Book 1


    Part 1 - Brand New World


    Chapter 1 - The Man


    <hr>


    All Eternal Man had known in his life was darkness.


    Everywhere he looked, darkness greeted his sight. You might think that having Night Vision would prevent him from experiencing total blindness—and you''d be right, of course. Unfortunately, it did little good when there was nothing to see at all.


    Did he find it boring? Ostensibly so.


    But Eternal Man had bored himself long out of boredom. That''s right—he was so bored that he couldn''t be bored anymore. What did that say about him? He didn''t know.


    Even after floating in the void for eons, he found no knowledge of his predicament. Compared to the years spent traversing the oppressive darkness, his time among the vibrant tapestry of human life had been fleeting.


    So, it wasn''t wrong to say that all Eternal Man had known in his life was darkness.


    At this moment, in the present, he thought he was lying on his back, gazing upon the distant river of stars sprawling into the ever-expanding void. Of course, he onlythoughthe was lying on his back—he had no real sense of up or down anymore. Such concepts didn''t exist here.


    He recognized certain constellations, but they grew farther away with each passing day.


    Day,Eternal Man mused.I should start using years instead of days now—maybe decades. It would suit better.


    Yet, the undeniable reality was that Eternal Man, like these stars, was drifting toward the boundaries of the universe. Or rather, he had long since become a part of this ever-expanding cosmos.


    The sight didn’t fill him with longing—only numbness, as had been his feeling for a long while. Still, to have spent such an eternity drifting through the river of stars, maintaining his sanity, and recalling the days spent on Earth with such vivid clarity was remarkable. At times, Eternal Man wondered if he was living a dream.


    Or maybe this is hell,he thought.


    Perhaps he was being punished, paying penance for the destruction he had wrought—for all the lives he had reaped. But in his defense, he had been protecting his home, his friends, and the billions of other humans thriving on its surface.


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    Those times had been exciting, every day fraught with worry and anger. But now, everything was so dull.


    He wondered if, somehow, he had developed a power to preserve his sanity and memories. It wouldn’t surprise him if he had. That, at least, would be interesting.


    Eternal Man shut his eyes, preparing for another long sleep. As he pondered when he might develop a power that could double as hibernation, he saw something—something he wasn’t supposed to see.


    Except, maybe, stars.


    But those were distant dreams, ones he had grown out of long ago—especially after taking a few reckless swings through their boiling plasma. That had been a strange experience, or as he would say—


    No. Don’t stray off track.He shook his head, forcing himself to focus.


    His supernatural eyes, capable of peering across entire galaxies, picked up a dot. A small, black dot.


    Eternal Man was taken aback. At first, he considered the possibility of a black hole, but the thought was discarded almost as quickly as it formed. It lacked the telltale corona of radiation emanating from its center. Nor did a ring of celestial matter swirl around its event horizon in that hauntingly beautiful dance of destruction.


    But more importantly—it wasn’t as far away as it seemed. It was simply small.


    A swell of excitement stirred in his chest, and for the first time in countless years, Eternal Man used his Flight to move, his superluminal speed allowing him to traverse the distance in a flash.


    And what he saw left him baffled.


    A tear. A crack. A fissure in the void.


    The spark of excitement burned brighter. Eternal Man extended his hand toward the strange rupture. It reacted immediately, tugging at him, its pull forceful but certainly no match for his strength. He resisted with ease.


    Then, casting one last glance at the endless emptiness he called home, he stepped inside.


    What welcomed him was a storm. Lightning rained down on his figure, and the tears of space splashed against his body—his naked body. Clothes, though expensive and durable, had long since corroded under the relentless effects of time and cosmic radiation.


    Eternal Man allowed the maddening destruction to wash over him, relishing the way it seemed to cleanse him. Yet, there was something about this lightning storm—something he couldn’t quite place his finger on. It lingered like a fog in his mind, drifting further away whenever he tried to grasp it.


    In the distance, he spotted a light. It glowed in a kaleidoscope of colors, swirling like a ring of stars caught in an eternal dance. It was mesmerizing. Eternal Man felt himself drawn to it.


    He moved through the chaos, disregarding the currents of electricity that lashed against his body. In fact, he welcomed them. One of his many powers responded instinctively, drinking in the wild destruction like a starving beast.


    When Eternal Man finally stood before the vibrant light, he paused. He could feel the space around it, warped and twisted in ways that defied his understanding. Though he too could manipulate space, his crude attempts were nothing compared to the masterpiece before him.


    A rush of excitement coursed through him. The anticipation of what lay beyond surged within his chest.


    Without hesitation, he stepped forward.


    A blinding flash of light erupted—and then, he was gone.


    —


    In the Crimson Whale City of the Blue Star Domain, within the Red Dust Country, atop the Crimson Whale Mountain—a flash of light bloomed out of nowhere before winking out of existence.


    Left behind was a man, naked as the day he was born, with a look of rapture mingled with relief.


    "Finally, a planet where life exists."


    He took a deep breath in, savoring the air, then exhaled slowly. Stepping closer to the cliff''s edge, he gazed down at the endless sprawl of trees and the houses that lay beyond. Civilization.


    Just as he prepared to lift off and head toward the tow—or whatever the place was—a scream pierced the air.