CHAPTER 1 — BIRTH OF THE VOID INCARNATE
1. The Last Dream Before Awakening
A soft humming filled the darkness.
Not the cold emptiness of the Void—no.
This hum was warm, rhythmic, like a lullaby whispered by the world itself. For an existence who had drifted through directionless nothingness, this sound felt unreal.
Rishan Lie drifted between sleep and shallow awareness, wrapped in a cocoon of faint golden luminescence.
He didn't know he was close to waking.
Inside the egg—still intact, still cradling him like a cosmic womb—his half-formed consciousness flickered gently.
Warmth…
Light…
A pulse…
Every few seconds, something ancient stirred around him. Waves of world energy washed in from outside, filtered and softened through the translucent shell that had once wandered the Void for eons.
The egg had changed.
In the Void, it had been cracked, dim, lifeless.
Here, in this world saturated with qi and elemental essence, it glowed like a newborn star. Veins of radiant patterns pulsed across the inner surface, feeding energy into his forming body.
Rishan did not yet know he was in the Doupo World.
He did not yet know about cultivation, Dou Qi, or magical beasts.
But he felt life—real, physical life—slowly knitting itself around him.
He felt his soul's jagged edges smooth.
He felt warmth wrap around the fragments of his past.
He felt the material essence within the egg condense and swirl.
Somewhere deep in his half-dreaming mind, a single word formed:
Soon…
---
2. Essence Awakening
The egg's interior was vast, larger than its outer appearance suggested—a pocket space created by remnants of Arceus's divine nature.
Light swirled through this inner domain like streams of liquid gold.
Two great torrents of essence moved within:
Body Essence
White-gold, gentle, warm.
It threaded through his forming bones, weaving longevity and potential into every strand of flesh.
Material Essence
Metallic, ancient, sharp.
It floated like drifting silver mist, forming a cloud-like artifact that circled him protectively—Cloudron in its infancy.
The two essences flowed according to his Fusion Talent, quietly, harmoniously.
His forming heartbeat echoed softly:
thump… thump… thump…
Each beat resonated with Body Essence, shaping muscle, blood, meridians, dantian, and even a faint, dormant third eye on his forehead.
Cloudron pulsed in response.
He didn't consciously guide the process—it was instinctual, a harmony shaped by the fusion of his incomplete soul and the soulless Incarnation Egg.
The material essence spiraled tighter—compressing into a floating embryo of an artifact, transparent and cloud-like.
The body essence sank deeper—binding itself into his soul structure, giving him compatibility with both human and higher-plane energy systems.
And his soul…
His soul slowly regathered its completeness.
Missing pieces.
Incomplete memories.
Shattered fragments of identity.
They clicked together one by one, like puzzle pieces illuminated by the warm rhythm of the egg.
In this state, Rishan was not dreaming—
He was becoming.
---
3. The Shell's Last Transformation
Outside the egg, deep within a secluded mountain range, the world remained unaware of what was occurring.
Spirit beasts prowled far below.
Streams of qi curled through the forest like drifting fog.
Birds sang atop ancient boulders older than clans and empires.
No one noticed the solitary glowing egg resting inside a naturally formed cave—untouched, hidden beneath layers of dense energy and natural concealment.
The egg absorbed this world's energy greedily.
Cracks of light ran across the shell's surface—not breaking it, but illuminating it.
Inside, Rishan felt the shift.
A ripple of consciousness passed through him.
The egg was…
preparing.
The shell contracted slightly, tightening around him like a final embrace. Patterns of qi lit up like runes, swirling into a lattice that merged with Cloudron's forming structure.
And then—
A pulse.
A breath.
A wave of soft power rolled outward.
World energy responded—rushing inward, converging like a tide. Rishan's half-conscious mind shivered as warmth flooded him again.
Something in him clicked.
A soundless chime echoed:
[Consciousness Recovery: 82%]
He didn't see it.
He didn't understand it yet.
But his soul felt the change.
Awareness sharpened ever so slightly.
His fingers twitched.
His eyelids trembled against a faint glow.
His heart beat louder:
thump… thump… THUMP.
The body essence surged.
