[202 BCE – Battlefield of Qin vs. Kan]
Thunder rumbled in the distance, a low growl swallowed by the screams of the dying.
The battlefield stretched endlessly—Qin warriors clashed against Kan forces, swords biting into flesh, spears piercing armor.
The ground, once dry and firm, had turned into a sludge of mud, blood, and shattered bones.
Among them, a lone commander stood tall, his armor drenched in crimson, his breathing steady despite the chaos.
Orion Ashvale.
Age: 24. Rank: 3,000-Man Commander of Qin. [Objective was to Crush the Kan defenders]
His fingers clenched the hilt of his saber, chipped but unbroken.
The weight of command pressed heavy on his shoulders, yet his mind remained clear. He had fought too many battles to falter now.
"Hold the line!" Orion roared, his voice cutting through the madness. "Break their center! Push forward!"
His men obeyed. Blades clashed. Shields shattered. Blood painted the earth.
Then—
The shift.
A presence. Faint, but undeniable.
Orion's instincts flared.
His gaze snapped toward the horizon, where a dark cloud loomed—but it was not made of rain.
A whisper echoed in the wind.
[Chronos' Throne Room [Time Castle] – Beyond Time]
The God of Time sat upon his throne, watching the battlefield unfold like a grand stage.
His violet eyes gleamed with something unreadable—curiosity, amusement… regret?
A whisper slithered through the void.
Flame of Life : "You have chosen him."
Chronos did not turn.
Chronos: "There was no choice."
The presence behind him pulsed, warping the very fabric of space.
Flame of Life : "He will die."
Chronos exhaled slowly. "Yes. As he always has."
Silence stretched.
Then—a flicker in the weave of time.
Chronos' gaze shifted. His lips curled into a whisper of a smirk.
Chronos: "But this time… I have a feeling that fate can be rewritten."
Orion's body moved before his mind could process it.
A blade aimed for his throat—he ducked.
A spear lunged for his ribs—he twisted, deflecting it with the edge of his saber.
His men fell around him, yet he carved forward, each strike precise, lethal. This was war. This was life.
Then—
A whistle.
His breath caught.
His eyes snapped up. A single arrow sliced through the air.
He knew, in that moment, it was his end.
SHNK!
The arrow pierced his forehead.
The world blurred. The battlefield faded.
And then—
Darkness.
Orion felt weightless, as if he were falling endlessly into an abyss. The battlefield, the war,
the screams of his dying men—all of it vanished.
Orion: "Am I… dead?"
The darkness was infinite. Cold. Empty. A void with no end.
Seconds? Minutes? Hours? There was no way to tell.
But then—something changed.
A force pulled him out.
A flash of crimson light. A feeling of solid ground beneath his feet.
Orion's eyes snapped open.
He was no longer on the battlefield.
Instead, he stood in a grand, ominous hall. The air was thick with an ancient power.
The walls were adorned with black-red banners, inscribed with unknown symbols that pulsed faintly, as if alive.
The floor beneath him was made of obsidian stone, cracked with glowing red veins.
At the very end of the hall…
An empty throne.
Made of black metal and red crystals, it stood like a relic of absolute authority.
Orion took a slow step forward, his voice barely above a whisper.
Orion: "Where… am I?"
His heartbeat pounded in his ears. His fingers twitched, expecting the weight of a sword—but he had nothing.
And yet, something about this place… felt familiar.
Why?
Who had brought him here?
And more importantly…
What was waiting for him now?
Suddenly the silence was shattered.
A tornado of shimmering particles erupted upon the empty throne.
The air crackled with raw energy as the swirling storm of gold, silver, and deep violet coalesced into a figure.
FWOOOOOSH!
When the storm settled, a man sat upon the throne—his posture effortless, regal, and terrifyingly composed.
One leg rested over the other, his hands lazily gripping the hilt of the throne as if it were his personal domain.
His presence alone felt like it warped reality itself.
Then, he spoke.
Chronos: "Welcome, mortal."
His voice was deep, smooth, and carried an undeniable weight of authority.
Chronos: "I, the Overlord of Universe 7—Chronos, the God of Time—welcome you into my castle."
