In the endless dark beyond stars, something stirred.
It had no shape.
No body.
Yet it existed.
For an immeasurable span of time, the universe had been silent
At least in this part.
It had been predictable.
Then-
A disturbance passed through it.
Like a drop of water in an ocean.
Faint. Brief. Almost imperceptible.
The consciousness reacted.
Will expanded, sweeping through its domain in an instant.
Searching.Chasing.
Something had entered.
It reached out.
The disturbance slipped away.
Gone.
The consciousness did not feel anger.
But the silence that followed was no longer perfect.
"A foreign consciousness has entered our universe"
Another presence responded, distant yet
Obedient.
"Confirmed?"
"Yes"
A pause followed.
Then a decision came.
"Find it"
Memories of the distant past rushed.
After a long long time it felt.
Fear.
"Remove it."
"Now."
A lower presence acknowledged the command.
Zexon.
He bent his Will in acknowledgement. Not submission,
not reverence–acceptance of purpose.
He could not see the consciousness itself.
It was beyond him.
Before he departed, something else moved.
A fragment of intent descended towards him.
Zexon received it.
He did not question it.
He turned and vanished into the star-filled dark.
****
Far away.
A blue-green planet drifted in the embrace of a distant star.
Oceans shimmered across its surface, continents breathing with life, while above it hung rings of artificial lights—space stations suspended in silent orbit
A beautiful planet orbited by gigantic space stations.
Seren.
***
Soft light filled the room.
Thin, translucent panels hovered near the bed,
projecting shifting symbols and faint lines of data.
Silent indicator pulsed in steady rhythms, tracking breath, pulse,
and internal activity.
A small, needle-thin sensor rested against the woman's wrist.
Another hovered above her abdomen, scanning gently.
The room was quiet–but not empty.
A woman in pale medical robes stood near the bed side,
her hands clasped calmly. No instruments in her grip.
No visible tools.
Yet the air around her moved.
Not physically.
Subtly,
Life Qi circulated in controlled patterns, flowing
gently between mother and child. Not forceful.
Not invasive. Just enough to stabilize, to soothe, to strengthen.
The woman's expression never changed.
Years of practice.
A sharp cry broke the silence.
The child's voice filled the room–thin,loud,undeniably alive.
One of the indicators shifted, another stabilized.
The doctor nodded softly.
"It's a boy," a maid said softly.
The mother lay exhausted against the bedding,
dark hair clinging to her forehead.
Her breathing was uneven, but steady.
When the child the child was placed in her arms,
her hands trembled slightly.
The crying slowed.
Small fingers curled instinctively.
Dark eyes opened.
Unfocused. New.
Yet for the briefest moment, something deep within
those eyes seemed to settle.
Then it vanished.
The medical displays adjusted. Readings normalised.
"Vitals are stable," the doctor said quietly.
She withdrew her Qi, slowly, carefully, as though unwilling
to disturb something fragile.
Footsteps approached from outside.
The door slid open.
A man entered.
Broad-shouldered. Dark-haired. His features were sharp but calm,
the kind shaped by discipline rather than comfort.
He stopped when he saw the child.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
Then he stepped forward.
Carefully.
As though the world might break if he moved too fast.
"A boy…" he said, voice low.
He reached out.
The child's fingers wrapped weakly around his finger.
The man's posture relaxed without him realising it.
A faint smile touched his face.
Outside the room, the city of lakespire continued its endless motion.
People moved through wide walkway with purpose.
Vehicles glided silently along elevated paths, Drones drifted between towers,
maintaining energy lines and infrastructure.
At the heart of the city, a vast lake lay calm and unmoving. Its surface reflected
light Qi as it always had.
Day after day.
Year after year.
Life and death did not matter to it.
Below the city,energy grids hummed softly–unseen but ever present.
supplying constant light Qi to the city.Without rest, without pause.
Life continued.
****
Zexon arrived
The planet beneath him was massive–more than three times
the size of Earth. Its surface was covered in reinforced structures
and layered cities built to withstand forces that would tear
lesser worlds apart.
Above it loomed a neutron star.
Its gravity bent space itself. Radiation and exotic energies flooded the planet constantly.
To most beings, this planet would have been instant death.
To zexon's kind, it was home.
Zexon remained still.
The reincarnated consciousness had vanished
completely.
There was no trail.
No echo.
He would have to search the old way.
Across worlds.
Across lives.
As Zexon prepared to begin, movement stirred
behind him.
One of his subordinates stepped forward and bowed.
"Sovereign," the being said, "the trials are approaching."
Zexon paused.
"The Trials…" he murmured.
Cycles aligned.
Time converged.
Zexon looked toward the distant stars.
If the trials were beginning, countless beings would be tested.
Countless lives pushed beyond their limits.
And among them–
There might be what he sought.
"Prepare the selection," Zexon said.
The subordinate hesitated."Criteria?"
Zexon answered without emotion.
"The best seed."