In the beginning, what was there?
When the Almighty was created, when concepts like space, time, gravity, atoms, light, dark, reality, existence, life, death, and laws were not yet thought of, when only a lone being of absolute might existed, what else was there?
The most logical answer would be that there was nothing. And of course that is true. The Almighty was all that ever was, and beyond him was simply nothing.
And so a question is then raised. Where did existence come from?
What created the universe? Was it the Almighty? If so, why did such a being decide to create everything? And why was it that such a being would create a world in which a human known as Haru Sini would be born? A human who would go further than every single life form ever known at the time. A human who would surpass the stars themselves, reach the end of Rome, defeat the being known as Full Monarch, and surpass the existence of their very nature.
Why, of course, it was fate that this all happened.
A fate that the Almighty set in stone, whether conscious or unconscious. So strong was their might. It was Thee who governed all.
Within the vast cosmos, without a doubt, the concept of fate, the infinite flowing story that the fairies worshipped, definitely existed. A script that foretold all.
Everything.
Was.
Written.
And that, in and of itself, must lead to a single thought.
What would happen if a being that was never meant to exist found itself residing within the perfect script? What is life like for a being that should have never existed?
And how did such an event come to pass?
Well…
It all started long, long ago.
***
Neklan was a person who didn't have a lot of friends.
Growing up, he was born to a lesser family and lacked any noble blood. For most, this meant they'd have to spend the rest of their lives serving in hard labor, and such a fate would have surely befallen Neklan as well if not for the birth of his younger brother.
His mother died during the process, and his father had also passed a week prior after being stepped on by a giant during the great war. With both his parents dead, it of course fell upon Neklan to raise his younger brother, and having such a responsibility placed onto him, Neklan came to a single conclusion.
No matter what, he absolutely had to take care of his little brother. Even if that meant he would die.
After all, it is the duty of an older brother to die for their younger sibling.
"Neklan! Neklan! Did you know! It's nearing that day. That's what all the kids are saying at least! Is it true? Is that day arriving?"
Neklan smiled, and he closed his book. It was a rather dull subject, going over the basics of dark matter. He had read it dozens of times and only picked it up once more out of boredom. "Yes, I heard. The others are making great progress in King Sylas's latest project."
"That is wonderful news! This is a time of joyous celebration. You shouldn't be cooped up in here, dear brother. Come, let us be off. We should enjoy the world while it lasts."
Neklan let out a laugh as a hand touched his arm and his little brother, Anton, practically began to drag him out of his room. "Anton, there's no need to pull; I'll follow of my own free will."
Anton glanced back at him and shook his head. "Nice try, but I know you'll use another one of your escape methods and will run off again."
Neklan clicked his tongue, and his laugh turned nervous. "Ah, please forgive me. What I used to get away the other day is something I'm calling the Mana Step. I've found a way to bend space-time by connecting to the chaotic flow of pure mana and-" Neklan shook his head. "Well, I guess you wouldn't want to hear such boring details, would you? Anyway, one day you'll know how to do that as well. I plan on Mana Step being something all of us will learn."
"Really?" Anton's eyes shone with joy. "That's so cool! So I'll be able to use that escape move as well!"
"But of course. That technique is what allowed me to join the science provision." Neklan explained. By now, they had managed to leave his room, entering the city on the moon.
It was truly a marvelous place, built with ivory metal. Everything reflected the rays of the sun, and fire flowed everywhere. There were thousands of castles and towers, each with their own set of metal space boats made for traveling from the moon back to the planet, and life was bustling and joyous.
It wasn't like back home. Up here, only the nobles and those who served under the king lived. The common elves belonged on the planet where they continued the war with the dragons and giants.
A war they were losing.
Anton spun around, dodging in and out of the crowd, getting several disgusted looks as he moved around. Despite that, the boy ignored them and waved his arms around. "Isn't this amazing! I always forget how good it is out here. Rarely do you allow me to leave the room, brother! You should come out more often."
Neklan rubbed the back of his neck and winced. "I should, shouldn't I? Oh, but what will the people say when they see you…"
"What?"
"Ah, it's nothing. What I meant is I simply don't have the time. I'm very busy now. The king wants me to improve on mana even more. He requires more techniques."
Neklan hoped he could provide them. Otherwise… The elf shook his head and squashed those thoughts down.
He had spent most of his life working hard and studying the fundamentals of magic. Like all elves, he was blessed in the arcane arts, but since he didn't come from the royal bloodline, he lacked the vast pool of mana that others did.
Luckily for Neklan, he had never been one for warfare, and so his low mana reserves never discouraged him. Instead, he focused and sharpened his mind on understanding and breaking through the limits of what mana was and how it operated, and thanks to his hard work, he had successfully created a new universal technique that all elves could use.
The Mana Step.
Creating such an advanced thing finally allowed him to break past the limits of his bloodline, and he was granted a seat on the science division, a group of elves who personally served King Sylas.
Despite being part of the organization, he was still at the bottom of the group, and so he only had a small house where others had castles. Still, it beat the fields he used to sleep in.
