Chapter 76: Creation

There was darkness.

​Endless darkness.

​A darkness so vast that the very concept of distance and continuity seemed meaningless within it.

​Then, there was light.

​A tiny light. So small that it resembled a single, flickering spark suspended within an infinite ocean of blackness.

​Yet, despite its insignificance, it burned stubbornly.

​Cassian watched in silence.

​The spark began to expand, its radiance spreading outward to illuminate portions of the void.

​But the darkness resisted. The endless blackness surged against the growing light like an ancient predator attempting to devour a newborn.

The more the light expanded, the more fiercely the darkness pressed against it.

​Gradually, the light began to shrink, its brilliance diminished, its boundaries contracted.

​From a sphere... to a mote.

​From a mote... to the size of a grain of sand.

​It seemed as though the darkness would finally consume it, as though existence itself would end before it had even begun.

​Then, the grain exploded.

​BOOM!

​A blinding eruption of radiance burst from that infinitesimal point. From something smaller than a grain of sand emerged an unimaginable torrent of creation.

​Countless stars ignited across the void, brilliant clusters of light blooming one after another as the darkness retreated.

The void that had once been empty became adorned with endless celestial jewels.

​Stars gathered together, spinning, colliding, expanding.

​Galaxies were born. One became ten, ten became a thousand, and a thousand became countless.

​Massive spirals of starlight stretched across existence while nebulas shimmered like cosmic oceans.

New suns ignited, worlds formed, life emerged, civilizations rose, kingdoms flourished, and empires fell.

​Entire species appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye.

​The birth of the cosmos unfolded directly before Cassian’s eyes.

​For a moment... Cassian forgot to breathe.

​Then, the scene changed.

​The sensation was impossible to describe. It felt as though he were moving, no, not moving, but being pulled.

​His consciousness shot backward at an inconceivable speed. Millions of light-years passed in an instant.

The cosmos itself began to contract before his eyes.

​Until finally... the entirety of creation resembled a single glowing island composed of stars.

​Cassian froze, his pupils contracting in sheer shock.

​Because he finally saw what lay above it.

​The cosmos, the very universe whose birth he had just witnessed, the universe containing countless civilizations and endless worlds, was merely an island.

​And not even a large one.

​Just above it was a landmass so immense that comparison itself became meaningless.

It was countless times larger than the cosmic island floating below it.

​Then, he noticed the beings.

​Ancient entities rested throughout the vast expanse: some slumbered within oceans, while others sat atop mountain peaks, observing creation with indifferent gazes.

​One titan lay across an entire continent, its breathing alone creating cosmic storms powerful enough to shatter worlds.

Another entity resembled an endless serpent whose body coiled around suns, while creatures made entirely of celestial fire roamed the plains.

​Every fantastical wonder imaginable existed within that boundless realm.

​And yet, none of those sights captured Cassian’s attention as much as the landmass itself.

​Because he recognized it. Every Lord in existence knew of it, every civilization that had entered the infinite expanse prayed to it, and every Eternal Sovereign revered it.

​The origin of all Lords.

​The center of the endless cosmos.

​The place where worlds gathered.

​The place where eternity began.

​The Lord’s Domain.

​Cassian stared at the boundless realm in complete, breathless silence.

​And for the first time since receiving his second chance... the Undead Lord felt truly small.

....

Cassian forced himself to calm down.

​His breathing steadied, and his racing thoughts gradually settled.

​The sight before him was beyond anything he had ever imagined: ancient entities capable of destroying entire universes merely by willing it, and cosmic beings whose sheer existence distorted reality itself.

​Fortunately... none of them seemed to notice him. Not a single one.

​The realization eased the suffocating pressure weighing upon his mind.

This was merely a vision, a glimpse or historical recording of sorts. There was no way the Lord’s Domain would throw a newly advanced Established Lord before entities capable of erasing creation itself.

​That fact alone allowed Cassian to relax, if only slightly.

​With a calmer mind, he began observing the Lord’s Domain more carefully.

​Despite its metaphysical nature, there remained a surprising degree of absolute order.

The realm possessed a physical scale that bordered on infinity, yet it was not chaotic, every region appeared governed by its own laws, its own celestial bodies, and its own unique cycle of day and night.

​Cassian found himself utterly captivated.

​Then, he froze.

​Far away, two golden eyes opened.

​The serpentine entity coiled around countless burning celestial bodies slowly shifted.

​Its scales shimmered with a divine golden radiance, each individual scale reflecting countless realities.

Its body stretched far beyond sight, its beginning could not be seen, and neither could its end.

​The Eternal Serpent.

​The same legendary creature that had wrapped itself around countless stars as though they were nothing more than playthings.

​And now... it was staring directly at him.

​Cassian’s heart nearly stopped.

​’Impossible.’

​The realization struck him immediately. This was a vision, a memory, a recording! He wasn’t supposed to be noticed.

​But when had mortal logic ever applied to entities of such unfathomable scale?

​The golden eyes remained fixed upon him.

​An invisible pressure suddenly descended upon his consciousness.

​It was the pressure of something so far above his station that comparison became meaningless.

Cassian felt like an ant staring directly into the eyes of eternity.

​For the first time in a very long time... true fear gripped him.

​His heartbeat thundered inside his chest like a war drum:

​Ba-dump.

​Ba-dump.

​Ba-dump.

​Then, the serpent blinked.

​And suddenly... Cassian felt a massive pull.

​A powerful, irresistible force latched onto his consciousness as his surroundings distorted.

​The pull grew stronger until the Eternal Serpent filled his entire vision.

​Its golden eyes resembled twin suns, its scales looked like continents forged from divine metal, and its presence eclipsed everything in creation. Cassian couldn’t even comprehend its true size anymore.

​Then, the pull abruptly stopped.

​Total silence descended.

​The serpent’s golden gaze stared directly into the deepest depths of his soul.

​For a brief, agonizing moment, neither moved.

​Then, a voice echoed, not through the air, and not through his ears, but directly within the innermost core of his existence:

​"Interesting."