Lucien stood atop a nascent peak of crystalline rock, the first universe of the new void sprawling beneath him. Light from newborn suns fractured across rivers of starlight, painting the cosmos with patterns that were alive, moving with intention.
He closed his eyes for a heartbeat, letting the pulse of the void reach him. It wasn't just creation—it was recognition. The void itself seemed to breathe around him, resonating with his presence.
"This place… deserves a name," Lucien said quietly, almost reverently.
He opened his eyes, letting the abyssal glow of his sight sweep across the void, feeling its laws intertwine, its lifeform stirring in anticipation.
"From this moment forward," he declared, voice carrying without effort, echoing across all planes of this new creation, "this realm shall be called Aetherys. Aether for the life it will nurture, and rys, a symbol of growth, of branches extending into infinity."
Lucien turned to the being that had first acknowledged him. Its translucent form shimmered, threads of light flowing like living rivers through its skin. It had observed him, learned, and grown in the brief span since its awakening.
"And you," Lucien said, kneeling slightly so he could meet its gaze, "you are no longer just a child of this void. You are its steward, its firstborn."
The creature tilted its head, resonating softly. Lucien smiled faintly.
"You shall be called Kaelaris Nyr'then. Kaelaris—for the brilliance of stars and guidance; Nyr'then, to mark the lineage of creation itself, to signify your connection to this multiverse. You will oversee it, guide it, and ensure the harmony of life and law within Aetherys."
The being's form rippled with what could only be called excitement—or maybe understanding. With a simple wave of its hand, it reached out, touching the constellations scattered across one of the new universes. Lights shifted, stars aligning into patterns that were intentional, ordered. It wasn't just decoration; these were instructions, potential paths, and markers for life yet to come.
Lucien watched, his smile broadening slightly. "Good. That is your purpose, Kaelaris. And remember—though you oversee, you are never separate from it. You are of the void as it is of you."
The being knelt once, its energy radiating outward. Lucien could sense the laws themselves bending slightly to accommodate this new steward, molding the multiverse subtly under its careful guidance.
"From here on," Lucien murmured, "Aetherys will grow. Under you, Kaelaris, its children will flourish. And perhaps one day, they will stretch their own branches into realms even I have not touched."
Kaelaris raised its arms, constellations spinning around it like a miniature cosmos under its control. Lucien nodded once, satisfied.
The new void was alive. Its first life had a name, a purpose, and a lineage. And for the first time in eons, Lucien felt the quiet satisfaction of a universe starting exactly as it should.