Veiled Truths and Battle Plans

The neutral dimensional chamber felt like a frozen void, where the air pulsed with the tension of unspoken secrets. The white heptagonal table glowed with a silver sheen, each side occupied by a hero of ATHOMIS: Kaelith, his scarlet armor smoldering, the Blade of Wrath sparking; Zeryn, her silver robe shimmering, the Arcane Tome floating with stellar runes; Elara, her living bark armor glowing, the Scepter of Life pulsing with green energy; Thorne, his black armor dusted with ash, the Hammer of the Eon at his side; Mira, her blue scale armor gleaming, the Trident of the Tide shining with crystalline waves; Draven, his black armor with red runes exuding deathly cold, the Shadow Reaper in hand; and Athos, his glitched armor shimmering with liquid data, the Tear of Eryndor pulsing at his neck, his violet eyes narrowed with suspicion. Before them, the three GMs loomed, their presence overwhelming: the woman in a liquid-light robe, her constellation-like eyes gleaming; the man in glitched-data armor, a digital tornado swirling around him; and the faceless ethereal silhouette, pulsing with starry runes.The silence following Athos’s question—“Who are you, and why did you summon us to this world?”—was dense, charged with the question echoing in everyone’s minds. The Tear of Eryndor at his neck vibrated, projecting fragments of a glitched interface in his vision: Truth Analysis: 68% — Mixed Lies Detected. Athos’s thoughts churned: They know more than they’re saying. The Corruptor as a ‘flaw’ is plausible, but why us? Why me, a glitch? And the moon… ‘unforeseen’? That’s a blatant lie. They’re controlling the game, but I’ll confront them at the right time. He kept his face impassive, his cynical smirk hidden, deciding to wait for the perfect moment to expose the GMs’ contradictions.The liquid-light figure spoke, her voice echoing like a digital command: “You were summoned because ATHOMIS is a construct, a system designed to test balance and resilience. The Corruptor is a flaw that gained sentience, corrupting the demons to destroy the system. You, heroes, are unique variables, chosen from different worlds to restore balance.”Athos thought: Unique variables? Too vague. They’re hiding how we were chosen. If ATHOMIS is a system, who built it? Them? Or something bigger? His interface flickered: Consistency Analysis: 62% — Anomalies Detected. He stayed silent, his eyes locked on the GMs, cataloging every word.Kaelith, his impatience boiling, growled: “Chosen? We were ripped from our lives! What’s the plan against the demons? We don’t have time for games!”The glitched-armor figure replied, his digital tornado spinning faster: “The demons—Iragor, Gulthar, Avaron, Slothar, Lustara, and Envyra—plan a simultaneous attack on the realms, exploiting their post-moon weaknesses. You must unite, combine your powers, and face them directly. Each realm will have a team of heroes to maximize defense.”Elara, clutching her Scepter of Life, frowned: “And the Corruptor? Who faces him? And why was the moon destroyed? That’s still unexplained!”The ethereal silhouette pulsed, its voice echoing in their minds: “The moon was a power conduit, but its destruction was a necessary sacrifice to weaken the demons. The Corruptor will be contained by forces beyond you, in the Desolate Continent.”Athos thought: Necessary sacrifice? Lie. The moon was a system pillar, and they know who broke it. They’re hiding something big—maybe the Corruptor is more than a flaw. They fear me, or what I know. His interface warned: Evasion Pattern Detected. He decided to wait, planning to confront the GMs at a critical moment.Zeryn, her Arcane Tome glowing, asked: “How do we divide the teams? Celestara barely recovered from Envyra.”The glitched-armor figure outlined the plan: “You’ll form three teams of two heroes, each facing two demons:Kaelith and Thorne: Valthar and Ironforge, against Iragor (Wrath) and Gulthar (Gluttony). Your fire and forge are ideal for direct assaults.Zeryn and Elara: Celestara and Eldoria, against Envyra (Envy) and Slothar (Sloth). Your arcane and vital skills counter mental manipulations.Mira and Draven: Aquilon and Necrosia, against Avaron (Greed) and Lustara (Lust). Water and death can contain their corruptive influence.”Mira, her Trident of the Tide in hand, frowned: “And Athos? He’s not in the plan?”The liquid-light figure looked at Athos, her constellation eyes sparking. “Athos is essential to face the Corruptor directly. His power as a glitch is the key to the final confrontation in the Desolate Continent. You handle the demons; he prepares for the Corruptor.”Athos thought: The key? They want me out of the way. Or they fear what I’ll uncover. The Tear of Eryndor reacts to them—that’s no coincidence. They’re manipulating the board, but I’ll flip the game. He gave a slight smile, keeping his questions internal, as his interface flashed: Objective Logged: Expose GMs.Draven, his Shadow Reaper ready, growled: “And if we fail? You threw us here with no choice. What’s the real cost?”The ethereal silhouette replied: “If you fail, ATHOMIS will collapse, and your original worlds with it. Unite, or all is lost.”The heroes exchanged glances, absorbing the plan. Kaelith clenched his fists, Zeryn adjusted her tome, Elara gripped her scepter tightly, Thorne tapped his hammer on the table, Mira readied her trident, and Draven fixed his eyes on the GMs. Athos, however, remained silent, his thoughts a whirlwind: Truths and lies intertwined. They know more about the Corruptor and the moon than they admit. At the right moment, I’ll force them to talk. The plan was set, but the GMs’ hidden truths loomed like a shadow, ready to erupt.Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through Athos’s head, as if a line of code in his mind had glitched. He winced, closing his eyes briefly as the Tear of Eryndor pulsed erratically. 010101… A wave of déjà-vu washed over him, the room, the GMs, their words feeling like echoes of a moment already lived. It’s like I’ve been here before… these words, these faces… I’ve seen this? What’s happening? His suspicion deepened, thoughts racing: This isn’t normal. Is it the system? Or are they messing with my mind? His interface flickered violently: ERROR: 01010101 — Temporal Anomaly Detected. Binary codes danced in his mind, fragments of memories he couldn’t grasp. Then, as quickly as it came, the error stabilized, the pain faded, and the déjà-vu vanished. Athos blinked, confused, his mind blank of what he’d nearly recalled. The Tear of Eryndor pulsed normally again, and he stared at the GMs, unaware that, for a fleeting moment, he’d been on the verge of unraveling something greater.