The Beginning (2/3)

'But you are my children.' Erebus had said this after noticing his and his brother's worried expressions. 'And you both embody two of the most powerful concepts in creation— Death and Sleep. Unlike the Gods, who rule over the elements of nature and the cosmos with their divinity, we are those elements in their most primal and powerful state. We cannot be controlled. We can't be bound.'

'And we don't have any laws or restrictions imposed on us; all you have to do is find your true path and realise your infinite potential.'

To say he was excited would be an understatement. He realised a truth after being reborn into the world of gods: he had never been given a chance in his previous life, not because he lacked determination, hope, or wealth.

It's because he lacked power—true power capable of realising his dream through his own efforts. That kind of power simply didn't exist in his previous life.

But it does in his new life, and he wanted to grasp it as hard as he could and strive to improve as much as he could in order to make his dreams come true, literally.

As much as he hates admitting it, his father is always right, regardless of the circumstances. It was no different when he said Death and Sleep are two of the most powerful concepts of creation.

Death is self-explanatory. After all, it is the ultimate end to everything.

Then there's the concept he personifies: Sleep. His power is primarily conceptual. He can technically put anything to sleep, including people, animals, plants, natural forces or phenomena, machines, inanimate objects, and, if he ever reaches his parents' level of power, the universe itself.

He also had power over all concepts associated with Sleep, such as Dream and Mind.

Dream!

With just the concept of Dream, the possibilities of his improvement were almost Endless (Pun intended).

So obviously, Hypnos was over the moon at the prospect of his power. Even his ever-cold and indifferent brother had a glint of excitement.

But his father ruthlessly shattered their excitement, saying they may be embodiments of Sleep and Death, but they still need to familiarise themselves with and train to control their concepts. They lack the advantage of the original primordials and must always exercise their authority over their domains until they reach the level of the original primordials. Or else....

His father purposefully did not elaborate, allowing his imagination to run wild with the worst-case scenarios and possibilities.

'Don't worry too much.' Erebus had soothed them. 'Imagination and will are the keys to the authority of the primordials. Don't let preconceived notions and ideas about our world limit your thinking.'

His father offered an example. He created a darkness that didn't emanate its usual empty and void aura but rather a holy and sacrilegious one that demanded absolute piety.

'It is holy darkness.' Erebus expounded. 'I inspired it from the holy light that the Angels used in the war of Heaven. That was an original battle of Good against Evil, Light against Darkness, one that shaped the world's entire belief into what we currently know it as.'

Has he ever mentioned how cool his father is? If not, just look at him creating holy darkness just to spite Heaven and their established order.

Hypnos immediately inquired of his father how the angels reacted to his creation. To his dismay, his father simply smiled and resumed his class. He emphasised that every primordial must create their own realms, and he subtly hinted that it will greatly benefit them in the long run. Then he went over the topics his mother had already mentioned, such as the distinction between divinities and authorities, gods and primordials.

His parents' classes weren't always theoretical. After the first few classes, they moved on to the practical. His mother took full control of his next lessons, claiming that sleep is closer to night than darkness. And his father naturally took Thanatos under his wing.

His mother, Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of Night, was unquestionably the best mother in the creation, but she could also be extremely terrifying when she wanted to be. The unspeakable horrors Hypnos witnessed in the mansion of the night made him realise how truly terrifying his mother truly was, notwithstanding her gentle and caring demeanour. She was the Night and something more. In early times of creation before fire was even an concept, the night was full of terrors; it was the unknown, the ineffable, the indescribable.

His mother's lessons were just as terrifying as she was. She began by asking what the closest concept to sleep was, and Hypnos responded with the obvious.

'Dream and Sleep.' Nyx had said. 'They go hand in hand together. They are like two sides of the same coin. So, you may be able to wield considerable power over Dream as your authority over sleep in the future, even ascending to the Primordial of Dreams if you put everything into it.'

Hypnos had listened intently, striving to soothe his rapid heartbeat.

'Let's start with Dream since it will be more difficult for you to control than Sleep.' His mother continued kindly.

'All inspirations, fantasies, and ideas emerge from dreams, and we apply them to reality, reshaping it to suit our perspective and will.'

'Dreams have the ability to blur the lines between imagination and reality, allowing subjectivity to become actuality.'

'Dreams ultimately shape reality.'

'Now, Hypnos.' Nyx whispered, her starry eyes narrowing at him. 'You shall dream; you shall dream till you shatter the boundaries of existence and reshape reality to your desire.'

And thus began his harsh training with his mother. There was clearly a mountain of failures before there was a glimpse of success. Breaking down the barriers between imagination and reality was not as simple as his mother suggested. It took all of his will and power to push the boundaries the first time, and it absolutely depleted him.

'Keep going.' Nyx had only said that after his success, dampening his motivation.

But Hypnos did not intend to surrender. He could practically make dreams come true. This was all he could have asked for. It was ideal for him in every way.

He continued on with his training. His mother advised and assisted him all through challenging times, providing him with inspiration to further develop his abilities.

Years flew by in that manner. Under his mother's tutelage, Hypnos began to make astronomical progress in Sleep and Dream, to the point where it completely astounded him. Even he couldn't believe his own power.

His mother, as always, shattered his excitement by thoroughly defeating him. During their battle, she manifested the veil of night, which devoured any attack he launched against her. It was like a bottomless abyss that could swallow everything, including reality. The dreadful thing is that if it really was able to achieve that, he wouldn't be surprised at all. His mother was just that powerful.

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