The mid-day sun beat down through the window of the King’s room, reaching across the floorboards. King lay stretched out on his comfy bed, his arm thrown over his eyes to block out the glare. For the first time in weeks, the constant, low-grade buzzing of proximity alerts in his peripheral vision had fallen quiet. He had actually managed to drift off.

Then, the world chimed.

It wasn’t a standard system ping. It was a deep, resonant vibration that echoed not just in his mind, but through the very bedrock of the room. King bolted upright.

Hovering directly in front of his face was a glowing, crimson-bordered notification block.

[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT: ZORUS, EMISSARY FOR THE GOD OF GAMES, IS NOW LIVE.]

King exhaled a slow, tense breath, rubbing the sleep from his temples. "Can I even catch a break?," he muttered to himself.

He reached out and tapped the floating message. The text shattered into pixels, rapidly expanding into a wide, holographic livestream projection that cast a blue hue across the room. A digital countdown materialized in the center of the screen, ticking down in rhythmic, heavy beats.

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

The countdown vanished, replaced by a visual feed of a pristine, void-like studio. Standing dead center was a chillingly familiar figure. Zorus. The emissary wore his signature, impeccably tailored black tuxedo, not a single thread out of place. His face was entirely concealed by a smooth, featureless mask that gleamed under the phantom studio lights.

Zorus adjusted his cuffs, leaning forward slightly as if looking through the screen at every surviving player across the realm. When he spoke, his voice was a modulated baritone that carried a terrifying edge of forced cheerfulness.

"Greetings, valued competitors! For those who may have blocked out the trauma of our first meeting, I remain Zorus, the humble Emissary of the God of Games." The mask tilted sideways, mimicking a smile. "Allow me to offer my most sincere, heartfelt congratulations for having survived the horrific trials of the First Woe. Pat yourselves on the back. Take a breath. You are the elite."

Zorus clapped his hands together once, the sound sharp as a whip crack. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"But, as you well know, the show must go on. In exactly twenty-four hours, the peace you currently enjoy will shatter. For the Second Woe is upon us. So welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to The Pruning Games."

The space behind Zorus shifted, displaying a massive, rotating holographic map of the seven continents.

"Let us discuss the layout first," Zorus said, gesturing to the projection.

"The Pruning Games will not take place in the open world. Instead, the system has constructed massive Colony Barrier Boundaries, which we simply call Zones. Three major zones have been carved out from three of our world’s seven regions. Each zone is a closed ecosystem split into specific territories."

"...These territories are designated under alignments. In each zone, directly opposing alignments are locked inside together. And a quick warning to you ambitious travelers: players cannot leave their designated zones until only one alignment faction is left standing."

Zorus stepped forward, his masked visage filling the screen. "To ensure a perfectly orderly game, the system has decreed ten absolute, unbreakable laws. Listen closely, because the system does not tolerate ignorance."

A golden scroll unrolled digitally beside the emissary, flashing with bold texts as he read them aloud:

"Rule 1: Faction Alignment Constitution. Upon the activation of the Second Woe, all players must permanently lock into their chosen Alignments and immediately report to their assigned starter zones."

"Rule 2: The Null. For the pacifists, the cowards, or perhaps the brilliantly foolish. Players who select the Null alignment acquire a permanent neutral status. Null players cannot be automatically drafted into faction wars, are completely immune to alignment-targeted field curses, and also receive zero NPC allies."

"Rule 3: NPC Support. To my faction players, do not expect a handout. NPC supports are limited and not automatic. You must manually approach NPCs bound to your alignment to form a bond. Once bonded, these NPCs can be summoned into battle to aid your faction’s warfare for a limited time."

"Rule 4: The Point Acquisition Metric. War requires a scoreboard. Players accumulate ’Pruning Points’ by eliminating players or assets of an opposing alignment. The math is simple: Killing a Player grants you 20 points. An NPC is worth 5 points. And a High-Tier NPC secures you 10 points."

"Rule 5: The 14-Day Stagnation Clause. My personal favorite," Zorus chuckled. "A player’s point total must continuously change. If your points fail to show a mathematical fluctuation, either by gaining or spending, within a strict 14-day grace period, the system will deem you stagnant. And the system executes stagnant code immediately."

"Rule 6: Team Battle. To break a zone’s deadlock, one alignment faction must completely secure 1,000 points from their opposing alignment faction. Doing so will completely nullify that enemy alignment."

