Most do not know why or how the universe was created.

Many believe it to be a stroke of fortune or a birth from chaos.

But the universe was not born out of mere chance.

Instead, it emerged from necessity, driven by an instinct for survival.

Long before its creation, a strange green sphere hung in the void like a Christmas ornament. This sphere was a habitat for a peculiar form of existence, its surface teeming with life. Tiny plant-like creatures, known as Aetherroots, blanketed the sphere, their vines twisting and weaving into intricate patterns.

Beneath this vibrant surface lay a mysterious pool of still time, shimmering faintly like water. Within the sphere, the time funneled outward from its center, where an otherworldly river replenished the pool with fresh time.

This river was a small branch of a greater source. Far downstream, the colossal Past-Present River coursed through the vast void, carrying the waters of all past and present time as it flowed toward the Future Ocean.

For eons, the Aetherroots, the time pool, and the Past-Present River coexisted in a delicate equilibrium. But when this balance broke, its collapse brought disaster.

For reasons unknown, the Past-Present River began diverting more of its waters through the small branch that fed the Aetherroots' habitat, overwhelming the sphere’s once-still pool with chaotic currents.

The Aetherroots faced a life-and-death crisis. Unable to withstand the disruptive flow of time, they began to starve. One by one, they withered and died, their vines breaking apart and falling away from the sphere.

The cracks deepened until time erupted in a final surge, flinging fragments across the void like scattered seeds.

With their habitat in ruins the Aetherroots were on the verge of extinction.

The weakest died quickly, leaving only the strongest to adapt. However, the Past-Present River’s continuously diverting flow made evolution impossible, as its currents outpaced the time required for adaptation.

It seemed without a miracle they were certain to perish.

Luckily their salvation had been with them all along.

The sphere was covered in a strange, gray material formed from the remains of the Aetherroots' ancestors.

This material was called the Primordial Muscle.

Hardened by eons of exposure to the void, it had the remarkable ability to interact with the turbulent streams of time. With care and use, it became a protective shield where the surviving Aetherroots could thrive.

By flexing the Primordial Muscle, the Aetherroots learned to slow time’s relentless flow and endure its pressure.

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The Muscle’s purpose, however, went far beyond survival.

It became the foundation for the creation of the universe itself.

Acting as a vast canvas, the Muscle enabled reality to be "painted." When stimulated, it released bursts of energy that formed matter, colors, and shapes, which became the fundamental building blocks of the cosmos.

The Aetherroots quickly mastered the Muscle’s potential. By designing intricate "workouts" to stimulate and shape it, they learned to control the flow of time around themselves, using the Muscle to create mass and sustain their existence. Over millennia, their experimentation grew more sophisticated.

After constructing their first rudimentary bodies, they realized the Muscle held even greater potential. Together, they began creating intricate celestial bodies, refining their techniques and expanding the universe outward.

From these collaborative efforts, a new order emerged: the Olympians, beings of unparalleled power and mass, who would dominate the next age of existence.

Their emergence marked the Golden Age of Bodybuilding, an era of unchecked expansion and unprecedented growth. Like pioneers staking claims in a vast, untamed frontier, the Golden Age Cosmic Bodybuilders incorporated the Primordial Muscle into their own forms, sculpting impossible physiques of unfathomable mass.

Although the Muscle’s expansion persisted, the supply of unclaimed Primordial Muscle rapidly dwindled.

As the river of time was diverted from its natural path to the Future Ocean, the Cosmic Bodybuilders harnessed its flow like a hydroelectric dam, converting time’s energy into heat. This heat, once abundant and seemingly infinite, grew scarce as the streams were increasingly hoarded. The weak bodybuilders grew cold, and their lifeless bodies drifted through space as grim reminders of their inability to endure.

Seeking to reclaim lost opportunities, the Olympians divided the universe into ten rings. The innermost ring, closest to the Past-Present River’s source, enjoyed the strongest flow of time, while the outermost ring, near the Future Ocean, received the weakest.

To reignite growth, the Olympians erected an immense wall between the 6th and 7th layers, forcing time to thicken within the inner universe. This action temporarily revitalized the Golden Age within the inner universe, spurring a new wave of expansion.

However, this solution came at a great cost...

The beings in the 8th through 10th layers were devastated by these actions, cut off from the time flow and unable to generate enough heat to exercise the Primordial Muscle.

Far downstream, the Future Ocean stirred. Deprived of the Past-Present River’s flow, its waters evaporated, shrinking its surface and spawning rain clouds that reshaped the outer realm.

These clouds rained Blue Water, which seeped deeply into the Primordial Muscle.

Blue Water was both a blessing and a curse for the inhabitants of the outer universe. It had the unique ability to catalyze mass without requiring significant heat, allowing lower-realm beings to rejoin the pursuit of Cosmic Bodybuilding. However, its corrosive nature made it perilous. It eroded ancestral blueprints and genetic legacies, destabilizing the very essence of those who relied on it. Excessive use of Blue Water’s power often led to madness, pushing entire civilizations to the brink as bodybuilders incorporated the substance into their routines.

Despite these risks, many, desperate for change, willingly sacrificed themselves to seize this fleeting opportunity.

The ancient Aetherroots, once sustained by stagnant waters and teetering on the edge of extinction, had transformed their peril into unprecedented opportunity during the heights of the Golden Age. Now, as the pace of ascension slowed, the next generation could no longer endure the torment of returning stagnation.

A new age dawned, driven by beings yearning for transcendence. In this era, new heroes emerged, forged by necessity and tasked with reshaping a universe trapped in a self-created crisis. Bereft of the abundant opportunities of the past, these heroes lacked the luxuries their predecessors had enjoyed. Instead, they relied on everything at their disposal, carving a path forward through sheer willpower and determination.