There was a dream.And it always began the same way.
He stood alone in the vast, soundless cosmos—not born from a womb, nor forged by hand.He simply appeared, at the threshold between two paradoxes:The Sea That Dissolves and The Tree That Remembers.
In those first moments, he did not know who he was. Only that something—someone—was speaking to him. A voice, both distant and intimate, echoed inside his mind.
"Find a world. Create them. Love them."
He had asked, back then, "What should I create? What should I love?"
And the voice replied, without hesitation:
"You already know."
He said it aloud—instinctively:
"Humans?"
But he did not know what humans were. He did not know why he should love them.And yet, something within his form—a memory older than stars—did know.
So he journeyed.
At first, the cosmos was kind.He found worlds still cradled in the warmth of creation. Planets where life could flourish. He created. He loved.
But then, the Abyss followed.
It found his creations. Devoured them. Corrupted them. And eventually… it defeated him.
Each time he fell to the Abyss, he would awaken again—not in time's beginning, but in that same first place, between the Sea and the Tree. A personal loop. A divine exile.
The universes continued on.But he always began again.
The dreams were not illusions.They were real lives, real losses.And each time, the darkness spread wider. Worlds became harder to find. The cycle, crueler.
Until finally, he found Teyvat—a planet divided between Light and Void.He believed it could be the one.
He made war against the Dragon Sovereigns.He reshaped the world.He split pieces of himself—the Four Shades: Time, Space, Life, Death.He created humanity.And he loved them.
But even Teyvat was not safe.
The Abyss returned.Born now through the king of dragons and though Khaenri'ah, twisted by exile and curse. The war devastated him.
Wounded beyond mortal comprehension, he fell into slumber beneath the sky he created—a fake sky, to protect the world.
And he slept.
When he next opened his eyes…Something was wrong.
The sky above was not his.
No false stars. No Leylines. No silent Shades watching.Only… two figures. Humans.
one men. One woman.They stared at him with confusion. Curiosity. No reverence.
And suddenly, he realized—the voice was gone.The one that had always guided him, from the Sea and the Tree, was silent.
He reached inward, toward the origin of all laws—toward the core of the universe's design.
And found... nothing.
There was no Tree here.No Sea.No connection to the divine systems that had governed every cycle before.
He was no longer in Teyvat.
He was no longer anywhere he knew.
Han Sooyoung stared at the stranger lying in the grass, then looked sideways at Kim Dokja.
"What's wrong with this bastard? He wakes up, stares at us, and now he's closing his eyes again?"
Kim Dokja sighed.
Just moments ago, they had been discussing the three questions he owed her terms of their strange contract when a man appeared out of thin air.
He had long white hair streaked with gold, wore robes of alien design, and had the face of a statue—beautiful, but devoid of warmth.
Terrifying.But what truly frightened Kim Dokja was the absence.
He couldn't read anything from the man. Not even with his skills.And worse—the Fourth Wall was screaming at him.
"WARNING: THIS BEING IS DANGEROUS."
They had panicked at first—naturally.But after a tense observation, they noticed he was breathing. Still.Asleep.
They tested the perimeter. A glowing barrier—twelve meters wide—surrounded the man. Completely sealed. No gaps, no cracks. Han Sooyoung tried to slip past it and was thrown back.
So they waited.
Now, the man's golden eyes opened again. Cold. Timeless.
He sat up slowly and spoke.
"Where am I?"
Han Sooyoung crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the strange man.
"You're in Seoul."
Phanes tilted his head slightly, golden eyes unblinking.
"Seoul? Where is that?"
"In Korea."
Phanes blinked again.
"Korea?"
He seemed to taste the word, foreign on his tongue.
"Where is Korea?"
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes, her voice sharpening.
"On Earth. Where else?"
Before Phanes could ask another question, Kim Dokja stepped forward cautiously.
"Are you perhaps.... a constellation?"
Phanes looked at him in silence, then gently shook his head.
"No. I am not."
His voice was calm too calm and somehow that answer made the air around them feel heavier.
Han Sooyoung groaned, ruffling her hair in frustration.
"Ugh, I can't take it anymore. You—what's your name? Why are you here? And what are you, exactly?"
The white-haired man turned his golden gaze toward her, expression unreadable.
"My name is Phanes."He paused."As for why I'm here... I don't know."
He looked down for a moment, as if that answer troubled him more than it should. Then her final question seemed to reach deeper.
"And what am I?"
Phanes fell silent.
For the first time since waking, he seemed genuinely uncertain—lost in thought, trying to answer a question he had never asked himself. After a few seconds, the answer slipped out like a breath:
"The primordial god."
He looked up again, this time as if trying to remember whether that statement was truth or instinct.
"Yes. That's what I am."
Han Sooyoung blinked.Then scoffed."A god? Don't joke around—"
But she stopped.
She looked more closely now. The man's features—unreal in their beauty, like something crafted rather than born—radiated something unnatural. Something divine.
She glanced at Kim Dokja beside her. That bastard didn't exactly scream "handsome," but he was terrifyingly strong and more mysterious than he had any right to be.
'If even this ugly guy can be strong… then maybe this god-looking guy's telling the truth.'
Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes.
"Alright, fine. Let's say what you said is true. You're a primordial god or whatever. Then answer this How the hell did someone like you end up here?"
Phanes frowned."Like I said, I don't know. I was recovering from a battle… and when I woke up, I was here."
He glanced at the sky, then back at the two unfamiliar humans."But it doesn't matter now. I have time. I'll figure it out."
He wasn't particularly disturbed. Somewhere deep within, he felt this displacement—this sudden shift—had something to do with the voice. The same voice that had once guided him in the beginning.
Then he turned his gaze to them again."Could one of you explain the state of this world? I scanned the surface upon waking. It's overrun with strange creatures made of strange power. I want an explanation… and also…"
Before he could finish, Han Sooyoung groaned and waved him off."Ugh. I'm out. Dokja, you deal with this. I don't have the mental energy to explain reality to a divine airhead."
Kim Dokja sighed.Despite himself, he approached Phanes—keeping a cautious distance. The sense of pressure he felt from this man was worse than facing a Yoo Joonghyuk. But he started explaining. The Constellations. The Scenarios. The apocalypse. The coins, fables, stigmas… everything.
Ten minutes later.
Phanes crossed his arms, his expression unreadable."So… let me get this straight."
He recited slowly:"This world is in a constant apocalypse. The cause: 'Constellations'—beings from beyond who treat this place as a theater for their amusement. The power system revolves around 'skills' and… 'narratives.'"
He paused."And to survive, you must complete scenarios set by these higher beings?"
Kim Dokja nodded wearily."That's the gist of it, yes."
"then can i ask something?." phanes looked at him.
kim dokja nodded."go ahead please."
Phanes studied the man before him, his golden eyes narrowing slightly."Are you human?"
He couldn't help but ask. There was something about this man something beyond flesh and bone. A deeper presence, like a wall woven from that strange power called narrative. It was powerful, yet fragile; strong, yet strangely weak—like a thin veil guarding the laws of a universe, but at the same time isnt like that. The contradiction puzzled Phanes.
Kim Dokja blinked, caught off guard by the question."Of course I'm human," he replied, confusion flickering in his eyes.
Phanes sensed something—an unread secret lurking just beneath the surface. Perhaps Kim Dokja didn't fully understand the power inside him, or maybe he chose not to reveal it.
Deciding it wasn't his place to pry further, Phanes let the question go."Everyone has their own secrets," he thought quietly.