Neklan placed his hands on his hips and took a deep breath of the moon's air. It was good being on top. He now got to stay unbothered on the moon and work as much as he wanted on the basics of mana.
Anton danced through the elven streets and kept glancing back at his slowly walking brother. "Brother! Pick up the pace! You're rather slow!"
Neklan rolled his eyes and waved toward his sibling. "If I wanted to catch you, I could. I simply like watching you play."
Anton was young. His brother was barely twelve years old and lacked the mind he did. Anton was also extremely frail and had no talent for magic.
This only resolved Neklan to work harder, since if he failed, he knew that his brother would surely not survive the life of hard labor.
Especially with his "condition."
Neklan was so deep in his own thoughts that he paid his sibling no mind, which caused Anton to look back toward him. Because he failed to watch where he was going, Anton crashed into one of the many elven nobles who walked the streets of the moon's great city.
"Watch where you're going, you horned freak!" The elf Anton had crashed into was a rather large, portly-bellied freak, and he growled down at the young boy.
Anton shook and wiped his head. "A-Ah. Sorry, sir."
"You're sorry?" The man wiped at his suit with a cloth, rubbing it over and over again. "It's bad enough an inbred freak of a commoner crashed into me, but you're a cursed one on top of it. What if your disease spreads to me? What if it infects my kids? Would you be sorry then?" The man raised his voice, and all the elves who had been going about their business stopped and stared.
Anton shook his head. "I-I would never-"
"You would never curse me? What lies. Your tongue is that of a snake." The man growled and grabbed Anton by the face. He reached into his coat and pulled out a knife. "Allow me to carve out the lying venom that has taken root in your mouth-"
Neklan managed to react first and used his Mana Step, flashing over. He grabbed his brother and used a second one, getting some distance. Thankfully, his creation was still fairly new, and so only soldier elves truly knew how to use it.
Neklan used a third and then a fourth one, holding his brother close as they rapidly got out of the town square.
Once they were far enough, Neklan slowed down and let out a tired sigh. "That fat bastard has no right to talk about appearances. As far as I'm concerned, the only freak is him."
Anton reached up and hesitantly rubbed at the top of his head. "Am I a freak?" He asked quietly.
All at once, Neklan felt his face soften, and he shook his head. "No! No! Of course not. Do not even think such horrible thoughts."
"But I look different." Anton cowered down, and his fingers tangled in his hair. "I'm so different."
Neklan winced and looked away. "That isn't a bad thing. At least it doesn't have to be."
Elves all shared the trait of having pointy ears. Those who came from the royal bloodline would also have purple eyes and usually black, red, or blonde hair.
Neklan took after his father and his mother. He had long brown locks that were messy and tied back into a ponytail. Since he lacked royal blood, his eyes were plain coal-colored, and he was pale and scrawny. He looked like your typical elf.
Anton, on the other hand, didn't even look like an elf. His ears were pointed, but that was as far as the resemblance went.
Anton had short black hair, and from the sides of his head, a pair of slender and curved goat horns poked out. His nose was flat and slitted like a snake, and his teeth produced a potent venom that could melt even dragon scales. Patches of red fur covered his flesh, and his legs were twisted and snapped backward. His arms were so long they'd nearly touch the ground, and from his rear the tail of a scorpion would often thrash around.
Anton's body was different. So much so that when he was born, his horns had torn through his mother's guts and his tail had filled her blood with so much venom that she died before he was properly expelled from her. He had to be sliced out of her belly and torn away.
Neklan didn't know why his brother was like this. He didn't know what caused it, how to fix it, or if it would get worse or lessen over the years. No one else seemed to know either.
Most viewed his brother as a bad omen. A freak. A monster that should have drowned in his mother's guts. Neklan, however, viewed his brother as someone far more important. After all, the fairies spoke of fate and how it would weave a great web of words that foretold all of destiny and the history to come. Neklan believed his brother was someone who would play an important role. After all, why else would he be like this?
And yet, no matter how many times he had reassured his brother of how perfect he was, Anton always found himself becoming sad again.
Indeed, currently his little brother stared at the ground, trying not to cry tears of blood.
Neklan reached out and placed a hand gently on Anton's head. "You are perfect. You are as you should be."
"Am I really?"
"You are." Anton didn't look convinced. Neklan let out another sigh and ruffled his brother's hair. "Fine. How about I show you something then? Something I think you'll enjoy a lot."
"What is it?"
"How about I show you the project we've been working on? The king's weapon, which will kill the dragons."
Neklan took his brother to the largest castle that stood near the edge of the city. He had to show his papers to the guards, and it took a lot of bribing and promises, but eventually he was able to get Anton inside.
Most of the castle wasn't that important. Every floor was a different experiment, and every room was filled with members of the science division. There was only one area that Neklan was allowed to go to, and it was the one he took his brother toward. It resided in the basement and required them to walk down nearly three hundred flights of stairs, descending into the core of the moon.
When they reached the bottom, the space opened up and parted into a massive cavern. It was lit up with powerful spells that controlled light or fire, and every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling above was covered in scripture or runes. Various pillars were also scattered around, each thick and tall, going toward a black ceiling above.
Near the back of the room was the great experiment King Sylas was personally funding and having his people look into.
