The city faded.
Not like a sunset, not like curtains closing — but like ink being drawn out of paper, the lines bleeding and vanishing until there was nothing left but a horizonless dark.
Then the dark moved.
Shapes emerged from it — faint at first, then sharpening into impossible detail. Towers that floated sideways. Bridges arcing between clouds that were not clouds, but rivers of light. Massive structures of black crystal threaded with veins of molten gold, suspended in a void that wasn't empty at all, but alive with drifting constellations.
They didn't hang above a ground or beneath a sky; they simply existed, anchored by laws Kael didn't recognize.
"This," Lyra said beside him, "is the Throne Nexus."
The words carried weight. The kind of weight that made Kael's stomach knot, like hearing the name of a place from a childhood story and realizing it was real all along.
The First Glimpse
The Nexus wasn't one city, but thousands — layered, woven, folded into one another like origami that stretched across infinity. Some were wide and sprawling, others tiny and self-contained, all connected by shimmering causeways.
Ships — if they were ships — drifted between them. Some resembled gigantic mechanical fish with glowing fins. Others were crystalline spheres that blinked in and out of existence like skipping stones.
And in the center of it all rose the Throne Spire.
It was taller than sight, a single needle of black-gold stone piercing the fabric of the Nexus itself. From its crown radiated vast arcs of light that rippled across the surrounding cities like the northern lights, bending and refracting as they touched different layers of reality.
"That's… mine?" Kael asked before he could stop himself.
Lyra's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Technically. Functionally? No."
Kael frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your authority is currently at zero-point-one percent. You hold the title, but not the power. The Nexus recognizes you only as Provisional Sovereign until you unlock the Crown's full capacity."
She started walking toward the nearest causeway, her boots clicking against a surface that looked like glass but felt warm underfoot. Kael followed, his eyes dragging over every impossible structure they passed.
Entering the Nexus
As they stepped onto the first causeway, Kael noticed figures watching him.
Some were humanoid, some decidedly not — creatures of smoke, beings wrapped in metallic ribbons, tall entities with more eyes than made him comfortable. Their stares weren't openly hostile, but they carried the same assessing sharpness as a chess player evaluating a new opponent.
"They know who I am?" Kael asked quietly.
"They know what you are," Lyra corrected. "The position of King of the Universe has been vacant for… a considerable span. Many assumed it would remain so."
"Why was it vacant?"
She didn't look at him. "Because the last King was removed. Violently."
Kael decided not to push for details. Not yet.
The Hall of Arrival
The causeway ended at an archway of dark stone, its frame etched with symbols that glowed faintly at their approach. Passing through was like stepping through a thin film of water — cool, tingling, gone in an instant.
Beyond lay a vast hall.
The ceiling was so high it disappeared into shifting mist. Pillars of transparent crystal rose at irregular intervals, each one containing what looked like a frozen scene — a battlefield, a city street, a calm ocean. The floor was a mosaic of star maps, the tiles shifting subtly as if tracking the movement of entire galaxies.
At the far end, a dais rose in three broad steps. Upon it sat a chair carved from the same black-gold stone as the Throne Spire. It was massive, yet elegant — built not just to seat a ruler, but to define them.
Kael felt its pull instantly. Not a physical force, but something deeper, like gravity on his thoughts.
"That's the Seat of Dominion," Lyra said. "It will not recognize you until you are acknowledged by the Nexus Assembly."
"Which is…?"
"The governing council of the Nexus. Representatives of all recognized realms and dimensions. They will decide whether you are given provisional access to the Nexus infrastructure."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck. "So… job interview?"
Lyra's expression didn't change. "If your last job interviews included the possibility of assassination, yes."
The Assembly's Summons
A sound like a deep chime rolled through the hall, reverberating in Kael's bones.
From the mist above, six streams of light descended, coiling and twisting until they solidified into six distinct figures.
The first was a tall man in armor the color of embers, his hair a mane of flame. The second was a woman draped in robes made from flowing water, her face hidden beneath a silver veil. The third was an insectoid creature with a crystalline thorax and wings that refracted light into rainbows. The fourth was a being of pure shadow, its edges fraying like smoke in wind. The fifth was a massive, many-eyed serpent coiled in midair. The sixth… looked almost human, except their skin shimmered with a faint, metallic sheen and their gaze felt like it could slice stone.
Each of them wore a different sigil — not crowns, but symbols of office.
Lyra bowed slightly. "Provisional Sovereign Kael Ardent, I present the Nexus Assembly."
The serpent was the first to speak, its voice a deep rumble."We have heard of the Crown's awakening. Yet we see a mortal, not a monarch."
Kael fought the urge to step back. "That's… accurate. I didn't ask for this job."
The ember-armored man snorted. "Few worthy positions are asked for. The question is whether you can hold it."
The shadow-being drifted closer, its form whispering against itself."We remember the last King. He thought himself untouchable. The chaos of his fall still scars the Nexus."
The veiled woman's voice was calm, almost soothing. "We require proof, not just of strength, but of understanding. The Crown's wielder must see the whole weave of reality."
Kael swallowed. "And if I can't?"
The insectoid's wings flickered. "Then the position will be… reassigned."
Terms of Provisional Rule
Lyra stepped forward, addressing the Assembly. "The Provisional Sovereign has completed the First Trial and acquired a Law Fragment. By precedent, he is entitled to a probationary period of governance under Assembly oversight."
The ember-armored man folded his arms. "Very well. You have thirty cycles to prove you can manage a sector of the Infinite Realms without collapse. Fail, and the Crown returns to the Tower."
Kael's mind was already spinning. "What exactly does 'manage' mean in this context?"
The veiled woman answered. "You will inherit a fractured realm. You must restore it. Stability will be measured in accordance with Nexus Law."
"Fractured realm?"
"You will see soon enough," Lyra murmured.
The serpent's many eyes fixed on Kael. "Do not mistake this for mercy, little King. This is a test. You are being watched."
The Assembly's forms dissolved back into light, spiraling upward into the mist.
The Empty Throne
Kael turned to Lyra. "So… no actual throne-sitting today?"
"Not until you earn it," she said. "For now, you will be given quarters, a minimal staff, and access to the probationary realm."
"And that's supposed to prove I can run the universe?"
Her eyes flicked to him, unreadable. "The universe is made of realms. If you cannot hold one, you cannot hold all."
Kael looked back at the empty Seat of Dominion. The pull was still there, faint but insistent. He wondered how many had stood here before him — and how many had failed.
Departure
Lyra led him out of the Hall of Arrival and into one of the Nexus' transit platforms — a circular space with no walls, only a shimmering boundary where the air seemed thicker.
She tapped a sigil on her wrist. The platform lurched, then dropped. The motion wasn't physical so much as existential — like the floor beneath reality had just given way.
Below, Kael saw his destination.
It was a realm in pieces.
Fragments of land floated in a swirling void, connected by threads of light that looked frayed, ready to snap. Rivers spilled from broken cliffs into nothingness. Mountains hung sideways. Cities clung to the edges of shattered continents. And somewhere, deep within the chaos, a faint golden glow pulsed like a heartbeat.
Lyra's voice was steady. "Welcome to your first dominion, Provisional Sovereign. Restore it… or watch it die."
The platform slowed. Kael took a deep breath.
He'd never been a king. Never led anything more than a project team. And now… he was about to take charge of a dying world.
No pressure.