Approximately 1.5 billion people stood in vast, ordered rows. Their ages spanned from twenty-five to forty-five years. They had been transmigrated from a fallen Earth into this new reality.
Their gazes, vacant and glazed, fixated on the unreachable ceiling of the immense white chamber. The room's walls, seemingly within grasp, proved as unattainable as the ceiling above.
These individuals had no control over their own beings, held captive by an unseen thrall. At that precise instant, a voice resonated in unison within every mind.
"Welcome to the Torn Indigo."
"I am the Indigo System," the voice declared, "a defence mechanism designed to safeguard humanity from the brutal forces of extraterrestrial foes."
"We have just witnessed the fall of our home planet. Yet, I assure you, all hope is not lost. A chance for revival exists. We must all strive to achieve this."
Ivan was among the multitude. His clothes, though torn, had miraculously retained their integrity through the treacherous maelstrom of the space-time void.
Meanwhile, on Earth, colossal, menacing alien spacecraft touched down upon the ravaged, desolate surface, boiling in magma. One vessel, the mothership, remained aloof, levitating beyond the planet's atmospheric fields.
Devoid of organic life, it was a construct of pure artificial intelligence. The mothership's systems confirmed no trace of life remained on the magma-scorched husk of Earth.
Yet, the aliens were perplexed by a fleeting vision: a multitude of humans standing on an incorporeal plane, staring at their ships. These figures then dissolved into shimmering white pixels, evaporating into the sky, vanishing at a certain altitude.
The mothership immediately investigated this anomaly. It swiftly discovered a satellite among the myriad of defunct artificial satellites orbiting Earth, still transmitting information.
The satellite was on the brink of collapse, but the mothership's systems swiftly hacked into its core, averting its imminent self-destruction. The alien mothership thus uncovered the covert operation of the United Nations Advanced Cybernetics Lab's defence programme: the Indigo System.
Within seconds, it unravelled its secrets. Inside the mothership's yellow server centre, the ship's control room, the lights flared to crimson, blaring warnings.
The Indigo System had retaliated, hacking into the mothership. It induced a number of alien ships to self-destruct. The alien vessels exploded in a cascading chain reaction intended to culminate in the mothership's destruction.
But the mothership atomised into tiny white pixels and vanished. The worst had just happened.
This was the unforeseen outcome the developers at the United Nations Advanced Cybernetics Lab had not foreseen: the aliens penetrating the Indigo System.
The alien mothership had carved a path for its escape into the game. No one knew the true extent to which it had altered the Torn Indigo System.
"The system has been compromised."
"The enemy has breached the barrier."
"Deploying all humans to start the game, granting them a two-week head start before the enemy arrives."
The Indigo System's voice echoed through the white room. None of the assembled humans could hear her; their senses were nullified.
Yet, once again, her voice resonated within their minds. "Your memories of Earth have been suppressed for crucial reasons. Your instincts, way of thinking, and personalities remain unaltered."
"You will awaken, find a way to level up, and help your species survive the game."
"You will know your inherent adversary: the Unds, the alien species responsible for the destruction of your home planet. You will remember them, but not everything."
"Welcome to the Torn Indigo, Player Ivan." The final statement was personalised, each human receiving their own name.
Ivan and the multitude awoke on a barren expanse. Everyone was a stranger, yet all shared an instinctive drive to ascend the power scale. They began a desperate search for objects that would grant them power.
Some were fortunate, discovering cards, rock scrolls, paper scrolls, and skill rocks that accelerated their ascent. Ivan, however, was unlucky.
He searched relentlessly, but without success. He joined an expedition crew, venturing into a hunt, only to be the sole member to gain no power. He was promptly expelled.
Those who ascended the power scale were designated "Special Characters", while the powerless were simply "Regular Players".
Nearing the end of the two-week grace period, humanity began to erect nascent civilisations, mirroring modern cities. Within three days, they established two regions: Section 1 and Section 2.
The two weeks were up. The Unds, the aliens, materialised in an uncharted territory within the game. The mothership did not manifest alone; it brought with it fifty million organic alien entities.
How it achieved this feat remained unknown. The reawakened humans were unaware of the full details of the enemy they faced. All they knew was that the enemy was here.
It was hell for humanity. The aliens launched ferocious assaults, unleashing havoc and ruin upon the technologically outmatched humans. Their devastating arrival was a bold statement.
Humanity's regular weapons were useless. They were outmatched, mere specks against giants. Their lives were at the mercy of ruthless, megalomaniacal conquerors.
Or so the aliens thought.
Humanity possessed a superior line of defence: the Special Characters. Eighty-nine special characters had ascended to the transcendent rank. These transcendent beings unleashed devastating attacks on the aliens, crushing and repelling the assault.
Their emergence ensured humanity's temporary survival, buying time until a permanent solution could be found.
Ivan had forged a close bond with three others during the initial rush for power. They all moved to Section 2 to settle down and start life anew.
Ivan, stubborn in his pursuit of power, continued his quest, while his friends embraced mundane existence. Ultimately, after one and a half years of relentless searching for opportunities to ascend, Ivan gave up.
He settled for a normal life, becoming a ride-share driver, operating a sedan. Three and a half more years passed. He never found an opportunity to climb the power scale, yet a flicker of hope remained.
Five years had gone by, and humanity witnessed the emergence of over 4000 special characters. However, the aliens had also found a way to counter humanity's greatest weapon.
They were fortunate enough to see some of their own become special characters. The emergence of special characters among the aliens confirmed the mothership's insidious alteration of the Torn Indigo's environment to favour the invaders.
These alien special characters brought their might to equal humanity's strength. Merlin_13, one of humanity's Special Characters who had ascended to the rank of Pillar of Calamity, was not content with this parity in might.
He was determined to find a solution. The firm determination to find a solution meant that Ivan's dream to level up was about to come to pass.