In the beginning, there was the Origin.
Not a god. Not a force. Not a will. The Origin was simply is — the nothingness that existed before creation and the echo that lingered after. It didn't shape the world or command worship. It observed. It waited. And every few millennia, it chose.
Tonight, it chose Kairos Veylin.
---
Rain lashed down over a desolate ruin in the middle of a forgotten forest. The air pulsed faintly with ancient energy, the last remnants of long-lost magic buried under time and decay. Pillars loomed crooked and shattered, some still bearing runes from the Age of Ascendance — an era where mortals walked beside gods.
Lightning crackled through the sky, illuminating the collapsed sanctuary. A circular platform marked with a strange, geometric sigil glowed faintly in violet-blue hues. And at its center, a figure lay motionless.
Kairos stirred.
His breath caught sharply, eyes snapping open. The first thing he felt was clarity — not just of sight or sound, but existence itself. He could feel the rain before it touched his skin, sense the way the stone vibrated beneath him. Every cell of his body felt hyper-aware, humming with potential.
His memories returned in flashes.
Earth. A normal life. A student. A dreamer. A car crash.
And then… nothing.
Until now.
Suddenly, a calm, ethereal voice echoed through his mind, neither male nor female — more like thought itself.
> [Initializing Origin Core...]
[Soul binding successful. Awakening Limitless Vessel.]
[Welcome, Kairos Veylin. You are no longer bound by the Laws of Reality.]
[System Integration: Complete.]
"What… the hell?" he muttered, sitting upright.
His hands looked the same. Pale. Smooth. Unscarred. But something beneath the surface had changed. He could feel it — like an engine of cosmic energy idling just beneath his skin.
> [Limitless Vessel activated: Physical Restrictions – Removed. Energy Flow – Infinite. Status – Unbound.]
Unbound?
He stood up, bare feet touching the glowing sigils beneath him. They reacted instantly — flaring with light, pulsing in resonance with his presence. The ruins began to stir. From broken stones and forgotten altars, streams of old magic lifted into the air like mist.
Kairos looked around, absorbing the surreal landscape. Towering trees surrounded the ruins, their trunks marked with scars from past battles. In the distance, he could make out the shadowy outlines of mountains floating mid-air — sky isles, remnants of the World Fracture.
> [Location: Aris Continent – Forbidden Zone: Grave of the First Seal]
[World Threat Index: High]
So this wasn't Earth. This was… somewhere else. A world of magic. Of floating continents, divine seals, and lost civilizations. And somehow, the Origin had brought him here.
A sudden sound broke his thoughts.
Crunch.
Footsteps. Dozens. Moving fast.
Kairos turned toward the treeline just as five figures burst from the shadows. Clad in dark robes etched with silver runes, they wielded staves, swords, and talismans glowing with holy flame. Their eyes glowed with crimson spirit-light — the mark of elite hunters.
"Confirmed," the lead one hissed. "Anomalous energy spike matches Origin Signature. That's him."
Kairos raised his hands cautiously. "I just woke up. I don't know what's going on—"
"You were born at the Grave of the First Seal. That alone makes you a threat." The hunter's sword ignited with radiant blue flame. "Eliminate the Sovereign before he destabilizes the veil."
The others moved in unison, casting binding spells — ethereal chains surged forth, etched with runes designed to suppress Origin-born entities.
Kairos stepped back. But his instincts surged ahead of him.
> [Threat detected. Activating Authority: Temporal Control.]
[Skill Unlocked: Temporal Reign – Reality Hold (Time Stop)]
The world froze.
Rain halted mid-fall. Flame-shaped spells hung motionless in the air like suspended art. Even the birds paused in flight, locked between heartbeats.
Kairos stared in disbelief. "Did I… stop time?"
He stepped forward, each movement effortless. He reached out, placing his hand on one of the chains. Instead of recoiling, it dissolved — absorbed into his hand as pure data.
> [New Skill Acquired: Cursed Flame – Adapted and Enhanced]
[Skill Evolution: Eclipse Devourer – All absorbed powers become fuel for growth.]
Time resumed.
The chains collapsed instantly — backlashing on their casters.
Three of the hunters screamed as the magic reversed, incinerating them from the inside. The remaining two turned to run.
Kairos raised his hand again, this time without any thought.
The air rippled. Gravity inverted.
The two hunters were yanked skyward, screaming as they vanished into the clouds above.
Silence returned.
Only the wind remained.
Kairos stood still, heart pounding.
He had just fought for the first time. Killed. Won. All without truly trying.
> [System Alert: Soul Map unlocked. Scanning for nearby powerful entities.]
"Show me," he whispered.
A detailed map filled his mind. Dots of light flared across vast regions — marking cities, ley lines, dungeons, and more. But his attention focused on one pulse in particular.
Close. Powerful.
> [Target: Aria Nightveil – Vampire Empress]
[Power Rank: Transcendent]
[Distance: 9.3 km northeast]
[Emotional State: Intrigued]
Kairos's jaw tightened. "She felt me awaken."
---
Elsewhere…
In a palace veiled in silver moonlight and crimson silk, a woman stirred from her throne. Her skin was alabaster smooth. Her eyes, blood-red, glowed faintly. Her long, silver-white hair draped across her shoulders like cascading frost.
She sipped from a glass of dark, enchanted wine, her tongue tracing the rim slowly as her lips curled into a smirk.
"A Sovereign… finally awakens," she murmured. Her voice was melodic, ancient, and dangerous. "And the Origin chose a male, this time."
The nobles behind her stirred nervously, but none spoke.
Aria Nightveil stood, her long cloak billowing as her energy surged.
"Prepare the Nightcarriage. I'm going to meet this boy."