Rynan's eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as if he'd been pulled from the depths of an endless ocean. He sucked in a ragged breath, his hands clutching the blanket beneath him.
"Haa...!" His exhale trembled, his heart racing as if it had forgotten how to slow down.
He sat up and froze.
The space around him wasn't his bedroom. Gone were the familiar wooden walls, the warm glow of the lantern, and the faint sounds of the house settling at night. Instead, there was… nothing.
No, not nothing. Stars.
Rynan slowly turned his head, taking it all in. Stars, countless and impossibly bright, filled the infinite void around him. Some were small pinpricks of light, while others glowed with fiery intensity, their radiance bathing him in a gentle warmth. The darkness between them wasn't oppressive, like the night sky he'd grown used to. Instead, it felt vast—endless.
He took a shaky breath and noticed something else. He could feel the chill of the void, yet it didn't bite at his skin. It was cold, but bearable. And somehow, he could breathe.
Rynan's mind raced, panic prickling the edges of his thoughts.
'Where… am I?'
He pushed the blanket off and stood, half-expecting to tumble into the void. Instead, his feet found solid ground beneath him. But when he looked down, there was nothing there—no floor, no platform, no surface to explain how he wasn't floating.
His breath caught in his throat. His hands trembled.
'This… this isn't real, is it?'
He reached out, as if touching the stars would somehow make them more tangible, but his fingers grasped only empty air.
A chill crept down his spine, unrelated to the cold.
"Rynan."
The voice was deep, calm, and cold, like the echo of a distant storm.
Rynan spun around, his legs unsteady beneath him. "Who's there?!" he shouted, his voice breaking slightly.
The stars didn't move, nor did the void respond. The voice came again, from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Rynan."
He staggered back a step, his fists clenching. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"
A low chuckle echoed through the void, a sound that sent a ripple of unease through his chest.
"I cannot show myself," the voice said. "Because I am you."
The words hit him like a blow. Rynan's jaw slackened, his brows knitting together in disbelief.
"What…?" His voice came out as a whisper, barely audible over the pounding of his heart.
"I am you," the voice repeated.
Rynan shook his head, taking another step back. "No. No, that doesn't make any sense."
The voice sighed, as if disappointed. "You will understand soon enough."
"What's there to understand?" Rynan snapped, his voice rising in defiance. "I don't even know what's happening! Where am I? What is this place?!"
"This place," the voice said, its tone unchanging, "is within you."
Rynan froze.
"What?"
"This," the voice continued, "is the vastness of your own potential. A reflection of the power that lies dormant within you."
The words made his head spin. Potential? Power? It sounded ridiculous. He was just a kid, struggling to survive in a new life he barely understood. How could anything like this exist inside him?
"You're lying," he said, though his voice wavered with doubt.
"I am not," the voice replied. "And you know it."
Rynan wanted to argue, but the conviction in the voice made his protests die in his throat.
"What power?" he asked instead, his voice quieter now.
"The greatest power of all," the voice said, its tone steady.
Rynan stared into the void, waiting for the answer.
"Omnipotence."
The word hung in the air, heavy and incomprehensible.
Rynan frowned, his confusion deepening. "Omnipotence? You mean… infinite power?"
"Yes," the voice said simply.
A sharp laugh escaped him, more from disbelief than humor. "That's impossible."
"Is it?"
Rynan hesitated. He wanted to say yes, to deny it outright, but something deep inside him—something he couldn't name—kept him from doing so.
"How?" he asked finally.
"You are unique, Rynan," the voice said. "This power has always been within you, waiting. It is the source of your strength, your potential, and your purpose."
"Purpose?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes. "What purpose?"
"All will be revealed in time," the voice replied. "For now, you must learn to wield this power."
Rynan shook his head. "I don't even know what this power is, let alone how to use it."
"You will learn," the voice assured him.
Rynan let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "This doesn't make any sense. Why me? Why this power?"
The voice was silent for a moment, as if considering its response.
"Because," it said finally, "you have a role to play. A life to protect. And for that, you will need this power."
Rynan frowned, his thoughts racing. A life to protect? What was that supposed to mean?
Before he could ask, the voice spoke again.
"When you wake, I will place you in the Omnipotence State."
Rynan's head snapped up. "Wait, what?!"
"You will experience the power firsthand," the voice said calmly. "It will help you understand."
"No, no, no," Rynan stammered, panic setting in. "I'm not ready for that! I don't even know what I'm doing!"
"You are stronger than you think," the voice said, its tone steady and unwavering.
Rynan opened his mouth to argue, but the voice continued.
"Alexus."
The name froze him in place.
"Protect the life you once lost."
