[Quick heads up - The POV chapters are important to the overall story and introduce A LOT of things and people who pop up throughout the story]
***
Five millennia ago, the Evil God Vorkoth created the Chaos Horde, which included many nightmarish monsters who invaded other realms to feed on life and expand their ever-growing armies to continue to consume.
No one understood their true motives, but the worlds who stood and fought them came to know that the monsters fed on Mana Hearts that all living beings possessed, turning the victims into Chaos creatures.
The Chaos Horde washed over countless worlds, leaving barren rocks in their wake, until they came to a world named Valoria. The evil armies were finally stopped when they met a mysterious being known as the Voidwalker.
Legend says this being could use the mysterious and forgotten Void Magic that allowed him to tap into every element and summon a powerful monster army from deep inside the Voidrealm to fight for him.
During the last days of The Doom, the Chaos King was slain in a climactic battle that cracked the supercontinent, creating the current world. The Voidwalker and his wives then traveled worldwide and banished the remaining Chaos Generals back to their Realm.
Without their king or generals to lead them, the monsters turned wild and savage. The ones that remained on Valoria were forced into Dungeons by the Goddess of Light Luxia and her sister, the Goddess of Darkness Nyx, who deemed them valuable for the people to level up and fight back as the Choas Horde tried to break free.
The gods warned the empires and kingdoms to ensure the Dungeons did not overflow, causing a Monster Wave to wash over the land like a tsunami of death and destroy everything the people held dear.
Once the Doom was over, the Voidwalker continued to guard the world until he settled down with a handful of women he had met during his many adventures. Historians claim he had many children, but just like all things in life, his story was lost to the pages of history.
The survivors who remembered the dark days told his glorious tale, but eventually, even they died, and the Voidwalker finally became a legend fading into history, forgotten. Then, as thousands of years passed, he was all but a children's tale that most couldn't remember.
During the universe's current age, a being watched over a soul that caught its attention as fate swirled around him in the void. After watching for some time, the being said in a neutral tone, ''As one story ends, another begins. May you bring light to a world covered in darkness and find the family you desire.''
***
[Earth - London]
Atlas woke up to the boom of thunder that lit up his room. The sudden noise caused him to sit up and rub his eyes, and he heard the relaxing sound of the rain hitting the window. This forced him to leave bed and prepare for the orphanage's adoption day.
It happened monthly, but Atlas accepted that no one would pick a fourteen-year-old boy when there were over a dozen children under ten to choose from. He would be lying if he said it didn't affect him, but over the years, he learned to live with it and gave up the hope of getting adopted.
After stretching his aching body and earning a few cracks, he let out a groan while fully waking up. Once awake, Atlas went to his bathroom and started stripping out his sweaty clothes before showering.
As the hot water washed over his brown hair, memories flooded back to him. He could remember his mother's face, who left him at the orphanage eight years ago when he was six with the promise to return when she was back on her feet, but she never did, which broke his heart.
Once feeling better, he started getting ready to help Director Pamela, the older woman who owned and ran the orphanage. She had always been kind to him, but when it came to the House Manager, Macy, she was always hard on him for no reason.
But he didn't let the angry woman bother him, as he was used to her nagging after being here for years. Atlas shook his head before opening his wardrobe and taking out a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
After getting dressed, he sat down to put on his trainers only to hear a knock, causing him to call out, ''Come in!''
His door was pushed open, and the Care Worker, Sarah, stepped in with a radiant smile. ''Morning Atl,'' she said. ''Do you mind taking the rubbish out once the parents are gone, please? Macy asked me to help Pam with the adoption paperwork, and because of that, I'm behind on my duties.''
''Okay,'' he replied. ''Let me start my chores before I help with the parent's arrival.''
Sarah smiled before speaking, ''Thank you. That would be good. Janice called in sick today, so we're short on staff, and this morning has been chaos.''
Atlas offered a comforting smile to reassure her, ''I'm sure things will go well. Thanks to you and Pamela, most children know how to behave, so there won't be much trouble.''
He nodded before getting ready and doing his chores, and a couple of hours later, he was relaxing in the garden. While sitting there, Sarah approached him worriedly as her gaze swept the courtyard.
"Atlas!" Sarah's panicked voice instantly alarmed him compared to her normally calm self. "Have you seen little Cindy? She was upset about not being adopted and ran off.''
Atlas jumped up when hearing the woman's question and shook his head. ''No,'' he quickly answered. ''Where was she last seen?''
Sarah shrugged before growing frustrated as she looked around the courtyard for the second time. Just then, he heard two giggles from the orphanage's entrance, causing his gaze to spin toward the noise.
