0.Prologue
In the beginning, the world was a disorderly place with no discernible structure.
Over time, the chaos began to stabilize and the first indications of order started to manifest. Unfortunately, this newfound order was short-lived, and the chaos eventually resurfaced, destroying all the stability that had taken countless aeons to establish.
After enduring numerous cycles, Order kept reforming itself for countless aeons. Eventually, a beam of red light emerged from a faraway realm where gods, demons, and devils walked the earth. It was unclear whether this beam originated from a devil, demon, or god, but it was evident that it carried the principles of order.
As the beam reached the centre of the whirling chaos, it suddenly halted its descent and its structure became clear. It was a small drop of blood, which appeared indistinguishable from any other.
It seemed to possess consciousness and moved through the chaos as if contemplating something of great significance.
At last, the drop of blood burst forth with an intense surge of energy, bringing the whole chaos to a sudden halt. The energy strands that made up the chaos began to separate, creating numerous threads of power that visibly pushed away from one another. Amidst these threads, the red drop of blood radiated an unending force. The power released sent ripples through the very fabric of the universe. The drop of blood released a brilliant red light that illuminated everything around it.
When the light finally faded away, the chaos had transformed into nine distinct heavens, each with its unique characteristics and inhabitants. These nine heavens were simply known as the Nine Heavens. They were home to a vast array of creatures, from the ethereal beings of the upper heavens to the fierce and powerful demons of the lower realms.
This was the story told by parents to their children. It was what most people believed to be the origin story of their world.
In a darkness far beyond mortal comprehension, a young man was falling to his death. To distract himself from the sadness that had filled his life, he began thinking about some of the stories he had read.
In all these stories, the hero was betrayed and forced to jump off a cliff into some dangerous place known for being a graveyard for all those stupid enough to venture into it. The hero of the story somehow survives and not just that, he even finds some powerful inheritance from ancient times giving him great power. The hero comes back as a new person with great power, determination and confidence.
He then gets revenge against his enemies and becomes the most powerful person in the world. He creates a harem of the most beautiful goddesses. He then lives happily ever after.
In some books, the hero dies but he is somehow reincarnated with all his memories and sometimes, he is even sent back in time giving him a chance to fix his mistakes.
The young man was falling deeper into the darkness but when he remembered these stories, he somehow found the energy to smile. His smile was not that of happiness but from the realization that he was not the hero of the story. He was not the protagonist in his life story. He was probably not even worthy of being a side character in the story of life. This realization was something very few people ever reached or accepted. Everyone thought they were the protagonist of their story. They go through life trying to prove this to themselves not knowing that they were nothing in the grand design of things. This was a harsh realization but the young man came to accept it. He could not stop himself from smiling widely as he plummeted to his death.
His life had been a complete waste, If he had realized this sooner, he might have made better decisions to save himself from all the pain and suffering.
'Since the heavens have decreed that I am not the hero of this story, I will be the villain for all ages' thought the young man.