Lex stood in front of the mottled mirror, fiddling with his frayed tie, the fabric a reminder of countless memories. His face appeared haggard, and shadows framed his eyes, giving them a dulled, distant quality—a reflection of the grief that weighed heavy on his heart. "Today is the day," he murmured to himself, the words barely escaping his lips. Today, he would visit the cemetery to honor Ms. Mlinda, a gentle soul who had dedicated her life to nurturing the children at the orphanage where he had grown up. She had passed away just a few days ago, surrendering quietly to the relentless embrace of old age, leaving behind echoes of her kindness lingering in the hearts of those she had touched.
Ms. Mlinda had been one of the few people Lex truly regarded as family. From his earliest memories, she had been a steadfast presence, illuminating even his darkest moments with her unwavering support. With a nurturing spirit, she had guided him through the ups and downs of his education, helping him reach the university level despite his many academic struggles. Though he was only somewhat above average in his studies, her steadfast belief in him shone like a beacon of hope, illuminating paths he thought were closed to him. Her kindness was a relief to his spirit, always offering solace when he needed it most. The void her departure created in his heart felt insurmountable, for she was the only one who had ever truly cared for him. Now, in her absence, he grappled with an overwhelming sense of loss, longing for the warmth of her presence and the comfort of her unwavering support.
For the past two days, Lex had done little more than sit in silence, his heart heavy with mourning. The reality of her absence felt insurmountable, a void that consumed his thoughts and left him feeling adrift. Today, he and a few friends from the orphanage had gathered to hold a small but meaningful funeral in her honor. While they couldn't afford anything grand, they were determined to celebrate her life and legacy in the most heartfelt way they could muster. Each of them carried their memories, and together they aimed to create a moment of remembrance that would be etched in their hearts forever.
Lex stepped out of his modest apartment, the door creaking softly behind him. He walked to the road and raised a hand to hail a taxi, its bright yellow exterior gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. "To the city cemetery, please," he instructed the driver with a hint of sadness in his voice. As the car glided through the bustling streets, Lex gazed out the window, his mind swirling with thoughts and memories. The city moved past him in a vibrant blur, but he was lost in contemplation. He couldn't shake the memories of Ms. Mlinda from his mind—an inspiring figure whose quiet strength had left a deep impression on his heart. He pondered what she would think of their efforts on her behalf, hoping she would feel the pride and gratitude he felt for all she had done.
As they approached the cemetery, the ground trembled beneath them, shaking violently like a beast awakening from slumber. "What's happening?" Lex shouted, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the seat tightly. The taxi driver's eyes widened with panic, his hands instinctively tightening around the wheel as he fought to maintain control. But it was futile; the asphalt erupted beneath them, fissures spiderwebbing across the road as if the Earth itself was splitting apart. The car careened wildly off course, colliding with a massive truck in a cataclysmic crash that reverberated like thunder, drowning out all sound.
Lex felt the force of the impact as it slammed him forward, his body thrown like a ragdoll against the hard, unyielding surface in front of him. A searing, white-hot pain exploded through his chest and limbs as if every bone had been crushed and every nerve set on fire. His ears rang with a deafening roar, drowning out the chaos around him—screams, sharp and desperate, pierced the air, blending with the cacophony of shattering glass and the sickening crunch of metal twisting and folding in on itself. The world seemed to slow, yet everything was a blur.
Blood trickled down his forehead, warm and sticky, pooling in his eyebrows before dripping into his eyes. His vision swam, the world around him fracturing into jagged, indistinct shapes. He blinked, trying to clear the red haze, but the blood kept coming, mixing with the sweat and dust clinging to his skin. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, each one sending a fresh wave of agony through his ribs. He tried to move, to push himself up, but his body refused to obey. His arms felt like lead, his legs numb and unresponsive. Panic clawed at the edges of his mind, but he fought it down, forcing himself to focus.
"Don't fall asleep," he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "Stay awake. Stay awake." The words became a mantra, a lifeline he clung to as the darkness threatened to pull him under. His thoughts turned to the family he had always dreamed of; a wife with a kind smile, children with bright eyes, and laughter that filled every corner of a warm, welcoming home. He imagined holding his child for the first time, their tiny fingers wrapping around his, their laughter echoing in his ears. He wanted that more than anything. He wanted to give them the love and security he had never known, to shield them from the loneliness that had haunted him his entire life.
