Chapter Text
At the dawn of creation, when heaven and earth first took shape, all things in the world were pure and unblemished.
On that fateful day, thunder rolled across the heavens and all existence shifted. A nearly ten-meter-tall chunk of the purest iron ore lay exposed upon the earth. It caught the first ray of sunlight of the day, and then, a visible crack split its seemingly impenetrable shell. Streaks of brilliant, multicolored light poured forth from within the ore.
The fissure widened, the radiance growing ever brighter, luminous enough to rouse gods beyond the planet. In an instant, a figure emerged from the glow. A lively, nimble form leaped out of the crevice. A girl? Or rather… a girl forged entirely of metal, with the bearing of a monkey.
She felt no fear or alarm at the world unfolding before her. All that could be seen in her was boundless curiosity and a longing for freedom. She stretched her arms as far as she could, wishing to embrace the vast land beneath her. She strained her glowing eyes wide, eager to take in the endless stretch of sky. Twisting her body with all her might, she let out a burst of crackling detonation as her feet finally touched the soft soil.
She glanced back at the shattered ore that had given her life, and her very first emotion flickered within her: dismay. Yet when she heard the free cries of monkey troops echoing from distant mountain peaks, a second feeling stirred — joy, the thrill of hope that she might find others like herself.
No longer sorrowful over the broken ore behind her, she opened her eyes wide, took off running, heading toward the source of that joyful sound.
No one could tell whether this one-of-a-kind event was an ill omen or a gift bestowed by heaven. But one thing was certain: the world was about to become infinitely more extraordinary.
And now, let us shift our gaze and broaden our vision to behold something far vaster. Long before all pure things of creation came into being, the world was born out of chaos. Beyond the chaos that enveloped the worlds lay a space woven from zeroes and ones, composed of myriads upon myriads of chaotic realms.
Within this space dwelt the Fluor‑Being, the origin from which all worlds are forged, a supreme will beyond all. It brought forth all existence: first the lifeless stones, then breathing plants, next beasts of flesh that run across the lands, followed by raw, unfiltered emotion, then rational thought, and sacred faith. One by one, countless chaotic realms bloomed with life under its influence. Each world contained within these chaotic spheres unfolded in distinct ways, shaped by divergent karmic threads.
Beside the Fluor‑Being stood dozens of Octapod Beasts. None know for certain whether these beings were mere playthings the Fluor‑Being fashioned out of boredom, or overseers crafted to preserve order across every chaotic domain. Regardless, every Octapod Beast diligently observed the shifts within each chaos and intervened when necessary. Without exception, all remained steadfast followers of the Fluor‑Being’s wisdom.
Yet ages passed, and one Octapod Beast marked with orange stripes grew captivated by the worlds nested within chaos. Gradually, it neglected its pursuit of the Fluor‑Being’s wisdom. For this transgression, the Fluor‑Being laid punishment upon it: the beast was cast into one of the chaos‑wrapped worlds, doomed to endure ten mortal lifetimes of tribulation before it could reclaim its former status. Each time it failed a lifetime, the Fluor‑Being would transfer its soul into an entirely new chaotic realm, forcing it to undergo suffering anew. After nine such soul transfers, it arrived within the tenth chaos.
As eras turned and all things transformed, mortal folk began to perceive the wisdom of the supreme will, the Fluor‑Being. Legends spoke of The World’s Apex: should one climb to this lofty height and touch the most radiant, magnificent stretch of starry sky beyond the stars, one would attain the Fluor‑Being’s wisdom‑‑and bring bliss unto all living things.
Countless scholars, idealists, and devotees of the Fluor‑Being’s teachings set out for The World’s Apex, whether of their own volition or by mandate. Not a single soul returned. Still, humanity’s awe for the Fluor‑Being’s great, inscrutable doctrines would not be shaken by such grim outcomes.
And so, within the town of Tremorton, a maiden, known as Wisteria, blessed with an innate understanding of the Fluor‑Being’s teachings was chosen as the vanguard for this distant pilgrimage. She rode upon a steed, robed in kasaya, and journeyed forth alongside her retinue. By twist of karma, or mere chance, her hair blazed with the hue of orange.