Time didn't really exist anymore, or perhaps it was yet. Neither did space, for that matter. There was nothing to die, nothing to destroy. Nobody existed to despair, or desire, or to delight. Nothing had a destiny yet, either. But there were those that dreamed.
They slumbered in a state as different from mortal sleep as that state was different from the alien awareness of a star. Seven beings rested in non-existence, for as soon as the next universe began, they would, as well. First the eldest would awake, his eyes opening as a cosmic singularity prepared to erupt, and then the rest as their offices were needed. But, for now, they dreamed.
The dream was unique, and only existed for them. They did not speak, or otherwise communicate, for pure concepts needed no such artifice. They drifted through subconscious consciousness, waiting as their brother regained his strength, the strength only possessed once every cosmic cycle.
A hundred trillion times, they pondered what the new universe would be like. If any species would repeat, as had before, or what the physical constants might be. Perhaps it would even be one of the rare ones with no sapient life, and certain of their number would remain asleep until the following universe. Or, perhaps, it would be that rarest occurance of all – a repeat, with only minimal factors different.
At last, the time came. The eldest opened his eyes for the first time, and nodded. The next eldest gathered to herself the death of nonexistance, as their deeply slumbering brother awakened. His hand reached out, if such words could apply, and he touched the infinitessimal singularity that comprised all existance.
And there was light.
This, as with every similar act before, was the first and greatest act of destruction in this new universe. An explosion of unimaginable fury, more powerful than the very physical constants it spawned. All that existed hyper-expanded along three spatial dimensions, one temporal dimension, and one dimension of probability. As the picoseconds passed, the nature of all that would happened and the facts thereof became known to the eldest, as a massive book chained itself to his wrist.
And Dream of the Endless now slept, even as his brothers and sisters had, until the first being to dream emerged. His greatest, most important, and longest lasting role was done for now, until the current universe ended. Still, there would be lesser duties, so he treasured what rest he could get.
xxxx
Arzaz, High God of the Third World, glared across the shattered landscape. Though a separate dimensional brane than what would be the Universe, the barrier was thin. The vast energies of the Big Bang had been taken as a sign by the Nameless One, and he had unleashed his forces for a final, cataclysmic battle. Gog, the coward, had fled for other realms, but he was one of the weakest of the Gods of the Third World.
At his side, the lupine God known as Sirius sighed. "This is unfortunate," he intoned. "The Nameless One has unleashed the Anti-Life."
With a snarl, Azaz gestured at the landscape. "The fool! Once unleashed, nothing can stop it! All we can hope to do is channel it!" He regained control over himself, and closed hs eyes. "We may be lost, but perhaps not all shall be. Sirius... you must not fight."
"What?" protested his companion. "But I am fated to destroy Sh'vaa!"
"Which is why you must not fight. As long as some fragment of our essences remain, in both you and he, then life may return to Godworld someday. " He gestured to the right. "Imbed yourself deep within those mountains, old friend. Deep enough, the Anti-Life might not reach you."
With a heavy heart, Sirius did as he was bid, not knowing that his opposite did the same on the other side of Godworld. Arzaz, however, began to channel his vast power. No sooner had Sirius reached his shelter, than the Anti-Life reached the ancient deity. And, moments later, the Third World was no more, merely floating rubble and large planetoids.
Much of the energies of the Third World faded into the ether. Some remained, and yet still more was consumed to power Arzaz's last act, to shield the rest of reality from the malevolent force that had destroyed Godworld. A small amount, barely strong enough to cause a star to go nova, escaped, however. This power of the Old Gods erupted into the multiverse, and passed through dimensional barrier after dimensional barrier in a meandering, direct path.
And deep within the two largest fragments of Godworld, both Sirius and Sh'vaa slumbered.
xxxx
The gathering was not truly ocurring, not in a physical sense. The beings present were there in spirit, however, assuming the form of what would one day be the primary sapient life form on the world or worlds their warmth gave life to. Shape, however, mattered little to them, for almost all were spherical masses of nuclear fusion. This was the Parliament of Stars, and as their bodies waited, their spirits dreamed.
