Far from the Arch Eternal Clans, there was a faction that had stayed hidden for over 800 yearsâthe Necroshade Empire, long ruled by Vexar, the Eternal Reaper.
If memory served, he had once set his sights on claiming the bounty of a certain mysterious figure.
That was also around the time the Nocturne Vampire Clan fell and the Galactic Conquest began. In particular, the Erebus Galaxy became the place where Vexar intended to bide his time, watching closely for any sign of movement.
At that time, there was just too much happeningâfrom the arrival of the Dragon of Eternity and the ominous aura of Absolute Endings to the entire Galaxy being overrun with women and foxes. It was pure madness when you thought about it.
Vexar hadnât scouted from any major, well-known worldâin fact, quite the opposite.
When the conquest began and he saw the overwhelming number of opponents, he did what any sensible person wouldâhe retreated.
He hadnât known they had any connection to Ash, but risking his life over a mere bounty wasnât worth it.
So, he returned to Enyaâs domain, determined to regain his former strength and uncover the secrets the records of Eternity held about the Lower Domain.
In the meantime, he ordered his subordinates to monitor any news, events, or developments across the Universeâand even the multiverse, if possible.
Yet, eight centuries had passed since he last summoned them.
In the heart of Enyaâs domainâa vast garden suspended in a pocket of soft, pearlescent light that never quite touched the edges of sight.
Endless fields of silver-white lilies stretched in every direction, their petals glowing faintly with an inner luminescence, releasing a scent that was both calming and faintly melancholic, like rain on forgotten stone.
Gentle streams of liquid starlight wound through the grass, flowing upward into the sky in lazy spirals before falling back as silent mist that shimmered with captured memories.
Enya drifted at the gardenâs center under the ancient tree, her white robes spilling around her like streams of light, long purple hair rippling in soft waves that grazed the earth.
Her three eyesâone in the center hidden yet glowing, the other two calm beneath sweeping lashesâwere half-closed in thought until she spoke, her voice gentle but laden with the weight of ages.
"Eight centuries, Vexar... and finally, a thread that doesnât unravel into nothing." She gestured, and a holographic web of ancient runes bloomed in the air.
Countless universes lay charted as glowing orbs circling a central, absolute voidâa dead zone, pitch-black and impenetrable, swallowing all light and every probe.
"Iâve been chasing the Records of Eternity since the 21st Cycleâtitles, powers, anomalies not born of our reality... Yet Iâve never come this far. For the past eight centuries, weâve traced them back: the first worlds, the first beings wielding weird powers, and even the first titles... things that broke every law we knew."
Vexar stood beside her, tall and imposing at the height of his Cosmic Emperor power, draped in reaperâs robes of living shadow that trailed spectral scythes.
His pale skin was lined with green veins, his face framed by deathly green eyes set in endless voids, his aura carrying a quiet finality. He nodded slowly, his voice low and resonant, like fate itself tolling in the distance.
"The center," he muttered, staring into the dead zone. "Every universe drift around itâlike moths drawn to an unseen flame. No probe ever comes back. No vision can reach it. Itâs either the origin... or the end."
Enya turned to him, her central eye glowing with ancient certainty, the flanking pair flickering violet.
"This is our first real lead. No more hiding in the shadows. We move. Now."
Vexarâs lips curled into a faint reaperâs smile, his agreement cold and unwavering.
"Then we go."
With a wave of his hand, necrotic essence rippled through the pearlescent light of Enyaâs gardenâshadows coalescing like ink in water as three figures materialized in perfect unison, dropping to one knee with disciplined grace.
Vorathâbroad and armored in bone-plated reaper mail, scythe resting across his back, face hidden beneath a hood of living darkness.
Nyxaraâslender and veiled in shifting void-silks, twin daggers of soul-forged obsidian at her hips, eyes glowing faint crimson behind a half-mask.
Elyssarâtall and gaunt, robed in tattered scrolls that fluttered with recorded deaths, staff of petrified timewood topped with a flickering hourglass.
They knelt in silence, heads bowed, the lilies around them dimming slightly as if in respect to deathâs proximity.
"Speak," Vexar commanded, voice echoing like final decree through the gardenâs stillness, the distant chimes falling silent. "What has been going on around the Universe while Iâve been busy?"
Elyssar was the first to look up, his hourglass staff glowing softly as shifting timelines danced in his eyes.
"Master," he said, his voice as dry as rustling pages.
"Universe 28âour homeâis now entirely under the control of the Originat Clan....
Thereâs no resistance left. The Branch Clan, led by the twins Kael and Caelan Originat, rules absolutely. Their opposing forces swept away all challengers."
He took a moment before he continued.
"Galaxies have been remade into storm-forged citadels circling their thrones. The Primavus race overruns the worldsâbillions strong, loyal only to the Originat name. The old factions are gone. It belongs to them completely."
Hearing those words, Enya and Vexar were more than a little shocked. They exchanged a glance, eyes narrowing in unison.
"An entire universe was conquered in what? 800 years?"
Elyssar swallowed hard and shook his head.
"Negative... it was done within two years..." he murmured, almost under his breath. It was trueâKael and Caelan could have finished much sooner, but they needed time to see which of their troops they could truly trust.
So, for a year, they let the others handle all the work.
"Thatâs.... well," Enya began speaking before she stopped.
"Iâd say impossible, but with these damned records, Iâm not sure whatâs impossible anymore," she grumbled, shaking her head.
Nyxara spoke, rising slightly as void-silks shifted like breathing shadows, her crimson eyes glinting with keen intelligence.
"Across the multiverse, Master, the Originat are both the hottest rumor and the loudest warning.
For eight centuries, their Branch Leaders have carved legends: Nia the Obsidian Devourer, consuming realms; Raven the Hollow Sovereign, emptying universes into devotion;
Seris the Imperious Summoner, summoning infinities to end wars before they begin... each name and even those not mentioned still resonates.
Ten universes claimed, their branches spreading like a plague. Everyone speaks of themâfear, awe, plotting to ally or avoid."
"Originat..." Vexar and Enya repeated the name, trying to place it, until realization struck.
"WaitâAsh Originat? The one with the bounty from years ago?" Vexar asked, his eyes widening in shock. The mere mention of Ashâs name brought an eerie silence to the room.
It wasnât pure fear that stilled them, but the fact that so little was truly known about him. Most of what was said felt like wild nonsense and rumors.
"Master, the one known as Ash Originat... heâs a mystery," Elyssar remarked, with Nyxara chiming in.
"He hasnât been seen for the last 800 years. No matter which branch clan goes to war, he never appears. But apparently... he killed the Dragon Progenitor and millions of Cosmic Overlords, even taking down a few progenitors."
"These are just mere rumors," Vorath scoffed.
Vexarâs eyes narrowed, but he stayed silent. Ash wasnât exactly an enemy, but with the Taint spreading and this guy looking more corrupted than anyone else... who knew how things might turn out?
She paused, daggers giving off a low hum.
"The second fire is the Asura-Tyrannus Warâthousands of years old and now at its peak. Borders are bleeding, leaders battling in hidden voids. The end is closeâboth sides readying for the final strike. Universes watch, holding their breath for what comes next."
Vexar stood quietly among the lilies, Enya at his side with steady, focused eyes, the gardenâs light dimming as if holding its breath for his decision. He nodded and spoke.
"Good, weâll officially step back onto the scene. Our priority is these universes," he said, gesturing to the map.
"But along the journey... why not make our names known as well?" His smile grew at the thought, while Enya simply shook her head.