Most do not know why or how the universe was created.


    Many believe it to be a stroke of fortune or a birth from chaos.


    But the universe was not born out of mere chance.


    Instead, it emerged from necessity, driven by an instinct for survival.


    Long before its creation, a strange green sphere hung in the void like a shiny Christmas ornament. This sphere was a habitat for a peculiar form of life, its surface teeming with vitality. Tiny plant-like creatures, known as Aetherroots, blanketed the sphere, their vines twisting and weaving into intricate patterns.


    Beneath this vibrant surface lay a mysterious pool of still time, shimmering faintly like water. Within the sphere, the time funneled outward from its center, where an otherworldly river replenished the pool with fresh time.


    This river was a small branch of a greater source. Far downstream, the colossal Past-Present River coursed through the vast void, carrying the waters of all past and present time as it flowed toward the Future Ocean.


    For eons, the Aetherroots, the time pool, and the Past-Present River coexisted in a delicate equilibrium. But when this balance broke, its collapse brought disaster.


    For reasons unknown, the Past-Present River began diverting more of its waters through the small branch that fed the Aetherroots'' habitat, overwhelming the sphere’s once-still pool with chaotic currents.


    The Aetherroots faced a life-and-death crisis. Unable to withstand the disruptive flow of time, they began to starve. One by one, they withered and died, their vines breaking apart and falling away from the sphere.


    The cracks deepened until time erupted in a final surge, flinging fragments across the void like scattered seeds.


    With their habitat in ruins the Aetherroots were on the verge of extinction.


    The weakest died quickly, leaving only the strongest to adapt. However, the Past-Present River’s continuously diverting flow made evolution impossible, as its currents outpaced the time required for adaptation.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    It seemed without a miracle they were certain to perish.


    Luckily their salvation had been with them all along.


    The sphere was covered in a strange, gray material formed from the remains of the Aetherroots'' ancestors.


    This material was called the Primordial Muscle.


    Hardened by eons of exposure to the void, it had the remarkable ability to interact with the turbulent streams of time. With care and use, it became a protective shield where the surviving Aetherroots could thrive.


    By bending and flexing the Primordial Muscle with their root bodies, the Aetherroots discovered ways to divert and slow the flow of time, allowing them to withstand its relentless pressure.


    The Muscle’s purpose, however, went far beyond survival.


    It became the foundation for the creation of the universe itself.


    Acting as a vast canvas, the Muscle enabled reality to be "painted." When stimulated, it released bursts of energy that formed matter, colors, and shapes, which became the fundamental building blocks of the cosmos.


    The Aetherroots quickly mastered the Muscle’s potential. By designing intricate "workouts" to stimulate and shape it, they controlled the flow of time around themselves, working the Muscle to create mass and secure access to sustenance.


    But they did not stop there. After constructing their first prototypical bodies, they realized they could expand further. By surrounding themselves with celestial bodies, they refined their workouts and flexed the Muscle to even greater heights, ultimately creating many galactic-sized bodies for themselves in the process.


    Through their ingenuity, the Aetherroots became masters of their destinies. The once-destructive Past-Present River transformed into a powerful source of opportunity.


    The greater the flow from the river, the more sustenance it provided, tempering the Primordial Muscle and enabling the Aetherroots to achieve even greater feats of cosmic bodybuilding.


    For ages, the Aetherroots thrived. Sustained by a steady flow of energy from the river of time, they grew to immense sizes, and the Primordial Muscle continued to expand outward. What had once been a desperate struggle for survival evolved into an era of growth and creation, driven by an unyielding pursuit of mass.


    But this golden age of cosmic bodybuilding has slowed. The Muscle is no longer expanding as quickly, and the Aetherroots are adjusting to a great plateau in their growth.


    Even in this period of calm, change is on the horizon. A new challenge is emerging, one unlike anything the Aetherroots had encountered before.


    In this era of stillness and dwindling opportunities, an Aetherroot, named Nu was born.


    His birth carried a profound legacy, one destined to alter the course of the universe and potentially threaten the fragile habitat of the Aetherroots once again.