Chapter 2: The Celestial Crucible

Within the boundless expanse, I stood, alone, my mind a battlefield of past and future. The whispers of Mania's path unfurled around me, a chaotic symphony promising power, each note a siren's call.

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[Flashback: Before the path to school]

The morning air was chilly, a stark contrast to the fiery quarrel within the walls of my home. My mother's voice was heavy with worry, piercing the stillness.

"Alex, your future is what we're thinking of. Grades before anything, soccer second. It's not a career."

Her words ignited my resolve. "Soccer is everything to me! It's not just a game, it's my life!"

KRRSSHH! My father's dismissive laugh, a crashing wave of reality, echoed from behind his newspaper. "Living off soccer? Face the truth, Alex. It's time for real plans, not dreams."

The sting of their disbelief fueled my defiance. But then, the storm broke.

"You're dreaming, boy! Time to wake up!" His words were a thunderclap, my father's temper flaring.

The heat of my own anger boiled over. "If I had a better role model, maybe I wouldn't be stuck in this joke of a life!"

CRACK! The sound of my voice was barely a ripple compared to the tsunami of violence that followed. My mother's desperate pleas were drowned out by the tempest of domestic fury.

The aftermath left me bloodied, her parting words a dagger. "This is your doing, Alex. If only you..."

The outside world provided no respite as I dragged my feet toward school, my spirit as battered as my body.

"Alex... What happened?"

"It's nothing, Sarah. Just tripped," I lied, the facade crumbling before her knowing gaze.

"This can't go on. You can't shield him forever. And your mother..."

"What do you know, Sarah? You have it all... I'm just trying to survive."

Her soft apology was like a gentle breeze in the maelstrom of my existence. A fleeting sanctuary.

"Okay," I surrendered, embracing the calm before the storm.

---

"The only one who ever really understood..." I whispered, Sarah's memory a beacon amidst the chaos. "Mania, I choose you."

"Once chosen, there is no going back. Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Then let us begin the Divine Tutorial."

SWOOSH! With the command, creation became mine to command. "To birth a star, focus your essence. Picture its fiery heart, let it grow, and shine forth."

My thoughts danced, and before me, a star roared to life, a symbol of my will.

"Now, the orbiters. Picture stone, gas, ice. Give them life as they circle your star."

My eyes closed, my imagination took flight. Planets formed, each a unique testament to my newfound might.

"For moons, envision them bound by gravity, orbiting their planetary partners."

My past life, once filled with soccer dreams, was now distant. Moons sprang forth, each scarred yet beautiful, like memories of what once was.

"With your worlds crafted, they shall now breathe life. Rest, and awaken to consciousness upon them."

"How long will I sleep? What if I want to do more?"

"Rest is needed. Time here is naught. Awake when life stirs. Sleep now, Alex."

I wanted to argue, to demand control, but exhaustion claimed me. "I should have known the cost..." My voice trailed off, my consciousness fading into the dark.

SHHH... A deep silence enveloped me as I surrendered to the slumber, my last thoughts a mix of regret and anticipation for the worlds I created.

As I drifted off, the universe I had shaped spun silently in the void, awaiting the spark of life. Planets turned on their axes, moons kept their ceaseless vigil, a ballet of cosmic solitude choreographed by my desires.

Eons might have passed, or mere moments. In this divine dreamscape, time lost all meaning. When my eyes would open next, I would witness the dawn of existence upon the canvas I had painted—a canvas of chaos, a testament to the path of Mania I had chosen.

What new wonders awaited me? What forms of life would greet me? The answers lay just beyond the horizon of my slumber, written in the stars that I had set aflame with my own hands.