That's when he spotted the naughty twins, Ruby and Reece, staring past the gate, laughing to themselves, and playing with toys. He rushed over before asking ''Have you two seen Cindy?''
Ruby, the little girl, turned to him with a big smile, ''She went to get our ball, Big Brother.''
''She offered to go,'' the little boy, Reece, commented. ''If you walk outside, you will see her.''
He nodded and went outside while scanning the area for the girl. His gaze darted across the street, the playground, and the local stores. Then, amidst the bustling scene, he spotted her rushing toward the nearby road, giggling as she chased after a ball.
Time seemed to slow as Atlas's heart clenched in fear. His gaze followed the path of the ball, but suddenly, his attention was drawn elsewhere—a police car, lights flashing, hurtling down the road at an unnerving speed.
Without a second thought, his Instincts kicked in as he bolted toward the little girl, his muscles straining urgently. He pushed through the crowd amid the chaos as he sprinted toward Cindy.
In a heart-stopping moment, he reached her just as she stepped onto the road, oblivious to the danger. He pounced forward with an unknown surge of strength, shoving her from harm's way.
But Atlas soon realized he couldn't save himself in the split second before impact—the screech of tires, the blare of sirens, and a sickening thud. He felt the force of the impact, the world spinning around him as he was thrown to the ground.
Agonizing pain washed through his body, but amidst the haze, he knew one thing—he had saved Cindy and was happy. The distant sounds of footsteps rushed toward him as he heard voices, but soon everything went black.
After an unknown amount of time, Atlas woke up feeling nothing. There was no pain or sadness, which confused him as he assumed he would wake up outside the pearly gates and not in the realm of darkness that he found himself in.
He tried to look around, but all he could see was darkness, darker than anything he'd ever seen. After he could not see or feel anything, he started to panic, but soon, he heard a woman's voice that calmed him down.
''We've been watching you, Atlas,'' it said with concern. ''Your life has been hard and full of pain.''
''Yes, sister, it was terrible,'' a different voice said sadly. ''Maybe he can find happiness in the next?''
''Perhaps. It would be interesting to witness,' the first voice replied. ''We'll just have to wait and see.''
Atlas's confusion grew even more, forcing him to speak up, but no sound left his mouth, which freaked him out. Soon, the second voice spoke in a soothing tone. ''Calm down, boy. We will explain everything in a few minutes.''
He calmed down once the voices finished speaking before the first voice continued, asking, ''Do you want to find a decent family and enjoy a life full of adventure, boy?''
Upon hearing this, he eventually felt something inside him click, and Atlas finally knew he could talk, so that's what he did, ''Who are you? And where am I?''
''Not what we want to hear,'' the second voice said. ''Now tell us your answer.''
After thinking, Atlas nodded, recognizing that those two desires were only significant to him. With this realization, he replied, ''Of course I do. It's the only thing I've ever wanted.''
''See, sister,'' the second commented. ''He wants to live.''
Just as she spoke, Atlas was being dragged somewhere. Soon, he found himself in a bright white room that gave off a strange feeling. As he looked around, he soon spotted two women sitting opposite him.
When seeing them, he was struck dumb by their beauty. One of the women had luscious, snow-white locks cascaded in gentle waves around their voluptuous figure, shimmering with an otherworldly glow akin to a deity radiating from within.
As Atlas scrutinized the first woman's face, he couldn't help but notice her features, sculpted to perfection like those of a goddess. The beautiful stranger possessed high cheekbones and a slender nose framed by arched brows, highlighting her piercing violet eyes, which were mesmerizing.
After looking at the white-haired woman, he turned to the black-haired woman, who was the opposite of the first. She had jet-black hair that shimmered when the low light around them hit it.
He looked into her violet eyes, which spoke of nameless experiences, causing a shiver to rush down his spine. The second woman was slender and athletic-looking, wearing what looked like warrior's armor, and her expression was serious.
Once Atlas looked at the two, he internally thought, 'Are they gods or something? They are giving me a weird feeling.'
''We are, boy!'' the black-haired woman snapped, shocking him with her otherworldly voice.
But the white-haired woman turned to her, ''You can't expect him to know, sister,'' she said. ''He comes from a world where some of them don't believe in gods.''
After speaking, the white-haired woman gave him a dazzling smile before introducing the two of them, ''I am Luxia, the Goddess of Light and leader of my world's Pantheon.''
A silly smile appeared on Atlas's face when she spoke, causing the black-haired girl to complain, ''Look, you've charmed him, sister! Tone your aura down so we can get this over with.
Luxia giggled before Atlas felt normal again and shook his head, ''Ah, what just happened?''
''I'm sorry Atlas,'' Goddess Luxia apologized. ''I forgot to dim my aura so it wouldn't affect you.''