"You dare to bargain with a god?" Dedisco asked, his voice laced with amusement and a chilling undercurrent of threat.

"Not a bargain," Pag corrected, taking a step back, away from the god's outstretched hand. "A conversation."

A wave of power radiated from Dedisco, a palpable pressure that seemed to squeeze the air from Pag's lungs. The shadows within the temple deepened, swirling and twisting around the god's feet, responding to his growing displeasure.

"You tread a dangerous path, mage," Dedisco warned, his voice dropping to a low growl.

Before Pag could respond, a ripple of distortion passed through the air, and a second figure materialized beside Dedisco. Textos, the God of Fall, Knowledge, and the Void, stood tall and proud, his form wreathed in an aura of autumnal colors, his gaze fixed on Pag with an intensity that rivaled Dedisco’s.

"Textos," Dedisco acknowledged, his tone laced with a hint of irritation. "This matter does not concern you."

"All that transpires within this realm concerns me, brother," Textos retorted, his voice laced with a chilling calm. "And your meddling in the world created by these humans has gone too far."

Textos turned his attention to Pag, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "So you are the mage who has dared to defy Dedisco. You possess more courage than I anticipated."

"I seek answers," Pag stated, his voice firm despite the weight of the three alien gods' attention upon him.

"Answers you shall have," Textos promised, his gaze returning to Dedisco. "But first, my brother and I have much to discuss."

Dedisco scowled, his displeasure evident. "This is a waste of time," he grumbled.

Ignoring his brother's protest, Textos conjured an illusion within the temple, a swirling vortex of light and shadow that depicted a scene from a distant past.

Within the illusion, a younger Dedisco stood before a group of people pag guessed were the other Kellin, arguing passionately. "We cannot ignore the threat they pose!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing with a fervent urgency.

"The Keiligorn may as well be a myth, Dedisco," one of the Kellin replied, his tone dismissive. "A bogeyman to frighten children. We are far from their empire and reach."

"They are real," Dedisco insisted, his voice rising with frustration. "I have seen them, felt their power. They hunt the Kellin, seeking to eradicate every last trace of us, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Distance doesn't matter."

"And what of the humans, Textos?" another Kellin asked, his voice laced with skepticism. "You would abandon them to their fate? Let them become collateral damage in a war that is not theirs to fight?"

"Exactly. We must protect not only ourselves, but this young race as well!" Dedisco argued, his voice laced with desperation.

"By hiding?" another Kellin scoffed. "By cowering in the shadows twiddling our thumbs while we wait for the off chance that the Keiligorn somehow hunts us down? That is not a solution, Dedisco. It is a surrender."

"There is another way," Textos' voice interjected, smooth and persuasive, within the illusion. "We can harness the humans' potential. They are adaptable, resourceful, and they possess a spark of magic, however faint. With our guidance, they can learn to wield that magic, to fight alongside us, to become a force to be reckoned with."

"You would trust them? A race this young? We don't even know what hinders the mana flow on this planet. How do you propose we guide them when we are limited in not only who we speak to but how?" Dedisco asked, incredulous.

"I would offer them a chance," Textos replied, his gaze steady. "A chance to prove their worth, a chance to become more than they are. And in doing so, perhaps, they can help us achieve what we cannot alone. I am certain that with our knowledge and their ingenuity a solution can be found. In the meantime the game they wish to create will be a training ground."

The illusion flickered and faded, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

"The Keiligorn are real," Textos stated, his voice echoing in the stillness. "They hunt the Kellin, and their quest has led them to this world, drawn by the presence of the Genesis Rocks, by the echoes of our power within this digital realm."

Textos turned to Pag, his gaze intense. "Your friend, Mark, his disappearance is no accident. A Keiligorn infiltrator that landed on this planet has taken him, sensing a connection to the Genesis Rock matrix he was unaware of. He was out of the facility, on his way to visit his partner when he was taken. You were not the first to fully synchronize successfully, he was the first and was synched to my core."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Pag felt a chill run down his spine. "Where was he taken? And what of the other players?" he asked, his voice tight with dread. "The ones who are trapped in comas? Are they in danger, too?"

"Likely he will be taken back to their home planet. As for the other testers. Their fates are uncertain," Textos replied, his voice somber. "The Keiligorn are unpredictable, their motives shrouded in a darkness we cannot fully comprehend."

He turned back to Dedisco, his gaze hardening.

