A hush fell over the Evolep as they gathered around Ben in the shattered plaza. He shifted uncomfortably under their intent, disbelieving stares.
King Bo glided forward, his robes gently wafting. Though he stood eye-level with the teenage human, an aura of ancient wisdom seemed to emanate from him.
"A human..." His rich voice carried both surprise and skepticism. "How is it possible you still live, young one? We had thought your kind long extinct in Umbranima."
Ben opened his mouth, then closed it uncertainly. "Uh, yeah...it's a long story. I'm Ben Tennyson, a hero from Earth. My friend and I were fighting these jerks called the Forever Knights when one of their weapons malfunctioned. Next thing I know, I'm here in...whatever you call this dimension."
The king's expressive features registered deeper surprise. "You originate from the prime reality? The Earth where Umbranima's inhabitants were first seeded?"
He gestured solemnly. "Much has occurred since those primordial days. Perhaps it is time the full tale was told, so you may comprehend our plight."
As the Evolep gathered closer, Bo began. "Eons ago, we Arcalurians were transplanted to this sector of the Multiverse by the Celestialsapiens as an experiment in directed evolution. We seeded dozens of viable worlds and nurtured their development across multiple proto-realities."
His voice took on a melancholy tone. "Tragically, one of those experiments went horribly awry. The civilization that took root here in Umbranima became corrupted by its own mastery over metaphysical sciences. They bypassed physical forms entirely, their malign psychic essences forming into the voidbent race you know as the Arks."
Looking at Ben solemnly, he continued. "The Arks embarked on an omnicidal crusade. They exterminated or enslaved all corporeal lifeforms across countless universes, culling only those they found most genetically worthy for their abominable experiments."
Bo's eyes strayed to a distant horizon, his timeless features tightening with grief and anger. "The remaining native humans of Umbranima were among the first to suffer. Most were slain outright, the survivors imprisoned on the Arks' grotesque laboratory world of Harken."
Placing a consoling paw on Ben's shoulder, the Evolep elder said quietly, "Only through our evolution and transcendent gifts were my Arcalurian siblings able to escape the same fate. We fled here to Xundar and have waged an eternal struggle against the Arks and their vile Arkhon overlords ever since."
Ben frowned, mind spinning as he tried to process the cosmic scale of it all. "So these Ark monsters took over, killed or imprisoned most of the humans...and what? Used their technology to forcibly 'evolve' animals like you into new species?"
King Bo nodded soberly. "Indeed. As mighty weapons in their malign crusade across the cosmos. The more tractable creatures like ourselves were mutated into shocking new forms, imbued with metaphysical potencies to act as their vanguard."
A shadow passed over his muzzle. "While others were warped into more..."
He gestured to the horizon, where new hordes of Arks were beginning to mass. Leviathan behemoths with pulsating, organic weapon-hulls. Distorted chimeras combining attributes of creatures Ben had never seen.
"...Unseemly shapes," Bo finished grimly. "Twisted abominations to act as the Arkhon's disposable foot soldiers."
Raising his staff higher, the king's eyes smoldered with ancient fury. "No more. We fight to reclaim our freedom in this cycle. Aid us, Ben Tennyson, hero of Earth!"