The storm raged across a vast valley blanketed in ice and snow. Accelerating winds choked out the sun, plunging the world into a deepening gloom. Yet, amidst the frozen wasteland, a tremor rippled through the air—one that did not belong to nature.
"BOOM."
The vibration spiderwebbed through frozen rock and soil. With every pulse, the swirling snowflakes seemed to freeze in mid-air for a fraction of a second. It sounded as if a gargantuan battering ram was striking the very foundations of the earth. No living creature—neither man nor beast—could have birthed such a sound. If it continued, these rhythmic tremors threatened to grind the ice beneath into dust as fine as the falling snow.
"BOOM."
…
"BOOM."
...
In this desolate valley of stone and frost, the source of the shockwave was nowhere to be seen. It appeared to emerge from nothingness, but in truth, it emanated from a hidden sub-space tucked away within the valley.
In that dimension of endless white, it would have been impossible to tell the sky from the ground were it not for the matte-grey marble circles paving the floor. In the heart of this infinite void stood a palace built of pitch-black bricks, rising like a monument for giants, filling the space between heaven and earth.
The palace was grand yet austere. It lacked doors, windows, or even the slightest crack to let in light. Its interior consisted of vast halls furnished with marble, metal, and exotic materials in countless shades of black and white. At one end of the largest circular hall stood a throne crafted from monochrome gemstones. In the exact center of the hall lay a spherical boulder, roughly eleven meters in diameter.
An old man in a black-and-white robe, sporting a long white beard, sat upon the throne. He extended his arm, flicking his index finger up and down. With every motion, a massive hammer of spectral flame suspended in the air slammed into the rock. The boulder, which had originally spanned one hundred and forty meters, had been forged down to a mere eleven meters
.
"BOOM."
The collision between the flaming hammer and the sphere shook both this white dimension and the frozen valley in the outside world simultaneously. Cracks spider-webbed across the hall's ceiling and walls with every strike, only to vanish, self-repairing before the next blow landed.
After the final strike, the old man lowered his finger and clenched his fist. The flaming hammer shrank into a mundane tool and clattered into a corner of the hall.
The old man, standing two meters tall, rose from his throne. He took a single step toward the massive rock. That one stride seemed to tear through space itself; the hall shuddered, and he vanished, reappearing instantly before the boulder.
He paced around the sphere, inspecting every inch with a keen eye. Finally, a satisfied grin broke across his face, and he began to laugh.
"Hahhahaha!"
His laughter grew louder, more violent.
"Haaaahhhaahah!"
The sheer force of his mirth shook the palace so violently that the self-repairing walls couldn't keep up; stone fragments crumbled from the ceiling, turning to dust before they hit the floor. Realizing this, the old man suppressed his laughter and calmed himself. He reached out toward the rock. Beside the eleven-meter boulder, his hand looked miniscule. But as he closed his fist, the massive stone shrank to the size of a tennis ball and drifted into his palm.
He lifted the small stone, which now pulsed with glowing veins, toward a miniature sun hanging from the ceiling. He studied the intricate patterns etched into its surface.
Convinced of his success, he spoke with a tone that wavered between triumph and melancholy.
"I have labored for so long... Finally, I have succeeded. A pity I am too old to witness the consequences."
He frowned, lost in thought for a few seconds, then muttered to himself, "I should tell those incompetent fools... But first, let me finish this."
With one last look at the stone, he turned toward the ceiling. The palace shook again. The black stones of the roof shifted like pieces of a puzzle, opening to reveal a stark white sky.
The old man wound his arm back like a baseball pitcher and hurled the small stone at an angle into the heavens. It streaked upward, vanishing in an instant.
Though it appeared small, the stone—originally 140 meters wide and two hundred times denser than water—retained its original mass: nearly one hundred and forty million tons.
Without showing the slightest sign of exertion, the old man began pulling similar stones from his pockets, tossing them one by one into the sky as if skipping pebbles across a pond.
<------------------------------->
In Another Universe: The Sun Empire
"3484."
"3485."
"3486."
Exercise equipment lay scattered across a room of about a hundred square meters. In one corner, a boy was doing push-ups with heavy weights strapped to his back. He wore only a pair of matte black shorts that shimmered with a metallic glint. His muscles were unusually defined for his age, and his body heat was so intense that a thin veil of steam rose from his skin despite the summer air. After the final rep, he collapsed, gasping for breath, and rolled to his side to shove the four weights off. Each weighed fifty kilograms—two hundred kilograms in total. Deep red indentations in the shape of the weights marked his back.
