PROLOGUE.

The Architect gazed upon The Realm, his thoughts focused in deep meditation on it's essence emanations.

He was running out of time; a concept that he would have considered impossible an immeasurable amount of time ago, before the aether network linked all the various realities together at the start of the games.

But immeasurable has become finite. The limitless has been restrained. This is the true function of quintessence; it's ability to impose value and with value, limits.

He focused on his greatest achievement; with its flawed yet perfect design.

The others covet The Realm's boundless potential and the game was simply a means for them to take it.

He wondered when his kin had become so covetous. When did this insidious emotion creep up on them or any emotion for that matter?

Not for the first time since the forging of the first realms did he ponder the purpose of the ancient template.

Containing an infinite number of essence patterns and the first sample of essence, it allowed the first of them to forge the first essence constructs and create the first realms. What was its purpose? Where did it come from? Was this path they were all on, part of some grand design that eluded beings of even their might and power?

He looked upon his work again, brimming with essence and flush with potentia. So much potential, but without proper direction that's all it will ever be.

And with "time" running out, and if proper measures weren't taken, the culmination of his efforts, spanning billions of years, would be for naught.

He focused his authority reaching into the Realm's center calling upon the Realm's core. "Votra Zel, attend me."

The soul of The Realm responded and focused on its maker.

"Yes Architect, my will is yours to command."

"Votra Zel, has there been any change? Has one with the potential to effectively turn the tide been found amongst the worlds?"

Votra Zel sighed, unhappy to disappoint its master, again.

"No great one. I know what you seek based on the parameters you provided.

But across The Realm, the probability of finding a single person much less a group of people with these attributes are close to zero. The Realm was not designed to account for such a possibility."

The Architect pondered for a while, he knew that things could not continue as they've always been. New perspective was needed or all his work would be destroyed.

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He gazed upon the realm of the mechanists, and knew that the possibility he sought was sufficiently expressed there, but his kin who ruled that realm were enemies in the game and among those who sought to control the rich essence of The Realm.

He had to take the risk, or else all would be lost.

He reached within the mechanist realm; the realm of his fiercest opponents. Taking advantage of the patterns he'd placed a long time ago within this rigid realm at its very founding, he moved unnoticed, seeking the ones that met his requirements.

His authority swept the length and breath of the universe; galaxy to galaxy, system to system, world to world. Even those sentients on artificial platforms, in aligned hyperspaces and interconnected dimensions were measured.

Most he found, while capable, lacked the innate mental flexibility, imagination and will to do what was necessary. He avoided the most advanced civilizations as they were most likely in league with their creators; the enemy's pawns in the game.

After sometime, he noticed a young world with a single moon and to his surprise, it brimmed with potential. He drew closer and moved over its surface.

Its people were technologically primitive compared to the rest of its universe.

However, a few individuals amongst them met all the requirements.

Given time, he was sure they would fall to the same lethargy and mental immutability that plagued much of this universe and he could even see signs of this inevitable decay.

But all he needed was one.

One with the willingness, strength, fortitude, intelligence and most importantly, the will to do what was necessary.

And suddenly he found him; one amongst a myriad number of alternates and possibilities, filled with potential and the sought after attributes but also something more, something he could not yet define.

Were the mechanists blind to such treasures? Did they not notice this potential? How could they let him and others like him go to waste?

But then he remembered, the mechanist did not perceive these identity generators the way he did, and it was this divergence in thought that led to their falling out eternities ago, their personalities shaped and locked in by their own creations. A gift but also a curse that plagued all his kind that chose the path of creation.

He could feel the aether connection here, how his realm touched this one. But due to the lack of free essence, his realm could only be glimpsed in this world through acts of great will and focus, in dreams, and through imagination.

But the planet already teetered on the brink. This world is stifled by corruption, pollution, disease and war, with the weak getting weaker and the strong evermore stronger.

Evidence of the lethargic disinterest that plagued most advanced worlds already evident across it's societies.

Next they would look to the stars to spread their discontent across their universe in the name of progress.

But time had very few restrictions for one of his ilk and he reached back into this planet's history. Saw them at the height of their babarity, and from there he pulled those few with potential and made the necessary causations to send them to The Realm.

He had to try, he had to bring the one to The Realm. But before he could take him, this world had to be prepared, he had to make sure that conditions were prime to forge the one he sought as the enemy might soon be aware of his trespass within their domain.

The future was in constant flux, but time was malleable and all his plans would be ready in mere moments. This was a risk and it was unlikely that multiple attempts to subvert this rigid order would go unnoticed.

When that happened, the mechanists would initiate protocols to seek the purpose of his incursion. And if they ever found out, all will be lost.

Regardless, the risk had to be taken, and although his actions could hasten the destruction of The Realm, the one must rise to end this stalemate, to disrupt the current configuration and if there was a chance; minuscule and uncertain as it was, for the good of his realm, it had to be taken.