Alex floated in silence, alone again in the abyss.
One moment, he had been meditating inside his Inner World, drawing soul energy through meridians that hadn't even fully formed in his infant body. The next, everything had vanished. The vast pastures, glowing orbs, and golden mansion of his treasure realm faded into blackness.
Only the void remained.
But this wasn't death. It wasn't the numb descent he remembered after being struck by lightning. This was something deeper. A plane beyond space and time, vibrating with unseen energy.
Then, a presence.
It didn't arrive. It had always been there. Watching.
"Welcome again, Alex."
The voice echoed everywhere and nowhere, calm, powerful, and incomprehensibly vast.
Alex turned toward the source instinctively, though the concept of direction was meaningless here. A being emerged, not in shape, but in sensation, a silhouette formed of stars, light, and gravity itself. It was neither male nor female nor old nor young. It simply was. The center of everything.
He recognized the presence immediately.
"You're the Overseer."
A ripple of acknowledgment passed through the void.
"You spoke to me when I died. Gave me the choice."
"You accepted purpose over peace."
"I don't regret it," Alex said, firm.
"But now I need answers."
The Overseer responded with stillness. Then, with a sweep of unseen power, the fabric of the void peeled away.
The multiverse opened before him.
Infinite stars, spinning galaxies, planes of color, and chaos. Worlds bloomed in fractal geometry, each tethered to invisible threads of possibility. Some burned bright. Others flickered with instability. A few were cracked, wounded by forces unseen.
Alex stared in awe.
"This is it," he murmured. "The real multiverse."
"Yes. Not stories. Not illusions. These are living realms. Each world exists with its laws, people, and fate. And they are in danger."
Alex watched one of the fractured worlds in the distance, a shadow creeping across it like a sickness.
"I'm here to stop that, aren't I?"
"You are one of the last Apostles. That responsibility now falls to you."
The Overseer gestured, and Alex felt, rather than saw, the multiverse split into two strands.
"Understand the difference," the voice said. "There are two broad types of multiversal realities: the True Realms and the Puppet Realms."
"In Puppet Realms," the Overseer continued, "life mimics narrative. These are the structured reflections, the ones your mortal world called fiction. Their people follow scripted patterns, often shaped by stories once told. Even if they believe they are real, their free will is limited."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "And that's where all those transmigrators go, right? The ones who reincarnate in anime or game worlds?"
"Yes. Puppet Realms attract souls seeking comfort, predictability, or power. Many enter thinking they can play god because they 'know the plot.' And the realm accepts that... for a time."
"What happens then?"
"Most forget who they were. Others become tyrants. But all eventually blend into the simulation, puppets themselves. You, however, were chosen for something greater."
Alex turned his gaze back to the vibrant swirl of the True Realms.
"These are the real ones?"
"Yes. Where chaos exists. Where the plot does not protect you. Where outcomes are earned, not given. And the people? They are truly alive."
"But..." Alex hesitated. "Some of those real worlds do seem to have a protagonist. Some force or person that luck seems to protect."
A pause. Then the Overseer answered.
"Occasionally, when a True Realm nears collapse, the multiverse responds. It does not like imbalance. So, it manifests a corrective force, a person, born or shaped by circumstance, to restore harmony. You call them protagonists."
"So, they're... what? Natural antibodies?"
"In a way. Not every world has one. Not every story deserves one. But when a world reaches the brink, the realm may birth a being with heightened fate, someone with improbable luck, growing power, and a drive that feels... familiar."
Alex's eyes narrowed. "That's why some worlds still feel scripted, even though they're real."
"Exactly. It is not plot armor. It is the world fighting for its survival."
He folded his arms, contemplative. "So, I might meet one."
"You might become one if a realm calls for it. But know this, even they can fall. They are not immune to corruption or death."
The Overseer gestured once more, and a golden list formed in the void. Letters danced like solar flares across the dark.
Apostolic Ascension Path:
Seer—Soul Awareness and Inner Realm Initiation
Warden—Physical Cultivation and Body Tempering
Sentinel—Domain Formation and Dimensional Resistance
Guardian—Multiverse Law Comprehension
Ascendant—Cosmic Alignment and Soul Immortality
Alex read the ranks silently, his expression firming.
"So, I start at the bottom, as a Seer. I build from there?"
"Yes. Through cultivation, achievement, and impact. Your soul will respond to the significance of your actions, not just your power."
"And my first world is...?"
A new vision appeared—Themyscira, the hidden island of the Amazons. Beautiful. Isolated. Holy. And hidden in its heart: a cold stone palace surrounded by divine seals.
"You've already arrived," the Overseer said. "Born in secret as Diana's twin, hidden for your protection."
"Because men aren't allowed," Alex murmured. "And the gods would try to control me."
"Correct. Your isolation grants you time. Time to grow. Time to reach heights few apostles have."
"And when I'm ready?" Alex asked. "What happens next?"
"You will travel. To new worlds. Real ones. Some familiar, some alien. Each will challenge you. Each will test your convictions. You will meet enemies, allies... and perhaps other Apostles. But no one must know what you are."
Alex glanced again at the fractured realms. "If I'm one of the last… I won't let your trust go to waste."
"I believe you won't. But the path is long. Even the brightest lights cast shadows."
The vision began to fade, stars blinking out one by one.
"One more question," Alex said. "Why me?"
"Because even in death," the Overseer said, fading into mist, "you reached out to protect others."
Then there was nothing.
Alex awoke within his Inner World, lying beneath the silver sky of his soul palace.
His heart beat strongly. His resolve burned hotter than ever.
The road ahead would be long.
But now, he knew why it mattered.