Cloudron vibrated.
The shell pulsed again.
The final stage of incubation had begun.
---
4. Soul Reconstruction
In the center of the egg, his soul floated like a small sun—incomplete no longer, but refining itself toward a new peak.
Memory after memory returned.
Earth.
Medical school.
Late-night studying.
The accident.
The Void Thunder.
The drifting.
The fusion.
Each memory slid into place.
With every returning piece, the emptiness inside him shrank.
A soft whisper echoed within his mind—his own voice, cleaner, younger, resonant:
"…My name… was… Rishan."
Yes.
But he felt it shift—adjusting, resonating with the world he was entering.
Rishan Lie.
The moment the name settled, his soul vibrated with acceptance.
Identity reformed.
Awareness intensified.
His lifeforce brightened.
And then—
[Consciousness Recovery: 99%]
His eyes opened inside the egg for the first time.
Not fully—just the faintest parting.
But light entered.
Warm, golden light.
A world of swirling essence and floating silver mist came into focus.
He wasn't confused.
He wasn't afraid.
He whispered inside his mind, voice calm yet carrying a childlike awe:
"So this… is where I have been growing…"
His words reverberated gently through the egg's inner space.
Cloudron responded with a soft ripple of silver, swirling around him like a protective serpent of mist.
The egg trembled.
The world outside stirred.
---
5. Awakening of the Third Eye
Rishan's physical eyes opened wider, adjusting to the glow.
But something else opened too.
On his forehead, a faint vertical slit pulsed with golden light.
The Third Eye—born from Body Essence, sharpened by Void Thunder residue—began responding to the influx of world energy.
drip… drip… drip…
Each drop of condensed essence fell into his forming meridians.
His dantian, small but pristine, pulsated gently.
The third eye flashed once—
a thin line of perception sweeping across the inner domain.
Everything became sharper.
He could "see" without sight—
the flow of energy, the formation of Cloudron, the state of his own body.
A warmth filled him—
not arrogance, not excitement, but a childlike wonder.
"I… can feel everything…"
His voice trembled slightly with amazement.
This sensation was unlike anything he had on Earth.
Life.
Energy.
Spiritual connection.
It was intoxicating.
---
6. Cloudron's Birth
The cloud-like artifact pulsed brighter.
The material essence swirled like silver fog collapsing into form:
Soft.
Shifting.
Alive.
It grew denser, swirling closer around him like a guardian spirit.
Then two soft "streams" of silver mist extended outward and brushed his arms like affectionate hands.
Rishan blinked.
Cloudron vibrated gently.
"…Are you greeting me?" he whispered curiously.
The artifact responded with a warm pulse that resonated directly into his consciousness:
[Bond Established: Early-Stage Synchronization]
Their connection was instinctive, smooth, and harmonious—guided by the fusion talent that had united their fates.
Rishan felt warmth at the center of his chest.
Despite everything he had gone through—death, Void, drifting—
he didn't feel alone.
Cloudron circled him like a floating silver mantle, protecting him as energy condensed around his forming physical shell.
---
7. Moment of Full Awakening
The egg trembled violently.
Outside, a shockwave of qi rippled through the cave, startling birds hundreds of meters away. Leaves fell. Dust lifted.
Inside, the space brightened to blinding white.
Rishan felt a pull—a tug from everywhere and nowhere.
His body solidified.
His meridians glowed.
His soul clicked into full resonance with his forming vessel.
His heart beat once—
a deep, powerful thrum.
Then—
[Consciousness Recovery: 100%]
A soft gasp escaped his lips as full awareness finally returned.
His eyes snapped open—bright, clear, and golden.
His third eye shivered and closed naturally, entering a dormant resting state.
He was awake.
Fully.
Completely.
Alive.
A brilliant smile blossomed across his young face, equal parts relief and childish excitement.
"…I made it."
The egg pulsed one final time.
Cloudron wrapped around his form.
Light erupted.
And the shell began to dissolve—
not break, not shatter,
but fade gently into shimmering particles, absorbed into his body like a returning mother's final blessing.
The egg's purpose had been fulfilled.
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End of Part 1