Carl found himself on the bustling street of a highly developed alien world. The air was thick with pollution, the morons were actually getting about in machines that pumped it into the air while making a god-awful racket in the process.
Carl was squinting as everything surrounding him assailed his senses. 'I doubt even Faylorna could match this noise.' As if to solidify its undisputed reign the noise suddenly magnified and the heavy tolling of a bell rattled through him.
Unable to tolerate it any further, Carl ran through the streets, luckily he couldn't interact with the people which meant they weren't really obstacles. After the twelfth ring the bells fell silent, then he heard a woman scream, he couldn't understand her language, but she was pointing to a small device similar to a slate and trying to show people.
"Why is she so upset? Why are some people looking and laughing?" Carl muttered angrily at their callousness. "I can't help, but I might as well see I guess, it might be why I'm in this hell hole."
He crossed the street, then spied at the screen she was holding. There was writing accompanying a video which Carl couldn't read, but for some reason, some of the characters looked familiar.
Looking at the screen though made him even angrier as he saw the form of a Domina-class threat. 'Do they think it's a movie or something? That's clearly a Shadow-Man... Wait, origins... is this?"
Suddenly sirens blared out from everywhere, everyone pulling out similar devices and beginning to panic. Then the world turned black, they sky blotted out, began to swirl ready to birth a tornado, but as it crested, it let out a single massive bolt of lightning before disappearing, but the damage was already done.
Where the bolt had struck a dozen people laid dead, bodies charred beyond recognition and even worse a realm gate was coming into existence. As it flickered to life Carl felt the throb of fear run through him, the trauma of the last incursion still merely days old and constantly being dug-up.
He didn't know what was coming, only that whatever it was, it wasn't good. "GET BACK! RUN!" He tried to yell as the energy dispersal of the newly completed gate inspired enough fear to make him forget they couldn't see, hear or touch them and a pain gripped his chest and froze him in place as a figure stepped out.
"I tried to warn you humans. Men! Make it quick, before they arrive and make them suffer!" The figure was a man, but still the only word that came to mind for describing him was "beautiful". When he was done talking though, he spread his wings, so beautiful that they would have made Carl weep if not for the terror and the humans watching did just that.
As they wept, honoured to see such majesty personally, a light flared from him, so bright, so intense, their shadows were burned into the ground as they were eviscerated.
"I know you're there young one, I apologise for this truly, trust when I say I do it as a mercy. Now men, move out."
"For King Samael!" The name was unmistakable, he had just been talking with his Grandma about him, but how did he know he was there? Carl was about to ask how mass murder could be a mercy, let alone the slaughter that was inevitable as his demons marched out in a line three wide.
Then Explosions rang out from all around him, the sky blackening and manner of monstrosity entering the new free-for-all.
Then the scene faded, he didn't wake up though, merely a change of setting. They didn't know it, couldn't perceive each other in the slightest, but they were all present there together.
"Brought guests Lillim?"
"Shut up "God" like we aren't technically all that."
"I cr-"
"You enslaved me, now silence before I take vengeance for that transgression. Children, I don't know what I was thinking, sending you all here, but I suggest you all... You two, why do you smell like that romantic weirdo?"
"Romantic weirdo?" Carl and Klaire asked together, despite not actually being able to see each other and drawing a smile from Lillim's lips.
"Margo..." As she spoke another figure materialised. "... I would say speak of the devil, but he's been a bit stroppy lately, so best he doesn't appear." She laughed to herself.
"Margo! Why have you summoned us all here and put a hold on the end of our little experiment on hold!?"
"Please don't shout, it's most unbecoming. If you must know it's because you're being stupid." The voice was the last Carl wanted to hear, Klaire was so terrified Lillim moved to protect her on sheer maternal instinct.
"Thank you, but why? Sorry to say, but you are-... Sorry, I don't know if I should tell you anything, can you please remind the others to. Lillim smiled and fulfilled the request, looking sweetly at Carl as the message made him look around for Klaire.
"Oh you are adorable, she's to your right dear, now shush."
"Gods, goddesses, ladies and gentlemen... You are all idiots, except a few of you anyway. I'll make this simple, save your time and my effort, mostly my effort since your time is mostly infinite but my effort is not."
"Margo! Do not test us. We created humans to decide who was the best among us, yet for the past god knows how many millennia, all they have done is abuse themselves, each other, the beasts they share the planet with and the planet itself... To make things even worse, they even dare to assault other worlds now, but you want to spare them?"
