After several hours, while Haru was traveling through the parallel universes, Goo1 asked him curiously, “I didn’t expect you to be this lenient with me! To agree so easily to join us? Usually, anyone I meet—or force to join, those children—either fights to the end or at least shows some resistance. But you… you’re different, aren’t you?”

  Haru didn’t seem to care and replied,“ Don’t think I’m any different. I also hate being forced into anything. What I want to understand is—who are you? Why did you threaten me? And what is this organization you keep talking about?”

  Goo1 answered calmly, “Don’t rush, boy. In truth, my master is the one who ordered the gathering of all of you—children.”

  Haru frowned. “Children?”

  “There’s no need…” Goo1 said, then continued, “You’ll understand what I mean soon enough—and you’ll be grateful for it.”

  After a long journey, Haru finally arrived at the organization’s headquarters. He wasn’t surprised by its massive scale—he was used to such things because of his own company—but what did surprise him was that a single person had created this place.

  The place could be described as nearly half the size of a planet, stretching into a vast, ultra?advanced technological city—far more than just an organization. Robots moved in every direction, each performing different tasks. The metallic corridors were illuminated, and enormous screens displayed real?time data—or more precisely, holograms.

  Despite all this, everything within the organization was under the control of one person: Goo0.

  Afterward, Goo1 led Haru to a dressing chamber. Haru was puzzled by the design of the outfit, and Goo1 explained, “These are the official uniforms for all members of the organization. They’re made from extremely durable materials. You could say it’s a black armor covered by a gray cloak that conceals the wearer’s face—except for those with glowing eyes like yours.”

  Before leaving, Goo1 added, “By the way, from now on, your number is Goo7.”

  Then Haru entered a room called the “Rest Chamber.” Before departing, Goo1 told him, “Of course, this isn’t the only chamber. Since there are a thousand of you, it would be troublesome to gather everyone in one place. We divided the rooms—it’s easier that way. You’ll meet your older brothers. Make sure you get along.”

  As soon as Haru took his first steps inside, he was surprised to find a white room filled with every kind of luxury—food, comfortable chairs, even a spotless library. But just as he found a place to sit, one of the members appeared before him—a bully who liked picking on those younger than him, his number being Goo17.

  Everyone ignored him as he mocked Haru, guessing his number might be 64 or even 998.

  Haru replied calmly, “Goo7.”

  At that moment, everyone’s eyes widened in shock. The number 7 meant he was the strongest among them in that room.

  Goo17 froze in fear. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t know… my name is—”

  Before he could finish, he noticed the terrifying look in Haru’s eyes—as if he was about to kill him.

  A mechanical voice echoed through the room, “All members, proceed to the station for the meeting.”

  Haru looked at Goo17 and said coldly, “Don’t you ever mock me again, you idiot.”

  Then everyone in the room began heading toward the station.

  After the transport arrived at the main headquarters for the meeting, everyone sat in scattered seats, no one willing to speak to anyone else.

  Haru sat alone—until a voice cut through the silence. “Oh, hello! My name—well, my number—is Go65. Nice to meet you… um… you don’t really like talking, do you?”

  Haru glanced at him, expression guarded. “What do you want from me?”

  Go65 offered an awkward smile. “Sorry, I just… wanted someone to talk to. You seem like the only one I could actually speak to here. Unlike the others.”

  Haru frowned. “You do realize we’re complete strangers, right?”

  “I know,” Go65 replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “But maybe we don’t have to stay strangers? We could talk a little… be friends?”

  Haru’s tone was icy. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

  “How about we get to know each other? What’s your name?”

  Silence.

  Go65 looked puzzled, as if Haru didn’t trust him. After a moment, he said, “Um… I’ll start. My real name is Neji.”

  Haru raised an eyebrow. “Ren?”

  “Yes,” Ren replied softly. “So… what’s yours?”

  A beat passed. Then, barely audible: “Haru.”

  Ren’s face lit up. “Haru… that’s a nice name. I’m really glad to meet you.”

  He extended his hand. Haru didn’t take it. Ren slowly withdrew it, realizing this wouldn’t be easy.

