From the very moment Jayden existed… he had been bored.
Not at first, of course. But when you live thousands of years, boredom becomes a kind of curse—slow, creeping, suffocating.
For him, and the other celestials of Atretis, entertainment had long replaced purpose.
"Jayden! Did you hear? That lass from the Fourth Realm challenged Drek over the Skybound beauty, Luxuria. They're going at it on the Fifth Island right now!"
"Jayden, Jayden! Fina got pregnant by a mortal—no one knows what the kid will turn out like. People are betting on whether it'll be an abomination!"
"Jayden! Rein finally snapped. Drooling, muttering nonsense—total embarrassment. Everyone's celebrating. The ladies are disgusted. Serves that handsome bastard right!"
Interesting news, maybe… for someone who hadn't heard a million of these stories already.
Jayden's senses had dulled. The thrill was gone. He was alive, yes—but tired.
He was bored. Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored!
"Jayden! JAYDEN!"
A voice yanked him out of his haze. He turned slowly, as if underwater, to find Lila beside his bed, arms crossed, lips twisted into an offended pout.
"You dumbass! How dare you zone out when a cute little loli like me is talking to you?"
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "You're thirty thousand and thi—"
He didn't finish. A sphere of water smacked him straight in the face. He could have dodged. He didn't bother.
Lila was a persistent bitch.
He sighed as another splash hit him.
"You bastard! Don't you know ladies are sensitive about their age?"
"But you're no lad—"
Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
Perfect. Now he was soaked.
"I'll tell Big Brother you bullied me!" she screeched, storming out and slamming the door hard enough to crack the walls. A moment later, said door fell flat off its hinges.
Jayden stared blankly.
Seven thousand six hundred and forty-sixth door broken? Or seven thousand six hundred and forty-seventh? He honestly couldn't tell anymore. Counting had become pointless centuries ago.
With another sigh, he rose from the bed he didn't need and walked toward the shattered doorway. As he stepped forward, time rewound. Cracks sealed. Splinters flew backward. The door lifted and clicked neatly into its frame.
By the time he crossed the threshold, the room looked untouched.
Knights lining the corridor knelt instantly. Jayden didn't glance at them. He walked without direction—habit, not purpose—until he arrived at a massive golden door guarded by two knights whose auras pressed against his senses like the weight of a small star.
Familiar presences… blurred by the fog in his mind.
"How peculiar," he murmured.
The knights lowered their heads even further, terrified to meet his eyes.
Jayden studied the door's seals, expression slipping from curiosity back to numbness.
"Right… how do I open this again?"
Instinct tugged at him. He pricked his finger, letting a drop of blood float toward the golden surface.
The seals twisted.
A sharp click.
The door burst open.
He stepped into a throne room he recognized even through the haze.
Fourteen obsidian chairs. Precious stones glittering like trapped galaxies. A golden throne at the far end—polished so bright it hurt to look at.
Jayden's expression remained utterly deadpan.
"Right… that's mine," he muttered, sounding deeply inconvenienced.
Who wouldn't get sick of a chair after sitting on it hundreds of thousands of times?
He flopped onto the throne, slouching like a man done with existence itself.
"What day is it again?"
"How long have I been alive?"
"So I've lost count… again."
"Wait—how many times have I lost count of things?"
"Guess I lost count of that too."
A small distortion in space prickled at him. He tilted his head lazily as a crack formed in the air above.
"Maybe this'll be interesting," he muttered.
The rift widened, fracturing like glass. Three armored figures stepped out, suspended in midair. These weren't like the corridor knights—comparing them was like comparing a rat to the sword that slaughtered it.
Still… they weren't even close to his level.
One knight bowed.
"Jayden the Third, Liege of Balance— you have been summoned by the gods."
And just like that, color bled back into Jayden's grey world. For the first time in ages… something mattered.
His existence was about to change.
Assuming everything went well.
***
The universe was vast—trillions of worlds, galaxies, stars. A sentient colossus of order feeding on primordial chaos to survive. It expanded endlessly because if it stopped consuming, it would die.
Worlds were born. Worlds vanished. The universe obeyed one rule:
The strong survive.
The weak perish.
Yet even this endless universe was only the lowest realm—the realm of mortals.
Only by shedding mortality could one ascend to Atretis, the realm of immortals.
Atretis consisted of seven realms—each as large as the mortal universe, yet so fundamentally different that comparing the two was absurd.
Mortals weren't just ants.
Calling them ants would be a compliment.
Even the weakest being in Orana—the first realm—could destroy the entire mortal universe with a snap.
This absurd gap was why shackles were placed on anyone descending from Atretis to the mortal world. Those shackles were enforced by a being even the gods feared:
The Creation Order.
Forlorn. Formless. Absolute.
The seven realms—Orana, Srevis, Masati, Rovrog, Thran, Phico, and the final realm Sicora—formed the structure of existence. Sicora housed the Seven Gods: four gods, three goddesses.
Each god created Lieges—warriors to keep order—then promptly slept for centuries, leaving their work behind.
Lieges, tired, made commanders.
Commanders, tired, made more subordinates.
A chain of divine laziness.
Which was why Jayden was… oddly excited he'd been summoned. It meant the gods were awake again—briefly—to receive reports before going back to sleep.
Jayden had other plans.
He was going to beg those ancient freeloaders to release him from his duties. He was exhausted. He wanted out.