Orion stiffened. His breath caught in his throat as his mind raced. A God? Here? Speaking to him?
He felt the pressure in the air—the sheer weight of the being in front of him. Yet, something in him refused to submit blindly.
His instincts, sharpened through years of war, whispered caution.
Orion clenched his fists, his expression unreadable. Then, after a deep breath, he spoke—his voice steady, but laced with doubt.
Orion: "Your Excellency… it is rude of me, but if I may ask…"
He narrowed his eyes, watching for a reaction.
Orion: "How do I believe you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
The flickering red veins in the obsidian floor dimmed, and the banners on the walls stilled, as if reality itself had paused to listen.
Chronos remained silent for a moment. His fingers tapped once on the hilt of the throne.
Then—
He laughed.
A deep, amused chuckle that carried both mockery and intrigue.
Chronos's chuckle echoed through the grand hall, his amusement lingering in the air like an unseen force.
Then, he stood up.
His presence, already immense, now felt colossal. The very fabric of the room seemed to bend around him as he casually raised his hand.
And then—
SNAP.
The throne room vanished.
Orion's breath caught as the ground beneath him ceased to exist.
His surroundings shifted instantly, and in an instant, he was floating in the cold abyss of space.
But this was not an empty void.
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted in the distance, consuming an entire warship in a sea of fire.
Everywhere Orion turned, the skies burned.
Thousands—of colossal starships clashed in an unfathomable war.
Beams of energy cut through the darkness, missiles exploded like miniature suns, and entire fleets were being obliterated in seconds.
The battlefield stretched across the endless horizon of the Milky Way, as if the very stars themselves were at war.
Orion's eyes widened in shock. His body felt frozen—not from the cold of space, but from the sheer scale of destruction before him.
Orion: "What… what is this!?"
He turned to Chronos, his voice filled with disbelief.
Orion: "Where… where have you brought me!?"
For the first time, Orion felt small. Even as a commander on the battlefield, he had never witnessed such an overwhelming display of war.
Chronos, ever composed, simply watched the chaos unfold before them with cold indifference.
Then, with a slight smirk, he finally spoke.
Chronos: "This, Orion… is the work of your kind."
Orion's heart pounded in his chest.
Chronos: "Humans. But not from your time—9000 years after your death."
Orion's mind reeled.
Nine. Thousand. Years.
The Qin Dynasty, the wars of his time, the empires he knew—all of it was dust and legend.
And yet, here they were. Humans, still fighting. Still waging war. Still destroying each other with weapons beyond his comprehension.
Orion: "Is this the future…?"
His voice was barely a whisper.
Chronos simply nodded, his violet eyes reflecting the destruction around them.
Chronos: "This is your Milky Way Star Field. A galaxy of endless war."
Orion clenched his fists. His head throbbed as he struggled to process the sheer insanity of what he was witnessing.
He looked around, expecting to be vaporized by the countless energy blasts streaking across space. But…
Nothing touched him.
None of the ships reacted to his presence. It was as if he wasn't even there.
He turned back to Chronos, his voice demanding answers.
Orion: "Why aren't they reacting to us!?"
Chronos sighed, shaking his head as if mildly disappointed.
Chronos: "Relax, mortal. We are merely observers. No one here can see us. No one here can touch us. To them, we do not exist."
Orion exhaled sharply, his heart still hammering in his chest.
But even as he calmed himself, one thought burned in his mind.
How did humanity fall to this?
And more importantly…
Why was Chronos showing him this?
The stars burned. The heavens raged with the clash of steel and energy.
The Milky Way was nothing more than a battlefield of its own destruction.
Orion's gaze was locked on the madness unfolding before him—a war beyond imagination.
And yet, one question burned in his mind.
He turned to Chronos, his eyes sharp.
Orion: "Why are you showing me this? What does this serve you for?"
Chronos remained silent for a moment. His violet eyes studied Orion, as if gauging his reaction. Then—
SNAP.
The universe shifted again.
When Orion's vision cleared, his breath was stolen from his lungs.
This was not war.
This was the end.
The once-vibrant Milky Way was unrecognizable.