Minutes later, the door slid open silently. A man about 1.80 meters tall, dressed in a sharp black suit, stepped in. The wave of heat radiating from the room made him pause. His brown eyes scanned the area, locking onto the boy in the corner. He approached with heavy steps, inspected the weights, and sighed deeply. Then, without warning, he swung his right leg and kicked the boy hard in the stomach.
THUD!
The boy didn't react. His eyes remained closed. After a few seconds of silence, a light snore filled the room. This boy, currently undergoing such intense training, was only nine years old. He had snow-white hair and eyelashes. He was fast asleep, oblivious to the world despite the stinging wounds on his back. The man noticed the beads of sweat on the boy's forehead, sighed again, and quietly left the room.
An hour later, the boy's eyes snapped open. His pupils lacked a clear shape; they looked like jagged black streaks radiating from the center, bleeding into a void of pure white. There was no other color in his eyes. He stretched like a cat, then sprang to his feet. He checked his reflection in a full-length mirror; the wounds on his back had already vanished.
He grabbed a white shirt from a hanger, threw it over his shoulders, and walked toward a specific wall. Just as he was about to collide with it, the wall shifted into tiny metallic fragments, forming a doorway. He stepped through into a vast, silent garden. There, he saw the man in the black suit inspecting some worn-out training gear.
"Uncle Wite! What are you doing here?" the boy called out.
The man looked up. The boy's appearance, with the white shirt thrown haphazardly over his black shorts, was messy yet somehow composed. He was lean but muscular. Wite's gaze lingered on him for a moment before drifting toward the meadows.
"Lord X," Wite said. "You've been alone for nearly two months. The Emperor sent me to see if there was a problem. I would have brought food or books if needed. But it seems you've abandoned your studies for… other pursuits."
**Wite has stood by me all this time, X thought. If I ignore him, my freedom might be restricted. For now, staying on his good side is the safest way to keep my chains hidden.**
X's eyes widened as if his greatest fear had come true. He rushed over to Wite.
"Please, Uncle Wite, don't tell my father! Look, I've already read at least half of the books."
Two piles of books sat at the edge of the garden. One was neatly stacked, covered in a thin layer of dust—untouched. The other was a chaotic mess; pages were curled, covers worn, yellowed from being read and discarded repeatedly. X would toss each book aside as he finished it, and over time, this pile had become his makeshift bed.
Wite, having known X since infancy, was used to these habits. He studied the boy's face. If not for the snow-white hair and those haunting eyes, he might have looked like an ordinary, even cute, child.
"The King will summon you to the Eastern Palace in two days," Wite said. "A general examination will be held. Your body is still developing; there is no need to push yourself this hard. When the time comes, the 'Potential Operation' will grant you your true strength. For now, focus on learning. Strengthen your mind."
Relieved that Wite wouldn't report him, X exhaled. He snatched a book from the neat pile and flopped down onto the messy one.
This was no ordinary hiding spot. It was a private estate on one of the lush hills reserved for the children of Emperor Alpha, the ruler of the world. In its center stood a modest white house made of an unknown material, standing firm despite the cracks in its walls. Most of those cracks had been caused unintentionally by X during his intense training. Solar panels covering the roof provided a silent source of energy.
In an age where science and technology had reached unimaginable heights and cities sprawled across the globe, such an isolated property was a rare luxury. Only the wealthiest moguls and most powerful families could afford such places. X was one of the Emperor's many foster children. An ordinary child could never own such a place, nor could they be the son of the Emperor.
But X was not ordinary. He was one of the few elite individuals brought into the world through the Empire's most advanced technology. He was an apex predator. Though, since he wasn't fully developed, he was currently more of a "cub." Once fully matured, he would be capable of battling laboratory monsters or entire armies without any equipment. Depending on the decision of the Emperor and the High Council, he could become an Imperial Guard, the Minister of Defense, a Minister of Exploration and Assault, or even the Royal Advisor to another planet.
However, these titles didn't interest X. He loathed being controlled. Currently, he was a prisoner, utterly restricted. Though he seemed to live alone in this desolate house, the Imperial AI monitored him 24/7. Sensors and devices in his body were linked directly to this AI. Any sign of insubordination or rebellion against the Emperor would trigger the chips in his brain, neutralizing him and wiping his memories. He was expected to spend his entire potential and strength slaving for the Emperor and those high-level officials.
