In this vast universe, life proceeded in a tranquil routine. Deep in the interior, a small border village called Aethel lay nestled against the serene Lumina Forest. This is where Elmys, a ten-year-old boy, made his living. His hair was jet black, but his pair of irises burned red, radiating a maturity too quick for his age.
At that moment, Elmys was walking along his favorite hunting path. A worn, knitted scarf was wrapped around his neck, the last gift from his late grandmother. Elmys held the scarf tightly; it felt cold, and strangely, soothing. It was the only counterweight in a world that often felt too harsh for him.
Suddenly, the silence of the forest shattered. It was not the sound of nature, but a tremor coming from afar, from the depths of space. Elmys looked up, his red eyes narrowing at the sky.
A blinding green light shot down from the cosmos. The light pierced the universe's protective layers as if they were meaningless. It was a comet, but a sick and virulent one, radiating an aura of suffering even from millions of miles away.
Elmys didn't have time to hide. The comet struck an open area in the Lumina Forest with a deafening explosion. It was the sound of an explosion that felt like a scream of nothingness. The ground shook, giant trees were uprooted, and an enormous crater was formed.
From within the comet's wreckage, a thick book was flung out.
It was the Grimoire.
The book was bound in skin that looked like ancient reptile scales, colored a mossy green that promised death. As soon as the Grimoire touched the ground and its pages opened, as if its presence was an absolute trigger, a corrosive, dark aura exploded in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the destructive aura spread across entire continents, across oceans, gripping nearby galaxies, and covering every inch of this universe's surface. Merely by its presence, the entire cosmos became its target.
Its impact was instantaneous and utterly devastating, affecting every living creature across the entire universe.
Total Cosmic Chaos immediately ensued. The once peaceful skies above the universe became shrouded in a thick, solid black layer, sucking up all light. This was not the darkness of night, but a void that caused the stars to dim and the laws of physics to reverse in many places.
Simultaneously, Universal Ruin began. In less than a moment, all living beings everywhere were instantly afflicted by the worst hallucinations, forced madness, and unimaginable cosmic terror. Their souls experienced pure soul damage leading to total soul destruction. Weaker creatures suffered instant death as their souls failed. At the same time, cosmic toxins seeped into physical matter, causing bodies across the universe to suffer intense itching, sprout moss, or harden into terrifying stone statues, trapped in a moment of fear. The entire universe transformed into a simultaneous monument of terror.
Elmys gasped, his lungs filled with air that should have made him faint. He hid behind the thick grass. He could hear countless screams, feeling the tormenting mental waves, but all of it felt muffled, distant, as if an invisible wall surrounded him.
There were no hallucinations, no soul pain. Only shock and confusion. Elmys touched the scarf around his neck, cold and soothing. The scarf seemed to create a bubble of emptiness, shielding him from the spiritual storm that engulfed everything.
The Grimoire, vibrating in the center of the crater, had created a cosmic disaster. The screams of living beings and the howl of cosmic winds blended into a symphony of terror that broke the silence of the cosmos.
Naturally, the Grimoire's action drew the attention of higher dimensions. Five protective Gods of the universe witnessed this horror: Lumen (Light), Vitalia (Life), Themis (Justice), Chronos (Time), and Aether (The Void).
They felt damage at the very foundation of existence. Vitalia, her crown of golden leaves now withered, whispered in terror: "This is a wound on the very fabric of creation."
Chronos held his silver forehead, "Time is torn. If we don't act, this suffering will be eternal."
Themis, the God of Justice, stepped forward. His physical strength, which transcended the concepts of pain and fatigue, was his only bulwark.
"That Grimoire must be erased from Existence. Now," Themis commanded, his voice echoing.
The five Gods descended into this universe, penetrating the thick black sky.
They arrived at Lumina Forest. The Grimoire's Aura immediately struck them like a tsunami. Lumen and Vitalia instantly knelt, their faces filled with horror from hallucinations that forced them to see the absence of light. Chronos vomited, feeling the flow of Time unravel, his soul threatened with destruction. Only Themis could resist the effects of the Grimoire's aura. Themis still stood upright and felt no fear, madness, or hallucinations whatsoever; he was strong, he was undaunted.
Themis, the God of Justice, stood tall, radiating an unshakable resilience. He swung his holy sword, aiming to erase the green Grimoire.
"You have no place in this reality, vile entity!" Themis shouted.
The sword struck the Grimoire, emitting a blinding white light. In an instant, the green book was erased from Existence, its energy destroyed and vanished, leaving no trace whatsoever in the universe.
However, from the space of nothingness where it had just been, the Grimoire began to regenerate by drawing dark matter from the black sky above it. The book reappeared, intact, but with an aura more powerful than before.
And as the Grimoire came back to life, its new power touched Themis, emitting an aura far greater than before.
The God Themis flinched. He looked at his hand, where his skin began to darken and was covered with thin moss due to the cosmic toxin.
"Impossible," he whispered.
The God of Justice fell. His strength and divine invulnerability were utterly shattered, his divine body touched by pure soul damage. His eyes widened, filled with cosmic terror and madness. His undaunted nature had now collapsed, replaced by total soul destruction.
The Grimoire had returned. And now it was immune to the abilities of the God Themis.
Behind the thick grass, Elmys held his breath. He watched the Gods struggle, and he saw the green book win. Only he, a ten-year-old boy, seemed protected by the strange silence amidst the screams of the cosmos.