Since time immemorial, the heavens were always portrayed to be the abode of the entities who were standing at the peak of the universe—the consummate beings of all-encompassing power, the rulers of everything beneath them, and whose displeasure should never be provoked.

People revered them by different names, gods, divinities, supreme beings, sovereigns, and many more. But one this is common among all of them: these were entities whose existence cannot possibly be fathomed by mere mortals.

As time went by, the world was united and peaceful because of the deterrence called gods, not wanting to invoke the wrath of these figures whose powers were rumored to be able to crush mountains just by standing on top of it, sunder the skies with just a swipe of their hands, engulf the world into a sea of flames with just a snap of a finger, and annihilate all existences beneath them in a blink of an eye...

But time proved that human beings were flawed; it is their nature.

As countless years have passed, some people began to doubt the existences they worshiped, arguing that if they were indeed true, how come no one has ever seen them? "To see is to believe," as they say.

Of course, this was greatly criticized by the majority and did not manage to shake the foundations of their very belief. But this sowed doubt into the minds of every people, like a corrosive acid that slowly deteriorates the foundations of what they believe in.

And to prove this right, conflicts escalated from simple day-to-day problems into brutal wars against believers and non-believers. The stench of rusty metal permeated the air, gallons of blood dyed the once fertile and green lands into blood-soaked wastelands, screams and cries of agonies filled the air. It was utter chaos...

But, as the war was about to reach its crescendo, mysterious creatures suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And as these creatures joined in the war, the disparity of strength was too great to overcome. Humans were brutally massacred to the point that it threatened the survival of their species. Humans believed that this was divine retribution from the heavens because they were sullying the existence of these entities by making them the reason for this bloodshed.

Which the humans were correct.

Somewhere in the vast and limitless part of the universe, the cold and aloof gods were watching this all happen as if it was for entertainment. And it so happens that it displeased them to observe these insignificant, lowlife mortals sully their existences by using them as an impetus to start their worthless mortal conflict. So, as punishment and to make things more entertaining, these beings sent out mysterious creatures to join in the mortal's war.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

But at this point, when the human species were on the brink of extinction, humans possessing powers on par with the mysterious beasts suddenly appeared one by one within their ranks. They were called Immortals—people who had powers surpassing the limits of the mortal body. Of course, this was also given by the gods to humans because it would be boring to see a one-sided battle.

With the support of the Immortals, the humans were able to change the flow of the tides and push forward, no longer on the passive side of defending. And after many years of bloodshed, the forces of humanity won—with only a few beasts remaining, who managed to flee, isolating themselves away from the world.

Seeing the battle reach its curtain call, the gods were not displeased with the results because they did not care who would win in the first place. Their only goal was to punish the mortals who sully their existence. And whoever comes out alive was no longer their concern. These entities did not even bother to erase their existences because of fear that the 'blessings' they gave to the mortals would someday backfire on them. To them, it was impossible and incredulous to think about such a possibility. Besides, how could a mere creation surpass the creator?

As several years passed on earth, the world once again stabilized and recovered from the devastating clash that happened years ago.

When the war ended, both opposing forces of humanity—the believers and non-believers—came to an agreement to set aside their differences in order to prevent another catastrophe befalling the human race. At this point, after experiencing The Great War that transpired several years ago, people no longer doubted the existence of higher beings.

And born from that agreement, the world flourished, and then came the era of Immortals when people began to wonder,

"Is it possible to reach the realms of gods?"

Ignited by their desire, countless immortals started to seek and strive for their own destinies in hopes of reaching the peak they sought after.

Years later, countless powerful immortals emerged from the world. Some became royalties, a part of the nobility, commanders of the army, while some lived a life of isolation and became crouching tigers, hidden dragons, and many more.

But one thing common among them is that none have yet to see the shadows of the peak they were searching for…

When the gods saw the futile attempts of mortals to climb the 'mountain' they were on top of, roars of laughter echoed throughout the universe. It was as if they were seeing an ant trying to eat an elephant.

But never did they know that a thousand years later, a birth that was deemed to be a mistake by the heavens, who possesses destiny that caused the whole earth to shake and even rattle the very foundations of the cold and aloof gods, would be born.

And after barely defeating that one figure in a heavenly-shaking battle, who rattled their foundations and caused fear to bloom within the hearts of the gods, the gods immediately cast a great curse—by sacrificing a very large cost—that any birth that would be deemed by the heavens as someone who is of equal existence with that figure, their destinies would immediately be shackled, making it tremendously and inexplicably difficult—almost impossible—to climb the peak that Immortals sought for...