Fortunately, they couldn't read his thoughts yet; otherwise, his hatred for the Empire would have already sealed his fate. Possessing a mind as advanced as his body, X never showed his true emotions, always acting like a typical young boy. To X, ranks were merely tools—strategic steps taken to loosen the invisible leash around his neck. X was among the smartest individuals in the Empire, surpassing even the scientists who created him.
The Empire had gone to great lengths to restrain him. Once his body reached its limit, he would be dependent on the Empire for the "Potential Operation." Without the serum to activate his suppressed genes, his growth would hit a plateau. He desired to one day break free from the countless restrictions placed upon him and rid himself of those who did this to him. But he had to do it without being noticed; for now, he was nothing more than a puppet in the King's hands.
Wite called out to X, who was lying on the pile of books:
"I'm leaving. In a while, vehicles will arrive to take you to the examination site. You'll rest and prepare there for a few days. I'm heading out ahead of you."
Wite summoned a SunBot from the device on his wrist. A panel on the side of the house slid open, and a circular disc flew out, hovering. Wite hopped onto the SunBot and began to ascend. Just as he was about to accelerate and disappear, everything began to shake.
The green hills undulated, the sturdy house trembled, and even the atoms in the air seemed to vibrate. Wite couldn't maintain his balance in the air and landed back on the ground. He clutched his head, screaming:
"Aaaahhh! My whole body feels like it's being torn apart!"
Wite was also an "advanced" human of an older model, but he wasn't a perfect version like X. X was also in pain, but he forced himself to endure it. He struggled to stay on his feet, looking around to find the cause of the tremor. Had the Emperor decided to eliminate all advanced humans? No, that was absurd. Had the Emperor somehow sensed his thoughts?
The "Hyper-Perception" in X's genes activated involuntarily. The shape of his eyes shifted. The jagged streaks of his pupils pulled together; the right eye forming a vertical line and the left eye a horizontal one. Before long, the Imperial AI detected the anomaly. That familiar, deep voice boomed from the house:
"Space-time anomaly detected. Shields engaging. X, thirteenth son of the Emperor, please explain the situation."
X was in too much pain to answer. Though his body couldn't react, his Hyper-Perception made time feel as if it were moving in slow motion.
**How does this damned AI expect me to answer? Time is crawling because of Hyper-Perception. Am I going to feel this pain forever? Just activate the shields already!**
Without waiting for his response, the AI activated the shields. An energy field shimmered around the house, and the intensity of the tremors lessened.
X finally caught his breath to answer when a sudden brilliance flared in the sky.
Focusing on the light, X's enhanced vision identified it as a small sphere approaching at incredible speed. Calculating its trajectory, he realized the target was exactly where they stood.
**What madman would dare attack the Empire like this? I hope the Emperor isn't trying to kill me. I need to get ready while I can still move.**
His thoughts processed in a hundredth of a second. He tapped the device on his wrist twice. His white shirt dissolved into metallic particles, transforming into a full-body suit of armor emblazoned with the Imperial emblem on the chest.
Only two seconds had passed. Wite hadn't even managed to focus yet.
The sphere slammed into the house's twenty-meter diameter outer shield. It didn't lose any momentum, as if it had hit nothing at all, shattering through every energy layer. It tore through Wite's chest—who was standing five meters in front of X—and landed just half a meter away from X. X could only perceive these events in stuttering frames; reacting was impossible.
When the sphere hit the ground, the tremors stopped instantly. It settled almost gently. Silence swallowed the area as if nothing had happened.
Unable to hold on any longer, X dropped out of Hyper-Perception and collapsed. Wite lay motionless on the ground.
Metallic plates slid from the walls of the house, and two humanoid robots emerged. As they moved toward X and the downed Wite, the Imperial army appeared on the horizon, sirens wailing. Only ten or fifteen seconds had passed since the tremors began.
They got here so fast... they must have stationed a permanent unit nearby. If I had somehow bypassed the sensors and left on my own, they would have probably surrounded me. It's not surprising they're this prepared; they spent a fortune developing and raising me.
Just as X let his body go limp, a pitch-black cloud began to seep from the small sphere on the ground. The cold radiating from the darkness sent shivers down X's spine, making his hair stand on end. He wanted to move, but he had no strength left, and the energy emanating from the object pinned him down. The darkness spread rapidly, swallowing everything, including the house. Then, in an instant, the cloud retracted, vanishing back into its point of origin.
When the army arrived, they found nothing but Wite lying on the ground and the two robots performing first aid.
There was no sphere, and there was no X.
Both had vanished into the void.