Rynan didn't have time to respond. The stars, the void, and the voice all vanished in an instant, leaving him in darkness.
__________________𖤍_________________
Rynan jolted awake, gasping for air as though he'd just surfaced from drowning. His heart hammered against his ribs, and his chest heaved with every frantic breath.
"A-Agh!" He exclaims, as he tumbled backward, hitting the wooden floorboards of his room with a loud thud.
His eyes darted to the mirror propped against the wall across the room. At first, he thought that his eyes were tricking him, but as his reflection stared back at him, his breath hitched.
'What the heck is this!?'
His hands trembled as he crawled closer to the mirror. His eyes, once a soft brown, now gleamed a brilliant, unnatural yellow, glowing like miniature suns. He leaned in closer, and that's when he saw it—a dragon, its serpentine body coiled and etched into the golden depths of his irises.
'What the fuck am I!?'
He staggered back, his reflection shifting with the movement. His hair, which had always been dark and unassuming, now shimmered in a vivid yellow hue, each strand radiating a faint glow. It was as if his head had been crowned with sunlight.
And his hands…
Rynan's gaze dropped, his breath catching as he turned his palms over. Both hands bore the intricate marks of a blue dragon, the lines almost alive as they seemed to pulse faintly with energy.
"What… what is happening to me?" he whispered.
His legs buckled, and he fell to the floor, his back hitting the wooden boards as he stared at the ceiling. The weight of the transformation—the impossibility of it—pressed down on him. His mind raced, desperate for answers, but nothing made sense.
Just as he tried to gather his thoughts, a searing pain erupted on the right side of his head.
"GRAAGH!"
His body convulsed as he clutched his skull with both hands, the pain so intense it felt like his head might split apart. His teeth clenched, and his vision blurred, but there was no escaping it.
'What… what is this?!'
It wasn't just pain. It was something more. Something deeper.
Images flashed through his mind—fractured, chaotic, and overwhelming. Knowledge flooded his brain, not in words or sentences, but in pure, raw understanding. It was as if the universe itself had been crammed into his mind, every law, every truth, every secret laid bare before him.
For five seconds, he knew everything. From the beginning, and the end, the truth and the lies, what everyone hated, what everyone needed, what everyone prayed, and what everyone wanted. He. Knew. Everything
Omniscience.
For five seconds, he held the power to shape, and destroy universes. He. Had. Everything.
Omnipotence.
For five seconds, he existed everywhere. In every universes, dimensions, parallel universes. He. Was. Everything.
Omnipresence.
The power surged through him, infinite and incomprehensible, but it wasn't a gift. It was a curse, an unbearable weight pressing down on every fiber of his being. His body screamed in protest, his mind teetering on the edge of collapse.
"GAAAGGGHH!!!"
Rynan thrashed on the floor, his hands gripping his head as if trying to hold himself together. The pain didn't stop—it only grew, tearing through him like wildfire.
He bit down his lower lip so hard, that it was bleeding. Trying to mute his cries. He couldn't let his parents hear. He couldn't let them see him like this.
'Keep it down… keep it…'
But the pain was relentless, consuming him entirely.
And then, as quickly as it had come, the power began to fade. The flood of knowledge receded, leaving only fragments behind. But those fragments… they were enough.
Three words burned themselves into his mind, etched so deeply he knew he'd never forget them.
Omniscience. Omnipotence. Omnipresence.
They weren't just concepts. They were him. They were made by him.
He lay there, gasping for breath, his body trembling as the last traces of the power ebbed away. Steam rose from his skin, filling the room with a faint hiss, but there were no burns. No marks. His body had endured the impossible, and somehow, it had survived.
But just as he thought it was over, a new pain struck—sharper, more focused, as if something was being branded into his very soul.
"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The scream tore from his throat, uncontrollable and raw. This time, there was no stopping it.
The house was filled by the force of his cry. Somewhere beyond his door, he heard footsteps—his parents rushing toward him, their voices calling out in alarm.
But Rynan barely noticed. He was drowning in the agony, his vision fading in and out as the final piece of knowledge seared itself into his mind.
Omni-State.
The words pulsed like a heartbeat, resonating deep within him. It wasn't just a term.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain stopped.
Rynan lay motionless, his body drenched in sweat, the steam still rising faintly from his skin. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as his mind struggled to process what had just happened.
"Rynan!" His mother's voice was muffled through the door, panic lacing her tone. "Are you okay? What's happening in there?"
He couldn't answer. Not yet.
His eyes drifted to the mirror once more. The glowing marks, the golden hair, the dragon in his eyes—they were fading, returning him back to his original state.
And in his mind, the words echoed again.
Omni-State.
It wasn't just a transformation. It wasn't just power.
He was a God.
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