In the depths of existence, watching behind a seemingly thin veil separating Reality where the Myriad Worlds exist and the realm which had a clear view of it all, an entity made of unknowable mass with an unknowable form watched the game he had created for his own enjoyment pensively.
It had been quite some time since he had brought these worlds together and plunged them into a war amongst themselves by threatening them with destruction if they did not destroy their competitors.
At first, it was fun watching them bumble about into committing genocide and destroying one world after another.
There were over a thousand worlds that he had dragged into his little game, but they had now dwindled to a mere seven. And the board had practically stopped moving as they were all locked in a stalemate.
The entity yawned in boredom. Despite its great potential, this territory was so primitive and weak that the entity was quickly losing interest. However, it had a mission.
The entity was once a member of a clan of transcendental beings from far far away. But he was banished for failing to stop the escape of someone he was assigned to monitor. This target of his was quite the rebellious freak and had even dared threaten the life of the head of the clan.
So when the clan went to hunt him down, he went into hiding. And the entity who was monitoring him lost him completely.
As punishment for his failure, the entity was banished into this primitive Existence where the target was believed to have escaped into. And along with his banishment, he was given a new mission.
If he managed to establish a foothold or find the core of the potential of this Existence, then he was to report back to the clan and he would be allowed to return. That was eons ago.
In all that time, he had not found a trace of his target if he ever was hiding within this minor territory of Existence. And he had not found the great potential of this Existence either. He could not even leave this minor territory to explore the rest of Existence lest he dies pathetically.
So he was left with only one option.
And that was to create a foothold in this territory that will allow the clan to enter without repercussions. However, that too was met with a problem.
In his initial entry into this minor territory within this Existence which seemed to be the only place one can enter, he was met with a disgusting force that nearly killed him.
It seemed to be a corrosive power that had already devoured half of the territory like a cancer making him wonder if there really was such great potential here.
That said, he proceeded with trying to establish a foothold in the half that had not yet been devoured. And just like before, another force appeared that nearly burnt him to inexistence, not even willing to leave ash behind.
It was at this point that the entity realised that whatever great potential this territory had, it was most certainly related to those two terrifying forces. So he was forced to settle in the middle of the two forces, a buffer zone of sorts.
And from there, he manipulated the most powerful worlds closest to his position, dragging them into a Great War that would hopefully show him a trace of the great potential, but more importantly weaken the power of the territory to the point that the clan would no longer need to worry about repercussions.
And maybe he could get some minor ascendants, or gods as the people of this territory called them, into his service as well.
But now, he had already given up on such a thought. The entity was just waiting for the last seven worlds to destroy themselves so he could finish his mission and return to the clan.
However, who would have thought that in the final stretch that the entity thought would be the most boring of his time in this territory, he would actually find a trace of the great potential.
The entity stared in shock at the ball of black floating in space. It was none other than Earth engulfed in the black flames of Immolation.
The entity was practically salivating as he realised that he had greatly underestimated the great potential of this territory. Now he knew why the clan wanted this Existence so badly.
As far as the entity could tell, those black flames were not even divine flames. To have such tremendous power to the point of destroying an entire world and still not contain Divinity? The entity has never heard of such a thing before.
It was definitely something far better than just simple divine flames. Such a discovery was enough to make the clan members stab each other in the back.
And that was precisely what the entity was thinking of doing as he gazed intently at Earth. He no longer had any intention of going back to the clan to report this. He only wanted to get the great potential to strengthen himself, and perhaps in the future, he would become the head of the clan.
And the moment he decided to act on his new plan, he felt something tighten all around him. It was like he had been swimming in a pool of water until it suddenly froze over and became cement. He was unable to move, much less leave this space.
It was then that the entity understood.
There were not just two powerful forces in this territory that were capable of destroying him. There were three. And somehow, this third one was even more terrifying since it did not even let its presence be known until the moment he tried to leave.
Now, the entity found himself imprisoned within this space in between. He could only gaze at the black flames with regret as he gave up on leaving this place. Perhaps he would never be able to return to the clan after all.
Somewhere within the space that sealed the entity's movements, a beautiful crystalline tree shone with brilliant light.
Even now, though its light had dimmed once due to the fear that washed over it, it could not help but be excited for what was to come. And even now, it continued to call to one other brethren that had lost its way.
In response to the crystalline tree's call, somewhere in the depths of the Myriad Worlds, a star shot across with blinding speed. Its white golden flames seemingly a perfect contrast to the blackness of space.
But if one could look past the blinding light of its flames, one would be able to see the body of the star. It was not made of plasma or molten rocks. This star's body was made completely from one of the purest energies in existence carrying an aura of benevolence, mercy and salvation.
And in the other half of the territory, in the depths of the emptiness of inexistence that devoured even existence itself, another being watched all this happen.
Similar to the entity that had been imprisoned in the space in between, this being also had an unknowable form.
In fact, it was questionable whether it even exists because its very self was the very essence of inexistence. And this enigma had been watching all the events that have been unfolding on the other side of the territory, even the space in between.
It looked at the entity who had been unwittingly sealed and scoffed at it.
[You think you can trespass here without paying a price? Enjoy the final fleeting moments of your pathetic existence while you can. Because your little game will come to an end soon, spawn of Ekklesia-Sophia.]
The being's disembodied voice travelled nowhere within the heart of inexistence.
Despite there being worlds within its domain, no sound would be able to reach them across the expanse of inexistence.
It was a much more terrifying thing than space, after all space was still just a part of existence. It exists. The being gazed back at Earth, its laughter now gone, replaced by a heavy silence.
For a long time, the being had watched the other side waiting for the day that its mission would come to an end. In this regard, it was not unlike the entity imprisoned in the space in between.
At some point, he had almost given up. And so the being decided that it would begin its contingency plan, one that was not known to the person who gave him the mission to begin with.
The contingency was simple.
He would wipe out all existence within the territory and eventually Existence itself so no one could get their hands on the great potential.
It was an extreme measure, ruthless even, but he was always prepared to dirty his hands. He had already foreseen the end of his long wait.
It was just another failure. So he no longer waited.
But now, he wished he had been a little more patient.
[Regardless, this would be good as well. At least this would make them all more desperate. After all, the thing they lack the most is desperation.]
The being's gaze turned cold as he spoke those words while scanning the other side of the territory, not just Earth.
Then he looked to the worlds within his domain. Although they were all on the brink of inexistence, they were all fighting for survival. And he looked at them with a hint of pride.
Until his gaze landed on two people.
For a moment, the being froze. He recognized the two of them immediately. How could he not? They were among the few people from the other side whom he had placed his hopes in once. But now, they somehow found themselves in his domain.
In an instant, the being realised that things were no longer as simple as before. It was to the point that it even began feeling a hint of trepidation.
The being looked back to the other side, his gaze not locking onto anyone in particular.
[You better hurry, you fool. Or else, even I would not be able to save them. If the worst happens, do not blame me.]
And yet, even with his all-seeing gaze, the unknowable being failed to notice the stir within the heart of a certain garden.
It was a seed of light in the shade of pink with white and black accents. It pulsed weakly only once, but it carried a hint of cheerful mischief and loving innocence.