Chapter 118 - Before the First Dawn
There was no sound.
No light.
No darkness.
Kai opened his eyes to a place where nothing existed.
Not the stars.
Not the moon.
Not even time itself.
Only an endless white expanse stretched before him.
The Seven Guardians stood beside him.
Noctis was there as well, his chains strangely absent.
Ahead of them, the Origin King waited.
---
The Codex of the Beast Sovereign floated into Kai's hands.
For the first time...
It contained no words.
Every page was blank.
---
The Origin King spoke.
"Before the first dawn..."
"There were no kingdoms."
"No beasts."
"No humans."
"There was only Origin."
The empty world rippled.
A single spark appeared.
It drifted through the endless white, growing brighter with every passing moment.
Then—
The spark exploded.
Countless stars were born.
Galaxies spun into existence.
Worlds formed like drops of rain.
Kai watched in silent awe.
---
The Origin King stretched out one hand.
"I did not create life."
"I merely opened the path."
The stars continued multiplying.
From them emerged the first beasts.
Ancient dragons soared through newborn skies.
Colossal sea serpents swam through oceans that had only just formed.
The first forests spread across untouched lands.
Everything lived in harmony.
---
Nereus whispered,
"So this..."
"...is the true beginning."
---
The vision changed.
A second being appeared.
Unlike the Origin King, its body was made of flowing golden light.
Wherever it walked, life flourished.
Flowers bloomed.
Rivers flowed.
The stars shone brighter.
---
The Codex finally displayed new text.
Ancient Entity
Designation:
The World Heart
Status:
Lost
---
The Origin King's voice became quieter.
"We existed together."
"I opened possibilities."
"The World Heart nurtured them."
"There was balance."
---
Then...
The vision darkened.
A single world began collapsing.
Its sun faded.
Its oceans dried.
Its people vanished.
Then another world fell.
And another.
Kai frowned.
"What happened?"
The Origin King closed his eyes.
"Mortals discovered greed."
"They sought endless power."
"They tore open the foundations of existence."
---
The white void split apart.
Kai saw ancient civilizations drawing energy directly from the stars.
Entire worlds were stripped of life to empower a handful of rulers.
One by one...
The worlds died.
The universe itself began to crack.
---
The World Heart tried to heal the damage.
But every wound reopened faster than it could recover.
Finally...
The World Heart made a choice.
It shattered itself.
Seven great fragments became the first Guardians.
Three great roots became the Origin Keys.
Its remaining essence became the World Tree.
Kai's breath caught.
"The Guardians..."
"They were..."
"The World Heart."
Pyron slowly nodded.
"So that's why we always felt connected."
---
Noctis stared silently at the vision.
"So the stories were true after all."
---
The Origin King turned toward Kai.
"I wished to preserve existence."
"The World Heart chose sacrifice."
"We disagreed."
"I sealed what remained of its power."
"Not to destroy it."
"To prevent anyone from abusing it again."
---
Kai looked at the enormous Gate.
"So why are you trying to leave now?"
The Origin King's mask slowly cracked.
A single blue eye became visible beneath it.
For the first time...
It showed sorrow.
"I am not trying to escape."
"I am trying to warn you."
The white world trembled violently.
Cracks spread through the vision itself.
From beyond the broken sky...
A horrifying scream echoed.
It was unlike anything Kai had ever heard.
Even the Origin King turned toward it.
Something...
Had found them.
The Codex flashed crimson.
Unknown Presence Detected
Classification:
ERROR
Threat Assessment:
DATA UNAVAILABLE
The Origin King whispered only one sentence.
"It followed you."
The endless white world shattered into darkness.