"Rule 7: The Victor and the Defeated. Once a faction is defeated, the surviving player’s alliance is formally dissolved. Whatever players are left of the defeated faction automatically lose all NPC support and can legally turn on each other. However, to sweeten the pot, the victorious faction will automatically receive one High-Tier NPC support asset, automatically bonded."

"Rule 8: Rule Addition Architecture. Do you want to feel the power of gamemaker?, this is for you. Any player who amasses 100 surplus points can petition the system to implement a brand-new, globally binding rule at the flat cost of 100 Pruning Points."

"Rule 9: The Preservation Standard. A caveat to Rule 8, of course. The system will automatically veto any proposed rule that permanently harms or disrupts the structural integrity of the Pruning Games in any way, and your points will be lost. You cannot break the system."

"Rule 10: The Ultimate Pruning Rule. The Pruning Games will conclude only when exactly one major alignment is left un-nullified across the realms, cementing their status. Furthermore, if satisfactory conditions are not met, the games can continue indefinitely, even extending through the duration of preceding woes."

Zorus took a deep bow, his hands spreading wide. "Twenty-four hours on the clock, players. Get ready. And may the system have mercy on your souls."

The screen snapped shut, plunging the room back into silence.

King sat motionless on the couch, staring at the empty air where the hologram had just been.

Then after a few seconds, he pushed himself off the bed and stretched his stiff muscles. Walking out of his private quarters and enterring the base’s common area.

Eli and Vi were already seated at the table with the setup of a dining, their expressions weighed down by the grim reality of Zorus’s broadcast.

Off to the side, Little Maya sat quietly on the rug. The mute child was entirely engrossed in her own world, pushing her small, wooden toy bird across the floorboards as if the apocalypse wasn’t knocking on their door.

"Hope you both saw the stream?" King asked, his voice breaking the heavy silence as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Vi looked up, placing her pale palms on the table. "Every single word."

Eli nodded slowly, leaning forward. "And that fourteen-day stagnation clause. It forces everyone to become a hunter. Even the pacifists will turn into monsters just to keep their countdown from hitting zero."

King spoke, leaning back and locking eyes with them. "With the Null alignment, we bypass the forced faction wars. We won’t be drafted into their grand battles, and we can gather points through other low tier NPCs. But please, don’t mistake neutrality for safety."

He leaned in, his tone turning dead serious.

"Null means we have no fixed territory within the zones. We are effectively squatters in a war zone. The factions will look at us as easy targets, twenty points a pop with no Alignment ally backing us up. We will have to watch our backs against literally everyone."

Vi frowned, glancing over at Maya before looking back at King. "What about our spawn points? When the twenty-four hours are up, do we stay together?"

That was one variable he didn’t have an immediate solution for.

King rubbed the back of his neck, a rare flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. "To be honest, I don’t know how group placement works for the Null alignment. In my previous playthroughs of this game, I always ran these stages completely solo."

"Since Null has no faction, the system might randomize our starting locations to keep us isolated. We have to expect the absolute worst. If we get split up, your priority isn’t fighting, it’s finding each other."

The look on Vi’s face downed the more.

"But I have a plan," King said, a sharp, calculated glint returning to his eyes. "No matter where the system drops us, my absolute first target is to amass one hundred surplus Pruning Points before our fourteen days are up. The moment I hit that threshold, I’m burning them to activate Rule 8. I will draft and force a new, globally binding rule into the system, one tailored specifically to whatever nightmare scenario we find ourselves in to ease our burden."

He looked at Eli, then at Vi, and finally softened his gaze as he watched Maya silently spin her toy on the floor. The weight of their lives rested on his shoulders, but his voice didn’t waver.

"It’s going to be brutal, and the null alignment is sweet and sour. But we know the rules before the game even starts. We have the meta-knowledge, and we are going to outsmart this woe." King reached out, placing his palm flat on the center of the table. "I promise you, we are all making it through this alive."

Vi looked at his hand, a small, resilient smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She placed her hand over his. Eli didn’t hesitate, slamming his palm down on top of theirs. Even little Maya, sensing the shift in the room, let go of her toy, walked over, and gently rested her small hand on the stack.

They all burst out laughing.

Then a low ping notification cut through king’s attention.

He tapped on the notification and it expanded.

[Pantheon: When it all begins, keep in touch]