Reaper

The Reapers are at the heart of one of the most horrifying myths in the universe. It is said that a portal lies hidden from the prying eyes of the universe in a mysterious location that eludes even the most ingenious minds. There, it lies perfectly dormant, undisturbed, inactive for all times over dozens of millenia. Save for one.

Every 50,000 years, the portal opens, and what pours out spells the doom of all organic species in the universe. The reapers launch their attack from this portal to oblivion upon an unsuspecting universe, "harvesting" without mercy, without remorse, and without feeling all organic life with the utmost accuracy and efficiency.

At the end of this epic universe-spanning genocidal deluge, the Reapers retreat from the lifeless galaxy and return to the portal, which seals shut for several dozen more millenia.

Most of the sentient species of the universe know of the this myth, and to the lion's share of the, it is a chilling tale, meant to scare the children, and to freeze the bone, but above all a story. A Harmless story.

And they are wrong.

For, amongst a small portion of beings throughout the ages, beings that have spent their lives researching ruins, lore, and ancient languages, bear a horrific knowledge on their own: that the myth is not a myth. It is a prophecy.

These beings have, across the span of time, searched feverishly for the portal to the outer realm, seeking a way to prevent the holocaust of their predecessors from claiming a new generation. Untold amounts of manpower, resources, time, patience, and knowledge have been poured into finding the portal and a way to stop the coming storm from happening. And all, one by one, have failed, over thousands of years.

And now, a new, chilling fact emerges from the gloom to haunt those cursed with the knowledge of the truth.

The 50,000 years since the last great purge has nearly ended.

It is happening again.