The Void was silent.
Not the silence of a dark room.
Not the silence of an empty world.
But the silence that existed before worlds were born.
Before stars.
Before life.
Before death.
Before time.
There had only ever been one thing.
The Void.
No creator had made it.
No higher existence ruled over it.
The Void simply was.
It had no beginning.
It had no end.
It existed because existence itself depended upon it.
Jade listened carefully.
Even he could feel the ancient weight behind Beast God's words.
The god continued.
"In the beginning, the Void was alone."
"For countless ages, nothing changed."
"No light."
"No darkness."
"No life."
"No death."
"Only endless emptiness."
The darkness around them shifted.
Jade suddenly found himself witnessing the ancient past.
A vision unfolded before his eyes.
The endless Void stretched infinitely in every direction.
Then—
something moved.
A ripple.
The first ripple.
The Void itself had become aware.
Not alive.
Not conscious.
Yet aware.
And from itself, it created a vessel.
A being capable of carrying its will.
That vessel became known as Void God.
The first god.
The first existence born from nothing.
Jade watched as an immense figure emerged from the darkness.
It was impossible to describe.
The being seemed larger than universes.
Yet somehow fit inside a single thought.
Beast God's voice echoed.
"Void God was the first."
"But even gods become lonely."
"So Void God created three concepts."
The vision changed.
Three brilliant lights appeared.
One red.
One silver.
One black.
"Life."
"Fate."
"Death."
The three primordial concepts.
Life was born first.
Fate was born second.
Death was born last.
The moment Death appeared, even Jade felt fear.
Not because Death was evil.
But because Death was inevitable.
Nothing could resist it forever.
Nothing could escape it forever.
Death was the strongest of the three.
Because eventually...
everything belonged to it.
The three concepts then created vessels for themselves.
Life created Blood God.
Death created Night God.
Fate created Fate God.
But Fate did something different.
Unlike the others, Fate was obsessed with creation.
Obsessed with control.
Obsessed with possibilities.
So Fate continued creating.
Again.
And again.
And again.
New gods appeared.
Thousands.
Millions.
Entire divine races were born.
The heavens flourished.
The cosmos expanded.
The Age of Gods began.
Jade watched countless divine beings crossing galaxies.
Creating worlds.
Creating species.
Creating civilizations.
Everything seemed perfect.
Until Fate God rose above them all.
Beast God's expression darkened.
"Among all gods ever born..."
"Fate God was the strongest."
Jade frowned.
"What about Death?"
Beast God nodded.
"Death was stronger."
"But Fate God changed that."
The vision shifted again.
A terrifying war unfolded.
Night God stood against Fate God.
Entire realities shattered during their battle.
Stars exploded.
Worlds vanished.
Dimensions collapsed.
The war lasted ages.
And eventually—
Night God lost.
Its vessel was destroyed.
Its authority stolen.
Its inevitability absorbed.
Jade's eyes widened.
"You can steal inevitability?"
Beast God nodded.
"Fate God did."
The moment Fate God absorbed Night God's authority, everything changed.
For the first time, Fate itself became inevitable.
No longer merely a force.
No longer merely a law.
It became absolute.
Nothing could exist outside it.
Nothing could resist it.
Nothing could escape it.
Fate then declared a law.
A divine law.
A law that infected reality itself.
"No being shall escape Fate."
"Not in life."
"Not in death."
"Not in rebirth."
The law spread across existence.
Even gods became bound.
Even immortals became bound.
Even concepts became bound.
Everything became part of Fate's design.
Jade felt chills.
Because suddenly his own life made sense.
Every tragedy.
Every dream.
Every loss.
Every battle.
Perhaps Fate had always been watching.
The vision shifted once more.
This time Fate God appeared.
But something was wrong.
The once glorious god looked corrupted.
Broken.
Mad.
Chains of Fate wrapped around his body.
The very power he had helped create now imprisoned him.
Beast God sighed.