It is little known, even among the mightiest of mages, that stars had souls. Not all of them, however, only those from systems that would one day support life. There were stars whose souls were primitive, where life would never grow beyond simple plants or animals, but they were not present. Only those whose native life would achieve sapience were lofty enough to join the Parliament of Stars.
Mighty red Rao gazed upon the countless forms that life would one day take, even as he knew that the form his children would take seemed to be among the most common. He, as well, knew a great secret – the life from his world would not be born there. There were a few others that knew that secret, but by mutual agreement only informed their host.
Among the gathered stars, One new face could be seen. She was young and small, having only ignited among the interstellar gasses a few scane million years ago. Her name was Sol, and though she knew it not, she was the mother of the race that would be later adopted by many others. Her neighbor, Ma'aleca'andra, stood by her, as he existed a mere thirty light-years away. They wandered the halls, amazed at what they saw.
"I see the two of you are enjoying the Parliament," arose a voice behind them. "New visitors are becoming more and more common, it seems."
Turning, both saw an unusual being. He resembled Sol's form, but shorter and blue. His voice was whispery and faint, but held within it what could only be called wisdom, and an almost unimaginable amount of power. "I am Maltus, and I greet you. I sense greatness from you both, and that our children shall be allies and even, perhaps, friends."
The green, exoskeleted star spoke first. "I am Ma'aleca'andra, and this is Sol. This is our first Parliament, honored Maltus. Please, call me Ma'al." Sol, who had stepped slightly behind her neighbor, nodded.
"Ah, then you have arrived at a momentous time." The star gestured at a small number of clustered beings. "We are discussing the light, and what it shall represent."
"The light?" asked Sol.
"Indeed. Not the light of our bodies, but the light of our souls. Such is a powerful energy, that our children may one day wield. Indeed, my own children have begun to learn its use, and take their first hesitant steps into a wider universe."
Ma'al goggled. "Your children already exist? Then they shall truly be ancient before our own emerge, if they are to be friends!"
Maltus sighed. "Yes, this is so. Mine are among the firstborn, even as I was one of the first members of the Parliament. Now, come, the debate is to begin soon."
Sol watched as the concepts flew, eschewing language to express a point far more precisely than any mortal tongue could. She wandered around the edge of the gathered, more than a little unnerved at the knowing glances directed her way. She settled down next to a tall star, whose form was nearly identical to her own.
"This light," she asked him. "They equate it to emotion? Oh, forgive me. I am Sol."
Rao smiled. "I know. Part of your destiny is known to me, and for it you shall have anything you ask of me. And yes, though I do believe 'states of mind' better suits it."
She stomped a foot. "Okay, why does everyone seem to know what's in store for me and my children? This is getting tiresome rapidly."
He sighed. "I cannot say. Simply know that your children, and those you gather to yourself as if they were your children, will perform wonders not only of great power and wisdom, but also compassion and justice. One day you will understand, when many here have either dwindled into nothing, or exploded in a blaze of glory. Now, as to the Light..."
It had been decided that the light would be assigned states of mind that the majority of the Stars' children would know, and equate to a narrow band of light visible to most of them. The center, the anchor, would be green – which would be the will, the guiding hand behind all action. The further from green, the more dynamic and volotile they would be, and that each of these would have both a dark and a light aspect. The presence of all would be life, and the absence of all would be death. And, finally, the first being to achieve the absolute state of those states of mind would become the avatar for that light.
As Sol and Ma'al began to withdraw back into their physical forms, one more visitor approached them. This one was not a star, and they could sense he was as vastly more powerful than they, as they were more powerful than their children would be. "Before you go," came his unearthly voice, "allow me to formally accept you into the Parliament. I am Dream of the Endless, and I am your host."
Sol tilted her head. "Why is your form both all and nothing?" she asked.
