In the beginning, there was nothing. Endless void, nothingness, eternal.

Then came light, great and terrible, and from light, all things were born.

Its essence divided, from one to five, forming the four elements, leaving behind only a shadow of its transcendental nature.

For eons this continued, the four elements becoming stronger, until the primal light was no more.

Then from the four elements, came the sixteen constituents. The first fire became flame, plasma, lightning, merging with the other elements and dividing its nature, until the four primal elements were no more.

The 64 fundamental, the 128 cores, again and again the universe evolved. From homogeneity to heterogeneity, the world became more complex, and less extreme.

Then one day, life was born. As if a switch had been flicked, life became possible, and in the seconds that followed, countless beings were born across the universe.

This was the universe's golden age, with civilisation spanning galaxies, emperors wielding the power of stars, a world where anything and everything was possible.

Yet as the universe continuously evolved, continuously becoming more complex, the birth of lifeforms became harder and harder. No longer could any stone or cloud gain sentience, no longer could billions of species emerge or go extinct in the span of seconds.

Slowly, life died out, unable to survive in this changing world, and civilization became rare. Empires fell, knowledge was lost, powerhouses died. Time passed inexorably, and the dazzling light of civilization became a dim brilliance, scattered across the universe.

Yet even as the world evolved, leaving the primal light further and further behind, some of these ancient beings remained, wandering aimlessly in the endless void, resisting change. Their very nature was alien to the current universe, yet their illogical form persisted, held together by the sheer force of their will.

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Asper was one of those timeless titans, yet even he knew his time was coming to an end.

He felt the call of the void grow stronger with each passing year, the irresistible yearning to lay his weary body to rest and let it finally become something new.

He feared that call, the knowledge that he would become nothingness, that his spirit would dissolve back into the void, and no trace of his existence would remain. He couldn't accept that, and wouldn't. If he had failed, if he couldn't live, then he would instruct one that would.

His mind made, Asper cast his gaze towards the nearest inhabited planet, determined to nurture someone who would transcend, bringing back the glory of the primal light.

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Staggering out of the smoke filled room, her sight blurry from the powerful plant extracts she had just inhaled, Dianna bowed deeply in front of the Goddesses statue.

She found it hard to walk straight, much less draw a perfect circle or complicated runes, but only this way would her mind be open, able to hear the divine revelations despite her usual blindness to the mystical world.

Finally, after a few tries, having used a copious amount of animal blood, she lit the seven ceremonial candles, knelt in the middle of the glyph and bowed in the direction of the Goddess.

Fighting to keep her voice clear, carefully enunciate every syllable, she chanted a series of well rehearsed sentences.

“O great Athena, mistress of War and Wisdom, take pity on your faithful servant, and enlighten her to your infinite wisdom.”

Yet as she spoke, she felt light headed, losing her balance and barely avoiding falling over. Unfortunately her uncontrolled movement made a candle fall with an ominous clang. And as she stayed frozen, not knowing whether she should stand up and put the candle back in its place, or ignore it and stay kneeling to display her humility, profusely apologizing to the goddess for her clumsiness, she heard an ancient, terrifying voice.

“Greetings, Little One. You wish for Wisdom, and I have come. Rejoice, for your dreams have become reality.”

This was all Dianna managed to hear before her headache became too much to bear, and she surrendered to the call of unconsciousness.