The rift loomed larger, its presence growing with each passing second. The air around it seemed to warp, bending and twisting as if reality itself was trying to tear itself apart. Steven could feel it—the pull of the Absence, a force that demanded everything to fade into nothingness. It was almost too much to bear.
Atheron gripped his sword, his eyes narrowing as he studied the expanding rift. "This is it. The path to the Origin. We either succeed and rewrite everything, or we become part of the void."
Steven's fingers clenched around the Codex, the ancient book pulsing with an intensity that matched the rift's dark energy. "I'm not afraid. The Absence can't erase me—not if I rewrite the truth of my existence."
Atheron gave him a long, appraising look. "You've changed, Steven. But remember—rewriting reality comes with a cost. The more you shape the world, the more you risk becoming something other than yourself."
"I'm willing to pay that price," Steven said, his voice unwavering. "The Absence wants to erase everything. I won't let it happen. I'll write a new beginning."
Without another word, he stepped forward, his heart pounding as he moved toward the rift. The Codex glowed brighter with every step, its energy humming through the air. The very fabric of reality was thinning here, the lines between worlds blurring.
Atheron followed closely behind, his expression tense. "Stay focused, Steven. The Origin is a place beyond time and space. Its power is unimaginable, and it will not welcome you."
"I don't need its welcome," Steven replied. "I need its answers."
With a deep breath, he stepped into the rift.
The world dissolved.
For a moment, Steven felt weightless—like he was falling through a sea of endless stars, surrounded by swirling cosmic energy. The Codex pulsed with power, its presence a steady beacon in the overwhelming void. He could feel the Absence all around him, an oppressive force that sought to swallow him whole. But the Codex—his link to the universe—kept him anchored, kept him moving forward.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the chaos. It was deep, ancient, and filled with an unnatural resonance that reverberated through Steven's very soul.
"You seek to rewrite the end of all things."
Steven's heart clenched at the sound. "I seek to rewrite everything—the beginning, the end, the present. I will make a reality where the Absence cannot exist."
A figure materialized before him—a towering being, cloaked in shadows, its face hidden beneath a hood of darkness. Its presence was so immense that it seemed to stretch beyond the very limits of the universe.
"You think you can change fate?" The figure's voice was both thunderous and soft, a paradox that made the air around them ripple. "I am the Origin, the first thought that shaped reality. You cannot erase me. I am the foundation."
Steven felt a chill run down his spine. "You are the reason the Absence exists. You're the source of everything."
The Origin's form shifted, and Steven could feel the weight of an eternity pressing down on him. "I gave life to this universe. But like all things, it must end. The Absence is inevitable. It is the negation, the correction to existence's inherent flaw."
Steven stepped forward, the Codex glowing brighter in his hand. "I refuse to accept that. The universe can be more than a cycle of creation and destruction. I will rewrite its laws. I will give it purpose beyond this endless cycle."
The Origin's eyes—dark, infinite, and all-knowing—locked onto Steven. "You believe you can rewrite the nature of existence itself?"
"I don't believe," Steven said, his voice resolute. "I know."
With a sudden motion, the Codex opened on its own, the pages turning rapidly as the very air around them seemed to bend and shift. Steven could feel the power of the Codex surging through him, the weight of countless possibilities flashing before his eyes.
But the Origin was not so easily swayed. With a wave of its hand, it twisted reality around them, warping time and space. The world began to crumble, the stars burning out one by one, and the very fabric of the universe began to break apart.
"You cannot defy me," the Origin boomed. "I am the first, and I will be the last."
Steven's heart raced, but he refused to falter. "I am more than the sum of your design. I am the possibility between what was and what could be. I write my own destiny!"
With those words, he raised the Codex high, its pages glowing with an intense light that enveloped everything around them. The universe trembled as the Codex's energy surged, rewiring the very foundation of existence itself.
The Origin howled in fury as Steven began to rewrite its creation.
"This is not your reality to change!" The Origin cried, its form writhing as it tried to resist, but the Codex's power was unstoppable. It rewrote the rules—shifting the balance of life and death, of creation and destruction.
For a moment, everything stood still.
Then, with a final, deafening roar, the Origin began to unravel.
The rift, the vast darkness that had threatened to consume everything, collapsed inward, leaving o
nly a bright, blinding light.
---
To be continued