The world went silent.No sound, no wind — even thought seemed to hesitate.
Then, through the endless white sky, a voice rose — not heard through ears, but through the soul itself. It was gentle yet vast, filled with every sound that ever existed and every silence that ever could.
"Children of dust… you were never meant to be."
Every hero froze. Even Superman's breath faltered midair. Across the planet, billions of eyes looked upward as the First Light filled the heavens, its form shifting between brilliance and shadow.
Doctor Strange held his head, grimacing. "It's inside every mind—every memory—"Cyborg screamed as data and neurons tangled. "It's rewriting thought itself!"
The voice continued, calm and sorrowful.
"You are fragments of our perfection. You were made to fade. Yet you clung to existence like fire in a storm. Why?"
Wonder Woman stepped forward, her armor cracked but her gaze unwavering. "Because that's what life is — holding on when everything tells you to fall."
The sky pulsed brighter, almost in response.
"Defiance without purpose. Chaos without harmony."
"No," said Batman, his voice cutting through the still air. "It's freedom."
The First Light's radiance began to twist, forming vague silhouettes — reflections of heroes and gods alike, as if creation itself was trying to understand them.
Thor gripped his hammer. "It's mimicking us…"Aurin, leaning on his staff, nodded weakly. "It's remembering. The First Light doesn't hate you. It simply doesn't understand imperfection."
Iron Man's voice broke through the comms. "Then we teach it."
Atop the ruins of the Citadel, Superman rose higher into the light, his body straining against the pull. "If you're the beginning of everything," he shouted, "then you know what came after — us!"
The voice trembled.
"You speak as if you are equal."
"Not equal," he said, his eyes blazing. "But real. You created perfection, but we gave it meaning."
For the first time, the First Light hesitated. The brilliance flickered, dimmed — as if processing something no divine mind had ever known before: doubt.
Deep within the glow, the Prime Eternal screamed. "Do not listen! They are noise! Shadows of decay!"He reached toward the light, trying to restore its focus — but the entity's attention had already shifted.
"Noise…" the voice repeated softly. "Then perhaps… the noise is the song."
Lightning exploded across the sky. The light fractured, forming thousands of shining streams that rained upon Earth like falling stars. Each fragment carried memory, warmth — and choice.
Aurin fell to his knees, tears of glowing gold streaking his face. "It's dividing itself… giving the power back to the living."
The Prime Eternal roared in fury. "You cannot abandon us!"
The First Light's voice whispered, fading like dawn.
"Creation no longer belongs to gods."
And as the glow receded, the world breathed again.The First Light had heard humanity.
But far beyond the stars, something darker stirred — something that had survived even before light.