----

In the year 2142, a mystifying phenomenon took over the world, which caused humans to lose their wits.

"W-what the hell...? Is this the end of the world?"

The entire world spectated speechlessly as a beautiful yet terrifying phenomenon unveiled itself before their very eyes.

The sky ripped open and fragmented into numerous bits, with each fracture producing numerous branching rifts. All they could do was watch in horror as this took place.

Those same rifts then acted as portals, allowing otherworldly energies of different elements to flood the world.

From that moment onward, the world of Alteria was never the same. It marked the beginning of a new era—the Era of Stagnated Merges.

In fact, the scene continued to worsen until the sky was littered with innumerable astral rifts causing pieces of the sky to apparently vanish. Most of the sky's previously dreamy blue color disappeared only to be replaced by voids. This frightened humanity as they became hysterical.

"HOLY...RUNN!! The sky- The sky is falling. The sky is falling!"

However, contrary to their fears produced by the hysteria, their beliefs never came true. The sky wasn't falling; the additional fractures merely amplified the rate of the otherworldly energy spilling into Alteria, reducing the overall presence of the disturbing rifts.

Not long after, a single yet unstoppable ripple hurtled through the world, passing through every inhabitant.

As the deluge of otherworldly energy progressed, humanity began to notice some stark differences. Day by day, their vessels grew stronger under the continuous exposure to this novel energy enabling them to soon reach the cusp of humanity's limit.

With the help of that energy, humanity's previous limits were shattered.

At first, they believed it to be a miracle hidden behind a frightening display. Still, unfortunately, that truly wasn't the case. A day of reckoning was inbound, one that would upheave the current order of the world.

Once the world reached the minimal saturation point, other occurrences started to take place.

For instance, a towering monolith that spanned ceaselessly into the sky was erected in the world's epicenter. No matter how far one looked, the end couldn't be discerned. Moreover, similar to the sky, it possessed numerous fractures along its exterior, essentially blending into its surroundings.

But, its presence was too grand to go unnoticed. Not to mention, it bore a purpose.

Some years after the Monolith appeared, a calling was issued. This calling merely bypassed most humans; however, a specific large group of people wasn't so lucky. They began to receive a set of mysterious beckons that only grew more overwhelming with time.

Unbeknownst to the unsuspecting inhabitants, that call was the beginning of a tumultuous future.

----

Two decades later...

The sky mended some time after the Monolith arose, permitting the next series of events to commence. In response, countless individuals were roused to action, two of such people being little Lucian's parents.

"M-mom...Dad, do you guys have to go? Why can't you stay, and where are you going?" A small youth, no older than 8 years old, pleaded while grasping the hands of two older individuals.

Before him, they each took a knee and peered into his clear, aquamarine eyes.

"Lucian, we must. We have been summoned. If we don't answer these summons, it'll spell the demise of the world. You don't wish for our world to suffer imminent destruction, do you?" the older male answered while ruffling the boy's hair.

"N-no… I don't want that," Lucian muttered while sniffling terribly.

Despite his words, he couldn't hold back his tears. After all, his parents leaving wasn't something an 8-year-old welcomed. Even more so because it was an inexplicable exit. He wasn't one of the people who received the calling.

Due to his falling tears, his mother inched closer and kissed his forehead, "Don't cry, you have to be our big boy. What about Silas and Daphne? If they witness your tears, they will follow along. I need my Lucian to be strong," his mother said while pointing to his chest.

After she did so, Lucian wiped his tears and attempted to stand straight, "I...I have to be strong!" Just the sight of his actions made both of his parents' grin. It even marginally lessened the internal anguish they were experiencing.

"That's my little cutie; I'm proud of you. When we return, we'll come bearing the best of gifts," his mother promised, raising her pinky finger at the same time. After a short pause, Lucian locked his pinky with hers.

"It's a promise!" Lucian nodded but then turned towards his father and asked curiously, "Where...are you guys going?"

"You see that over there," his father said while pointing towards the colossal monolith seemingly in the center of the world, "We have to head over to that place. For the record, it is called the Fractured Monolith. Who knows, maybe your turn to visit that place will come as well. But, for now, we have to make sure our world remains safe."

"The Fractured Monolith," Lucian muttered while looking out the window. Following his father's finger, he looked in its direction. The moment he gazed at the tower, Lucian felt almost insignificant. Additionally, he also felt a feeling he couldn't describe.

All of a sudden, a small pitter-patter sounded behind Lucian, leading him to turn around. Two other small toddlers appeared alongside another child. The oldest one's features were eerily similar to Lucian's.

"Mom, Dad are you guys leaving?" the oldest child questioned while drowsily rubbing his eyes. It was clear from his actions that these three had just awoken from their sleep. After all, it was just past the break of dawn.

"We are, Cyrus. You will have to become everyone's guardian. You are the oldest, so your task will be to look after everyone in our absence. Lucian will assist you so that things happen smoothly. We, of the Salvatore Family, will always prosper," their father announced.

A steely look entered Cyrus' eyes as he nodded with affirmation, "You can count on me, father! Lucian, Daphne, and Silas will all be well!"