  Five minutes of heavy silence passed before Haru finally spoke. “Why would someone like you be forced to come here?”

  Ren hesitated, then drew a slow breath. “Well… you know the one called Goo1, right?”

  Haru gave a single nod—he remembered Goo1, and the other named Goo4.

  “They weren’t the only ones sent to gather us,” Ren continued, voice lowering. “There’s a third—Goo2. He’s… the worst person I’ve ever met.”

  “I never knew my parents. They hid strange things from me when I was five, so my grandfather raised me.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “One day, while I was playing in the streets, I saw this… creature. It looked like a giant worm.”

  Haru’s eyes sharpened. “A giant worm?”

  “Yes,” Ren said, voice trembling slightly. “I was so scared I tried to run, but it kept chasing me. Then it… crawled into my neck. I felt this weird, sharp pain.”

  “After that, my grandfather took me to the hospital, but they didn’t find anything unusual in my body.”

  “A few days later, I started noticing strange things—like being able to fly, heal from any wound, and even create portals that could make things huge. Once, I held an entire mountain in my hands.”

  “But despite all that… I always felt wrong. I started losing emotions—joy, sadness—and sometimes I felt nothing at all. Worst of all, there was this… constant, drilling pain in my head for no reason.”

  “I’m not the only one, though. Some of the others here… they’re in the same miserable state.”

  “Then, one day, while I was playing in my grandfather’s yard with friends, something strange appeared in the sky. When I went to look, I saw him—Goo2. He was threatening everyone in this cold, flat voice, saying he’d kill everyone if he didn’t find who he was looking for.”

  “Then he pointed right at me. He said, ‘I don’t have time for explanations. That bastard sent me to gather dozens like you!’”

  “I refused at first. But then… he grabbed a little kid from his mother and started choking him with wires. He looked right at me and said, ‘Either you come with me, or I kill you all. Your choice.’”

  “My grandfather begged him to let the child go, but he didn’t listen. So… I agreed. I was heartbroken knowing I’d lose my grandfather, but he told me he’d wait for me. I hugged him one last time before I left. I just… I hope I’m still alive when this is over. My grandfather’s all I have left.”

  Haru stayed silent, his face unreadable.

  Ren tried to lighten the mood. “Anyway, what’s your sto—”

  The train jerked to a halt. They had arrived at the main headquarters.

  After this, everyone heads to the main headquarters. They meet each other at the gathering: some are tense, some aren't interested, and others hate being here.

  Everyone notices that there are chairs, each with a specific number on it. Everyone sits in their assigned seats, waiting for the person who brought them here.

  Time passes, and the leader doesn't show up at all. Over the course of four hours, one of the members gets angry—his number was Go30—and says to Goo1 angrily: "Where is this leader who kidnapped all of us? For what? Where is he? What is this threat?!"

  He tells him to shut up until his master arrives, but before he can say anything, a slap is heard throughout the hall.

  And out of nowhere, Goo0 appears and says: "The meeting has begun."

  Everyone is surprised by his lateness. Goo0 explains to them that he had important business. Anyway, he notices that G999 isn't present.

  Goo0 is surprised and asks Goo1: "I know Go25 isn't here because of a surveillance mission, but where is G999?"

  Goo1 informs him that he went to Go25 and begged him to follow, trusting the surveillance devices. Goo0 says that doesn't matter, and that he'll punish him anyway.

  Goo0 continues speaking, telling them if they have questions, they may ask. They're surprised by his question, but before anyone can ask, the chair is broken by Goo2, complaining that the chair is so light it can't bear his weight.

  The other members are stunned when they realize the chair is actually hard to break, because it's made of extremely tough materials.

  Goo0 addresses Goo2 and says to him: "Unfortunately, this is the strongest material we have. Either bring a new chair or remain silent."

  Goo2 gets angry at this statement, but decides to sit floating (i.e., seated in the air).

  The other members start asking why they're here. Goo0 tells them as follows: "I've summoned you here for a very simple reason: you will face a threat known as Doo9."

