10,000+ years ago, according to the modern human calendar:
Two mysterious, serpent-like beings, whose bodies were composed of planets and whose eyes were black holes forged from white holes, began moving toward a galaxy located 2.537 million light-years from the Orber I Galaxy. Their destination was Orber LXXXVII (87).
As the serpents approached, the galaxy revealed itself—small, yet teeming with countless miniature moons. The cosmic beasts studied the luminous orb at the galaxy's center. Slowly, they lowered their heads until their black hole eyes aligned with the orb. With an immense gravitational force, they split the orb in two and consumed it, instantly annihilating the planets and moons of Orber LXXXVII.
The serpents then departed, leaving behind the ruined remains of the galaxy. The scene was observed in silence by four unknown figures floating above the very fabric of space itself...
Return to the lab.
"Explain how that works," Jaylee demands impatiently, staring at the mess Crydan has made. An amoeba has burned a plastic bag with a breath of fire, and Crydan is using every element he can to kill it.
"What the chaos..." Jaylee murmurs in disbelief as Crydan, out of nowhere, begins breathing fire, water, and wind, and even summons a wooden root from the ground to kill the amoeba.
"Aha, gotcha..." Crydan sits up and fixes his messy, wet lab coat and hair before turning to Jaylee. Then, he remembers something.
"Well, I think you're now more interested in those blasts of fire, floods of water, and wood roots, right?" he asks with a chuckle. It's time.
"Those are called Elementary Blood Cells, which are the most essential weapons, useful tools, and even life-supporting things," he explains, grabbing a blood sample from a drawer.
"This is your blood sample, Jaylee. I've experimented with it using our best technology and found something rare. I think you're old enough for me to show you this," he says, wearing his surgeon's mask.
Since the planets were born, four gods were born along with them. The four of them maintain the galaxy and the planets, stars, and meteoroids within it. They are Aequus, God of Fairness; Kakos, God of Evil; Aretia, Goddess of Goodness; and Visara, Goddess of Wisdom.
They maintain the peace between planets and universes. They never contact mortals directly, nor do mortals know they exist.
Crydan and Jaylee go to a restaurant named "Mammals' Beauty" for lunch. Crydan implanted wood and metal DNA into Jaylee because her DNA is capable of handling and using those two elements.
They enter the restaurant, which is beautifully crafted and opened by Theriomarans.
The restaurant not only serves delicious food but also has playgrounds, a stage for performers, a cinema, and more.
"So, Jaylee, what do you want to eat for your birthday?" Crydan asks with a smile while taking a seat in a VIP section, a privilege he has as a surgeon in the town.
"Hmm, anything?" Jaylee asks with wide eyes. She'll definitely make full use of it.
"Alright, let me check the menu," she says, taking the menu from a box nearby and ordering one item after another from the waiter.
"WAIT, HOW MANY??" Crydan can only utter those words, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Jaylee laughs. "You said anything! So I ordered everything on the menu." She laughs again at his reaction.
"Come on! Not that much! You can't even finish all of that!" He is already regretting his decision.
"I'll eat half, and we'll split the cost. I'll pay you back from my allowance. Deal?" Jaylee pouts while crossing her arms, a typical spoiled-brat moment.
"Fine, fine. You must pay 75% from your daily allowance," Crydan demands, though it sounds more like a request.
"Deal!" Jaylee agrees, taking out her flexible chessboard and pieces to play with Crydan while they wait for their food.
After waiting for an hour, the food finally arrives (she literally ordered everything on the menu), and Jaylee and Crydan end up in a stalemate in chess.
"You can't checkmate me. Eating pawns and other pieces without a proper plan is nothing," Crydan teases her as he grabs his own fork and spoon to eat.
"Hey! I still get superior points for that! A pawn is worth one point, a knight and bishop are worth three points each, a rook is worth five points, and a queen is worth nine points!" she explains. Oh, as if he doesn't know.
"It doesn't matter, little one. Those points don't impact the gameplay or the outcome of the game," Crydan chuckles and takes a bite.