"We cannot allow this madness to continue!" Dedisco's voice boomed, shattering the tense silence that had settled upon the chamber. He turned towards Textos, his gaze blazing with barely contained fury. "Their recklessness has already brought the Keiligorn to our doorstep. To involve them further is to court disaster!"

"Peace, brother." Textos' voice remained calm, a stark contrast to Dedisco's barely contained rage. "The humans are not children to be shielded from the harsh realities of the universe. They deserve a chance to fight, to protect themselves, to forge their own destiny."

Pag, his mind reeling from the revelations, watched the exchange with a growing sense of urgency. The weight of the situation, the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating. He couldn't just stand by and watch these gods argue about the best way to handle humanity. He had to act.

"Enough!" Pag's voice, though barely a whisper, cut through the tension like a shard of ice. The two gods turned to face him, their expressions a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "You've argued long enough. We don't have time for this. The Keiligorn are a threat, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. We need to warn the world, prepare them for what's coming."

Dedisco scoffed, his disapproval evident. "And how do you propose we do that, little mage? Broadcast a message across the internet? Announce to the world that their beloved game is a breeding ground for an intergalactic invasion?"

"We have to try," Pag insisted, stepping forward, the Heart of the Abyss pulsing faintly in his hand. "People deserve to know the truth. They deserve a chance to fight back." He turned to Textos, a plea in his eyes. "You said yourself, they possess a spark of magic. Help them ignite it. Show them how to wield their power."

Textos, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow, considered Pag's words. "It is a risky proposition," he finally admitted. "Magic, even in its rawest form, is not a force to be wielded lightly. And the humans… they are young, their understanding of such forces limited."

"But they are also resourceful, adaptable," Pag countered, remembering the tenacity he had witnessed in the players of Ludere Online, the creativity, the determination. "They learn quickly. Give them a chance. Show them what they're capable of."

Dedisco, still unconvinced, shook his head. "It's madness. You're asking us to arm children for a war they cannot win."

"We're not asking you to arm them," Pag corrected, his voice hardening. "We're asking you to teach them. To guide them. To help them understand the power they possess." He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the three gods. "If the Keiligorn are coming, we need to be ready. We need to fight back. We need to protect this world."

"Very well," he said, his voice grave but resolute. "We will help you. But first, we need to understand the nature of the threat we face. We need to know what we're dealing with."

"What do you mean?" Pag asked, confused. "You said the Keiligorn hunt the Kellin. That they're drawn to the Genesis Rocks. What else is there to know?"

"There is much you do not understand, young mage," Dedisco interjected, his voice laced with a hint of impatience. "The Keiligorn are not simply hunters. They are enforcers, guardians of a rigid order that seeks to control every aspect of existence. They believe that magic is a dangerous force, a threat to their carefully constructed hierarchy. They seek to eradicate it wherever they find it, to extinguish the spark of chaos that threatens their dominion."

"But why?" Pag asked, struggling to comprehend the motivations of these beings. "What do they gain from controlling everything?"

"Order. Stability. Predictability," Textos answered, his voice soft but laced with a hint of sadness. "They believe that by controlling magic, by eliminating the unpredictable, they can create a perfect world, a world free from conflict, from change, from the uncertainties that plague our existence."

"But at what cost?" Pag countered, thinking of the vibrant world of Ludere Online, the creativity, the passion, the sense of wonder that drew him in, that kept him coming back, despite the dangers, despite the chaos. "A world without change, without growth, without the freedom to explore, to discover, to create… that's not a world worth saving."

"Agreed," Textos replied, a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "And that is why we must resist them. We must fight to protect the spark of chaos, the potential for growth and change that lies within this world, within humanity itself." He paused, his gaze turning inward, as if considering a distant memory. "But to do that, we need to understand their strengths, their weaknesses. We need to know what we're up against."

"And what about the mana flow on this planet?" Pag asked, remembering Aviva's theory, the possibility that something within Earth's environment was inhibiting the full expression of magic. "Could that be a factor? A way to weaken the Keiligorn, to level the playing field?"

"It is a possibility," Textos acknowledged, his brow furrowing in thought. "We have observed that magic manifests differently here, more… subdued, less potent than on other worlds we have encountered. There is something here, some element, some force, that dampens the flow of mana."

"What if it's something unique to Earth?" Pag suggested, his mind racing. "Something that doesn't exist on your worlds, something the Keiligorn haven't encountered before? Could that be our advantage?"

Textos and Dedisco exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them.

"It is worth investigating," Textos finally agreed, a spark of curiosity igniting in his eyes. "Tell me, Pag, what elements are abundant on this world that are not found on ours?"