Prologue

In a mysterious space in the endless void outside the universe, neither the burning essence of giant stars nor the silence of space reached the ominous abyss. It was a pitch-black void, seemingly endless, with flickers of light illuminating here and there. The air was heavy with an ominous aura that would send shivers down the spines of mere mortals, that's if they hadn't succumbed to their dread. Home to the rulers of the known universe, the gods as they were called.

They gathered in a circular formation, each seated on thrones of primordial disordinance. The darkness was so thick that even the gods' faces were barely visible. Suddenly, a distortion emerged from the darkness. A figure draped in black robes that swirled around him like a cloak sauntered in between the towering thrones, until he stood in the center of the circle, his voice booming through the darkness.

"Gods," he said, "the time has come for us to determine the next rulers of the multiverse. The current epoch is coming to an end, and we must be prepared for what comes next."

Excitement rippled through the gods, and some of them began to speak up.

"Finally," said one god, "I've been waiting for this moment for eons!"

"I can't wait to see what the future holds," said another.

But not all the gods were happy. Some grumbled about the length of time they had to wait, and their dissatisfaction was palpable.

"It's about time," one god said, his voice tinged with annoyance. "I was getting tired of the endless waiting."

"It feels like we've been waiting an eternity for this," grumbled another. "I hope the wait will be worth it."

The figure below listened patiently to their complaints before answering their questions.

"Will there be any new participants this time?" asked one curious god.

"Yes," the figure replied. "We found a distant planet, inhabited by a bunch of exciting beings who would most definitely spice up the competition."

Murmurs of excitement graced the abyss. The announcement caused a stir among the gods, with some expressing their eagerness to include new entrants in the competition. However, others were more hesitant, questioning the wisdom of adding a new species to the mix.

"Are we sure they're ready for this?" one asked.

"Let us put it to a vote. Like always, they will be wiped off the universe should the vote be against them," one god suggested.

The voting scene was intense, with each god taking turns to cast their vote. Eventually, the results were overwhelmingly in favor of including the unknown planet's inhabitants in the competition.

"Have all the anomalies from the last epoch been eliminated?" a curious god asked, a hint of fury laced in her voice. "They were a threat to the old order."

The figure chuckled. "Rest assured, the remnants of the old order can do nothing to threaten the current order, even more so in the future."

Some of the gods also asked if they would be able to influence the competition this time around, but the main speaker was clear that they would not be able to intervene directly.

"The competition must remain fair and unbiased," he said. "Let the best species win."

With that, the meeting came to an end, and the gods dispersed, each one eager to see what the next epoch would bring.