The stars—dislocated, dying, torn from their systems.
The planets—shattered, reduced to drifting debris.
The warships—rusted husks, floating in eternal silence.
This was not a battlefield anymore. It was a graveyard.
The galaxy that once teemed with life was now nothing but cosmic ruins.
Orion's hands trembled as he took in the absolute void of existence.
He turned to Chronos, his voice quieter than ever.
Orion: "…What is this?"
Chronos, standing beside him, looked out over the remnants of what was once civilization. His voice was calm, almost… indifferent.
Chronos: "This is the fate of your kind, Orion."
A pause.
Chronos: "This is the Milky Way, 3.2 billion years after your death."
Orion's heartbeat stopped for a second.
He turned back to the lifeless abyss before him, his breath shallow.
Orion: "Humanity…?"
Chronos nodded, his gaze never leaving the ruins.
Chronos: "Went Extinct."
Orion's fists clenched. His jaw tightened. His body tensed as if bracing for an unseen force.
Chronos: "On this exact day…"
He looked at Orion, his expression unreadable.
Chronos: "Humanity ended itself. And went extinct."
Orion's breath came in ragged gasps. His fists trembled.
His body refused to move as his eyes remained locked onto the endless ruins of the galaxy.
No planets. No civilizations. No life.
This wasn't just a battlefield.
It was a tomb.
His mind screamed for an answer—some kind of explanation, some kind of hope.
And yet…
Orion: "No… no way… This can't be the end…!"
His voice cracked, laced with denial and desperation.
Chronos, standing beside him, simply sighed. There was no mockery in his tone, no amusement—just a cold, indifferent truth.
Chronos: "Now you've seen it."
Orion turned to him, his eyes burning with disbelief.
Orion: "Why? Why show me this? What does this mean?!"
For the first time, Chronos's gaze hardened.
Chronos: "Now… I will tell you the real reason I brought you here."
Chronos raised a single hand and gestured for Orion to step forward.
At first, Orion hesitated. But something—curiosity, fear, or maybe fate itself—compelled him to move.
He stepped closer.
Chronos reached out, placing a single finger on Orion's forehead.
The moment they made contact—
Orion's mind was ripped from his body.
The stars around him blurred into streaks of white. The ruins of the galaxy melted away. Space itself collapsed and reformed.
And suddenly—
He was falling.
Orion's body felt weightless.
There was nothing.
A true void. No stars. No planets. No time. No life.
It was an endless abyss of pure nothingness.
His breathing quickened.
Orion: "Where… am I?"
Then—
FWOOOSH.
A blue flame ignited beside him, flickering with an ethereal glow.
Unlike any fire Orion had ever seen, it burned without heat, dancing weightlessly in the emptiness.
Then, it spoke.
Flame of Life: "I am the Flame of Life. Under Sir Chronos's orders, I shall show you everything."
Orion's eyes widened.
Orion: "Show me… what?"
The flame pulsed, as if smiling.
Flame of Life: "This is approximately 14 billion years before your death. There was no universe. No worlds. No time. Nothing."
Orion barely had time to process that before—
BOOOOOOM!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted before him.
From absolute nothingness, a single point of light formed.
Then, in an instant—
A MASSIVE BLAST.
A wave of pure energy surged outward, carrying countless particles that streaked across the void like shooting stars.
Orion's eyes were blinded for a moment. His ears rang, even though there was no sound in space.
Orion: "What… the hell…?"
The Flame of Life flickered calmly as if this was nothing unusual.
Flame of Life: "This is the birth of everything. The moment the void gave way to existence. The beginning of the universe."
Orion's breath was stolen.
The particles, once scattered dust, began to form stars, galaxies, and worlds.
The universe was being built before his very eyes.
WHOOSH—
Time accelerated.
Orion could feel it.
The universe, once an explosive storm of raw energy, now rushed forward in a blinding cascade of creation.
The blue flame beside him flickered as galaxies spiraled into existence.
Countless stars ignited, their light piercing the cosmic darkness.
Massive nebulae swirled, painting the void with colors Orion had never imagined.
Then—a single bright cluster appeared.
The Solar System.
