Chapter Text
Deafened. Deafened by the roar of death and destruction, all lay in respite, in between. Deep purple specks zipped upwards past them in the endless black void. All but one lay asleep, falling. Waiting. Their rest was almost up.
Hauke strolled inquisitively through the field of players. His beady eyes seemed to glow faintly purple like the stars surrounding him, and a faint cuboid shape could be seen in their centers. He looked into the eyes of Aquafic, staring straight through his unconscious soul. Reality warped around him, rendering him translucent around his edges as if he were shifting in and out of this plane of existence.
It is time once more, They decreed. They will have recovered enough by now.
Ultimate Life had taken a toll on even the hardiest of its participants; They deemed it not Their finest work for Their audience. No matter - it had sated Them well enough.
"Awake, Players. A new game is upon us." Hauke spoke, but it was not his voice. It reverberated, changed form... It wasn't how Hauke would talk, either.
The void grew brighter, and a sky blue colour faded in from below. Lulled out of their hibernation by the light, the Players drowsily awaited their arrival to this new world.
Hauke flinched and something seemed to leave his body. He looked down and yelped, in his own voice, before remembering that this happened every time. And he was always the only one standing up. Why was he standing up? He put a hand to his chin in thought, feeling a piece of lettuce that was about to fall out of his face. He shoved it back in and hoped nobody saw it. He just had the time to adjust his tie before the ground rushed up to meet him.
Despite hitting the ground at terminal velocity, none of the Players seemed injured. They all simply got up and began chatting, unfazed. After a brief moment of making small talk, Simon called everyone to a campfire surrounded with log benches. Every Player had a labeled seat, and the group was so uncoordinated that it took multiple minutes for everyone to find theirs. While Colin wasn't looking, someone added a second L to his name on the sign.
Simon stood up, as he usually did at the start of these games. He hopped onto the log for extra height. He spread his arms wide, and spoke.
"Welcome... To Silent Life!"