Michael awoke to find himself adrift in an infinite, pitch-black void. There was no ground beneath his feet, no sky above him—just darkness that stretched endlessly in every direction. He tried to move, but his limbs felt sluggish, as if they were wading through thick water. Panic gnawed at the edges of his mind, threatening to take over.

Then, in the distance, a brilliant white light pierced through the darkness. It was faint at first, but it quickly grew brighter, drawing his gaze toward it. Michael squinted, trying to see more clearly, his eyes straining against the sudden contrast. As the light grew closer, he became aware of a voice, soft and clear, that seemed to speak directly into his mind.

"Ah, you're awake," the voice said, its tone warm and welcoming, almost like an old friend greeting him after a long absence. "It's good to finally see you."

Michael blinked, still disoriented. "Who... who are you?" he managed, his voice shaky. He strained to see past the light, hoping to glimpse a face or figure, but there was nothing but that glowing brilliance before him.

The light pulsed gently, almost like it was chuckling. "Who I am is of little importance, at least for now," it replied. "There are more pressing questions, wouldn't you agree?"

Confusion muddled Michael's thoughts. He tried to ground himself, to make sense of anything. "Fine," he said slowly, "then where am I? What is this place?"

The light pulsed again, this time with a hint of playfulness. "Ah, a question of where," the voice mused, as though savoring the concept. "But I'm afraid that is not quite the right question. When are you would be closer to the truth."

"What do you mean, 'when'?" Michael shot back, frustration creeping into his voice. "That doesn't make any sense. Time doesn't..."

"Exist here," the light finished for him, its glow dimming slightly, as if in contemplation. "Correct. You are in a place beyond time, beyond space. This is a realm untouched by the flow of creation."

Michael's head swam with questions, each one more frantic than the last. He felt a growing unease, like a pressure building in his chest. "Then just tell me what's going on! Why am I here? What is this?"

The light shimmered, its gentle pulses slowing, almost as if it were considering how best to respond. "Calm yourself, Michael," it urged. "All will be explained in due time—if time were something we could measure here."

Michael let out a frustrated breath, the air around him feeling thick. "That's not much of an answer," he muttered under his breath.

The light seemed to brighten again, as if smiling. "Perhaps not, but it is the only answer you can grasp at this moment. Patience, Michael. Everything you seek to understand will unfold soon enough. For now, trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be."

Michael fell silent, the words echoing in his mind. Though he still didn't understand, there was something almost comforting in the voice's tone, something that made him pause. Reluctantly, he nodded, deciding—for now—to wait and see what this mysterious light had in store for hi

As Michael was processing this, something shifted in the darkness around him. He watched in awe as a tiny, flickering point of light appeared beside the glowing figure. At first, it was no larger than a speck, but slowly, it began to expand, unfolding like a blooming flower. The speck grew and grew, stretching into a shape that was both familiar and strange—a tree. It was unlike any tree Michael had ever seen, its branches spiraling and twisting in ways that defied logic.

"What... what is this?" Michael whispered, his eyes fixed on the spectacle before him.

"This," the voice explained, its tone carrying a hint of reverence, "is the first spark of existence."

The single tree did not stop growing. From its branches, new trees began to sprout, each one branching into more, until an endless forest filled the void. The trees, though countless, seemed to pulse with life, as if the entire forest were breathing in unison. Michael could hardly believe his eyes as he watched this impossible scene unfold before him.

But the transformation was not yet finished. Even as he looked on, the forest began to flatten, its vibrant colors fading, turning into lines and shapes. The trees became nothing more than intricate engravings on the surface of a large sheet of paper that appeared to hover in the darkness. And as Michael stared, that sheet multiplied, folding in on itself until page upon page stacked together to form an immense book. The book seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions, its pages whispering as they settled into place.

The light pulsed softly beside him. "This," it said, a note of awe in its voice, "is the First Story."

Michael turned to the light, his mind racing. "The first... Story?" he repeated, struggling to understand. "What do you mean by that?"

"The First Story," the voice explained patiently, "is the origin of all things. From this Story, all others are born, branching off like the trees you saw, each one leading to new worlds, new realities, new possibilities. And it is still being written, even now."

Michael stared at the endless book, its pages fluttering softly in a non-existent breeze. He felt a sense of both wonder and dread, knowing that whatever he was witnessing was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

"So... what part do I play in this Story?" Michael asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

The light pulsed once more, brighter this time, almost blinding him. "That, Michael, is something you must discover for yourself. The Story is not set; it is ever-changing, shaped by the choices of those who live within it."

The voice, calm and steady, seemed to shift in tone, becoming almost eager. "Ah, we are now ready," it announced, its light flaring brighter for a moment. Michael blinked, the intensity nearly blinding him. As he tried to make sense of what was happening, a brilliant flash of light erupted nearby.

In its wake, a figure emerged—a girl with strikingly white hair, her presence almost ethereal against the darkness. As she appeared, a whirlwind of letters and numbers swirled around her, shifting and rearranging like fragments of a language Michael could not comprehend. The symbols danced around her, glowing faintly before dissolving into the air.

The girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing a gaze that seemed to hold entire worlds within it. She lifted her hands, and as she did, the void around them began to change. More Stories appeared, spiraling down in endless cascades like a torrent of stars. Each one unfolded and branched off into countless paths, yet they all traced back to a single point: the First Story, which remained suspended above all others like a keystone.

Michael watched in awe as the Stories multiplied, their numbers growing faster than he could count. Even when it seemed impossible for more to appear, they continued to branch out, their sheer magnitude beyond comprehension.

The girl's eyes finally settled on him, then on the glowing entity beside him. With an almost weightless grace, she drifted toward them, her movements smooth and fluid, as if she were gliding through water. There was something both familiar and foreign about her presence, like a memory Michael couldn't quite place.

"Who... who is she?" Michael asked, his voice a whisper filled with a mix of wonder and trepidation.

But the light did not answer immediately. Instead, it seemed to shimmer with a sense of satisfaction, as though everything had fallen into place. "It is about time," the voice said at last, a note of finality in its tone, "that I got on my way."

Michael turned to it, confusion flashing in his eyes. "Wait! What do you mean? Where are you going? What's happening?"

The light pulsed one last time, its glow gradually dimming. "You will understand soon, Michael. The next chapter is about to begin. But it is no longer my place to guide you."