___ Earth 1: Stone Age ___
Earth One had only just begun to exist when the Armageddon Game started. It was a new planet, freshly formed, yet it was plunged into hell alongside its far older counterparts.
In a world where humanity struggled to survive against the dangerous creatures of life—dinosaurs and other primordial horrors—there were no walls, cities, or nations like those found on other worlds. Humanity was forced to live in hiding, depending on the natural predators of the wild to serve as their first line of defense.
However, due to the scarcity of the human population and the presence of far more terrifying creatures, humanity was not the primary target of the angels.
They were at the very bottom of the food chain, yet to construct a proper language, let alone a writing system. To the heavens, they were nothing more than insignificant collateral damage.
Well, this applied to all humans except one.
Walking through a thick forest spanning hundreds of miles in all directions was a hulking figure that would have made any modern man soil himself. The man easily stood over eight feet tall. Bushy brows shadowed his eyes, while dirty, tangled hair—covered in leaves, twigs, and whatever else found its way in—cascaded down his scarred, stiff face, swaying side to side with each heavy step.
Beneath the waist-length hair was a muscular build so dense one might mistake him for a gorilla. Bulging muscles, pulsating veins, and blood markings covered his body. Around his waist was animal skin crudely tied for clothing. Dragged behind him was a colossal bone sword, clearly taken from the carcass of a dinosaur and carved into a weapon through the most primitive methods.
The man's palms and feet were gigantic, his nails protruding like claws. Compared to humans across the universe, this individual would have been considered a monster—but humanity's current form on this world was directly proportional to the danger they faced.
"If mortals shall not unite, only destruction awaits your kind," a bird perched on the man's shoulder said.
It bore a striking resemblance to a modern-day crow, though it was thrice its size. Its feathers were a wild mix of black and purple, matching the burning violet light pouring from its eyes like smoke. Its beak and talons were elongated and razor-sharp, giving it an intimidating presence that would have made even modern eagles tremble in fear.
Clearly, this was no ordinary bird.
Umbra'kesh's first encounter with this human had come in the form of a prayer as early as 20 DM. In times of chaos, a human's natural reaction was to turn to a greater being for protection.
She was unaware of the exact events that had led this man to reach into the spirit realm, but it had been enough for him to sacrifice his own son and cry out to the heavens—even when language itself was a barrier. His cries alone would have been useless, but the sacrifice left a trace in the spirit realm, drawing Umbra'kesh's attention.
In the spirit realm, Umbra'kesh had been the first to respond. She was surprised to discover what she referred to as a baby realm. Her initial intent had been to aid the man temporarily in exchange for the soul and blood of his son, but she quickly saw something more.
Realizing this was a newly birthed realm, she saw an opportunity.
If she could monopolize humanity's faith and prayers through this man, Earth One alone could provide her with everything she needed to become an entity capable of rivaling the most powerful spirits in the spirit realm.
Since then, Umbra'kesh had stayed by this human's side for over a century, teaching him essential knowledge—everything he would need to survive, thrive, and eventually bring civilization to humanity on Earth One.
Initially, she had feared that teaching such complex concepts to a Stone Age human would be difficult. Umbra'kesh soon realized how wrong she had been. This primitive human was extremely receptive to knowledge, learning things almost instantly on the first attempt. Only then did she begin to take note of the uniqueness of Earth One's humans.
Not only were they physically far beyond the level of other humans scattered across the universe, their intelligence made modern humans seem dull by comparison.
This rapid learning ability was not limited to the man alone. Over the century, he shared fragments of his knowledge with other humans he encountered, and they too absorbed his teachings several times faster than the average human.
Only then did Umbra'kesh realize the truth.
The humans of Earth One were naturally more gifted than ordinary humans—physically, spiritually, and even in lifespan. From her observations, living several centuries was entirely possible for them. Unfortunately, the world they inhabited was one where danger lurked at every turn.
Yet with such talent, the humans of Earth One held a clear advantage in the Armageddon Games. If groomed properly, this man and his people could win.
The thought of becoming the future deity of humanity made Umbra'kesh giggle with childish excitement. With the power of faith she was bound to accumulate as civilization grew, she was certain she could achieve godhood—perhaps within a few thousand years.
With this realization, Umbra'kesh dedicated herself fully to raising the human. She even gave him a name: Adam, borrowed from one of the many Earths she had visited. It had been the name of the first man in that religion, and she believed it fitting.
Over the decades spent tutoring Adam, Umbra'kesh found herself admitting she could not have asked for a better partner.
Adam was a human born with an innate mystic talent known as The Medium. Mystics with this talent were considered bridges between the human world and the spirit realm. They could speak to ghosts, channel entities, act as vessels, and even summon apparitions.
It explained how he had reached into the spirit realm without following the usual procedures required to establish contact.
A century passed, and Adam became a man capable of uniting humanity. He had even founded a tribe of his own. However, he remained stubborn and reserved when it came to recruiting ascendants into his camp.
Over the past century, Adam had traversed a sizable portion of the world on foot, encountering creatures, monsters, and humans of various species. He had faced ascendants before and was deeply knowledgeable about the power of the Origin. That knowledge was precisely why he avoided it.
Humans on Earth One who were chosen by the divine call often formed tribes of their own, as others naturally gravitated toward them for protection. Yet that same power consumed them—every single time.
Adam had seen them become distorted creatures of pure corruption when the power of the Origin overwhelmed them. He had watched them struggle desperately to maintain control. And when they failed, he had killed them.
Adam had no intention of bringing such instability near the family he had built.
"Origin… Curse… Bad for people," Adam said sharply, his tone as rude as ever.
He lifted his gaze to the sky, staring directly into the colossal crimson eye looming above. The past decade had been brutal for his human tribe.
Yes—Adam had named his tribe Human Tribe, believing the tribe's name should represent the race itself.
That was the kind of simple-minded yet stubborn-hearted man Adam was.
Since the beginning of the Armageddon Games, Earth One had never participated. Not only did the humans fail to understand what they were meant to do, but the ascendants among them would rather spend their time indulging themselves than venturing into another man's land to participate in the games.
Because of this, invasions on Earth One had been nonstop for over a hundred and thirty years—save for the three-month grace period when invasions halted due to the games.
The last decade had been hell. The human tribe had been on the run without rest, forced deeper and deeper into the endless forest. No matter how far they fled, the creatures were always there.
Now, with the divine call marking another three months of peace, Adam saw an opportunity.
He would cut down the head of the monster horde that had hunted them for ten long years.
That was the kind of man the new generation's leader was—the only human capable of killing an angel without the power of the Origin.
In Umbra'kesh's opinion, if there was a man who could win the Armageddon Games and kill God, it was Adam.
If there was any man worthy of leading the new race of humans, it was the Progenitor of Earth One—
Adam!