Flame of Life: "Nine billion years have passed since the Big Bang… and now, the Solar System is taking shape."
A vast cloud of dust and gas collapsed under its own gravity.
Orion watched in awe as fire and molten rock merged, twisted, and collided, forming a young, unstable planet.
Earth.
It was chaos. Volcanoes erupted, meteors rained, and storms raged across its forming surface.
Yet, as Orion stared at the violent creation of the world he once knew, something felt off.
Something was there.
Something unseen.
His eyes narrowed. It was faint. Almost invisible. But in the vast emptiness of space, Orion could sense it.
A strange energy flowed through the forming universe.
He turned sharply to the Flame of Life.
Orion: "What… is that?"
The Flame flickered, as if it was pleased by his perception.
Flame of Life: "That… is Qi Energy and Mana Energy."
Orion's heart skipped a beat.
Orion: "Qi… and Mana?"
Flame of Life: "Indeed. Approximately five billion years after the Big Bang,
these two primordial energies came into existence—forming the foundation of all supernatural power."
WHOOOOSH—
Time continued to accelerate, galaxies shifting, planets forming, and energy shaping the very fabric of reality.
1.5 billion more years passed.
Orion watched in awe as Earth, once a chaotic molten wasteland, transformed into a world teeming with potential.
The planet was now rich with Qi and Mana, its lands covered in vast oceans, its skies painted with swirling clouds.
Then—the first spark of life.
From the deepest waters, the tiniest microbial forms emerged, pulsing with faint traces of Qi and Mana.
Flame of Life: "Now, the Essence of Life has taken hold."
Orion remained silent, mesmerized. He had heard stories of creation before, but nothing like this.
And then, something even more shocking happened.
Qi and Mana did not limit themselves to Earth.
Instead, they spread to three other planets in the Solar System.
With Orion's enhanced perception, he saw it clearly—a system beyond just Earth.
Flame of Life : "Due to the World Principles formed by Qi and Mana, life was not limited to just one world."
Four planets—
Earth.
Mercury.
Venus.
Mars.
Life evolved and thrived on all four of them.
But one world stood out.
Orion's vision zoomed in on a glowing blue-green Mercury.
Unlike the burning wasteland he once knew, this was a world of oceans, mountains, and endless sky.
Among its strange forests, intelligent creatures took their first steps.
Then—something unprecedented happened.
Flame of Life : "On Mercury, the first life form to develop language emerged."
Orion's breath caught in his throat.
Orion: "Mercury… had intelligent life before Earth?"
Flame of Life: "Yes. The first civilization was not of Earth… but of Mercury."
For a moment, Orion couldn't speak.
Then, as time fast-forwarded further, another revelation struck.
Millions of years passed.
And then—on Earth, intelligence finally emerged.
A species developed language, an ability once unique to Mercury's life forms.
Now, two planets held civilizations capable of thought, speech, and knowledge.
Orion clenched his fists.
The universe he thought he knew… was nothing like the truth.
Orion stood frozen in the void, his eyes locked onto the cosmic display before him.
The Flame of Life flickered beside him, narrating the grand unfolding of creation itself.
Flame of Life: "When Earth was born. Like Mercury, Venus, and Mars, it possessed a Qi Core and a Mana Core, embedding it with unimaginable power."
Orion's breath hitched.
He looked down at the newborn Earth—its lands still forming, its oceans still raging. He could feel the energy radiating from its core.
And it was not alone.
Mercury pulsed with golden Qi, shining like a divine beacon.
Venus shimmered with dense Mana, its storms twisting in supernatural elegance.
Mars rumbled with raw, untamed power, its deserts glowing with heat.
The four planets were alive in a way Orion had never imagined.
Millions of years passed in a flash.
Life on Venus and Mars evolved further, reaching the intelligence level Mercury had already attained. (12.60 Billion Years After BB)
The first civilizations on all four planets were now complete.
Their people, their cultures, their languages—all flourished under the influence of Qi and Mana.
But then… something greater happened.
[The Awakening of Gods]
As Qi and Mana spread unchecked, the forces of nature themselves came alive.
Their forms rose from the elements, manifesting as beings of divine power—true gods, born from the very essence of the universe.
