Chapter 10: The Council of the Eighteen
The Void was stillness given form — no stars, no gravity, no sound. A realm untouched by time, where creation had once hesitated before breathing its first word.
In that infinite silence, a circular table took shape — not built, but willed into being by forces older than reality. Around it, the air shimmered as the Eighteen Leaders of Earth emerged — not of one world, but of eighteen parallel versions of it.
Each was a reflection of what humanity could have been.
From Earth-2, a woman of metal and flame — a cyborg matriarch whose people had merged with machines to survive extinction.
From Earth-6, a man wrapped in storm energy, his veins coursing with lightning, the mark of a world that had learned to weaponize its own weather.
From Earth-11, a scholar draped in cloth spun from quantum silk, where knowledge had replaced war.
And from Earth-15, a pale figure in black armor, a warlord who ruled the last surviving city of his dying planet.
Eighteen in total — humanity's mirrors across the multiverse. Each bore the same title: Leader. Each had come to negotiate survival.
At the head of the table shimmered the Beyond — a form of pure light, infinite yet restrained, its shape flowing between human and impossible. Across from it stood the Tranceeds, a being of void and shadow, its edges devouring even the faintest glow. Between them, a third presence formed — the Premodal Being.
She was the first whisper before existence. Her body glowed faintly with nebular energy, galaxies swirling in her eyes. Where the Beyond symbolized creation and the Tranceeds destruction, the Premodal was equilibrium — the origin of both.
When she spoke, the Void listened.
Premodal: "Eighteen versions of humanity gathered in one chamber. The balance trembles again."
Her gaze drifted to the Beyond. "Your chosen mortals walk a dangerous path. The Dream Realm decays."
The Beyond's voice resonated like harmony itself. "Kael, Talia, and Juno have fought the Corruption. They've endured where others would have broken. But they are still… unfinished."
A low rumble echoed. The Tranceeds stirred, its tone sharp and cold.
"Unfinished? You made them one-sided. Creation without collapse. Growth without sacrifice. Especially the boy — Kael. You filled him with potential, yet denied him death."
A ripple of discomfort spread among the eighteen Leaders.
From Earth-4, a woman with molten eyes stepped forward. "You mean to say he must die to be complete?"
The Tranceeds' voice cut through her words like a blade.
"Not to end, but to transcend. Power that creates must understand the void that consumes it. For Kael to wield both Beyond and Tranceeds… he must first experience annihilation."
The leaders looked among themselves — some fearful, others calculating.
From Earth-9, a man covered in shimmering scales growled, "You'd risk everything on a teenager? What if he fails?"
"Then all your Earths fail," the Tranceeds replied simply.
The Beyond's light dimmed, voice soft but firm.
"There is no power without consequence. Kael was chosen because he carries both rage and hope — destruction born of loss, creation born of defiance. But he must accept both sides… or neither."
The Premodal Being lifted her gaze, and for a brief moment, even the Void shimmered with something like sorrow.
"Isn't there another way? Every era's chosen has paid in blood. Must this cycle never end?"
The Tranceeds snapped — a crack that fractured space itself.
"Balance does not bargain. Creation and destruction are two halves of truth. If he cannot hold both, he will be erased."
The Beyond's glow rippled — not with anger, but grief. "He already teeters close to that edge."
The Leader of Earth-17, a young girl barely twenty but carrying the eyes of someone ancient, stepped forward. "He has already known death. His family—"
"Loss is not the same as death," the Tranceeds interrupted, its form unraveling into shadows that filled the chamber. "He must die by choice, not by fate."
The Premodal's eyes flared, galaxies spinning faster. "And if his death awakens something neither of you can control?"
For the first time, even the Tranceeds hesitated.
Then, quietly:
"Then we will face it. Together. As we always have."
A long silence followed — the kind that carried the weight of civilizations.
Finally, the Premodal folded her hands, her tone weary but resolute.
"Then it's decided. We won't force his end. But when the time comes, Kael must choose between life as he knows it… and the power to save all realities."
The Beyond inclined its luminous head.
"Then may his soul endure what his destiny demands."
The Eighteen Leaders bowed in unity — their worlds bound by one fragile thread. One by one, they dissolved into motes of light, returning to their universes, burdened with what they had witnessed.
When the last leader vanished, the Premodal remained with the two cosmic beings.
"Your path is cruel," she whispered to them. "You both love him, in your own ways. Yet you will break him to save yourselves."
The Beyond's light flickered faintly. "We don't love him for what he is. We love him for what he could become."
The Tranceeds turned away, its shadow retreating into the dark. "Or for what he must destroy."
The Premodal's voice softened, almost human.
"Then may mercy find him where power cannot."
And with that, the Void faded.
Far below — in the waking world — Kael woke with a gasp, heart pounding. He sat upright in his bed, sweat slick on his neck.
He had no memory of a dream… only the echo of voices he couldn't name.
"Damnation," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "If this is what peace feels like, I'm screwed."
He swung his legs off the bed and stared at the faint shimmer in his hands — the trace of something ancient… pulsing beneath his skin.
He didn't know it yet, but the choice the gods had spoken of had already begun.