The Five Evolution

『"Even Cosmic Entities argue." 』

The sensation of being pulled through a story never became easier.

Amara barely had time to inhale before the white expanse shattered around them.

The moment she arrived at their new destination, Amara drew in a sharp breath, both hands coming to rest on her knees.

When she finally opened her eyes, she couldn’t believe what she saw. It was the living room of her family’s old apartment back in Harlem.

The faded floral sofa still sat beneath the window. The old television cabinet was exactly where she remembered it. Even the tiny crack running through the wall beside the family photographs hadn’t changed.

At the center of it all stood a round wooden coffee table. Except, eight luminous beings wearing crowns sat around it as though they had always belonged there.

"Whoa..." Hiro stared for a second. "That’s my grandad’s house. The one we got after he passed." He looked around slowly. "This is exactly how it looked before we fixed it up."

"Huh?" Raj raised an eyebrow. "I think you’re mistaking my home for yours, buddy."

"All I see is Pop’s diner," Sophia said. "And eight dudes sitting around a diner table."

Ethan folded his arms. "The Institute..." he said quietly.

She looked from the worn sofa to the eight radiant figures seated around her family’s coffee table. Then toward Ethan, who was staring at something she couldn’t see.

"We’re not all seeing the same room, are we?" she said.

"No," Ethan confirmed. "The eight of them seem to be the only constant." He pointed.

Hiro then swallowed as he shifted his gaze to the Book hovering above them.

"So..." he said. "...are we actually allowed to be here?"

The Book floated lazily beside them. "As I’ve already mentioned, the story demands witnesses."

"Cool, cool, cool." He tapped his foot repeatedly against the white cold platform they stood on.

***

Below them, the eight radiant figures who sat in a perfect circle were engaged in a conversation that looked heated.

As they spoke, their forms, which once looked like silhouettes wrapped in light... began to look more human. And what they said became coherent.

"The pulse has crossed into Creation," one member of the Council said.

Another answered immediately. "The Cage will hold."

A third added, "We can fix it."

As they watched from above, Hiro leaned toward Sophia. "Are they... arguing?"

Sophia folded her arms. "Beats me."

Meanwhile, the discussion below continued.

"The boundaries continue to deteriorate."

"The damage can be repaired."

Another Council member stood up. "And then what?" She looked around the room. "El’s cosmic tantrums will simply continue."

The Court went silent as they all pondered on it.

Eventually, one voice broke the quiet. "We cannot rebuild Creation every thousand years. We have bigger things to deal with."

Another nodded. "True. But the cost compounds. Other realms have already begun exploiting the fractures."

"Then seal those realms."

"And when the next Pulse arrives?"

Again... another wave of silence.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "They don’t even have an answer."

The Book drifted beside him. "I do love dramatic irony."

Ethan turned to the Book for a moment, then returned his attention back to the discussion below.

One of the eight finally raised a hand. "We possess only two choices."

Everyone looked toward him.

"We destroy the Firstborn..." He looked around the Court. "...or we create a contingency."

Another Council member spoke almost immediately. "The Firstborn cannot be destroyed."

Raj rubbed his chin. "...Why not?"

The Book answered quietly with a question of its own. "Isn’t it obvious?"

Amara remembered.

> To destroy El...

> ...would be admitting the first act of Creation was a mistake.

Below, another Council member continued. "Then we choose the second path... we create."

The chamber grew still. There were no debates or objections, just a unanimous agreement.

Amara tilted her head as she observed closely. "They’ve decided," she whispered. "But what do they mean by create?"

Ethan looked at her briefly, then back at the Council and said, "guess we’re about to find out."

One Council member slowly rested his arms on the table. "The Cage delays..."

Another joined him. "...so our solution must exist..."

Another looked downward and finished, "...inside Creation."

Raj frowned. "...What does that mean?"

The answer to his question came from another member of the Council. "We entrust mortals."

"Creation cannot survive endless repair." One of the members stood up. "So Creation must defend itself."

Another Council member extended both hands. "Then let us begin."

Immediately, Darkness gathered. Water answered. Light descended once more. The same three primordial forces used to forge the Cage began collecting again.

Only this time, they gathered around empty space.

Hiro’s eyes widened. "... Duuuude."

Amara’s heart skipped. "They’re making something."

Just as before, Light pierced through the combined Primordials, giving it form.

Then the remaining five Council members stood and reached into their own chests again, pulling out the same substance.

Each fragment entered the primordial mixture and concepts began to crystallize. Possibility and causality became shape.

The Sword. The Shield. The Breastplate. The Boots. The Helmet.

Amara watched almost reverently, dumbstruck like the rest of them.

"...those are ours," she whispered.

But they weren’t done.

One Council member manifested an ordinary-looking, plain box. "For the final touch..."

"The Breath of Him." He opened it. A silent wind escaped the box, passing over all five weapons.

At first, there was a high-pitched sound. Then every weapon started glowing with different hues. Black. Blue. Green. Gold. Red.

"Holy fuck," Sophia tugged on Amara’s shirt. "Are you seeing this shit?"

"Yeah..." Amara murmured, never taking her eyes off the scene below, even as Sophia continued tugging at her sleeve.

The weapons were gathered into a singular glowing prism, then the ground vanished in an instant and the prism was hurled into the endlessness below.

The prism rocketed down and started to split. One became two, became ten, became a hundred, became infinite.

Countless prisms found their place among infinitely multiplying realities, each eventually choosing its first host.

"Mortals..." one of the Council members repeated with uncertainty.

Another settled back down on his chair and smiled. "Poetic, isn’t it?"

***

"So..." Amara looked up at the Book. "Now what?"

The Book’s pages flipped. "Now you learn why..." The Book paused. "...why he wants you dead more than anyone."

Raj frowned. "What did we ever do to him?"

Ethan’s gaze dropped thoughtfully for a second before looking back at them. "I think it’s more of what we represent."

"And what is that?" Sophia asked.

Before anyone could ask another question, or answer one, the Book’s pages started to turn. "And awaaay we go."

Its pages fluttered with unmistakable delight, and they were immediately pulled into another story.