The town was unnervingly quiet.

The kind of silence that felt alive, pressing against the ears, heavy with the absence of sound.

Streets that should have bustled with life were void of movement.

No laughter of children, no chatter of merchants, not even the distant bark of a stray dog.

Just an oppressive, eerie calm.

In the heart of the town stood a single man, Selven, his figure bathed in the soft light filtering through the empty streets.

He stood motionless, gazing at a weathered stone statue as though lost in thought.

The statue was ancient, its features worn smooth, but it exuded a sense of timeless power.

I stepped closer, my patience fraying, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on me.

"Who are you?" I lashed out, my voice breaking the stillness like a shattering glass. "What do you want from me?"

Selven remained silent, his gaze never leaving the statue.

"Who was that being?" I shouted again, my anger bubbling over. "Answer me!"

At last, he turned to face me, his expression calm, unbothered by my rage.

"Calm yourself first," he said, his tone even but commanding. "I will answer your questions—one by one."

I clenched my fists, my instincts screaming to press him further, but something in his demeanor made me stop.

I took a deep breath and nodded, albeit grudgingly.

Selven smiled faintly.

"Good. Then let us begin. But first, you must understand the creation of this universe. Only then will you comprehend your place in it."

His words stilled me.

Something in the way he spoke carried a weight far beyond mere storytelling.

He gestured at the empty air, and suddenly, it was as if the town dissolved around us.

Stars filled the void, distant and cold, and the air thrummed with an unseen energy.

His voice, deep and resonant, carried across this cosmic expanse.

"At the beginning, there was nothing. Just an endless void of darkness—silent, still, infinite. For eons, this darkness existed, untouched and unchallenged. Then, without warning, a spark erupted—a blinding light that tore through the void. This was the First Light, The Origin of all things and the Supreme Creator."

I felt the words vibrate through me, as though he wasn’t just speaking but unraveling truths hidden in the marrow of my being.

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Selven continued, his voice steady but reverent.

"The Creator shaped existence from that light. He brought forth thirteen Worldlines, each a vast realm brimming with its own unique essence, arranged in a circle around a central axis—an anchor for them all. This axis was suffused with an energy that flowed through every realm: Worldly Energy. A perfect balance of forces—lifeforce, gravity, nuclear power, mana, and countless others. The lifeblood of existence."

His hand swept through the stars, and they rearranged themselves into a pattern—a circle of worlds, each glowing faintly, and a radiant core pulsing at the center.

"But the Creator’s work was not yet complete," Selven said, his voice growing softer. "He knew these worlds needed caretakers. Beings to nurture them, to govern their cycles of life and death. So, from the remnants of the primordial void, he crafted the first of these beings: Abyss."

At the mention of that name, a chill ran down my spine.

It was unfamiliar, yet it resonated deeply within me, stirring something I couldn’t quite grasp.

"Abyss," Selven continued, "was born of darkness, imbued with the power of death, destruction, and shadows. He was the harbinger of endings, a force to ensure the balance of all things."

The void around us shifted, and I saw a figure form—a vast, shadowy presence, its edges blurring into the darkness.

It was immense, commanding, and terrifyingly beautiful.

"The second being," Selven said, his tone softening, "was crafted from the Creator's own light. A being of life, creation, and brilliance. This was Lucarux."

As he spoke, another figure took shape—this one radiant and blinding, its very presence suffusing the void with warmth.

Where Abyss was darkness incarnate, Lucarux was its antithesis, their existence a delicate harmony.

"Together, these two were meant to safeguard the Creator’s design," Selven said, his gaze fixed on the figures before us.

"Abyss to guide endings and destruction, and Lucarux to nurture beginnings and creation. They were siblings of sorts, their fates intertwined."

I couldn’t speak.

The sheer weight of the story, the enormity of what he was revealing, left me breathless.

But one question burned in my mind.

"What does this have to do with me?" I finally managed to ask, my voice trembling.

Selven turned back to me, his piercing gaze like a storm held at bay.

"Everything," he said, his voice calm yet heavy with an unspoken weight.

"What? What do you mean?" I stammered, the words barely forming as a strange unease coiled in my chest.

He raised a hand, silencing me with a simple gesture.

"Let me finish first."

I swallowed my rising questions and nodded, forcing myself to remain calm, though my instincts screamed otherwise.

"Lucarux," Selven began, his voice steady and deliberate, "created beings to aid him in his task of creation, entities of light and life to shape and nurture existence. Abyss, his counterpart, did the same—but his creations served a different purpose. Thirteen demons, each embodying destruction, were forged to enact his will and maintain balance through endings."

Something clicked in my mind—a memory I hadn’t thought much of until now.

"Krothe," I muttered under my breath.

Selven’s sharp eyes flicked to me, catching my murmured words.

"Yes, your companion Krothe. He is a descendant of Ravenous, one of Abyss’s original thirteen demons."

The name sent a shiver down my spine.

Krothe had mentioned it during our first meeting, but I hadn’t paid it much attention then.

Now, its significance pressed down on me like a weight.

Selven’s voice grew heavier as he continued.

"For eons, there was harmony—creation and destruction working in tandem to preserve the balance of existence. But all things falter, and Abyss... Abyss grew restless. His purpose twisted into something darker. He decided not to merely uphold the cycle but to end it entirely. He sought to destroy everything."

Images formed around us, as if summoned by his words—worlds burning, skies darkened with chaos, and shadowy figures spreading destruction like wildfire.

"Abyss and his demons unleashed havoc across the thirteen worldlines, tearing apart everything in their path. The gods, in their desperation, united against him. They threw everything they had at him—power, knowledge, even their very existence. But it wasn’t enough. Abyss was unstoppable."

I could feel my breathing quicken, a cold sweat forming on my brow as Selven’s words painted a horrifying picture.

"In the end," Selven continued, his voice dropping to a somber tone, "it was Lucarux who stood against his sibling. Knowing that Abyss could not be destroyed, he made the ultimate sacrifice. Lucarux used the last of his essence to seal Abyss within the First Worldline—the world at the center of all others. That world became both Abyss’s prison and his domain, locked away from the rest."

Selven paused, his expression unreadable as he stared into the void around us.

"Lucarux’s sacrifice left behind a system. A vast, intricate mechanism to monitor and maintain the balance across all thirteen worldlines. For centuries, this system kept the peace, ensuring that Abyss remained bound."

"But peace is fleeting," he said, his voice growing darker.

"Abyss, ever the schemer, devised a way to weaken his chains. The energy from the other twelve worldlines—the very force that reinforced his prison—became his target. He realized that if he could sever their connection, his bonds would weaken."

The air around us grew colder as Selven’s gaze bore into mine.

"To do so, he created seven fragments, each containing a piece of his essence. These fragments were known as Egos—each embodying a sin, each imbued with his destructive will."

I felt a lump rise in my throat as he continued, every word dragging me closer to a truth I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.

"He pulled souls during their cycle of reincarnation, forcing these fragments into them. Only a rare few could endure the strain of containing such power. Those who did became Vessels, unwitting agents of his will, scattered across the worlds to sow destruction and weaken their energy flows."

I couldn’t stop the trembling in my hands.

My mind raced, trying to piece together the implications.

Selven’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade.

"You," he said, his tone unyielding, "are one of those Vessels."

My heart stopped.

"What?" I whispered, barely able to breathe.

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming.

"You are a Vessel. The fragment within you is me, the Ego of Greed. You carry Abyss’s will, whether you realize it or not."

The world around me seemed to tilt.

My knees felt weak, and my mind spun with denial.