"I do, we do. not us we, we we, me and her, you know the one you all may have said I couldn't mention, the one I love, the one you all grumble about."
"You mean your human pet, the one you "love"? Why don't you get a grip, Zeus tried your method already with everything he could hold in place. Cross-breeding them is not going to push them to the next stage."
"Shut up! It might, well I spose that means it also might not, now where did I put my pen?"
"Pen? Why do you need a pen? Just use your power for whatever you're up to." Suddenly the god burst into butterflies.
"Good call, now sorry everyone, didn't come here to get rowdy, but one should never insult a wife before her husband, in front of I mean, not insult him first, then insult her, then we'ed both be sad, ANYWAY!..."
"Margo, you seem awfully... excitable. Tell us your proposal, I think you need some rest." One of the goddesses said, completely unaffected by the butterflies.
"Apologies, been busy, very busy. My proposal, a system to make humans reach the next step, a plus as I call it, five pluses gets a star, five stars equals DUN Da-Da DUNNN.... Well experiment with success, which doesn't sound very fun."
"Oh please! Why would they use the system?"
"Simple, it gives the fractions of what they need to succeed, enough to be a good reason to keep growing, beside, you've nearly wiped them all out now anyway. Leave the rest, let the mana stay, let the beast stay, an approach shift as opposed to staying course, or abandoning ship, which never made sense. "The ship is sinking, QUICK! Jump in the water." Why not wait? Have a snack."
"Margo, you have my interest at least, tell us what inspired this move."
"Simple, watch them... They love games! A bit like me, no more like me than me. They love games, give them the system, let them play with it, the system can evolve with them. Us too, why should they get all the fun?"
"Margo, of it's a game, will there be equipment and mission and rewards like the computer ones the humans play?"
"Yes of course, Little Art! Levels too, we' have the monsters and enemies sorted, now we just need the characters and world sorted out... Any volunteers? Just so you know, characters can't play the game sadly, you'll know all the cheats. I'm thinking the gods claim "their" earth back, tell them they can't make anything permanent, then we make buildings and tell them how to live."
"What will that do? They already tell each other what to do."
"They'll keep doing that I'm almost sure I'm sure of that. They'll do their best to take it back though, when they realise they have no hope, they'll start mingling with others, then they'll get all shy about race, then they'll realise they can't win and refocus on more important things. When a main character finally fills the vacancy he can go on a quest and make peace."
"A main character?"
"Indubitably... I will never understand why they don't use such fun words more often, anyway. During that quest, a few supporting characters will help them get started, then they'll go out ready to unite their broken little race. There will be twists and turns, love and heartbreak, alliances, betrayals, plenty of singing and dancing and it will be a blast."
"What happens in the end?"
"What happens in every game at the end? They'll win or it will be game over, of course the final boss will be a real menace... I vote Astrea, she was always a suspicious one... Too innocent. Anyway, sorry kiddos, I hope you enjoyed the cutscene but that's cut."
The scene shifted once more, this time to the moment before peace was made.
"I can't believe it all went so wrong. Margo truly did deliver, but this... Look at it Lillim, billions dead, Earth a ruin, these centres we built for them to get and study the system, gods and our equals all trapped in its workings. Sorry children, I'm surprised she showed you this." Samael said with true remorse.
"Me neither!" Lillim snarled. "The smell of this human and the half-breeds is revolt-"
"Silence Lillim, this isn't you. Do you wish to see your king weep?"
"Sorry sire... I don't know what's happening."
"You chose the role, don't you remember?"
"Role, what are talking about? I'm not some fiction."
"Children, please. Bring an end to this. I may not be myself either when the time comes for us to meet, so prepare. I... ARGHHHH!... I... I'm me... Barely... Few of us are... They are... your best hope." With those final words, his once beautiful wings bled black, his porcelain skin turned to silver and his eyes turned black but for a red ring at the edge of his once captivating golden Irises.
With that they finally returned to the lounge. "I don't get it, why would Samael tell you to help me if he was gone?"
"He isn't, he simply rations what control he has left, though it won't be long before he is. I am only my true self now because he ordered me to return, but why I honestly don't know. He was the one who truly lost all of himself."
"You me-"
"Don't say it, he isn't Margo anymore, you saw him, he was hyper and half-mad, but wanted to preserve mankind. When the system went rogue though he was made into something so powerful and terrifying reality itself rejects him... Carl, you must free him from that, not now and maybe not for many years, but one day you will face him and bring an end to this madness."