But dreams were just that—dreams. The pain was too much, a relentless tide pulling him deeper into its cold, unforgiving embrace. His vision darkened at the edges, the world shrinking to a narrow tunnel of fading light. The screams around him grew distant, muffled as if he were sinking underwater. His eyelids grew heavy, and no matter how hard he fought, they began to close. The last thing he felt was the warmth of his blood pooling beneath him, and the last thing he heard was the faint, fading echo of his voice, whispering, "Stay awake…"
Then, there was nothing. Only blackness.
When Lex opened his eyes, he wasn't in the wreckage anymore. The chaos, the pain, the screams—all of it was gone. Instead, he found himself floating, weightless as if the world had released its grip on him. Below, he could see the twisted remains of the car, its metal frame crumpled like paper. His body lay inside, broken and still, surrounded by shattered glass and pools of blood. The sight should have horrified him, but it didn't. It felt distant, like watching a scene from a movie.
A strange calm washed over him, quiet and heavy. It was as if all his emotions—fear, pain, regret—had been stripped away, leaving only a hollow stillness. He felt no panic, no sadness, not even relief. Just… nothing. He stared at his lifeless body, trying to make sense of what was happening, but his thoughts were slow, drifting like leaves on a calm lake.
Before he could fully process what was happening, he felt a sudden tug—an invisible force gripping him, pulling him away from the scene below. It wasn't gentle. It was relentless, like a current dragging him into the depths of an endless ocean. He tried to resist, to fight back, but it was useless. The force was too powerful, too absolute as if the universe itself had decided his fate and would not be denied.
The world around him dissolved into darkness, a void so vast and empty it felt like it stretched forever. He was moving, faster and faster, though he couldn't tell if he was falling or being pulled. There was no up, no down, no sense of direction, just the endless black and the feeling of being utterly powerless. The calm he had felt earlier began to crack, replaced by a growing unease. Where was he being taken? What was waiting for him at the end of this dark journey?
After what felt like an eternity, Lex awoke again in his soul form. He looked around and found himself surrounded by a spectacle of unparalleled brilliance. He floated above a vast ocean, but this was no ordinary ocean. The water shimmered with the colors of the stars. Nebulas swirled in the waves, and galaxies sparkled like jewels beneath the surface. Planets reflected in the water, making it look as though the sky had been flipped upside down.
"What… is this place?" Lex said aloud, his voice echoing. Cautiously, he stepped onto the surface of the ocean, finding that it supported his weight as if he had weight. The sensation was strange but not unpleasant. Curiosity got the better of him, and he reached down to touch the water. The moment his finger broke the surface, a rush of information flooded his mind. It was as if a million thoughts, images, and sounds were forced into his head all at once. He cried out in pain and tried to pull his hand back, but the ocean seemed to grab hold of him, dragging him into its depths.
Lex struggled vigorously, but there was no escaping the waves. As he sank deeper, he saw flashes of knowledge, things no human was meant to know. He saw the rules that governed the universe: gravity, time, energy, and matter. He saw how they connected, and how they worked together to create existence. It was overwhelming, but somehow…he understood it.
The deeper he descended into the ocean, the more profound his transformation became. His mortal body began to dissolve, melting away like mist in the morning sun, replaced by an ethereal form that defied understanding. His soul drank deeply from the ocean's boundless energy, and with each heartbeat, he felt his essence intertwine with the vastness around him. When the metamorphosis reached its zenith, he emerged from the water, suspended in mid-air, hovering effortlessly above its shimmering surface.
Lex gazed down at himself in awe, struggling to comprehend the wondrous being he had become. His body was now a translucent marvel, resembling fine crystal, with swirling energies akin to galaxies pulsating within him. Stars sparkled like distant dreams in his veins, illuminating his form with an otherworldly glow. He could no longer identify as human; he had transcended earthly limits, embodying the very fabric of the cosmos and no longer bound by his previous mortality.
He looked around and realized he was in the heart of something immense, a new universe. It was empty except for the ocean below him, but he could feel its endless potential. He had been reborn as the will of this universe, its creator and ruler
As he floated above the Origin Ocean, he began to notice things he had never seen before. He could see the laws and rules of reality, the chains that held everything together. Gravity, time, motion, and energy were all visible to him now, like glowing threads stretching across the universe.
He could hear sounds that resonated with his very soul, vibrations, and whispers that carried the secrets of existence. He realized he was no longer bound by the limitations of his old life. He could think in ways he never had before, contemplating infinite possibilities all at once.
