The first galaxy to be integrated by Omniscript was not known by any particular name at the time. To the mysterious force, it was simply designated the First Node. Only later, after Omniscript had thoroughly transformed its systems and inhabitants, did the demi-gods who ascended during its rise, gave it a name — a name whispered across constellations and feared by those who studied its fate:
Thalanis.
To Earthlings, it is better known as the Andromeda Galaxy.
No one truly knew where the Omniscript came from, or what it was. One day, something unfathomable, ominous, and immeasurably vast wrapped itself around the galaxy—and then wove itself into the very laws of nature. It was silent and absolute. And once it arrived, no one escaped its grasp.
All intelligent lifeforms above the age of twelve—and beasts that had either reached physical maturity or grown strong enough—suddenly awakened a connection to a force they could not name. To the people of Thalanis, it became known as the Omniscript. To some Earthlings, it is commonly understood as a system, or perhaps as the Akashic Records. Regardless of the name, it was power—and a new way to understand themselves.
With the awakening came knowledge — about one's elemental affinity, talents, status, and progression. Omniscript tracked it all. It rewarded growth. It encouraged struggle.
Before Omniscript, each civilization had its own power systems. Some relied on qi, others on essence, life force, spellsong, or bloodcraft. But all of that changed when the substance known as Aether(commonly known among Earthlings as Mana) began to seep into the galaxy. It flowed through ley-lines, surged from ancient stars, and changed the course of evolution itself. It simply began to gather, thick and potent, drawn to the structure of Omniscript like mist to a rising sun.
It was more than just energy. Aether was the breath of the cosmos, flowing where the Omniscript allowed. Aether obeyed no previous law—only the new one.
Over time, scholars and ascendants began to notice a pattern. The Omniscript didn't spread randomly—it chose Nodes. Some said it measured a galaxy's mass. Others said it selected based on evolutionary potential. Regardless, Thalanis was the first.
With time came understanding. And with understanding came fear.
The more the demi-gods studied the phenomenon, the more they realized a grim truth: Omniscript did not merely empower. It imprisoned.
Thalanis had been sealed.
Though power surged within, it could not spread beyond. Those marked by Omniscript — and every soul in Thalanis eventually was — could not leave the boundary of their galaxy. Any who tried were obliterated. Even demi-gods, those ancient figures capable of traversing cosmic space, found their bodies shattered and souls erased if they dared the edge.
Only with rare artifacts or high-level traversal abilities could one attempt to breach the boundary, and even then, only fragments of a soul might make it through. None returned intact. None were whole.
Hundreds of years passed.
The Omniscript stirred again.
It began integrating new territory: the dwarf galaxies circling Thalanis and the Milky way.
Some speculated that when these smaller galaxies—combined—reached almost the mass of Thalanis, they were deemed worthy of integration. Others believed it was merely time. A sequence. One node at a time.
But for those watching from Thalanis, the signs were clear:
The Second Node was awakening.