Moments earlier.
Alexander was one to dive into unpredictable situations with nothing but his strength and wits. Since he went missing and began grasping his true abilities, his confidence in his comprehension grew to absurd levels.
He had absolute confidence in what he deduced, going as far as killing himself in a simulated trial. Alex did the same thing again, only much bigger with larger stakes.
When he had his enlightenment on how to ascend to godhood, Alex knew he had to give it up. He had to give up everything to become nothing.
It was that realization and acceptance of reality that took away his presence, returning him to a state of nothingness. Alex had the choice to kill himself or let his enemies do it for me.
As he predicted, they panicked and dealt the final blow, killing him in every sense of the word. At the very he, Alex expected to feel something in that moment.
Unexpectedly, because of his acceptance of reality and what he was, his death was painless. One moment he was there, the next he was gone.
For the briefest of moments, Alex lost total awareness. However, when his awareness returned a split second later, he found himself everywhere.
At the empire, in the academy with his students, his family, friends, monsters roaming the universe, galaxies being destroyed, galaxies and worlds being created, Alex saw and felt everything.
With his core returning to the universe, Alex experienced his rebirth. He experienced the birth of the universe, and how it all began.
'There is no grand plan indeed.' Alex thought silently. 'The birth of the universe was a conscious decision of the main core to give itself a function. But as a collection of wills, how did it come to be in the first place…?'
This part eluded him still. Naturally, he wasn't discouraged. In fact, he felt that this was only the start and would possibly lead him to a question he now pondered.
How did void creatures come to be? Why did the multiversal consciousness create those monstrosities? Was it even responsible for their existence, or was it the creation of something else?
'Smaller steps.' Alex put those thoughts behind him. 'I acknowledge I still have more to learn. But learning about the birth of the universe has made a lot of things clear.'
Grasping his existence was the first step to completing his evolution. When he retracted his consciousness back to the heart of the universe, those refiners died.
And while the will of the Supreme One was powerful, it was an independent will much weaker than the actual deal. It couldn't withstand the consciousness/will of a true ascended.
Alex sealed the space, trapping the Veilwalkers as the second part of his evolution began; becoming one with the heart.
The universe's core glimmered with overwhelming energy and brilliance, releasing another pulse that felt different from before. It marked the reawakening of the universe.
It was a heartbeat.
"Huh?" The Veilwalkers were strangers to this experience. They didn't experience anything like that.
Their ascension to godhood granted them access to the universe's secrets. Bonding with the core made them an extension of their universe. They became beings with absolute authority and power.
They became a living and breathing entity of their universe, taking charge to do what the universe's core couldn't actively do. But Alexander was different.
He didn't become a universe because he bonded with the universe core, no. Alexander ushered something else entirely. He willingly gave himself up to become the universe.
Badump
The core released another heartbeat. Then another, and another, slowly building the rhythm of a natural heartbeat.
"Just what in the multiverse is going on…?" Aurion couldn't help but mutter. His eyes saw what was happening, but he couldn't comprehend it.
"..."
As the heartbeat continued the resound as it went far beyond the central space, permeating the entire universe. Every creation within its bounds resonated with the subtle beat.
"Alexander…" Cassandra looked out the window of her home. "Just what in the world as you doing?" The catwoman could feel Alex's presence stronger than before, and this time, it was disappearing.
It wasn't evasive in any way. In fact, it instilled a kind of calmness and reassurance she didn't know was possible. It was a strange feeling and at the same time natural. One thing was for certain though.
Reality felt…safe.
The core continued to rhythmically beat, leaving the Veilwalkers in a stupor. Gradually, the energy swirling around the core began shaping into something.
The culmination of all essential energies of the universe came together as they formed a framework around the core. This core pulsed with life, channelling its abundant energies into creating a body.
"He's coming back to live…" Nulrex gulped nervously, mesmerized by the cosmic wonder that formed before him.
It was breathtakingly beautiful, evoking a strange feeling in the Veilwalkers. Feelings of awe, reverence, worship and many more. All these feelings came together into something inexplicable, leaving the Veilwalkers speechless.
The framework became clearer and clearer, revealing Alex in a fetal position, the core still pulsing with rhythmic beats.
In what felt like an eternity but was only a few short seconds, Alex's universal body came to life. Though not an accurate representation of his new body, he preferred his humanoid form.
The body slowly woke from its fetal position, slowly straightening and turning to face the three walkers. The remnant energies around this majestic body flickered as it formed clothing.
Not the armour he wore, and certainly not your everyday clothing. This was a cosmic robe representing his new status as god… as a universe… as the universe lord. [Cover image]
As the remaining energies faded, Alex stood majestically in the void, his eyes closed and presence overwhelming to the extreme. He didn't actively release his aura. Yet it was felt by the walkers.
Gulp.
Aurion, Maeralith, and Nulrex had dark expressions under their hood. They didn't know how to act, and the feeling of worship continued to grow within them.
'How in the multiverse's name is his ascension so different?' Maeralith knew the answer but still found it hard to believe. 'Simply dying shouldn't make this much difference. There's something we're missing.'
"You're right." Alex suddenly said, his eyes snapping open. The glow within his cosmic and starry eyes sent shivers down their spine. Furthermore, his presence intensified several folds.
"Mhm!" All three walkers groaned, taking a forced knee in the void. Their heads were bowed deeply, their own will stripped from them. "The hell…?"
"There is something you're missing…"
"!"