The void shimmered like molten glass, infinite and pulsing with unknowable energies. Ethan stood—or rather, floated—at its center, his body lit by a faint inner glow. His mind, still reeling from Estrade's revelations, struggled to wrap itself around the sheer weight of what he'd heard.
He crossed his arms—a habit formed in years of trauma—and muttered, "So… I'm some cosmic fluke with a weird soul? Great. That doesn't exactly help me find the people I care about."
Estrade's voice returned, calm and vast, echoing like distant thunder rumbling through eternity.
"You misunderstand, Ethan. You are not a fluke. You are a variable—a deviation even I, the conscious memory of an ancient world, cannot fully predict."
"You are a Void Soul. Do you know what that truly means?"
Ethan narrowed his glowing red eyes, doubt flickering behind the eerie light.
"You said it resists corruption. Time. Whatever. Sounds like a cool label, but what does it actually do?"
A ripple of starlight pulsed through the void. Symbols—runic, alien, beautiful—spiraled around him in hues of black, violet, and silver, orbiting like planets awaiting his command.
"Void Souls are anomalies," Estrade intoned. "You do not fit the balance. You break it."
"You are neither creation nor destruction—you are resistance. Evolution under pressure. You adapt when others fall. Where the cosmos seeks order, you are the fracture line."
Ethan's gaze fell on one sigil in particular—a broken circle, cracked at the core, pulsing like a heartbeat. It radiated something both alien and… familiar.
He reached toward it slowly. "So… what now? Do I fight gods or something?"
Estrade's voice darkened slightly.
"You will face worse. Gods are simple compared to what lurks between realities."
The silence that followed was oppressive. Finally, Ethan spoke the question weighing most on his mind.
"Estrade… what am I supposed to do? And what is this 'Origin Energy'?"
The stars above them shifted. The void trembled with meaning.
"You stand at the threshold of cosmic rebirth," Estrade said. "The old cosmos has perished. In its wake, new laws emerge. From that chaos is born Origin Energy—the distilled force of stars, time, life… and death. It governs causality, gravity, memory—even fate itself."
Ethan frowned. "So… it's like the blueprint of reality?"
"Correct. But during cosmic reconstruction, even blueprints crack. And within those fractures, trials are born. All living beings must face them. And all must choose—destruction… or survival."
Three radiant spheres materialized before Ethan.
"Every being is born with three Origin Cores:
• Soul Origin Core — governs spirit and will.
• Essence Origin Core — governs energy and the laws of existence.
• Body Origin Core — governs flesh, strength, and endurance."
"Only one can be fully awakened. The three are not allies—they are rivals. To walk more than one path is to defy life itself."
Ethan's eyes darted between the glowing cores. "So nobody uses more than one?"
"Few awaken two. Fewer survive it. Most perish from the imbalance."
He clenched his fist, memories of Sasha, Alia, even Rick flashing through his mind. "And where does that leave me?"
A pause. Then:
"You are a Void Soul—a paradox. A vessel with no fixed structure. You are not born of any one core… but between them."
"You can adapt. Survive. Bend laws. Absorb forces that would annihilate others. But convergence comes at a cost. With training—and suffering—you may wield all three cores."
Ethan's breath hitched. "So I can master them?"
"Yes. But each step takes you closer to becoming something… not human."
A long silence stretched. Then Estrade's voice dropped to a grave tone:
"Know this, Ethan: the cosmos does not look kindly upon anomalies. Void Souls do not obey its rules. You will be hunted. Hated. Feared. And worst of all… alone."
Ethan's voice was barely a whisper. "Even before these trials… it feels like the cosmos already targeted me."
"It did," Estrade said. "Your life has already been a trial. A slow, cruel one. But what comes next… will be worse."
Ethan gave a bitter laugh. "Great. So I'm a disaster magnet."
Estrade paused. Then replied with surprising gentleness:
"You are not alone. The one who saved this world from destruction—my predecessor—left behind a path. An inheritance. For you. It is why Estrade still stands."
Ethan blinked. "Your… predecessor? Who was he?"
"I cannot say. His karma is too heavy for you to bear. But he left behind trials—for you. To determine if you are worthy of his legacy… or fated to perish, Void Soul or not."
Ethan shook his head slowly. "So… am I alive? Or dead?"
"Your body is intact. Protected. But your soul has entered this place for judgment. You have… disappeared from your hospital bed."
"This is not death. But it is not life either. It is between."
Ethan took a deep breath. "Alright. Then tell me—what are these trials? What do I have to do?"
"The trials will test your soul, your energy, and your body. Each success brings you closer to your potential. Each failure brings you closer to true death."
"As for your predecessor… when you are ready, you will know him. But not before. His power saved Estrade once. You may need to do it again."
Ethan's heart pounded. "Has the cosmic reconstruction already begun?"
"It began one million years ago. It will not be complete for another 3,000. Until then, Origin Energy remains unstable. Dangerous. But essential."
Ethan frowned. "So, we wait for 3,000 years to rebuild reality? Humanity may not even survive that long."
"That question… will be answered during your trials."
He stared into the void. "Then when do I start?"
Estrade's presence grew quieter—almost solemn.
"You may rest. One day. No more. Then your first trial will begin."
"Be prepared, Ethan Void Soul. For failure means more than death—it means erasure."