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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Ball34s on 2024-09-15 08:55:40+00:00.

On the edge of the known universe, beyond the light of the last dying stars, there existed a small, ancient station orbiting a cold, dead planet. It was an outpost forgotten by time, where the past still breathed in the memories of its last remaining inhabitant. The station’s halls, dimly lit and filled with a soft hum of old machinery, felt as though they too were on the edge of death. Deep within its metal walls, in a vast room that once functioned as a council chamber, an old Yaru elder sat in a hovering chair, watching the endless stretch of space outside a panoramic window.

The elder’s body, once proud and strong, was now frail. His once vibrant purple-scaled skin had faded to a pale, translucent lavender. The golden eyes that had once seen the rise and fall of empires were now dim but still glimmered with untold wisdom. His mind, though weary, was sharp, filled with memories of a time long forgotten by most of the galaxy.

At his feet sat three young Yaru, his grandchildren, their small tails twitching with anticipation. Each of them had the bright, glowing purple skin of youth, with curious golden eyes that matched their grandfather’s, but theirs burned with questions rather than memories.

The eldest of the three, a boy named Irek, leaned forward eagerly. “Grandfather,” he said, his voice brimming with curiosity, “tell us again about the humans. The Beasts of the Black Void.”

The elder did not immediately respond. He let the question hang in the air, allowing the weight of those words to sink in. His eyes turned to the vast expanse of space before him, to the stars that twinkled like distant, ancient memories.

“Ah, the humans,” he began at last, his voice a soft rumble that carried with it the weight of centuries. “So many call them beasts, monsters, destroyers of worlds… but they were much more than that. They were something both terrifying and magnificent. What I tell you now, young ones, is not a simple story of war or conquest—it is the tale of power, ambition, and the fall of a species that sought to challenge the very fabric of the universe.”

The children leaned closer, hanging on every word.

The old Yaru took a deep breath, remembering. “Long ago,” he said, his voice distant, “before even the great empires of our time were born, humans were a race like many others. Small, fragile, and bound to a single planet called Earth. A modest world, tucked away in the corner of an unremarkable star system. For centuries, they lived in isolation, developing slowly, mastering only their own planet. But they possessed something that made them different from the countless other species scattered across the galaxy. They had an unbreakable will—a relentless desire to conquer the unknown.”

As the elder spoke, his voice grew stronger, filled with both reverence and dread. “It began slowly. They reached out into the stars with fragile machines, exploring their nearby worlds, and when they saw that they were not alone, they were not afraid. Instead, they embraced the galaxy. They were explorers first, then diplomats. They formed alliances, traded knowledge, and learned from the elder species of the galaxy. They built great fleets, colonized new worlds, and soon, their influence spread across the stars.”

The youngest grandchild, a girl named Selin, with wide, shimmering eyes, interrupted, “But Grandfather, if they were explorers and friends, how did they become the Beasts?”

The elder closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the turning point that had sent the galaxy into chaos. “Ah, Selin, that is where their tale grows dark. For you see, power and peace cannot coexist forever. The humans had gained much, but in their quest for more, they encountered a challenge that would lead to their downfall. It all began with a small colony, a mining world on the edge of human space in a star system called Drakana-7. This system, you must understand, was rich—rich beyond imagining. Its moons were laced with rare minerals and its gas giants held untold reserves of energy. The galaxy had never seen such wealth concentrated in one place.”

The children’s eyes widened at the mention of the colony. They had heard of Drakana-7, but only in whispered stories. They knew that nothing there lived anymore. It was a place of ghosts and silence.

“Our people,” the elder continued, “the Yaru Dominion, we were strong in those days—perhaps too strong. The High Council saw the value of Drakana-7 and coveted it. They sought to pressure the humans to relinquish their claim, to turn over the riches of that system in exchange for peace and safety. But the humans, though still a relatively young race, refused. They would not be bullied or intimidated. So our High Council, in its arrogance, made a fatal decision. We launched a preemptive strike. We attacked the colony with the full might of our fleet.”

The eldest grandchild, Irek, clenched his fists. “What happened, Grandfather? Did they fight back?”

“Oh, they fought back,” the elder replied, his voice tinged with sorrow. “But at first, it was nothing. Our ships, more advanced, more numerous, obliterated their defenses. We wiped out the colony—every man, woman, and child. We believed we had won, that the humans would cower before us, that they would surrender Drakana-7 and the riches it promised. But we had underestimated them. In that moment, when we destroyed their colony, we did not just kill humans. We awakened something in them—a fury that the galaxy had never seen before.”

The elder’s gaze grew distant, as if he could see across the void of time to the events that had transpired so long ago. His voice dropped to a whisper, filled with both awe and regret. “The humans,” he said slowly, “were not like us. They were not bound by the traditions, the hierarchies, and the rules that governed the older races. They were adaptable, relentless, and when they saw their own kind butchered on Drakana-7, something inside them snapped.”

The old Yaru’s hands trembled slightly as he spoke, his mind lost in the memories of what followed. “At first, we believed they would sue for peace, that they would beg for mercy. But they did the opposite. They withdrew their forces, retreating deeper into their territory, and for a time, the galaxy thought that they were broken. But in their silence, they were planning. Preparing. And then, when they were ready, they struck back.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle over the children. “The first sign of their return was subtle. Our deep-space outposts began losing contact with the rest of the fleet. Ships sent to investigate never returned. Our intelligence divisions were baffled—there was no evidence of a fleet, no sign of movement on their borders. It was as if the humans had vanished.”

The middle grandchild, a boy named Nira, spoke up, his voice trembling. “But how could they disappear like that? Where did they go?”

“They went into the Black Void,” the elder said, his eyes narrowing as he spoke those dreaded words. “A region of space so vast and empty that not even light can escape it. It is a place of death, of nothingness. No one had ever ventured into the Black Void and returned. It was believed to be the edge of the universe, the place where the stars died and space itself ceased to exist. But the humans, in their desperation, went there.”

The room grew colder as the children imagined the endless, terrifying emptiness of the Black Void. “What did they find there, Grandfather?” Selin asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The elder’s voice dropped even lower, filled with a mix of awe and fear. “They found something no one could have imagined. Deep within the Black Void, they discovered a force, an energy older than the stars themselves. Some say it was a remnant of the universe’s creation, a primal power that had been sealed away since the dawn of time. Others believe it was something darker—an entity, a consciousness that had existed long before the galaxy itself. Whatever it was, the humans unlocked it, and with it, they changed.”

The elder’s hands tightened into fists as he continued. “When they emerged from the Black Void, they were no longer the same. They had become something else—something far more dangerous. They had harnessed the energy of the Void, learned to bend it to their will. They forged ships from the very darkness itself, weapons that could tear apart planets with a single shot. Their armies were no longer bound by the laws of time and space—they could appear anywhere, strike from nowhere, and vanish without a trace.”

The children were silent, their imaginations struggling to comprehend the sheer power the humans had gained. Irek, the eldest, asked the question that hung in the air. “What did they do with this power, Grandfather? Did they seek revenge?”

The elder nodded grimly. “Oh, yes. They sought revenge. But it was more than that. The humans were no longer interested in merely defeating us or reclaiming their lost colony. They sought to dominate the galaxy, to impose their will on every species they encountered. They became conquerors, and with the power of the Black Void behind them, they were unstoppable.”

He took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he continued. “Their fleets, now composed of ships made from the Void itself, were impervious to our weapons. Our best technology, our most advanced warships, crumbled before them like dust. Entire star systems fell in days, their planets reduced to ashes. Civilizations that had existed…

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