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.
He practiced a cute face—humiliating, yes—but Philaria, his mother and goddess of balance, always melted when he acted adorable.
Worth it… as long as no one witnessed it.
***
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 domains—each a direct manifestation of a god's nature. Balance was usually serene, harmonious, tranquil.
Now?
The sky flickered violently between night and day. Fire became wind. Wind became water. Water became earth. Earth became fire—an endless, unstable cycle.
Gravity pulled upward.
Creatures rampaged.
The entire domain was unravelling.
Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.
Jayden's heartbeat hammered.
She was losing power.
She was dying.
He exploded into motion—speed so immense that creatures below bled from their ears. The weaker ones died outright.
He didn't look at them.
Only one thing mattered.
"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.
"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's expression screamed: WHO MADE ME THIS WAY?!
Philaria cleared her throat loudly.
"Anyway, they found out today. They're coming."
"Mother," Jayden said slowly, voice trembling, "please tell me you're joking. Give up the girl and—"
"Yeah… I 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 couldn't breathe.
There was a rumble outside, like the sound of a violent earthquake as the barrier 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.
"Philaria! You insane suicidal witch!" Kron roared from beyond the barrier, his voice rumbling like thunder in the ears.
"Die alone if you want to die! Don't drag us into your madness!" Drastia screamed.
Philaria sighed. "The barrier won't hold long."
Jayden stood frozen, 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… did you curse me to protect her even 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.
Philaria smiled—soft, sad, mischievous.
"Because she's cute."
And then—
Darkness.