Somewhere, deep within some twisted space in a corner of the Cosmos, sat an odd and old being.

It was made of flickering grey light, shaped in a vague humanoid body, with only two pearly white eyes adorning its face. It wasn’t breathing as such, yet the world around it was slightly trembling at a steady rhythm. Its body was small for a creature of its power, barely bigger than an average adult human.

Its eyes were looking in an apathetic way at the surroundings, a weird land made of grey mist, slightly darker than it. There were mountains and valleys visible, a passable mimicry of the most common lands in the Cosmos. The only different color visible was a glimmering river floating across the sky, quite far from the being.

As for the creature, it was sitting on the ground, silently thinking, one of its fingers softly tapping the mist below, which was trembling in harmony with the movement.

Aaaah… What should I do, now ? There isn’t much novelty to enjoy anymore… The songs of thousands of bards sound way too similar now, and seeing thousands of battles simply isn’t interesting anymore…

With a thought, its eyes focused on a corner of land, the mist twisting. Soon, a vision of a very different land was seen, revealing a bloody battle, a war between two kingdoms of beastmen, set in a grand grassland now tinted red. There weren't any sounds, yet it was easy to picture the enraged roars that should be echoing.

And the stare of the being focused on the two leaders, one standing at the frontline, covered in scars, slaying soldier after soldier even while his army was slowly pushed back, while the other was standing at the back of his army. He was smiling slightly, as he was occasionally barking what should be some orders. Meanwhile, a few steps behind him, a cat-type beastwoman was closing in, hidden by some unnatural shadow. The dagger in her hand was covered with a sickly looking green liquid.

A moment later, the vision dissipated, the land retaking its previous shape. A sigh echoed across the land.

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I always see it all. There might have been some tension at the start, but… Now ? It’s just so… So empty.

Then, its gaze fell upon the river across the sky, as its body somehow seemed to straighten, in a brief spurt of nervosity. It wasn’t afraid, not really, but it also knew that, while its power was unmatched, some natural phenomena were still beyond him.

And yet, the rhythm of its tapping increased, as it kept glancing at the sky, silently pondering. Finally, it stood up. Taking a single step, space seemed to bend, delivering it a few meters away from the river.

Instantly, the trembling of the world, so similar to a breath, was suppressed quite heavily, but it was hard to tell if it was voluntary or not.

Now that it was so close, a lot more could be clearly seen, as if a shroud had been pierced. The river wasn’t made of water as mortals would know it, but of a strange prismatic thing, seemingly a mix between liquid and gas. Within these waters were brief scenes of life, fleeting moments of love, passion and hate, all blended together in a huge flowing tapestry.

This spectacle was weirdly oppressing, as the air was filled with sheer power born from the endless quantity.

These were countless souls.

The being stared at the river, unmoving.

If I can see everything, then… Isn’t the best way to find novelty to change my viewpoint ? And yet, messing with the River of Souls could be dangerous, even to me. Had I been able to perceive my own soul, it would have been far easier… But this keeps staying out of my reach. If I’m honest with myself, this very well could be the opportunity that I need to do exactly that, however.

After debating with itself for a long time, the being finally moved, taking a few steps forward, stopping just shy of the water. It bent forward, its hand reaching for the content of the River, before stopping in a final burst of hesitation. The world around it trembled suddenly in a forceful way, before being suppressed ruthlessly anew, as its hand scooped a handful of Soul Water out of the River.

It wasn’t much, really, and yet Souls were a subject of mystery, something that even it couldn’t fully understand. Confident in its power, at least, the being took a step backward, sitting again where it was before. Then, it closed its eyes, fusing the Souls with itself.

Quickly, something deep inside resonated, before its mind faded away, unknown scenes from lives long gone taking its place, marking the start of a whole new type of journey for the one known in some worlds as the Peerless God.