Jaylee just rolls her eyes and starts eating her own food.
Somewhere in the "Point Mountain" of the Glacier Region.
Many mine workers are toiling very hard for something valuable. What could it be?
"God damn, are we really sacrificing ourselves for some fossils and minerals, chief?" a worker asks while healing his broken leg with some wood.
"We find it first, we're set for life. Move your asses, and that rock they call Gangster Island is ours," their chief says, a man taking a drag from his cigar, wearing a big coat and a hat.
"But chief, is this really worth it?" the worker asks, standing back up as the healing process seems to finish.
"You must be new here, kid. Most of the men on this site are already counting their blessings, dreaming of being ministers on Gangster Island. You're the only one with the balls to question me," he says, laughing and turning back to face the worker.
"This isn't about some rocks and bones. This is a national treasure that even the government's dogs are sniffing for. Yeah, we'll take the other stuff for pocket change, but our main prize is the real deal. We get that, and we own everything!" he exclaims, raising both hands in the air to show how excited he is.
"But what benefit do we get from ruling Gangster Island? Isn't it just an island?" The worker asks, grabbing his pickaxe to go back to mining.
"You'll see soon enough," the chief replies, going back to smoking while looking at the scenery.
Later that night.
Crydan and Jaylee are sitting in the living room, talking and watching a movie while eating birthday cake—a rare moment that only happens once a year. On average, Jaylee is busy studying for medical school, and Crydan is busy with the hospital or home check-ups.
A phone call shatters their moment of peace.
"Hello?" Crydan answers, fixing his hair.
"Doc. It's me, chief of police. No time to explain, hide somewhere in your house!" the voice on the other end says hurriedly before hanging up. Crydan runs back to the living room, grabs Jaylee, and rushes her up to his bedroom.
"Listen to me, Jaylee. Hide in the closet and don't come out until sunrise, okay?" Crydan says repeatedly, knowing this is something dangerous and that Jaylee must be safe.
"Alright, Doc, alright. But where are you going?" Jaylee asks after getting inside the closet.
"It's okay, I'll be safe somewhere. And I promise, I'll come back..." Crydan smiles before closing the bedroom door. He then grabs a kitchen knife and waits in the living room, reading a newspaper.
"What... a civil war? Releasing prisoners with the Metal element was a bad idea. Not to mention they also killed many children!" Crydan says to himself before pulling a syringe from a nearby drawer. He injects its contents into his arm, then throws it aside.
"This is... I'm handling it." He stands up and touches the nearby wall, which crumbles as if in an earthquake. A hammer made of concrete emerges from the rubble.
"Come here if you have a death wish," he murmurs to himself, waiting at the front door. He is a weak user of Earth, unable to use it at all. But thanks to those syringes and many experiments with his co-workers, he has learned the basics of using Earth and many other elements. Now it's time for action.
Moments later, three prisoners break into his house, only to be met with a concrete hammer coated in fire. The hammer smashes into their faces, but they quickly get back up. One of them grabs Crydan's neck and throws him to the side.
"Corrupted surgeon, huh? You ignored poor patients and left them to die. You can't blame us for this outbreak. The government is corrupted, too," the biggest man of the trio says while wiping blood from his nose. Another man steps forward.
"The shitty government and their associations—they're all the same," he agrees, then controls the nearby magnetic field, sending all the kitchen knives, including the one in Crydan's hand, flying into Crydan's body.
"I... would never sacrifice my passion for mere money... and those innocent children were infected with an incurable disease," Crydan explains, coughing up blood as the knives penetrate his skin deeply.
"Nonsense. Some of their mothers followed the same path as their children. You know why? They couldn't live in a world without their kids and died without justice," the man controlling the magnetic field shouts, pushing the knives deeper.
"And this town has more government dogs than any other. We'll kill them all, starting with you. We don't need a corrupted doctor," the man standing behind them says, raising his fists and slamming one into Crydan's face.