God's Universe

### Chapter 1: The Trial

Logan Smith stood at the edge of a cliff, his eyes fixed on the three beasts charging toward him.

They were closing in fast. Their claws tore through the ground, and their growls echoed across the rocky landscape. Logan tightened his grip on the weapon in his hand, but he already knew he couldn't win this fight.

His current strength wasn't enough to kill even one of them, let alone three.

He glanced over his shoulder. The cliff dropped into a deep valley, and he couldn't see what lay at the bottom.

"Damn it. If I stay here, I'm dead for sure. If I jump, at least there's a chance I'll survive."

The beasts were almost upon him.

Logan took a deep breath, stepped backward, and threw himself off the cliff.

"Let's hope this works!"

Click.

The world went black.

"Logan! Get up. That's enough gaming for today!"

Logan pulled off his VR headset and blinked at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. The rocky cliff, the charging beasts, and the feeling of falling had vanished. All that remained was his mother standing beside his desk, holding the headset's disconnected cable.

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Mom! You could've at least waited until I landed. I was in the middle of something!"

Mary Smith raised an eyebrow. "You were in the middle of playing a game. You've been sitting here for hours."

"But I was about to finish the level!"

"And you've been saying that for the last two hours." She placed the headset on his desk. "You spend too much time playing these games, Logan. Go do something useful for a change."

Logan leaned back in his chair. "Like what?"

"Like spending some time with your brother. When was the last time you two went outside together?"

He opened his mouth to answer, then paused.

"Yesterday?"

Mary gave him a flat look.

"Fine. Maybe a few days ago."

"Exactly. Now go and take Liam outside."

"Can't I do that tomorrow?"

"No."

"After lunch?"

"Logan."

"Okay, okay! I'm going."

He stood up and stretched before heading toward his younger brother's room.

Liam Smith was fourteen years old and, as usual, buried in a book. He sat at his desk with several notebooks spread around him, completely absorbed in whatever he was studying.

Logan leaned against the doorway.

"Hey, bookworm. Let's go outside."

Without looking up, Liam replied, "No, thanks. I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"Studying."

Logan glanced at the open book. "You know, the world won't end if you take a day off."

"I'm not taking a day off."

"Then take an hour off."

"No."

Logan sighed dramatically. "Why do I even bother?"

He walked over, grabbed Liam around the waist, and lifted him out of his chair.

"Logan! What are you doing?"

"Taking my little brother outside. Mom's orders."

"Put me down! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Really? Could've fooled me."

"LOGAN!"

Laughing, Logan carried him out of the room. Liam continued protesting until they reached the front door, where Logan finally put him down.

Liam straightened his clothes and glared at him.

"You're so annoying."

"And yet, you love me."

"Unfortunately."

"That's the spirit. Come on. Ice cream's on me."

That finally got Liam's attention.

"What kind?"

"Whatever you want."

Liam considered it for a moment. "Vanilla."

Logan shook his head. "Of all the flavors in the world, you choose vanilla?"

"What's wrong with vanilla?"

"Nothing. It's just boring. Like your books."

Liam rolled his eyes and followed him outside.

The two brothers walked to a nearby ice cream shop. The afternoon was peaceful, with people going about their usual routines. Shopkeepers served customers, children played along the roadside, and traffic moved through the streets as it did every other day.

For a little while, everything felt normal.

They ordered their ice cream and sat at a small table near the shop's entrance. Logan had chosen chocolate, while Liam was happily eating his vanilla.

"So," Logan said, leaning back in his chair, "what were you studying so seriously?"

"Physics."

"Of course."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I expected something more exciting."

Liam looked at him. "You spend hours pretending to fight monsters in a game, and I'm the one wasting my time?"

Logan pointed his spoon at him. "First of all, it's a survival game. Second, I'm developing important skills."

"Such as?"

"Running away from things trying to kill me."

Liam stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"You're hopeless."

"Yet you still came out with me."

"Because you kidnapped me."

Logan laughed. "Details."

Then the table trembled.

The spoon in Liam's hand rattled against the cup. A few people nearby looked around, confused.

Liam frowned. "What's happening?"

Logan glanced at the ground. "Maybe an earthquake."

"Again?"

"Yeah. There have been a few recently, haven't there?"

The shaking stopped for a moment.

People began returning to their conversations, and Logan picked up his spoon again.

Then the ground shook once more.

This time, the vibration was stronger. The cups rattled across the tables, and a few people stumbled as the pavement beneath their feet began to tremble.

"What the hell?" Logan muttered.

A deep rumble rolled through the city.

The shaking intensified. Buildings groaned, windows rattled, and car alarms began blaring along the street. People screamed and rushed out of nearby shops.

Logan immediately stood up.

"Liam, come on!"

He grabbed his brother's arm and hurried toward an open space away from the surrounding buildings. Liam stumbled beside him, clutching his half-finished ice cream.

"Brother, what's happening?"

"I don't know! Just keep moving!"

They had barely reached the open area when a strange sound echoed above them.

It sounded like glass cracking.

Logan stopped and looked up.

The sky was splitting apart.

Long, jagged fractures stretched across the blue expanse, as though an invisible hand were tearing open the fabric of the world. Beyond those fractures lay a darkness that did not resemble the ordinary night sky. Strange lights flickered within it, and the edges of the openings shimmered unnaturally.

For a moment, the entire street fell silent.

People stood frozen, staring upward. Some raised their phones to record the impossible sight. Others backed away, whispering prayers or calling for their families.

Then a voice echoed across the city.

It was mechanical, cold, and utterly emotionless. Yet it was so loud that it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"Humans, congratulations. You have been chosen."

Logan looked around, searching for speakers or some other explanation.

"Who said that?"

No one answered him.

The voice continued.

"The Earth has been chosen to be a part of God's Universe. To stay as a part of it, you have to survive the trial, and it will begin now."