first, it was just light, blinding, pure, and shifting like a veil being pulled aside. Then the shape of a figure began to emerge from it, tall and impossibly sharp against the backdrop of the world. Hyun-Jae's chest tightened.
The General froze mid-sentence. A shadow stretched long behind him as the presence fully manifested.
Hyun-Jae's breath caught in his throat. It was one of them…the Celestials.
It was the same Celestial that accompanied the one that killed his uncle. The weight of its aura pressed down on everyone in the room, suffocating, heavy enough that even the General's usually unflinching expression faltered for a moment.
The hall had fallen completely silent, all eyes locked on the towering figure behind the podium. The serious Celestial's gaze swept across the gathered recruits before settling briefly on General Kang. His voice resonated, not loud, but heavy, like it was pressed directly into their bones.
"Are you ready?" he asked. "Is everyone present?"
The General's jaw tightened. He turned to the rows of recruits, scanning their stiff forms before giving a curt nod. "Yes. All accounted for."
The Celestial closed his eyes slowly, almost in contemplation. Then, with a sharp snap of his fingers, the world fractured.
In an instant, the air around them folded in on itself. The fluorescent lights of the hall stretched into lines of white, the floor beneath them dissolved, and a weightless pull seized Hyun-Jae's stomach. Before anyone could scream, they were standing somewhere else.
Gasps and shouts erupted. Some stumbled to the ground, clutching their heads or their knees. Hyun-Jae swayed, his vision swimming as he tried to take in the new surroundings.
For a moment, Hyun-Jae felt like he was falling.
There was no wind, no sensation of movement, just a sudden absence, as if the world beneath him had been erased.
Then gravity returned.
His feet slammed into solid ground, pain shooting up his legs as he stumbled forward. He barely managed to keep himself upright, hands shaking as his stomach lurched violently.
"…What…?"
His voice came out hoarse.
The air was wrong.
It wasn't thin, if anything, it felt dense, pressing against his lungs with every breath. A faint metallic scent lingered in it, sharp enough to sting his nose. When he inhaled, his chest tightened for a second before adjusting, like his body was being forced to relearn how to exist.
Hyun-Jae lifted his head.
The sky froze him in place.
It stretched endlessly above him, vast beyond comprehension. There was no sun, at least, not one he recognized. Instead, a distant, pale radiance filled the heavens evenly, casting soft shadows that didn't seem to belong to any single light source. The clouds drifted unnaturally slow, their shapes shifting as though responding to something unseen.
This wasn't Earth.
People appeared around him in bursts of light.
Dozens at first, then hundreds.
Men and women staggered into existence, coughing, swearing, shouting in languages Hyun-Jae recognized and many he didn't. Military uniforms mixed with civilian clothes. Different flags stitched onto sleeves. Some people fell to their knees immediately. Others spun around in panic, hands clenched into fists.
"…Where are we?"
Hyun-Jae's heart pounded as he turned slowly.
And then he saw them.
They weren't all in one place.
They were everywhere.
Creatures stood, or hovered, or crouched, across the vast plain, extending far beyond what Hyun-Jae could see. Some were tall and slender, their skin faintly luminescent, eyes reflecting the strange sky like glass. Others were massive, broad-shouldered beings covered in natural plating that looked harder than steel.
There were quadrupeds with multiple jointed legs, insect-like entities clicking softly among themselves, floating figures wrapped in shifting energy instead of flesh. A few looked disturbingly close to human, close enough to make Hyun-Jae uncomfortable.
His mouth went dry.
"…No way."
Panic erupted.
Humans backed away instinctively, some screaming, others reaching for weapons that weren't there. A few soldiers shouted commands, trying to form lines that immediately fell apart.
"What are those things?!"
"Stay away from us!"
"They're going to kill us!"
The creatures reacted too.
Some stiffened. Others growled, hissed, or bristled in response. Massive forms shifted, casting long shadows over the humans nearest to them.
The moment teetered on the edge of chaos,
Then the sky pressed down.
Hyun-Jae dropped to one knee as an unbearable force slammed into his body. His lungs emptied violently, his vision blurring as if the atmosphere itself had turned into a crushing weight.
All sound vanished.
Not faded, vanished.
Even the creatures froze, locked in place as if reality itself had been paused.
A presence descended.
"Enough."
The word didn't echo.
It commanded.
Hyun-Jae forced his head up.
The Celestial hovered above them, unchanged, immaculate, utterly detached. Space warped subtly around its form, like the world refused to touch it directly.
"Do not panic," He said calmly.
The pressure eased, but not fully. Just enough to remind everyone that resistance was pointless.
"Those you see before you are not your enemies."
Murmurs rippled weakly through the crowd.
"They are participants," the Celestial continued, sweeping its gaze across the endless gathering. "Inhabitants of the Seventh Realm. Your allies."
Hyun-Jae swallowed.
Allies.
He looked again at the sea of beings surrounding him, and for the first time, he truly understood the scale.
There was no end.
No matter where he turned, the horizon was crowded with life. Species upon species, gathered from countless worlds, all pulled into the same inevitable fate.
"This planet," the Celestial said, "will serve as the home base of Realm Seven."
Hyun-Jae finally noticed the ground beneath his feet.
It was… empty.
Flat. Colorless. Featureless. No vegetation. No structures. No sign that this world had ever supported life.
Then the Celestial raised its hand.
The planet answered.
The ground shuddered softly as color spread outward in waves. Soil darkened and cracked. Grass erupted from nothing, racing across the land faster than sight could follow. Hills rose slowly, like something breathing beneath the surface. Rivers carved themselves into the earth, water roaring into existence mid-flow.
The air changed.
It warmed. Softened. Became familiar.
Clouds thickened. The light shifted.
Hyun-Jae's chest tightened painfully.
"…It looks like Earth," he whispered.
Not the same.
But close enough to hurt.
The Celestial lowered its hand.
"Prepare yourselves," it said. "Your trials will begin soon."
Hyun-Jae clenched his fists.
The Celestial's eyes flickered once more across his audience, unreadable. Then he spoke again, his tone clipped and final:
"The attendants will help you get acquainted with the area."
It was only then that the humans noticed they weren't alone. Figures stepped forward from the shadows of the chamber, dozens of them. At first glance, seome looked human and like the other creatures as well, but there was something… different. Their movements were too smooth, their presence too polished, like they had been sculpted into perfection. Their skin gleamed faintly under the ship's artificial light, and their eyes carried an uncanny sharpness that made some recruits instinctively avert their gaze but quickly their expression became warm.
One of them, a woman with sleek black hair bound into a high knot, bowed slightly. "Welcome, participants," she said, her voice crisp, clear, and resonant. "Please form a line so you can be entered into the system. From there, you will receive your quarters and assignments."
Another attendant mirrored her movements on the opposite side of the chamber, guiding clusters of confused individuals into orderly lines.
Hyun-Jae felt his pulse thudding in his ears. Everything was happening too fast with the snap of fingers, the impossible teleportation, the presence of attendants, but resistance wasn't even an option. His legs moved on their own, falling into step behind the others as the line began to form.
He glanced around, catching glimpses of wide-eyed students, pale-faced volunteers, and trembling draftees, all shuffling forward like passengers boarding a train they could no longer disembark. His throat tightened.
No choice. No turning back. I have to just keep on… moving.
And so he did.