“Come here,” the Predecessor said from across the room, next to the power storage device.

Alan ran over. “Thank you for the gift, I will use them wisely.”

“I would hope so… but again I caution you to be wary. If any Predecessor learns you hold a sliver of soulsteel they will kill you for it instantly. You may gain the ability to shape the metal to your will, but you are far from awakening soulsteel's latent abilities.”

“Still, thank you, um, what is your name?” Alan asked.

The Predecessor stared at Alan with a raw intensity that almost made him take half a step back, but it seemed to favor boldness so he stood his ground, calmly looking back. His body felt so tired it was difficult to feel afraid.

“You may refer to me as the Lord of the Abyss," the Predecessor said.

"The name might get you out of a dilemma, or it may start one. It has certainly caused me a great deal of pain. Now, before we proceed, I hope to educate you. Tell an old story, if you are willing to listen.”

“Um, sure.”

“Very well. Let us begin with why I am here. Surely, you must wonder what crimes I have committed to warrant eons of imprisonment. Well, my crime was simple. I lost a war.” Alan widened his eyes.

“Yes, this is a prisoner-of-war camp, or at least it was before the power started failing. Now, it is little more than a desolate ruin. But enough of this dreary place. I am sure you are more interested in the war that was fought.

“Well, the war was in fact very simple. It was us, the Predecessors, against the ones who were led astray. They were lured away by a greed greater than any other. It was not treasure, nor power that directed their path, but a simple idea: Aleph. Going infinite. The prospect that one could achieve the infinities and immortality drove them insane.

"They did not choose life or death, but some in-between, something more and less. They chose to pursue the impossible. And we fought, and in their otherness we were unable to understand them. And so we lost. The rest is history.” The Predecessor, the Lord of the Abyss, gave Alan a half-smile, filled with a profound sadness despite its inhuman, scarred grey face. Personally, Alan didn’t think the idea of immortality was so bad.

“I can see that you, too, are enticed by this possibility. By this game. You are undoubtedly here with a singular focus, to grow stronger, to prevail over others. And, like all living beings, you will struggle to survive and rejoice in the struggle. And the Game will provide this. It will provide you with purpose, with life, with power and wealth and anything else you might desire.