🔥 Light Came to Life - The Divine Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🔥 Fire Came to Life - The Flame Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🌑 Darkness Came to Life - The Demon Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🌪️ Sky Came to Life - The Sky Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
☁️ Clouds Came to Life - The Cloud Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🏔️ Mountains/Earth Came to Life - The Earth Gods/Titans [Each planet have its own Gods]
🌊 Sea Came to Life - The Sea Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
⚔️ Chaos Came to Life - The Monster Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🐉 Chaos Came to Life - The Dragon Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🦇 Chaos Came to Life - The Wyvren Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
🌳 Trees Came to Life - The Elven Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
💨 Wind Came to Life - The Wind Gods [Each planet have its own Gods]
Orion staggered back, trying to process it all.
Gods were not born from faith or worship.
They were born from the planet itself.
Each world had its own pantheon, its own gods, its own balance between Qi and Mana.
And yet…
There was a feeling of unease, Orion asked.
Orion: "If gods are born… does that mean they can die?"
The Flame of Life flickered in deep thought before responding.
Flame of Life: "That depends… on what kind of god they are… and who they are fighting."
Orion's eyes narrowed.
Flame of Life: "The gods you saw before—the Gods of Light, Darkness, Wind, Earth, Sea, Chaos, Dragons—those are merely Planetary Gods.
They were born from the essence of their respective worlds."
"But beyond them exist Galactic Gods, entities that embody the very forces governing entire galaxies."
"And above them all… exist the Universal Gods."
Orion's fists clenched.
This was far bigger than he imagined.
Flame of Life: "My master, Chronos, is a Universal God. He came into existence the moment Time itself came into existence."
"But… Time has always existed. It is a fundamental law of reality. That means… Chronos was never truly born."
"He was always there."
Orion staggered back.
The implications were insane.
A god that was never born? A being that simply was?
This wasn't just a powerful entity—this was something far beyond human comprehension.
Orion's mind raced.
If Universal Gods existed… how many were there?
If Chronos was the God of Time… what about other concepts?
He swallowed and asked the only question that mattered:
Orion: "How many Universal Gods exist?"
The Flame of Life burned brighter.
Flame of Life: "That… is a dangerous question."
The Flame of Life burned brighter as it continued its divine revelation.
Flame of Life: "Before I tell you how many Universal Gods exist, you must understand something."
Orion listened intently, his body tense with anticipation.
Flame of Life: "I was never born either."
Orion's eyes widened.
Flame of Life: "I am the Flame of Life. I manifest wherever life exists. And since Chronos—the God of Time—has always existed, so have I.
Life and Time are eternally intertwined."
The sheer weight of these words made Orion feel small.
These weren't just gods. These were primordial beings.
Flame of Life: "Now, listen carefully… There are exactly SEVEN Universal Gods."
The flame flickered, revealing their names one by one.
[The Seven Universal Gods]
🔹 1st – Chronos,1st God of Time (The Eternal Overlord of the Universe, the Keeper of Past, Present, and Future.)
🔹 2nd – Aion,2nd God of Space (The Infinite Expanse, the Guardian of Dimensions, the Weaver of Realms.)
🔹 3rd – Nyx,3rd God of the Void (The Endless Darkness, the Silent Observer, the Abyss Without End.)
🔹 4th – Luxis,4th God of Creation (The Divine Architect, the Forger of Stars, the Source of All Forms.)
🔹 5th – Vitae,5th God of Life (The Breather of Souls, the Guardian of Growth, the Spark of Existence.)
🔹 6th – Mortis,6th God of Death (The Final Judge, the Reaper of Ends, the One Who Waits at the End of All Things.)
🔹 7th – Kaos,7th God of Power/Chaos (The Unchained Fury, the Will of Destruction, the God Who Thrives in Anarchy.)
Orion stood frozen.
This knowledge… this truth…
To even know about the Universal Gods was an unimaginable honor.
But to have met one in person? To have stood before the 1st God of Time himself?
It was something no mortal in history had ever experienced.
Orion (thinking): "I… am truly nothing before them."
And yet… he was here.
Why?
TO BE CONTINUED.