Seeking Titan Kin

The birth of the universe began with a collision between light and darkness. The explosion produced by that collision not only created the universe, but also scattered the ocean of light, sending countless fragments of light into the newborn cosmos. Carried by sparks of life, these fragments spread throughout the material world, gradually giving rise to all manner of wondrous and terrifying species in the primordial universe.

Life took many forms, but with the birth of the universe, certain species eventually came to leave their traces across the entire cosmos alongside the spread of life. The most common lifeforms were elemental spirits. Thanks to the chaos of creation's earliest days, traces of these elements could be found in nearly every world.

Furthermore, when fragments of light gathered together, they formed species with even greater potential and power. The beings known as Naaru were among them. These creatures radiated an aura of light, and because they were rich in sacred Holy Light energy, they could transcend the boundaries between realms, commune with the ocean of light, and hear the voice of light from before creation. Thus, upon observing this newborn realm filled with limitless possibilities, these powerful and noble beings swore, guided by their nature born of light, to use their sacred magic and intellect to sow hope throughout this world and nurture new possibilities.

The Naaru were merely one of the more unusual inhabitants of this realm. As the Dark Void gradually took shape, the blazing cores of the primordial worlds slowly stabilized. They drew in all kinds of matter drifting through the Dark Void, gradually forming celestial bodies one after another. With the birth of these primordial worlds, some exceptionally unique worlds that had formed at the beginning of creation began undergoing wondrous changes. These worlds gradually gained souls of their own, or rather, what mortals would later respectfully call World Souls. World Souls slept in the deepest reaches of their worlds' flames. With each unconscious breath they took, energy from across the universe was drawn toward them, and immense power spread throughout the celestial bodies they inhabited. As that energy gathered, these World Souls would eventually awaken, and they had a name of their own—Titans.

No one knew when the first Titan awakened, or why he did so. But according to the legends of the races that came later, the first Titan to awaken was called Aman'Thul.

When he awakened, he himself was a living world. Cosmic winds howled across his enormous body, glittering stardust surrounded him, and his skin was covered in crisscrossing mountains and seas that shimmered with hidden magical power.

His eyes shone like the brightest stars in the night. This newborn Titan—let us call it a race for now—gazed upon the universe, still in its earliest chaotic era. As newborn doubts filled his mind, he was also ecstatic at the mystery of the cosmos. He decided to explore the universe that had birthed him and behold the sights within the Dark Void.

After wandering for countless ages, Aman'Thul witnessed the cultures of innumerable races throughout the universe. The belligerence and passion of some races earned his respect; the wisdom and eagerness to learn of others fascinated him; likewise, the evil and cunning of certain races disgusted him. Yet as his seemingly endless travels continued, Aman'Thul gradually developed a feeling he had never known before: an unprecedented loneliness. After seeing so many vibrant races filled with promise for the future, that loneliness made Aman'Thul desperately yearn for kin like himself. At that moment, Aman'Thul's aimless journey finally gained a purpose—to seek out other kin who might exist, to find other Titans.

As mentioned before, the collision of light and darkness scattered many fragments of light into the Dark Void, creating countless newborn races and bringing new hope and a future to the universe. Yet alongside that great collision of light and dark, fragments of the Void, embodying endless darkness, also entered this world and entwined themselves with the matter of this realm. For some reason, most of these darkness-filled Void fragments preferred to enter the chaotic Twisting Nether, but some still entered this vibrant world alongside the fragments of light tangled with them.

With a soft pop, a dark fragment suffused with white light crashed into the Dark Void. Of course, the disturbance it caused was far more than a faint pop. The impact created when this enormous fragment broke through the boundary between realms rendered the space in this region extremely unstable—fragile, even. This fragment of entwined light and darkness, which demands our attention, followed its flickering path. Whether by coincidence or fate, a blazing primordial world core happened to lie along its course near the spatial scar it had created. Thus, it naturally entered the core and was captured by this still-unformed world. And this primitive world seemed to have no idea what kind of "treasure" it had caught.

After a period of silence, a profound and dark pulse spread from within. At the same time, the spatial scar created earlier seemed to react as well. An obscure power linked itself to the primordial world core, and as that energy poured in, the newborn world gradually seemed to become more spirited and vibrant. Perhaps one day, it would nurture something wondrous and terrifying. How very exciting.

Aman'Thul's vast and ethereal journey to "seek his kin" began the moment he made that decision. Because the Dark Void was boundless, this sacred and magnificent journey did not seem to be going smoothly. Yet shrouded in loneliness, Aman'Thul firmly believed that his kin must exist. His steps never paused, all so he could find another of his kind. Finally, while passing through a strange starfield, an obscure pulse reached his mind. There seemed to be nothing distinctive about it, much like the unconscious calls emitted by other races in the universe. But the earliest-born Titan keenly caught a trace of familiarity within it. The mark left by that soul pulse differed from those of other creatures; it was almost identical to the unconscious waves emitted by Aman'Thul's own soul! This was another World Soul on the verge of awakening!

The moment he realized this, Aman'Thul was overwhelmed by excitement and joy. It was a delight he had never experienced throughout the endless ages since his birth. Even the joy he had felt upon encountering the Constellar, distant kin whose origins closely resembled his own, had not been this intense. Suppressing emotions that had not stirred for countless millennia, Aman'Thul swiftly entered the strange starfield.

Even Aman'Thul, who had traveled for so long, found this starfield exceptionally peculiar. The space within seemed extremely fragile, yet also indestructible. Its nebulae were filled with a darkness that was similar, yet not quite the same. It constantly tried to seep into Aman'Thul's body and block his senses.

"Oh, my dear brother, wherever you are," Aman'Thul murmured as he moved forward, "this time, I will definitely find you."

Using his innate power to disperse a dense dark nebula, Aman'Thul suddenly stopped. At that moment, his eyes, as brilliant as shining stars, became blurred. Tears composed of Arcane energy streamed down his face, and his noble, mysterious Titan body trembled faintly. Aman'Thul shakily extended a hand, as though he wished to touch something, but halfway through, he abruptly stopped. He kept repeating, "My kin, my kin... It really is one of my kin!"

After standing stunned for a moment, Aman'Thul felt the soul pulse growing ever stronger. Looking at the dark and profound celestial body before him, he gathered an immense mass of deep purple energy between his hands. As he slowly poured it in, he shouted excitedly, "Awaken, my brother! I have waited far too long for this moment!"

As though it had heard Aman'Thul's call, the black celestial body, flooded with immense energy, trembled slightly. Then violent shudders erupted from its surface. Seeing the change, Aman'Thul felt a tension unlike any he had ever known. In a trembling, low voice, he whispered, "Try a little harder, my brother. I need you." Under Aman'Thul's anxious gaze, the celestial body's trembling slowly ceased. This sudden change sent Aman'Thul's already-raised heart plunging to the bottom. As he tried desperately to sense the location of the soul within the celestial body, he stretched out his hands and gathered energy to probe it.

"This is impossible. I clearly felt the call of one of my kind from this world, but now he..." Aman'Thul muttered as he carefully investigated, "My senses cannot be wrong, but this... What went wrong? My brother's soul cannot simply have vanished."

Just as Aman'Thul examined the world before him in frustration and confusion, a sudden voice terrified this Titan, who had lived through countless ages. At some unknown point, a voice drifted from behind him. "So you're the one who disturbed my sleep? Do we know each other? My... brother?"