The world has changed...
Long gone are the days when humans once thought...
"Are we the only ones in the universe"
The answer as you can guess was... No
No one remembers exactly when it started it's been so long now. Millions... of years ago...
All people still remember or can say is one day every part and civilization in the universe suddenly became connected. With the arrival of beings and entities powerful enough to cross the expanse of time and space, inventions capable of crossing dimensions. The barrier between worlds, solar systems, universes became blurred. The entire universe became what you would call one big Community.
The humans and other species in the universe at the time finally saw other beings beyond themselves in the vast expanse of space and what happened after was pretty predictable... War.
What ever entity or civilization had connected the different part of space obviously did not consider the implications or maybe they did and still did it anyway. The war lasted for lightyears. The weaker civilizations were quickly weeded out, majority of them completely erased or turned into slaves for the others but with the vastness of space nobody cared. The civilizations of mythical creatures gained some standing due to their innate strength but even they still fell short. Their bodies were suitable for resources which made them even more of a target for those species and civilizations stronger than them.
Very soon the universe was divided into 7 domains, each ruled by a powerhouse civilization. There was a clear border between the areas owned by each civilization and for a few centuries it remained that way. Until a new civilization arose, they had the numbers, they had the technology and most importantly they had power. This civilization did not solo the entire of the others, but the reason they were quickly recognised in the war was because they did something the other races never did. They allied with another civilization.
During the war, probably out of pride or whatever reason it was, there was never a case where two civilizations allied together. It was an unspoken rule. The two combined civilizations became a new powerhouse greater than the others and very quickly the other domains were taken. The new civilization erased the former system of government. The war was stopped. They forcefully moved part of different civilizations into each other. Thirty percent of a race were moved to a habitable planet and other thirty percent of another race were moved to join them. By doing this they forcefully caused the different races in the universe to coexist together. Cross-breeding over the years has even caused some planets to completely lose their distinctions. Just like that, this civilization stopped the millennial year war.
After this, they withdrew and erased themselves from the world.
At least that the story everyone knows.
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A quiet lake, reflecting a sky full of stars. Wind drifted slowly through the trees along the shore.
Crack!
The sound of breaking glass.
Crack! Crack!!
A shard fell out of thin air.
Shatter!!!
The space above the water split open like glass, and a figure burst through it — as if flung through a window — falling straight into the lake. A few shards drifted down from the dark rupture before it slowly sealed itself, and the world above the water returned to normal.
Splash!!
Lukas raised his head as he walked out of the water.
"Look at that — the cosmos being considerate for once. Sending me into water for my burns, huh?" he muttered to no one, clearly unimpressed. He walked beneath a nearby tree and sat down.
"It's been eight years, so I'd genuinely forgotten that stupid Appellation. 'A lost man has no fear of losing his way? What nonsense." He hurled a stone into the water.
"Is that supposed to be comforting?!" he said to the sky.
"Tch." He buried his face in his knees, breathing deep until his body settled. Then he stood and walked back to the water's edge.
"I look disgusting," he said, his usual calm returning. "Wonder where I even am." A small smile crept across his face, a sharp contrast to his outburst moments earlier. Staring up at the stars, he murmured, "I seem to be remembering a lot of poems today."
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In a green field behind a sprawling house, an outdoor party was underway — men and women in fine clothing standing or seated in clusters across the lawn. Off to one side, a strikingly beautiful woman in a silver gown sat alone, gazing up at the stars. Her white hair was gathered into a loose bun behind her head. She looked like something out of a painting.
After a while, she opened her mouth, and a soft, beautiful voice recited a simple poem.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder... .
..where you are." She added silently.
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"Urgh... I should get rid of this body, every inch of me aches," Lukas glanced at the hole in his chest and then at his reflection in the water. Suddenly his reflection let out a small smile. Lukas's body suddenly seemed to have frozen as his already black eyes became dull.
Splash!!
An arm suddenly burst out of the water as a figure stood up. The figure had long white hair tied to a loose bun behind its head. It had on a black shirt and white trousers that really projected its thin body. Its body and clothes shimmered as the moonlight reflected from them. It looked like it was made of glass... Lukas's reflection came to life!
The new Lukas looked normal. He didn't have a hole in his chest nor a missing eye. He looked like Lukas before the attack, completely unharmed, yet somehow tired look in his eyes remained.
The shimmering of his body caused by the moonlight soon began dimming as the glass-like nature of his skin and cloth slowly faded away, turning them back to normal, flesh and fabric.
The new Lukas gave his chest a few soft pats. "Yep, it just doesn't feel right without a heart. Every part of my body still aches though."
Lukas walked to his old body; it stood frozen. The colour of his skin had faded, making it look transparent. You could also see the bones that had also begun to turn transparent. The skin had also hardened, leaving the tattered cloth on it flailing in the wind. It was looking more like a glass sculpture than a human body. Lukas put his hand on the shoulder of his old body and spoke as if comforting it.
"Look, I'm sorry bro, but you gotta go. Don't think of me as heartless, this is just the way it has to be." He sighed as he slowly pushed it into the water.
"Wait!" Lukas suddenly grabbed the falling statue.
Lukas looked at the hole in the sculpture's chest, then he looked at his own chest. "I have a heart. You don't. Doesn't that make you the heartless one?"
"..."
A loud and hearty laughter rang out, echoing across the calm and quiet seashore, followed by the loud splash of the glass sculpture falling and sinking into the water.
"Haha... did I go crazy? I must have gotten influenced by that stupid book. Speaking of which, I wonder where it is right now... I don't remember where I sold it. It probably thinks I'm... heartless... Pfft... hahaha, it's not funny. Haha..."
The laughter continued for a good, long time.
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