Solace at Times of Grief

In the year 2020, a peculiar stillness settled upon Earth—unusually clear skies, tranquil seas, and an unsettling silence in the air. The world took notice as news of this enigmatic phenomenon spread like wildfire across media platforms.

Thousands flocked to witness this surreal event, while a few saw this as a sign of an impending disaster and started evacuating. Amidst the uncertainty, scientists and military leaders grappled with confusion, seeking answers to the implications of this occurrence. Little did they know that the event that occurred just three hours ago would spark questions about the very essence of their existence.

As the clock struck twelve, the sky transformed into an abyss of darkness, everyone on Earth felt their skin crawl—a moment that no one could have accounted for, a sensation that tells them that in that very moment their lives were about to end.

Chaos erupted as birds scattered and animals fled in a desperate frenzy. A loud screeching noise followed by a deafening roar can be heard all throughout Earth. The skies became clear and flutes started to play, that is when creatures that you can only see in fiction started descending from the sky. The force brought about by the mere presence of these creatures would be enough to wipe out the majority of the population, a situation incomprehensible to humanity; the only hope they can cling to is prayer.

In the midst of pandemonium, the question of belief in God became a universal plea for salvation. Criminals and innocents alike reached out to higher powers for deliverance. Who can they ask for help? Who can they ask for salvation?

Somewhere in Manila on April 25, 2020, people are horrified by the state they're in; the sky is littered by entities that can only be described as horrific. Mayhem ensues as people struggle to seek any possible refuge; some have already accepted their fates and bid their families good-bye; no one bothered struggling as they had already lost their will to fight; no one... except for one person.

"God, if you do exist, this will be the only time I ask for a favor; please, help us.

"

Knees on the ground, hands clasped tightly as tears flowed down her cheeks—these were the words that were uttered by a woman on the brink of death. The woman got a glimpse of how she was about to pass; with her head on her lap, her imminent passing flashed before her eyes.

"Ma!!!"

Ace's anguished cry rang out, a desperate attempt to save his mother from an angelic entity poised to strike. His knees buckle on the fear he feels in his whole being, but in the face of hopelessness, he only has one thing on his mind, and that is to save his mother. Powerless against a being of godly might, Ace's selfless sacrifice was his final act of love. With Ace's eyes fixed on the angel-like figure, he can only muster four words: "I love you, mom", he whispered as he stood his ground.

*Boom*

A brilliant light that can be seen throughout the omniverse has struck earth; a nauseating explosion followed, and a black hole appeared in the sky. Out of the hole came a mysterious figure shrouded in malevolence. A mere glance at this silhouette granted the once-hopeless citizens solace.

Amidst the impending attack on Ace and his mom, the angelic being seemingly disintegrated in the air. What did reach Ace and his mom was a person who was mumbling words that they couldn't understand as their hearing was still a bit off because of the initial explosion they heard.

"OK lang kayo? I'm a bit rusty with my powers, guys, so, ummm, sorry for the explosion."

The strange person said this while handing them candy as a way of apologising.

"Eh? Kababayan?"

Ace told himself while he and his mom looked at this mysterious person with confusion. Still perplexed, Ace and his mother watched as the stranger disappeared from view, leaving behind a surreal encounter etched in their memories. As Ace succumbed to unconsciousness, Earth's chaos drew to a close, leaving devastation and death in its wake.

In just a few seconds, the chaos that once enveloped Earth had reached its conclusion, but it wasn't without casualties; nations were brought to their knees, and thousands were killed. The people were still fortunate, had this event occurred five months prior, everything would've gone differently; humans would have ceased to exist in an instant. Humanity's fate was altered by a barrier left by three enigmatic beings.

Mysterious guy's POV

Within a dimension accessible to only a chosen few, three astral pods can be found. After three months of slumber, after passing the trials of will, a triumphant conqueror emerged—the one deemed worthy of omnipotence. Finally, he is worthy. As this entity walked out of the pod, he was surprised that he was the first one to complete the trial, thinking the other two were more capable than him. It was three months for humans, but an infinite number of years for him—a trial that only these three would've had a chance to conquer.

"I never did get to enjoy this the first time."

The person said to himself while enjoying the view of a place only accessible to him and three other entities, the Null Dimension. He ponders while strolling in this vast space, somewhere he can view places inaccessible even to the gods of fiction; as he observes existence and nonexistence, all fiction and nonfiction, he is met with a sinking feeling.

"Earth, something's wrong on Earth."

He then activated his omniversal sensing, a power that allows him to see all the known existing universes and hidden dimensions, but something's wrong; Earth is nowhere to be found; Earth's absence in the fabric of reality alarmed him—translocated to a realm beyond his reach.

"Outerverse!"

He thought while directing his power to the cluster of dimensions called the Outerverse; it's where fiction exists, and just as he thought, someone transported Earth to the Outerverse, and he knows that only a handful of beings have the ability to do such a thing. But there was no time to contemplate; he couldn't tell the exact state of the earth and the people on it; he only knew that he was the one person who could save it right now.

"Second wall, open."

"Second wall, open," he commanded, unlocking his power's restriction. He sought a tear in the fabric of reality, a shortcut back to Earth. Through his strength, a rupture erupted, birthing an explosion that lit the omniverse.

Power surged through his body as he unlocked the second restriction of his power. He then started knocking on the space around him, trying to find a shortcut to Earth. He finally found the right place that he could tear through to get to his beloved world. After taking a deep breath, he proceeded to flick the space in front of him, a flick so strong that it ripped through the fabric of reality. Through his strength, a rupture erupted, birthing an explosion that lit the omniverse. Fear of God struck him as he thought he went overboard, but he got back to his senses quickly as he prepared for battle.

After getting out of the hole he made in space and time, the first thing he saw was a creature they called Abbadons, a type of being that looks like an angel but is the embodiment of corruption. As he chased after the Abbadon, he caught a glimpse of what it was after: two individuals, one on the ground and another in front of her, with eyes brimming with hope and determination.

"Heh, parang kami lang ah."

Zain, the mysterious figure, reminisces on how he was chosen to wield the power he has now. He then used the power that was blessed to him by "God", called Omnipotence, to use an attack named Exterminate, which not only disintegrated the Abbadon but also cleansed its soul and destroyed any remaining negative fragments it might've left out.

After saying sorry for his lack of control, he then handed them candy as compensation. He was immediately greeted by a puzzled look from the people he just saved, a moment that prompted Zain to fly off into the sky. After reflecting on that awkward moment, he proceeded to activate his multiversal sensing to pinpoint the exact location of the threats on Earth.

"Fifth wall, open."

Power surged all throughout his body as he unlocked the fifth out of a hundred restrictions within his body, a power enough to make quick work of the thousands of multiversal beings within Earth.

"The barrier worked!"

Zain thought to himself as the precautionary measure they put on Earth worked. But this was far from the end, although the threats were subjugated with ease, it was still odd for Zain that thousands of multiversal beings gathered on Earth. Something was amiss, and it brought a chill to his spine.

"I need to get to the bottom of this."

Anxious but determined, after a moment of reflection, Zain thought to himself that this was only a speck of what was to come.

"But no matter what calamity comes to us, I have you guys to rely on, so would you guys wake up? Gising na," Zain uttered while looking at the sky.

END of prologue