The Host turned to watch the pulsing light in the distance. The vast expanse of void was empty in that direction save for that solitary light. The Host’s form could not be entirely seen, but its presence was still felt by the other existences waiting in the background, all of them watching the light with varying degrees of anticipation. They all watched in quiet rapture as the speed of the blinking light slowly increased, the event they have all been waiting for was almost upon them.

None dared to disturb The Host’s quiet contemplation of the light. The Host rarely acknowledged their existence and annoying them with their inane comments seemed like a poor life choice. Only the pulsing light and the figure working beside them had The Host’s attention this time around.

“Is it nearly finished?” The Host asked impatiently, turning back to face The Admin.

“Yes, now stop acting like a child and bugging me every minute. There are only a few more tweaks that are needed until it is up and running. I am just about finished, but it will only take longer if you keep distracting me.” The Admin bravely, or maybe stupidly, said while making odd hand gestures in the air.

“I would watch your tone if I were you. While you are the one in charge of the project this time, it is almost complete and you are not so necessary anymore. This is a rather ambitious plan for your only attempt, are you sure you can pull it off? You know what will happen should you fail.”

“With the excess we were able to siphon off, there should be no issues. No need for threats. Speaking of the excess, how is the traitor?” The Admin asked, turning away from whatever they were working on to fully face The Host.

“Dealt with. He has been drained completely and is now but a husk of his former self,” answered The Host, suspicious of the sudden interest in that person.

“Good, the last thing I need is for him to be mucking up my plans for the biggest event ever attempted. The smallest mistake will cause this whole thing to fail, and all the energy that has been put into this project will go to waste.” The Admin said while turning back to their work and editing a few more things.

“You don’t need to worry about that, the energy he has lost has rendered him catatonic. He will continue to fuel our works for as long as he can last. The repeated loss will eventually cause him to perish however. Until then, he shall remain imprisoned and drained. Just finish the project, there is no need to concern yourself with him.” The Host explained in an aggravated tone.

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The Admin grunted then turned back to a screen only they could see and continued to gesture away, preparing the final touches while thinking about the fate of the traitor. The Host’s suspicions were well founded as The Admin had their own agenda for this event and was subtly tweaking things to suit their needs while doing everything that The Host required of them. The changes were subtle enough that they should go unnoticed by everyone involved. If they were discovered The Admin’s fate would be just as horrible, if not many times worse, as the traitor’s.

Luckily, all in attendance seemed to be more focused on the distant light that was pulsing faster and faster than what The Admin was doing. Looking up at the rapidly flashing light, The Admin realized their time was running out. The changes they made had to be enough, failure was not an option.

The pulsing of the light kept rapidly increasing until finally in one final blinding flash of light it disappeared. No sound was heard in the void from the blinding explosion of light, and what remained afterward was a solitary planet.

The planet was massive in size, mainly blue but with two very large landmasses as well as several smaller ones. It seemed to have a very diverse topography with green being a majority color on the eastern landmass while the western was varying shades of brown spotted with green. However, there were still some rather dark spots as well as white here and there on both landmasses. There were even some vibrantly colored areas that did not look natural at all on some of the smaller land areas. In the center of the western continent stood a mountain so tall it looked as if it would breach the heavens. On the eastern continent, there was a large forest with a tree so big it was even visible to the attendees from their vantage point so far away. Even the oceans looked wild and dangerous with massive storms and even a giant whirlpool in the northern ocean. A perpetual storm seemed to surround a chain of islands in the southern seas.

“You have outdone yourself, Admin. Not only have you succeeded, but the scale is indeed more massive than I ever anticipated. With this plane as the setting, this event should be one to remember.” The Host acknowledged.

“Thank you, the rules have been set and the system is in place. Now, only time will tell how successful it will be. Due to the scale of this though, it will be a long time before the others can start their trials.” The Admin said.

“No matter, time means nothing. They can wait, and in the meantime I shall take my leave after the matter of the traitor’s prison is dealt with. I will return upon completion of the others’ trials.” The Host said.

You’re in for a surprise there, The Admin thought. It’s too late for you to do anything about it though.

“Let the Game begin.”