In a vast field of gray, dotted with multicolored orbs like stars ornamenting the sky, eight figures stood out.
If one were to try and describe them, words alone couldn't make it, for they were above any shapes, forms, or concepts.
Rather, they could be described as the Truth.
Eight separate Truths.
Each stood in sharp contrast to the others, while various worlds flowed before them, as if being in their presence was the utmost height that could be reached.
"Oh."
In this place where Time is worthless and Space is meaningless, where Fate is unbound and Destiny is but a neglected mistress. At the core of existence, at the origin of all that exists, where worlds are born like stars and die like embers. A surprised sound rang for those able to hear it.
"How many eons has it been since a mortal soul reached the Nexus…?"
Close to the fragment of a listless orb, to what was once a great and thriving world, a single, insignificant speck of dust floated, carried by the gray currents of Chaos.
"A survivor from a dying world, what a surprise! It would be such a waste to let it return to nothingness."
As the small soul drifted without aim, carried only by a lingering consciousness, without name nor memories, the surrounding chaos began to engulf it. As if unraveling threads, the soul began to disperse, yet its attention was not on itself, but on the infinity around it.
"Let's send it to an Apex World then. Who knows, it could end up taking that step."
With no boundary in sight, the whole picture was in front of it. It could feel the Chaos taking it in, dismantling what it once was with pain unending, but as the last bit of its soul remained, as the myriad worlds drifted around it, how could it take its sight from the Eight?
Harrowing yet beautiful, calming yet terrifying, within sight yet boundless.
As the last strand of its soul was about to return to nothingness, it heard a sound that filled its very existence before losing consciousness.
"Grow well, little seed."
As the wind whispered through the forest, leaves rustled and fell, gathering in swirls of crimson and gold. They formed a natural path leading to a quaint village, where the scent of burning wood mixed with the crisp autumn air.
Chimneys exhaled soft plumes of smoke, carrying warmth to the wooden homes nestled within the valley.
Inside one such home, a faint melody drifted through the air. A young woman sat by the window, her delicate fingers tracing gentle circles over her belly as she hummed a soothing tune.
Her hair cascaded in waves of obsidian, framing a face of ethereal beauty. Amethyst eyes, bright yet tinged with worry, softened as she looked down at her swollen belly. A small smile tugged at her lips, and her humming took on a cheerful lilt.
The door creaked open.
A tall figure stepped inside, his presence carrying the chill of the evening air. But the moment his eyes landed on her, the frost in his gaze melted into something warm.
He crossed the room in quiet steps, kneeling before her with practiced ease. His large hands, rough from years of battle, rested gently on her belly.
"My little wife," he murmured, his voice strong yet tender, "are you certain there are no issues? It's already been twelve months…"
Her laughter bubbled up like spring water, filling the space with lightness.
"Worry less, my dear," she teased, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "It's rare, but some pregnancies do take longer. It usually means the child has extraordinary talent in cultivation. So, if anything, you should be excited, you're going to have a prodigy for a son."
His smile grew, but a hint of skepticism danced in his grey eyes as he leaned in.
"Oh? And how are you so sure it's a boy?" he mused, raising a brow. "You didn't peek, did you? You know using spiritual sense on the baby could affect the forming soul."
She scoffed, flicking his forehead lightly.
"With how lively he is? After all the kicks he's given me, I don't need to use my spiritual sense to know."
He chuckled, eyes glinting with playful challenge.
"Want to bet on it?"
Her grin widened. "Oh? Are you looking to lose?"
"Don't be so sure," he shot back, smirking. "Alright, let's make it interesting, if you're right, you name him. If I'm right, I name her. Deal?"
She pretended to think for a moment, then laughed, stretching out her hand.
"Deal."
Their palms met in a soft clap, sealing the bet with a shared smile.
, ----
At the same time, within the warmth of his mother's womb, a small being finally began to settle. His faint consciousness, once adrift in the void, slowly stirred.
A flicker of awareness.
For the first time, he felt, the gentle pulse of life surrounding him, the rhythmic beat of a distant heart, the quiet murmur of voices just beyond his reach.
Yet, though he was alive, something lingered at the edge of his mind. A question. A memory. A sense of loss.
Who was he? What was he before this?
The answers remained elusive, swallowed by the fog of his newborn mind. Only faint echoes remained, curiosity, despair, acceptance, shock, joy. A storm of emotions with no clear origin.
And then, a vision.
It struck him like a brand upon his soul, an unforgettable scene seared into his very existence.
An expanse beyond imagination. Infinite worlds suspended in the void. And at the heart of it all, Unfathomable Beings, presiding over creation itself.
Pain erupted in his fragile mind.
A crushing, suffocating pressure bore down on his thoughts, too vast, too overwhelming for his tender consciousness to bear. His small body trembled within the womb, his soul barely holding firm, the only thing allowing him to endure was the nurturing warmth of his mother, a presence that shielded him, though even she could not fully dispel the agony.
And so, as the pain became unbearable, darkness claimed him once more.
Sleep. Wake. See. Suffer. Sleep again.
Each time he awoke, the image returned. Each time, the pain followed.
At first, the vision was blurry, like gazing through a fogged mirror. But with each awakening, the details sharpened, growing clearer, more distinct, more real.
And the pain, oh, the pain, remained just as merciless.
Yet, he could not stop himself from looking. It was the only thing that existed within his mind, the only thing that tethered him to whatever he had once been.
So he endured. Again. And again. And again.
Until, at last, the day came when he saw it all.
The vision formed one final time.
But this time, there was no pain.
His world shuddered. A strange, foreign tremor rippled through his surroundings, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
Something was changing.
The warmth that had always cradled him began to shift, its comforting embrace growing tight, restrictive, unyielding.
The pressure around him increased, squeezing his small body, forcing him forward. He tried to resist, but it was futile, his world was collapsing, pushing him out, forcing him into the unknown.
The warmth faded. The gentle pulse of safety vanished.
And then, cold.
For the first time, air rushed into his lungs, sharp and unrelenting. He gasped, his tiny body trembling as the sudden exposure overwhelmed his senses.
A cry tore from his throat, raw, instinctive, the first sound he had ever made.
And in that moment, he was no longer just a soul drifting between worlds.
He was alive.