In the beginning, there was only the Primordial Black.
It is not a place but an absolute state of being—a dimension beyond dimensions, a void that is also a source.
All things begin in its fathomless depths, and to it, all things must one day return.
It is the beginning and the end, the infinite wellspring from which all of creation draws its life.
The denizens of the Primordial Black are strange, ethereal beings that whisper of a single, unifying truth: the worlds are not real. They are but fleeting thoughts, ephemeral fantasies, and different dreams dreamt by an unknown, slumbering entity. Each world is a single, beautiful, or terrifying moment in the boundless subconscious of this being, a grand tapestry of light woven from nothingness.
The Primordial Black itself is not empty. It is a roiling, chaotic sea of raw precursor emotions.
When a new world is born from its depths, these emotions seep into its nascent fabric in their pure and untainted form.
There, they are molded, twisted, and mixed with the experiences of the world's inhabitants. They become the passions of a warrior, the sorrow of a lost lover, the ambition of a king, or the greed of a merchant.
When a world concludes its cycle and collapses back into the Black, these now-molded emotions seep back with it.
Most dissolve back into the chaotic sea, a momentary flash of complexity before being undone.
But a select few gain sentience. They become spirits, nascent beings, and begin a new, terrible journey.
These newly sentient beings are cast into a brutal existence, floating in the endless darkness.
Survival is a constant battle.
Most are consumed by a primal hunger. They feed on other nascent beings.
Consuming other beings is the quickest way to grow in power.
However, it is not just hunger for growth but longing for survival as well; for the more powerful one becomes, the lower will be the number of beings trying to attack it.
But it is a double-edged sword; most beings do not realize it at the nascent stage.
The more they consume others, the more their aura changes, making them more detectable in the void.
It is like declaring themselves as a threat, which makes their survival indeed harder.
These brutal growths will often twist them, if they survive long enough.
If they grow strong enough to survive this brutal, predatory cycle, they typically emerge as more aggressive, negative higher beings.
Then there are some others who take a different path.
They chose to float and save themselves from the chaos of others, growing in strength through careful isolation and introspection.
If they survive long enough, they may emerge as more positive, benevolent, higher beings.
Then there are many who try a middle path, balancing both paths.
They avoid predation as much as possible, or sometimes they stop predation when they realize it is more trouble than being useful.
They are usually most cunning.
Because of this constant and ferocious consumption, it is a rare and monumental event for a being to grow powerful enough to bend reality to its will.
They become the divine and the demonic, the mythical forces that shape the fates of worlds.
For some unwritten rules, none of these beings are allowed to interact with the beings of various dimensions directly, unless it is a dire need, and still the cost is high.
Many a time they can get bound to the dimension, losing a great share of their primordial essence and power, and eventually dissipating with that world.
However, benevolent beings are still more welcome to access the various worlds.
Maybetheir nonviolent origin doesn't trigger the natural defense system of the dimension and lets them interact with greater independence than the demonic beings, who are often more resisted by the natural defense until they can twist the world to be more similar to their nature so they can have better access.
All the new worlds are just like simulation games for these beings in Primordial Black, providing them with endless forms of entertainment.
Azal'gul was one such being.
He was the remnant of a world that was consumed by greed.
At first, due to his nature, he kept on consuming other beings in the Black in greed for power.
However, he quickly realized it was not a sustainable and safe way for growth, and so he started laying low, trying to grow naturally.
He tried to process all the energies of his origin dimension, learning and channelizing them to fuel his growth.
And eventually he grew as the Prince of Greed, the Gilded Sovereign, and the Opulent Tyrant.
He was not ancient in the way of his elder brethren, having existed for less than 100,000 years.
He was a young daemon, born from a more recent cycle, and yet, with his wisdom and cunning, he had already begun to carve his own domain from the dreams of the Unknown God.
Concepts like "good" and "evil" as defined by the morality of lower beings were largely alien to him, like most other beings.
However, although called a demon, he didn't actively seek to cause suffering, but he's also indifferent to it if it serves a purpose.
He saw humans as beings of immense potential, capable of great feats of creation and destruction in their pursuit of what they want.
He was the demon of constant expansion of influence and resources. Stagnation was anathema to him.
Lorian's World was the first world he could access to exert his influence.
For that purpose, in that world, he sought to identify and nurture individuals with exceptional potential, regardless of their morality.
He valued efficiency, ambition, and the drive to excel.
He was seeking out individuals who could act as his agents in the mortal world, powerful figures who could further his goals.
He didn't 'own' their souls, but he forged a powerful bond of mutual benefit.
And that's when Lorian caught his attention, especially as superior, elder beings were seen gambling on his life and effect on this world.
The Prince of Greed instantly recognized Lorian's intelligence, ambition, and resourcefulness. He had seen in him a potential agent of change, someone who could navigate the complexities of the mortal world and achieve great things.
And at that moment he had chosen Lorian as his champion in this new world.
Being a demonic being of a lower power, his actions were still not detected by the higher beings.
And Azal'gul wanted to maintain his low profile as much as possible, as long as possible, in his bid to gain and expand power and influence, which was his primary motivation.
He saw the mortal realm as a vast, untapped resource, and he wanted to be the one to shape its potential.
And Lorian was going to be his champion.
It was not going to be a master-slave relationship.
It was going to be a partnership, a symbiotic relationship.