  The other members are surprised, and Go30 says sarcastically: "So you summoned us—sorry, kidnapped us—here for a threat like this?"

  He tells them that if it weren't for him, they'd all be dead already.

  Go30 is surprised and says to him arrogantly: "You saved all of us?! You literally kidnapped us out of nowhere and confined us with threats! For just a threat you're talking about! Can't you guys stop this kind of threat?!"

  Goo0 looks at him with disdain and says: "Who told you we can?! That threat is catastrophic. Doo9 is a dangerous entity, he alone has destroyed countless parallel universes, beyond counting."

  One of the members is surprised by the phrase "parallel universes" and asks him: "What is the concept of universes in the first place?"

  Goo0 answers him very simply: "The concept of the universe is—"

  Haru: "It consists of massive objects known as capsules or space cells, numbering around thousands, maybe more, together they represent the concept known as the universe."

  Goo0 is taken aback by Haru's knowledge of the universe concept. Goo0 asks Goo1: "Where did you bring him from?"

  Goo1 tells him that he was in a giant place known as the company Infinity Nexus, even those who work with him include cosmic beings, and frankly his company is more advanced and luxurious than the organization, honestly.

  Goo0 is amazed by his assistant's words and tells him he's surprised he knows such information, even though he hates interruptions.

  "Now, as you heard: the concept of the universe. Imagine there's a concept known as parallel universes, which according to our estimation contains one multiverse containing a million universes. Consider now: imagine a being who can destroy universes with utmost ease, without any problems, to the point that even my strongest assistants struggle to deal with such a catastrophe! And his powerful ability to sense energy."

  The other members are shocked, and Go50 says tensely: "What—what do you mean he has the ability to sense energy?!"

  Goo0 answers them calmly and says: "Simply put, Doo9 has many abilities, like cutting and flames within a day and a red halo in the shape of human faces. But his most dangerous power is that he can sense your strange energies from anywhere. Once he senses your abilities—"

  One of them asks fearfully: "What do you mean by this?"

  Goo0 tells them the following: "Simply put, unlike some of you who understood what's happening from the beginning: we are not safe. We are not going to him ourselves, but Doo9—or who we nickname 'the Mad Devil'—is coming to us."

  The other members are surprised by this conversation, and Goo0 tells them: "In either case, from now on you will work with me here. Whether you curse or not, you will carry out the tasks my assistants provide. This of course is if you survive this devil. From listening to my orders during missions—and during the training period—and there will be no drinking, break time, or food."

  Go15—who is considered extremely fat—screams while in shock: "What?! That means no snacks?!"

  Go30 is shocked by his words and says to him: "Food? Snacks?! Don't you see we're threatened with death?!"

  Go15 replies sarcastically: "And so what? Food is more important than all of you, you fools!"

  Go30 gets angry and says to him: "How dare you insult us, you son of ****!"

  Go15: "Haaaaaaaa! How dare you curse my family?!"

  Go30 silences him saying: "Blame them for not raising you properly!"

  Commotion begins throughout the hall: crying sounds from some members increase, while the rest start mocking each other and cursing, even threatening to kill, while others like Haru don't care.

  But Goo0 gets angry at the disrespect, raises both hands and slaps—with the loudest voice—saying: "That's enough!!"

  His slap was so strong that the signals within the organization were cut off, and all beings throughout the universe felt a strange frequency.

  At that moment, while activating the organization's backup power, people like Haru and Goo3 start feeling some pain, while other members start bleeding profusely from their faces.

  Goo3 is shocked by what the leader did and says to him: "Oh, you shouldn't have been so harsh, Leader!"

  But Goo0 doesn't care about his words, and addresses the rest coldly: "I've had enough of dealing with children like you. From now on, you will face the devil, whether you all die or not in the process of killing this devil. Know that your lives don't matter to me."

  But before he can finish speaking, the door is opened by Go25, but he's bleeding and in a terrible state.

  Goo0 asks him: "What happened? And where is G999?"

  He informs him that during exploration they were attacked by a full army coming from the south of space, and that the one who killed G999 is a being who uses the same power as them, called 'the Emperor'.