A powerful being from another world came here one day to claim territory and power. It guarded the portal back like a basilisk, destroying any that came that way, eating all the power it siphoned through it. In order to maintain its unbelievably immense amount of power, it created a death game. Every once in awhile it picks a few candidates to play the game, and whoever wins is the most powerful. Their reward is to be entirely overtaken by this entity, erased as it takes their place and absorbs their power and youth.

It is revered as a god, having staked its claim on what was previously a nigh uninhabitable land due to no psychic power to consume. In the time since it came here, spirits that followed it over have become corrupted, living off of flesh and life force, twisted by the animalistic law of the land. Disappearances happen often.

Not very many people can see what's going on. The few that can are often willfully ignorant or turn a blind eye, preferring to keep their head down. It's a dark place. Not much hope. Not much wonder.

Humans

Your average run-of-the-mill human. They can't see the monsters that lurk in the dark, not usually. Those who do are brushed off. Humans are not built for the supernatural.

Nephyr

On the surface, these beings seem human. Soemthing's off, though. It's like they've been marked by the devil... Bad luck seems to follow them everywhere.

The Nephyr are the only beings that can see the monsters. They have various tools at their disposal to help defend against them. To humans, it looks like they're breaking the laws of physics. Their powers seem a bit strange and confusing, but there is a ruleset to follow, and if you can learn it, you'll be much better off.

Nephyr are considered by this world's "god" to be superior to humans, and specifically targets them in its death games.

Chimera

Chimeras are something between humans or Nephyr and monsters. Their capabilities are unknown due to lack of development, haha.

Monsters

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Not very many people see them and live to tell the tale, but Elliot has worked to categorise them as best as he can. They fit into one of a few categories. They are listed below in order of danger.

Leeches

The lowest of the low, leeches are the bottomfeeders in this ecosystem. They feed on the remains of other, bigger things and, since they are very easily killed, they hunt in packs. They tend to look like the viscera of a bigger corpse.

Lesser Demons

"Lesser demon" implies they're better than they are. They're about on-par with a cracked-up feral cat. Many of them are just bundles of leeches that have fused together to create something more dangerous. They can hunt on their own, but they're still low on the food chain.

Shadows

Shadows are scary in concept and can be quite dangerous on the wrong person. They're a kind of parasite, latching onto humans in despair to feed on their misery. Being a parasite, they often lead victims to feel even worse and worse. In the absolute worst cases, it can lead a victim to take their own life, after which the shadow devours their corpse, not leaving any trace behind, save maybe a bloodstain on the concrete. They're easy to spot and even a normal human can sense them if they pay attention, and they're easily killed when noticed due to their lack of any real defense, but the victim still needs support after.

Greater Demons

These monsters are comparable to a leopard. The jump in danger is quite high, and for good reason. When something begins to progress beyond "lesser demon" status it often takes on a hide-and-kill approach, and greater demons often keep this strategy. Although they have the strength to dominate a human with ease, they prefer to ambush. They often stick around to slurp up the leeches that try to take the rest of their kill.

Some of them are sentient.

Devils

Devils are usually people that have willingly fused with a monster. These things embody the worst traits of their past human selves. They've been nicknamed as devils because it's hard to find a proper match for their delight in cruelty. Many dangerous haunted locations are inhabited by these. The god that rules this world has made many of them into its guards.

They are extremely dangerous because their sentience makes them extremely unpredictable. They are manipulative. They will play the part of a lesser or greater demon to trick you into a false sense of security. They know how to manipulate your surroundings and turn your senses against you.

God

The one that created the death game. It uses the name "Jesus" in its arrogance. It is an unfathomably powerful monster. Killing it seems impossible...

Tanton College

An average college. Every fresh high schooler's first choice. Or, it was. It doesn't exist anymore. One day it was erased from existence - it and all the students that went there. All except Elliot and Mackenzie.

There is a town, but it doesn't have a name yet. It's not an overly safe town, but it's not so unsafe that you'd never want to live there. Really, it's not much more unsafe than anywhere else these days. People disappear without a trace. Go into a building, black out, and come out on the other side of town. Lose time. Same old, same old.