The void was silent.

Not the silence of a quiet room or a hushed library—this was the kind of silence that pressed down on the soul, where time itself seemed to hold its breath. A formless, endless dark… until a single light flickered into existence, warm and golden.

From that light stepped a man.

He didn't look like the kind of being who shaped realities. He wore a simple robe, white as morning clouds, with a wooden cane in one hand and twinkling eyes full of ancient wisdom behind gold-rimmed spectacles. His smile was soft—gentle. Comforting.

"Ah. There you are," the man said, as if greeting an old friend. "I was beginning to worry you'd never wake."

The soul—once a person, now a flickering wisp—drifted uncertainly toward him.

"W-Where… what is this?"

"This?" The man gestured around them with a chuckle. "This is nowhere. And you, my child, are currently no one. But not for long."

He knelt, eyes twinkling. "Tell me… do you like games?"

The wisp pulsed faintly. "Games?"

The old man nodded. "Games. Of skill, of chance, of heart. Chess, cards, even the ones humans create with screens and keys. I've always believed there's something beautiful in a well-played match." He paused. "Would you like to become something more? To be reborn—not as a pawn in someone else's story—but as the one who writes the rules?"

The space shimmered, and a glowing interface appeared before the wisp. [GAME CREATION SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]

"You will be Tet," the old god said softly. "The God of Games. Bound by no throne. Subject to no power. If someone wishes to command you… they must beat you."

The void trembled. Stars bloomed around them like scattered marbles on a game board.

"You'll create worlds. Realms born from games. And those who enter them? They will win power, knowledge, strength—if they survive your trials. And through it all, you will play… and watch… and choose."

The wisp glowed brighter now, beginning to take shape. Youthful. Clever. Mismatched eyes and a smile born from mischief and certainty.

The old man straightened with a wink.

"Now then, Tet… ready to roll the dice?"