His mind moved in dimensions beyond what he once thought unimaginable, now easily accessible to him. Sitting above the ocean, Lex contemplated his next steps. He now had the power to create stars, planets, and galaxies. He could shape this universe into anything he wanted.
In the vast, unending expanse of the universe, Lex stood alone, a solitary figure amidst the swirling void. The silence enveloped him, heavy and profound, while the emptiness felt almost like a weight on his heart. As he gazed into the infinite darkness, a deep sense of loneliness washed over him, a feeling that his fragile heart could hardly fathom. The universe, still in its nascent state, held the potential for so much beauty, but to Lex, it felt like a blank canvas marred by silence. The burden of solitude became too much to bear after some time and Lex realized that he longed for connection. Driven by this yearning, he decided to create beings—entities that would not only relieve his loneliness but also help him nurture the delicate balance of the cosmos.
With a deep breath, Lex extended his hand towards the Origin Ocean, a boundless reservoir of pure, unadulterated energy that lay at the heart of the universe. The Origin Energy shimmered and pulsed, responding to his will. He began to draw from this infinite-like Ocean, the energy flowed into him like a river of light. The process was slow, deliberate, and meticulous. Lex knew that the creation of such powerful entities required not just energy, but also fragments of the Origin Law itself—the fundamental principles that governed all of the universe.
As he worked, the universe remained eerily silent. Stars had yet to ignite, galaxies had yet to form, and the laws were still in their infancy. The only sound he could hear was the faint hum of Origin Energy as it coursed through Lex's being. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, each moment an eternity as Lex poured his essence into the creation of his cosmic entities.
The first to take shape was Timorath, the Timekeeper. Lex sculpted his form with great care, weaving strands of Origin Energy into a humanoid figure. Timorath's body was adorned with three majestic horns, each imbued with a unique aspect of time. The left horn glowed with a soft, blue light, capable of rewinding time. The middle horn pulsed with a steady, golden hue, able to stop time indefinitely. The right horn shimmered with a vibrant, red energy, capable of accelerating time by billions of times. Runes etched into his skin pulsed with power, each symbol representing a different facet of temporal manipulation. Lex infused Timorath with a fragment of the Origin Law, ensuring that he would be a steadfast guardian against those who might seek to disrupt the flow of time.
Next, Lex turned his attention to the creation of Vastoth, the Guardian of Space. He drew upon the Origin Ocean once more, this time shaping a colossal being that resembled a whale. Vastoth's body was vast, its single eye the size of a galaxy, glowing with an otherworldly light. Lex imbued Vastoth with the power to manipulate spatial dimensions, ensuring that the fabric of space would remain intact. The Origin Law fragment within Vastoth granted him dominion over the laws governing space, making him an unwavering sentinel against spatial anomalies.
The third entity to emerge was Kismetor, the Master of the Law of Destiny. Lex crafted a colossal bird, its feathers shimmering with the colors of the cosmos. Though smaller in stature compared to Timorath and Vastoth, Kismetor's power was no less formidable. Lex bestowed upon him the ability to oversee the threads of destiny, ensuring that each being's path was woven into the grand tapestry of existence. The fragment of the Origin Law within Kismetor allowed him to perceive and influence the intricate web of fate, guiding the universe towards its intended course.
As Lex immersed himself in his intricate work, he conjured seven additional entities, each embodying a fundamental law of existence: creation, destruction, duality, life and death, reincarnation, and cosmic order. They were not merely creations; each being was a masterpiece, meticulously sculpted with forms and powers that resonated deeply with the principles they represented. Lex infused each entity with a fragment of the elusive Origin Law, imbuing them with an essence that intertwined them with the very fabric of the universe. These beings were destined to stand as unwavering pillars of balance in the vast and uncharted expanse of the cosmos maintaining balance and order.
The process was arduous, spanning billions, perhaps trillions of years. The universe remained silent, a vast, empty expanse waiting for the touch of life. Lex worked tirelessly, his focus unwavering as he poured his essence into the creation of his cosmic entities. The Origin Energy flowed through him, a constant, unending stream that fueled his efforts.
As the final entities began to take shape, Lex experienced a profound sense of achievement. The universe, which had once been silent and void, was now somehow vibrant and full of life thanks to his creations. The cosmic entities stood majestically before him Lex understood that his act of creating was ongoing, but in that moment, he embraced a well-deserved pause. The universe now had a glimpse of balance, order, and limitless possibilities.