The Call of the Masters

The world of ATHOMIS still echoed with the aftermath of the shattered red moon, its fragments falling like shooting stars, while the realms—Valthar, Celestara, Eldoria, Ironforge, Aquilon, and Necrosia—struggled to rebuild. The heroes, grappling with fears of a new demonic offensive, were caught off guard by an arcane message that sliced through their minds like lightning: Emergency Summons. Immediate Meeting. Neutral Dimensional Chamber. Countdown: 10 minutes. The ethereal timer, its red numbers pulsing, hit zero. In a blink, the heroes vanished from their realms, torn from reality as if ATHOMIS’s fabric had been hacked.They reappeared in a strange dimension, a neutral void where the air was inert, devoid of magical or elemental energy. The floor was a smooth ebony mirror, reflecting a starless gray sky, and at the center stood a white heptagonal table, its edges glowing with a faint silver sheen. Each side of the table seemed to call to a hero, as if the space itself was molded for them. Before the table stood three imposing figures, their presence radiating power that made the air hum with absolute authority. They were the GMs, the masters of the game governing ATHOMIS.The first figure was a tall woman, clad in a robe of liquid light shifting between blue and silver, like living code. Her eyes shone like constellations, her expression cold, almost mechanical, as if analyzing every cosmic detail. The second, a robust man, wore armor of glitched data, fragments of black and red code swirling around him like a digital tornado. His eyes were abysses of darkness, glinting with calculated intent. The third, of undefined gender, was an ethereal silhouette, faceless, a contour of white energy pulsing with indecipherable runes, as if it were the essence of ATHOMIS’s system. Together, they exuded an aura that silenced even the bravest hearts.The heroes, materializing at their respective sides of the heptagon, exchanged wary and astonished glances. Kaelith, the Hero of Flames, appeared in a flash of fire, his scarlet armor smoldering, the Blade of Wrath still in hand. Zeryn, the Heroine of the Towers, emerged in a glow of stellar light, her silver robe rippling with arcane runes. Elara, the Heroine of the Forests, arrived with a whisper of leaves, her living bark armor pulsing with green energy. Thorne, the Hero of the Forges, materialized with a metallic clang, his black armor dusted with ash, the Hammer of the Eon in hand. Mira, the Heroine of the Waters, arrived in a wave of crystalline water, her blue scale armor dripping with oceanic energy. Draven, the Hero of the Dead, emerged shrouded in shadows, his black armor with red runes emanating a deathly chill.The liquid-light figure spoke first, her voice echoing like a digital command: “Sit.” Her tone was firm, allowing no defiance. The heroes, hesitant, took their places at the heptagonal table, each feeling the weight of those presences. Their eyes locked on the three figures, who seemed to transcend ATHOMIS’s reality. Zeryn, her Arcane Tome still pulsing in her hand, thought: Are they the GMs? The ones who summoned us to this world? What power is this I feel?Kaelith, with his characteristic impatience, broke the silence, his deep voice cutting the air: “You didn’t answer the question. Who are you? What’s going on?” His hand tightened on the Blade of Wrath, ready for any threat.The glitched-armor figure raised a hand, his voice a metallic whisper that silenced Kaelith like an order: “Shh. Silence.” The ethereal figure, faceless, completed with a voice echoing from all corners of the dimension: “One more is missing.”The heroes exchanged confused glances, tension rising. The sound of footsteps echoed in the void, steady and confident, breaking the oppressive silence. A figure emerged from the darkness, his glitched armor shimmering with liquid data, the Tear of Eryndor pulsing at his neck. Athos, the Hero of the Desolate Continent, strode to the table with a cynical smile, his voice dripping with sarcasm: “Hey, hey, you’re holding this meeting without me?”