---
The void of Kai's inner body trembled. What was once only boundless energy and endless sectors now shone with newborn dimensions. They pulsed like hearts of reality, each one thrumming with a resonance that made the very fabric of existence quiver.
From each dimension, light spilled out — not the light of stars, but the light of consciousness. Beings older than time itself in concept yet younger than infants in reality began to stir.
Kai hovered above it all, his three-meter frame blazing with stellar galaxies. His eyes reflected the unfolding miracle, and even he, Creator, felt a weight pressing against his soul.
The Origins were awakening.
---
The Awakening
The first to emerge was from the Dream Dimension. Shadows of infinite shapes danced like stories yet to be told, and from them stepped a tall, pale figure cloaked in darkness speckled with stars. His eyes were twin lanterns of silver, his voice a whisper carried from every sleeper's breath.
"I am Morpheus, King of Dreams. I weave what mortals cannot touch, and yet cannot live without. In me, the weak find escape, and the mighty, fear."
He bowed his head slightly toward Kai. "Dreams answer only to you, Creator."
Next came the Mirror Dimension. Waves of reflection rippled until they bent inward, giving birth to a figure draped in shards of glass that refracted infinity. His smile was sharp, his gaze twisted with possibilities.
"I am Antanak, Lord of Reflection. I am every lie wrapped as truth, every truth hidden in lies. To face me is to face oneself."
He raised his hand, and a thousand reflections of Kai appeared, each showing different versions — some crowned in light, others drenched in blood. Then they vanished, leaving only silence.
The third rose from Helheim, the Land of the Dead. Cold swept through creation, a silence that not even stars dared to pierce. From the gloom walked a woman veiled in midnight and crowned with bone. Her eyes burned with eternal judgment.
"I am Hella, Lady of Death. All journeys end with me, yet in death, all find truth. I shall guide the balance between beginnings and endings."
Her words froze planets in Kai's Origin Universe for a breath before releasing them.
Then came light — pure, unblemished, searing. From the Dimension of Life bloomed a radiant figure, neither male nor female, clothed in blossoms of galaxies. Their voice was music itself.
"I am Phanes, Giver of Life. From me flows creation's breath. Where Death closes the gate, I open the path."
Hella and Phanes looked at each other, and for the first time, Life and Death bowed in unison before Kai.
The Dimension of Sin stirred next. Its gates burst wide, and seven figures emerged at once, each embodying primal impulses. Pride in resplendent gold, Envy in twisting green flame, Wrath as a warlord of fire, Gluttony as an endless maw, Lust dripping allure, Greed clenching treasures, and Sloth half-asleep even as he materialized.
Together they declared: "We are the Seven Sins, the chains and desires of mortals and gods alike. We rule the hearts of all who breathe. Yet our leash… is you."
The ground trembled beneath their collective presence.
From the Dimension of Time, a cloaked elder emerged, skin like cracked glass, eyes spinning with countless clocks. His voice was deep, endless.
"I am Khronos, Keeper of Time. Past, present, and future bow not to me — they are me. Your command shall ripple across eternity."
Beside him, the Dimension of Fate and Destiny opened as a garden of threads woven from starlight. A woman cloaked in silken strands appeared, her fingers endlessly weaving unseen tapestries.
"I am Zerate, Weaver of Destiny. I bind the paths of gods and mortals. I write, and all must walk."
From the abyss came chaos itself, a storm without form. A shape shifted and churned before stabilizing into a humanoid of flickering entropy. Their voice was every scream, every laugh, every contradiction.
"I am Chaos, the truth before order, the madness after it. Without me, creation is stagnant."
Finally, the last emerged from brilliance — a figure draped in golden scales, eyes as sharp as judgment itself. A crown of balance rested upon his brow.
"I am Themis, Arbiter of Order. Where Chaos rends, I mend. Where law falters, I restore."
Together, the Origins stood before Kai, like a divine court of concepts, each embodying truths eternal.
---
Kai's voice echoed like a star collapsing.
"Show me your authority."
Morpheus closed his hand, and entire sectors fell into dreamscapes, where suns slumbered and planets whispered. Antanak waved, and reflections of dimensions bent upon themselves. Hella silenced whole constellations with a glance, while Phanes reignited barren worlds with life.
The Sins spread their essence — Wrath tore galaxies, Greed seized resources from the void, Lust made even stars pulse faster, Sloth slowed time itself, and so forth. Khronos stretched time, halting an entire cluster's motion, while Zerate rearranged threads of fate so subtly that even Kai felt the pull.
Chaos broke an entire dimension into raw entropy, while Themis restored it instantly, locking it into harmony.
Kai watched, golden eyes narrowing, but he was not displeased. His lips curved.
"Good. You are worthy of what you represent."
---
Kai descended above the Origin Plane, galaxies orbiting his form. His voice rumbled across creation.
"I can no longer call this place my 'inner universe.' It is no mere vessel, no mere body. This… is the Origin Universe. My creation. My truth."
The declaration resounded, and the Origins bowed as one. The Origin Universe itself pulsed, as though reality acknowledged its own name.
Ema appeared beside Kai, radiant as ever. "A fitting name, Master. But where will you dwell? Surely not in the old Primordial Palace."
Kai chuckled. "You're right. A Creator should not linger in borrowed halls. It's time…"
He spread his arms, and reality bent around him. Stars spiraled, nebulae collapsed into form, and cosmic energy surged.
"…for me to forge my own realm."
The Origins raised their heads in silent awe as Kai began shaping a domain fit for the one who bore them all.