Once Cyrus reassured them, they felt another weight lift off their shoulders. Unfortunately, they couldn't indulge in this wholesome atmosphere for much longer.

"Iris, we need to leave. The signal has become more erratic. The Monolith seems to be growing impatient!"

"Okay, Ronan!" Iris replied. Before leaving, she spared each of her children another loving look before planting a kiss on each of their foreheads. Shortly after, they both disappeared into thin air.

The kids remained at the window silently, watching as their parents travel at speeds similar to teleportation. The feeling of separation overwhelmed them from the beginning, but Lucian and the others refrained from crying.

"Lucian, it's all up to me and you now," Cyrus whispered while placing his hand on Lucian's shoulder. He could tell the petite boy wanted to shed tears, so he felt proud that he didn't.

"Yeah, all up to us," Lucian answered in a small daze. Once the silhouette of his parents disappeared, he looked towards his siblings, "Remember, this is just for now. We just need to keep our word until they come back."

Despite their young age, the new environment supported accelerated mental growth. Thus, though small, both of the kids were able to understand the meaning of Lucian's words.

Similar to their parents, even their grandparents and uncles had been summoned to the Fractured Monolith as well. Due to the progression of the otherworldly energy, the older generation seemed to be the first ones who were awakening to odd abilities and heightened physical capabilities.

As a result, they were the group who were called upon to enter the Fractured Monolith. At that time, it was unknown to the public just what tragedies those who were chosen would have to end up enduring.

The only thing the others did was reap the benefits of their sacrifices.

----

Within the Fractured Monolith, both Ronan and Iris marveled at the sight of countless humans. Each of them donned equipment that typically wouldn't be found among the population of a world such as Alteria.

Pristine metal alloy armors, sharp weaponry of all varieties, crystalline bows, illustrious hunting gear—all of this seemed too advanced to appear from Alteria. Soon enough, Ronan and Iris understood their origins as they, too, were given new equipment.

"It seems that we'll have to face something gargantuan," Ronan whispered under his breath while grasping Iris's hand tight. In response, she could only nod in agreement.

Although everyone was curious, aside from the initial rallying call, no additional information was provided to appease their worries. There were only two immense gates that opened before everyone with a prolonged rumble.

Fortunately, a voice then spoke to them, "Hm, not worthy for the Alpha Echelon. So, the Beta Echelon will have to suffice. Enter; enter and earn your right. Survive, conquer, and finally, emerge the victor! Only then will you cement your power. You will earn laurels for your piddling world! Don't forget, the efforts of your older generation shall pave the way for the youths."

Even if they willed against it, everyone present was sucked within the colossal gate. Once they entered, they understood why they were given such equipment. After all, their opponents were not limited to other humans!

Soon enough, days turned into weeks and weeks to months. Finally, those months approached years.

In that time frame, a brutal battle was fought, and the numbers of those participating dwindled. Their enemies were great, but humanity possessed something their chosen opponents didn't—intelligence gained from prior wars. By splitting up their numbers based on strength and moving in synergistic formations, they began to gain the upper hand.

Furthermore, this fight produced another effect. Some broke through barriers and awakened to further strengthened abilities. This provided the small push needed to propel them to victory.

Finally, after 2 years, they began to appear from the gates of the Monolith. While their numbers were decimated, their spirits were high!

According to the voice that seemed to monitor the Fractured Monolith, they had gained a special right. At the expense of obscene amounts of human lives, they achieved the feat known as Seed Procurement!

"Your world has fulfilled the criteria to become a Minor Seed World. However, from this moment on, that means you have also entered the selection. What you have experienced is merely known as the Priming. When you fulfill the next criteria, the following phase of the Initial Merge will commence, and the liberation will begin."

This message bruited about from the Fractured Monolith, sparing no human who participated in the Priming. However, until the event truly took place, none of them would understand what the words "Initial Merge" entailed.

Meanwhile, although this spelled victory for some, the announcement of the result came as a nightmare for others. For those who didn't return, their whereabouts and fates became a mystery. The Fractured Monolith never revealed what happened to the bodies.

Despite the unfortunate news, there were still those who believed their loved ones would appear. Until it was a proven fact, they just couldn't believe the hearsay.

One such person was Lucian; part of him couldn't accept they weren't coming back, while another part wanted to verify whether or not they could do so. He looked at the locket in his hands and reminisced over the faces of his parents, 'Where did you guys go? Come back…"

While muttering this, he continued to glare out the window at the Fractured Monolith in the distance, "I will find out what happened to my parents."

With his mind made up, Lucian closed his eyes, pondering a way to gather detail and even enter the Fractured Monolith for himself.

Regrettably, an issue arose. Following this summoning event, the monolith fell into a dormant state. Not even the slightest energy signature could be felt from it.

However, during the period of inactiveness, the era of the Awakened prospered further! The course of society changed, developing systems due to the reintroduction of these returning beings into society! Along with this change, some were left behind, and others evolved to fit the new meta.

The younger generation's time was upon them, and soon enough, the next phase of the Initial Merge would be too. After all, the Priming was just the mere first phase.