The newborn universe continued expanding.
Galaxies spun slowly through the cosmic darkness, their spiral arms illuminated by billions of newly born stars.
Nebulae stretched across vast regions of space like glowing oceans of gas and dust.
Within this young cosmos, the architects of creation moved quietly among their work.
Celestials.
Gigantic figures of living cosmic metal drifted through the forming galaxies like ancient titans shaping the universe itself.
Their movements were slow.
Deliberate.
Each action carried consequences across entire star systems.
Where they passed—
Gravity shifted.
Nebulae condensed.
Stars ignited into existence.
Creation responded to their presence.
From the primordial abyss beyond the universe, Aiden Vox observed everything.
Throneworld remained hidden within the endless darkness outside the expanding cosmos.
The living structure had grown steadily during the passing ages.
Its surface now stretched far beyond its original platform, forming a vast organic landscape of dark biomass and glowing internal pathways.
At the center of the structure stood Aiden.
The first symbiote drifted lazily beside him.
Its form shifted continuously as it mimicked shapes it had observed.
Occasionally it extended small tendrils into the abyss before retracting them again.
Curious.
Adaptive.
Aiden barely moved as he watched the Celestials in the distance.
Even from the edge of the universe, their presence was unmistakable.
Cosmic-scale entities capable of manipulating matter and energy on unimaginable levels.
Fascinating.
Yet something changed.
One of the Celestials slowed.
The gigantic being drifted between two forming galaxies before gradually coming to a stop.
Aiden noticed immediately.
The titan turned its enormous head.
Its gaze shifted away from the galaxies.
Away from the newborn stars.
And toward the darkness beyond the universe.
Toward the abyss.
Toward Throneworld.
Aiden remained perfectly still.
He had made no effort to hide.
There had been no need.
The abyss itself concealed him.
But the Celestials were not ordinary beings.
Their perception extended far beyond the boundaries of their universe.
The titan observed the darkness carefully.
For several seconds it did nothing.
Then another Celestial slowed.
Then a third.
Gradually, several of the cosmic architects paused in their work.
Their attention turned toward the same direction.
Toward the anomaly beyond creation.
Toward the silent presence watching from the abyss.
Aiden studied their reaction calmly.
Recognition.
Curiosity.
Possibly caution.
Understandable.
From their perspective, the universe had just been born.
Yet something already existed outside it.
Something older.
The first symbiote drifted closer to Aiden's shoulder.
Its surface rippled faintly.
Even the small organism seemed to sense the shift in atmosphere.
Far away, the Celestials began communicating.
No sound reached the abyss.
But their movements revealed the exchange.
They observed the darkness carefully.
Studying it.
Analyzing the anomaly.
Eventually—
One of them moved.
The massive figure turned fully toward the edge of the universe.
Golden light radiated from its body, illuminating entire star clusters as it began drifting closer to the boundary of creation.
The others followed.
Not aggressively.
Not defensively.
Simply curious.
Aiden watched their approach without concern.
The distance between them remained immense.
Even for beings of such scale, the journey across the cosmos required time.
But their direction was clear.
They were coming to investigate.
Throneworld remained silent within the abyss.
The living structure continued absorbing faint particles drifting through the void.
Its internal networks pulsed quietly as information flowed through the growing symbiote system.
The first symbiote hovered beside Aiden, observing the approaching giants with equal curiosity.
Aiden folded his arms behind his back.
In his previous life, Celestials had been fictional cosmic beings from comic books.
Now they were very real.
And they had just discovered something impossible.
Something beyond their universe.
Something beyond their creation.
The abyss remained silent.
But soon—
That silence would end.
Because the creators of the cosmos were approaching the edge of existence.
And when they arrived—
They would discover they were not alone.