All he had to do was convince his mother, Philaria, the most laziest goddess in existence who the time she spent awake was almost laughable compared to the time she spent snoring her eternal life away.
It couldn't possibly be that hard, right?
***
The knights vanished. A portal opened before him.
Jayden blinked. His mother summoning him separately? Unusual, but not unheard of. Still—something felt off.
He stepped through.
And fell into chaos.
Sicora was divided into seven mighty Domains—each a direct manifestation of a god's nature. Balance was usually serene, harmonious and tranquil.
But now…
The multiple auroras of multicolored mesmerizing light that once floated about the domain was no more, swallowed by delibitating mists of darkness. The seas that had once been calm and still were now roaring with titanic waves, drowning the surrounding cities in their unstoppable fury.
The Nullari, beings created after her concept and thrived under her rule, living simple, uncomplicated lives were now fighting wars, turning the drowning cities into wastelands of death.
The skies that had once been brightly lit and a dazzling, brilliant flash of colors was now swallowed by darkness, the smoke of destruction wafting above it like vapor.
Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.
Jayden's heartbeat hammered.
There was only one reason why something like this was happening. Philaria was losing control…
She was dying!
He exploded into motion—speed so immense that he turned to a bolt of lightening, transversing one end of the skies to another. Only one thing mattered, ringing in his mind like a curse.
"Mother—Mother! Mot—"
He crashed into the castle's throne room.
Outside darkness had cloaked the world, reality distorting as time and space collapsed.
And on the transparent throne…
Philaria.
The most beautiful being in existence. Rainbow eyes. Purple hair. Skin glowing like starlight.
Now pale.
Bleeding.
Smiling weakly.
"Sweetie," she whispered, wincing, "we don't have much time. I… sort of rebelled. The others are coming for me."
Jayden felt his stomach drop. "How—how did this happen?"
"Well…" She scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "Alaria saw a vision. Atretis destroyed. Six gods against one girl—and the girl was winning. Kron and Maderek died in the vision, so we tracked the girl using karmic threads. But I found her first and… I hid her."
Jayden stared at her, his eyes narrowing.
"Why the hell would you hide someone who's destined to kill you?"
Philaria gave a guilty glare.
"She was cute, okay? And funny! You wouldn't understand—you're boring."
Jayden tilted his head at her, his face cold and somber. "Do you realize the repercussions of what you have done?"
He shook his head, his crimson eyes flaring brightly in the darkness.
"No. The better question is what the hell are you scheming… mother?"
Philaria cleared her throat loudly.
"That's not important. What you should know is that they found out today, and they called this meeting to capture you and use it against me. But I got to you first before they did. Now we barely have a few minutes before they come find me-"
"Stop this," Jayden snapped, his voice hard. "I don't why you are doing this, but you should stop it at once. Surrender the girl and maybe, just maybe we can still find a way out of this mess."
She laughed, her voice ringing like the chiming of bells. "Yeah about that…"
She slid her finger down her hair, almost like she was afraid of getting scolded. "I had already gave up my origin force to protect her until she's strong enough. So I'm going to die in the next few minutes."
The world fell silent.
Jayden's face twisted as he snarled, a low rumble escaping from his throat.
Then the palace shook like it had been hit by a titanic hammer, the entire Domain shaking like a violent, apocalyptic earthquake had struck its depths as the barrier outside began to shake and tremble.
Jayden could feel it. The other gods had sent their avatars to smash the barrier. And the domain of balance, already devastated, was beginning to collapse beneath the weight of their calamitous power.
A voice, deep and vast resounded across the entire domain like the clap of thunder.
"Philaria, you are insane. You are suicidal. End this farce."
Jayden recognized the voice instantly. It was that of Kron, the god of fallen constellations.
Another followed, colder and dripping with deep malice.
"Concede."
The voice resounded through the dying world like a cutting whisper from the depths of hell. It was Drastia, goddess of endless death.
"Should you refuse, your domain will be reduced to ruin. I shall summon my Liege to your Treasure Lands at the edge of the Immortal Heavens, and His passing alone will condemn all things to eternal death."
"Your cities. Your subjects. Your legacy."
"All will perish."
It continued, much more chillingly.
"Tell me, then… is the life of a single being truly worth the extinction of trillions? Quadrillions and more?"
But Philaria only scoffed, rolling her eyes. Then she turned back to him, her face serious now.
"The barrier won't hold long."
Jayden stood frozen, his mind fracturing.
"I'm placing seven seals on you," she continued. "To suppress your strength so they won't detect you."
Pain lanced through him as the seals activated. His power shrank. His body weakened.
"I'm sending you to her," she said. "To protect her. To keep her safe."
Jayden's vision blurred red.
"I'll kill her. I'll destroy her. I'll tear apart the universe if she's the reason I'm losing you."
"Too bad," Philaria said sweetly. "I put a command on you. You can't hurt her."
He trembled in disbelief.
"Did you also place a curse on me? To protect her if I don't want to?!"
"Oh no," she said, chuckling softly. "I may be a terrible mother, but I won't touch your free will. You can choose what to do with all that lovely pain."
Cracks spidered across the throne room as divine forces smashed through the final barrier.
"So goodbye, Jayden," she whispered. "Try not to miss me too much."
A thunderous crash.
Space twisted.
Jayden's body was ripped away by a teleportation vortex.
"Wh-why—?" he choked, his face twisted into a tight, unwilling grimace.
Philaria smiled—soft, sad, mischievous.
"Because she's cute."
And then—
Darkness.