Existence was vast. Beyond comprehension. It began with a singularity – a spark of collision between dimensional energies. From that collision, energy birthed matter, and from matter, life. Across countless dimensions and worlds, life found its way, evolving under the influence of varying Laws, shaped by Essence, the omnipresent energy field that suffused the universe.


    On many worlds, life learned to cultivate this energy, harnessing it to transcend limitations and interact with the Laws that governed their existence. Some grew mighty, bending reality to their will. Behemoths in their own right, these entities changed the fabric of their dimensions. Yet, for all their power, none could claim to understand existence fully.


    Earth, however, was different.


    A backwater planet, isolated and unaware of the grand tapestry of life beyond its skies. Earthlings believed themselves exceptional, dominant, and advanced. But in truth, they were blind to the wider universe—a speck of dust floating in an endless ocean.


    On a small island that would put even Bora Bora to shame, a boy lay on a crystalline beach, his silver-grey hair messy and glinting faintly under the sun’s warm rays. Waves lapped gently against the shore, a soothing rhythm that matched the beat of his music. A pair of sleek headphones covered his ears, the muffled sound of a soft melody escaping into the air.


    Kei was thirteen. A laid-back, unremarkable teenager who had spent most of his life lounging on beaches like this one. His life was simple: eat, sleep, listen to music, repeat. He didn’t care much for the wider world or what it had to offer.


    "Why stress when you can relax?" he often said, to the exasperation of anyone who tried to motivate him.


    Today was no different. One arm rested behind his head, the other draped lazily over his chest. He stared up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by in no particular hurry. The music in his ears drowned out the world’s noise, leaving him in his own little bubble of serenity.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    But serenity wasn’t eternal.


    Nearby, a girl swayed gently in a hammock strung between two palm trees. She was about Kei’s age, though her frail frame and pale complexion made her seem younger. Her long, jet-black hair spilled over her shoulders like a waterfall, framing a face that could only be described as angelic. Her eyes, sharp and inquisitive, were locked on the book in her lap.


    This was Mia.


    She was a dreamer, a thinker, and a relentless questioner of the world’s workings. While Kei lounged in blissful ignorance, Mia’s mind buzzed with curiosity. She didn’t just want to understand existence; she wanted to challenge it.


    "Kei," Mia called, her voice cutting through the gentle hum of the waves and Kei’s music. He didn’t respond. She rolled her eyes, reaching for a small pebble from the ground and tossing it in his direction. It bounced off his forehead.


    "Ow!" Kei sat up, pulling off his headphones and rubbing his head. "What was that for?"


    Mia smirked, setting her book aside. "You were ignoring me."


    "I wasn’t ignoring you. I was just... deeply immersed in my music."


    "Right," Mia said dryly. "Anyway, I was thinking. Do you ever wonder why things are the way they are? Why the wind blows, why fire is hot, why water is wet?"


    Kei blinked at her, his expression blank. "Not really."


    Mia sighed, exasperated but not surprised. "You should. Everything has a reason. Physics, chemistry, the fundamental laws of the universe. They’re all connected."


    Kei flopped back down onto the sand, putting his headphones on again. "You think too much."


    "And you don’t think enough," Mia shot back, though there was no malice in her tone. She looked back at her book, though her mind wandered beyond its pages.


    For Mia, the questions weren’t just idle curiosity. They were a way of understanding her place in a world that often felt too big and too small all at once. Her condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, made her body fragile, but her mind was anything but. If she couldn’t rely on her physical strength, then her intellect would have to carry her.


    Kei, meanwhile, had no such ambition. He was perfectly content being ordinary, perfectly happy to drift through life with no grand purpose. But even he couldn’t escape the undercurrent of change that was about to sweep over the world.


    The crystalline beach, the peaceful waves, the lazy banter—it all felt so insignificant in the grand scheme of existence. And yet, for these two, it was everything.


    As Kei lay there, listening to the beat of his music and the rhythm of life around him, the universe watched. It was always watching. For even in the smallest corners of existence, there were ripples waiting to be made.