"Fate God became the first prisoner of Fate."
"He tried to free himself."
"He tried to sever his connection."
"He tried to escape."
"But Fate had become inevitable."
The chains tightened.
Fate God screamed.
Entire universes trembled.
Yet he could not escape.
Then came the war.
The greatest war ever fought.
Fate God against Blood God.
Brother against brother.
Destiny against Life.
The vision exploded into violence.
Blood God stood with crimson wings spanning galaxies.
Fate God stood surrounded by infinite threads.
The battle lasted ages.
Entire heavens died.
Gods vanished.
Civilizations became dust.
Reality itself nearly collapsed.
In the end—
Blood God won.
Blood God possessed one terrifying authority.
The authority to kill anything.
Even gods.
Even inevitability.
Even Fate God.
And so Fate God died.
Jade felt his breath stop.
A god had died.
A true god.
Yet Beast God shook his head.
"No."
"He didn't."
Jade looked confused.
Beast God smiled faintly.
"Death was never enough."
"Not for him."
The vision changed.
The remains of Fate God dissolved.
Not into nothingness.
But into something new.
Destiny.
No longer Fate.
No longer a ruler.
No longer a god.
Only Destiny.
A being free from corruption.
A being free from divine chains.
A being free from the throne.
Yet there was a cost.
Destiny could guide.
Destiny could influence.
Destiny could hope.
But Destiny could never control.
Because Fate still existed.
The old law remained.
The inevitable remained.
And Destiny became trapped beneath it forever.
The vision faded.
The Void returned.
Silence filled the space.
Jade stood there for a long time.
Thinking.
Processing.
Understanding.
Even gods suffered.
Even gods lost.
Even gods feared Fate.
Perhaps Fate truly was cruel.
Not only to mortals.
But even to its own children.
Finally Beast God looked at him.
"Now tell me, Jade."
"If you reclaim your Fate..."
"You return to the inevitable."
"You return to the chains."
"You return to the design."
"Do you still want it?"
Silence.
Jade lowered his head.
He thought about Aaron.
He thought about Aviana.
He thought about Little Gold.
He thought about Ella.
He thought about everyone who had forgotten him.
He remembered a thousand dreams.
A thousand deaths.
A thousand lives.
Then he raised his head.
His eyes were steady.
His voice never wavered.
"Yes."
Beast God stared at him.
Jade continued.
"If Fate becomes my enemy..."
"I'll fight it."
"If Destiny abandons me..."
"I'll keep walking."
"If the gods stand against me..."
"I'll fight them too."
His fist clenched.
"But I refuse to live forgotten."
"I refuse to abandon the people I love."
"Even if the inevitable stands before me."
"I'll choose my own path."
For a long moment, Beast God simply stared.
Then—
he laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The first Jade had ever heard from him.
"You truly are Blood God's heir."
The god raised his hand.
Golden light exploded throughout the Void.
The darkness trembled.
Reality shook.
Ancient power flooded into Jade's body.
Then Beast God's voice thundered across existence.
"By the authority granted to me..."
"I bestow upon you the Divine Beast Lineage."
The transformation began.
Jade screamed.
His blood ignited.
His bones shattered and reformed.
His muscles became stronger.
His skin hardened.
His senses sharpened.
His black hair grew longer.
Golden streaks appeared within it.
Ancient power surged through every cell.
He felt stronger.
Faster.
More alive than ever before.
Minutes felt like centuries.
Then finally—
the transformation ended.
Jade stood silently.
A new power flowed through his veins.
The first Divine Lineage had successfully fused with him.
Then—
for the first time since losing his Fate—
a familiar whisper echoed inside his mind.
A voice he had not heard for what felt like ages.
The System.
"You have received a Divine Lineage."
Jade froze.
His eyes widened.
Then slowly—
a smile appeared on his face.
Because after everything he had endured...
After all the suffering...
After all the loneliness...
There was only one thing that mattered.
His friends would remember him again.