The universe was silent. Not the peaceful silence of a calm night, but the suffocating stillness that follows catastrophe—where echoes dare not tread, and time itself holds its breath.
In the heart of an ancient void beyond galaxies, where stars had long since burned out and reality's fabric grew thin, he awoke. Not from sleep, but from non-existence.
Alexander Sterling had no memory of a past life, no recollection of beginnings. There was only awareness—a sharp, piercing consciousness floating amidst the darkness. Then, a voice—mechanical, ethereal, both distant and deafening—reverberated in his mind:
"Welcome, User. The Upgrade and World Travel System has been activated."
Data flooded his mind—not in words, but in pure understanding. Concepts of power, worlds layered atop worlds, systems of dominance, and the promise of eternity unfolded within him. He wasn't just alive; he was chosen.
Suddenly, light burst forth, blinding and absolute. The void collapsed inward, and Alexander's consciousness spiraled through an endless corridor of fractured realities—visions of apocalyptic wastelands, towering gods, caped crusaders, ancient myths, bustling cities, and wars spanning time itself.
Then, stillness.
He was in a room—sterile, clinical, bathed in harsh white light. Mirrors lined the walls, but they did not reflect him. Instead, they displayed versions of himself: a warrior drenched in blood under a crimson sky, a king on a golden throne, a titan standing amidst cosmic storms, a man in a sharp suit commanding empires with nothing but words.
In the center of the room hovered a simple panel:
[Status Window: Initialization Complete]
User: Alexander Sterling
Status: Undefined
Purpose: Eternal Ascendance
But one line blinked with urgency:
"Select Your First World."
Alexander stared, unblinking. This wasn't a choice. This was the beginning. The ripple that would become a tidal wave across existence itself.
He smiled—not out of arrogance, but anticipation.
"Let's begin."