The floor was carved out in the way one would make a pool. It stretched out and went deep into the ground and was filled with liquid one could attempt to swim in if they were brave enough. Unlike a normal pool, which was filled with water, this one was filled with an inky black liquid.
Above the large pool was the thing they had been cultivating for months now. Long ago, it was said there was a world tree. A mighty thing that Oberon, king of the fairies, created and controlled before it was stolen from him by Loki the trickster. This tree was now no longer around, but like any piece of nature, if one looked hard enough, they'd be able to find the seeds.
The tree on the moon could hardly be called a "world tree". It grew from the walls, twisting wood impaling through, and it came out sideways and jagged. It lacked any green, and the wood was a dirty-looking ash color. It had a massive crack down the center and was gushing black sap, which filled the pool.
Anton looked on in awe, processing what he was seeing. While he did that, Neklan approached and waved his hand through the air. "Begin."
The runes along the floors and walls lit up with a bright red light, and suddenly the room began to shake. Anton squeaked and stepped back as the black sludge began to boil and smoke, bubbles appearing on the surface. He then felt a sense of dread as the liquid began to ripple.
It took only a moment for a hand to impale itself out of the substance. Frail and thin, it was as if mud came to life, more akin to a golem than anything else. The being inside began to slowly pull their way out. They were made entirely of the black substance and only had the vague shape of an elf.
A tear appeared along their face; a hellish scream exploded out before Neklan casually tore their head clean off, killing the creature. Its corpse dropped, and it began to melt and turn back into sludge.
"W-What was that?" Anton asked, both afraid and amazed.
Neklan looked down at the dark substance that now coated his hand. "The weapon the king has instructed us to build. It is still far from finished, but we've managed to make life."
"Life?"
"Indeed." Neklan smiled. "We're calling them huemanes."
"Humans?"
"Huemanes," Neklan corrected. "Named after the late king's wife, Queen Huemane. King Sylas has plans for them. This… Ooze is old and ancient. Older than even the dragons. The king believes that if he can create a race from this substance and imbue it with a soul, then he can perform a sacrificial ritual and create a dark curse so profound it'll forever leave a mark on the dragons. A curse that will wipe out half their species and corrupt the rest." Neklan turned back to his little brother, and he smiled. "And I'd like your help to create it."
And thus, somewhere on the moon, the research that would eventually lead to the creation of the human race was beginning to reach its conclusion.
Unknown at the time, this primordial essence would not be the correct way to create sentient life. The beings born from the pool always came out half-baked and wrong, lacking all reason or want. They were never to the king's satisfaction, and they were unable to properly create a soul. The project would eventually get shut down when the giants created a mountain that could fly and they invaded the moon.
Neklan would die, as would nearly every member of the science division, and what was left of them would be handed over to Himvel, one of Sylas's many sons. Himvel and his father would work together down on the planet, leaving the moon behind, and by some miracle, Sylas would manage to glimpse a world that shouldn't exist, and from it he would learn the secrets of how to make a soul.
This would eventually lead to the creation of the first human beings, known as Adam and Eve. Thus humanity was born.
And so time would pass.
Days upon days.
Weeks upon weeks.
Months upon months.
Years upon years.
The city on the moon and the race of elves would dry up and fade, slaughtered by the creatures they created. It could be said that no one had set foot in the majestic city for a long time, and so, when the place did get its first new visitor, the sole survivor who remained took notice.
Anton would have grinned if he still had lips. Of course, the state he was in now was nothing more than a mere statue. Stone covered him from head to toe, and he was placed within the wall itself, directly over the pool of darkness.
"My, my. To think such a highly esteemed guest as you would arrive. What brings you here, old prince?"
"Shut up." Arthur didn't look around the room or even glance in the direction of Anton. He wore a long cloak that covered him head to toe, and in his arms he cradled something close. "I didn't come to talk to the damned."
"Then why did you come?"
Arthur didn't answer. Instead, he walked toward the primordial sap, and, without hesitating, he entered. Anton watched the dragon, who had taken on a human shape, and he began to laugh.
"Ah, so that's why you're here. I see. Oh my, how soft and pathetic you were. What would dear Haru think of you now? Surely a fool like you will never reach the path she set out for you. Why, you don't even have your brilliant red rings anymore, do you?"
Arthur continued to waddle deeper and deeper into the sap, fully sinking in, and he vanished beneath it. The faded runes all along the walls and floor began to light up, and just as Anton had seen many times, the room began to shake. His laughter grew, and he stared down as the sap bubbled and boiled.
Then it all began to lower. The level of the liquid was getting lower and lower, and the tree above began to crack open and ignite in red-hot fire. Anton watched as the tree his brother cultivated withered away to ash, leaving nothing behind, and the pool of darkness began to deplete. Eventually, when it was fully gone, he was able to see Arthur once more, who resided at the bottom, still clutching the thing in his arms.
Anton's ears would have perked up if not for the stone, as he heard the sound of a baby crying.
"Shh. It's okay." Arthur cradled the thing to his chest. "It's okay, Olivia. I'm here."
Happy birthday, Olivia Lot.