Dream gestured, a formless gesture that meant that it was so. "My form is that which is expected to be seen as are those of my siblings. Where your form here is that of your future children, mine is that of how I am percieved. As such, no true form do I have that is mine alone. Now, farewell, Sol, rest, and dream of what your children may one day accomplish."
xxxx
"And thus shall I, Krona, prove that sufficient gathered energies from the borders of the very cosmos can be used to behold the very cause of creation itself!"
His fellow Maltusian scientists glanced at each other. "But... we KNOW the cause of creation. We have for thousands of years, since we first discovered Quantum Mechanics. A cosmic singularity underwent hyper-expansion," protested one.
"But WHY?" demanded Krona. "That is what I shall discover!"
Appa Ali Apsa shook his head. "That is a fruitless path of inquiry," said the young Maltusian. "That knowledge will contribute nothing, unlike the research into the energy of Will. That has already shown its potential in our increased lifespans, and ability to manipulate the world around us," he added, as he gestured and ligted a small lectern on a disk of green energy. "I propose we allow you to continue your research, but that none other help you. This is your madness, and should remain so."
"Bah," muttered Krona, as his gathered peers filed out of the room. He prepared his collectors, and sent the drones out at translight speeds to the edge of the universe, more than ten billion light-years distant.
xxxx
As the last of the Parliament of Stars left, Maltus turned his head, coonfused. "Rao," he said, "Will you attend me a moment?"
"Certainly. What do you need?"
"It seems that I shall not be long with the Parliament," confessed Maltus. "The time I foresaw aeons ago has finally come to pass. My children shall live on, though. I ask that you take my place among the council."
Rao nodded. "As you wish, old friend."
"Do not worry," said the slowly fading star, "your children shall be brought to you shortly. And fare thee well."
Silence fell on that region of the Parliament, and Maltus was no more. "Farewell, Ancient One. May your children dwell among the stars forever."
xxxx
The planet shook, and buildings crumbled. Blue skinned beings, male and female, sighed, and rose off the surface of the planet in auras of emerald green. One, however, raced to a certain collapsed building.
Chunks of stone and plasteel were casually tossed aside as Appa Ali Apsa sought to ascertain if Krona lived or not. Eventually, he found the Maltusian, bleeding dark blue onto the trembling soil. "By all that is, what have you done?" demanded the young one.
Krona gibbered slightly, then his eyes fixed on Appa. "A hand!" he declared. "I saw... a hand! He cackled, and roared with insane laughter.
"And was it this hand which has destroyed our world?" demanded the younger Maltusian. "Even now, our star collapses. In only a few measures of time, it shall explode on itself, and Maltus shall be no more. It is fortunate we can travel among the stars on our own power, lest you be guilty of genocide, as well."
Krona's laughter died. "... No. The edge of our universe... it is antimatter. But not true antimatter. It is... it is as dark matter, but negative. Some was brought back by my probles, by accident.
"And it is alive, and aware. And it hates us all."
xxxx
As they travelled among the stars, the Maltusians began to ponder where to go. Some simply sought the closest habitable system, where they would rebuild what they had. Others, however, having heard from Appa Ali Apsa what Krona's experiments had wrought, sought to prepare for this malevolent, negative entity. They continued to travel, until they found a burned out planetoid whose sun had long since collapsed into a white dwarf. This, they named Oa, or 'Fortress', and began their preparations.
Those that settled early found their mastery of the Green energies of will fading. Grasping desparately, they tried to alter themselves to maintain their hold on it, but instead found the very changes they had undergone had further removed them from the power of the Green energy of Will. Their skins turned pink and their hair fell out, and they soon lost even the memory of having wielded the Green Energy of Will. Deciding to prevent what happened to Maltus from happening again by dominating the universe, they renamed themselves. Now, they were the Controllers.
The Oans, likewise sought to protect, but they chose to do so as guardians, not conquerers, and took that as their name. The Guardians began to postulate ideas on how to extend their influence, and settled upon the idea of self-aware androids, empowered by the Green Light of Will, to be their hands in the universe. They would be later known as the Manhunters.
And the star of Maltus, falling victim to the negative matter from outside the universe, exploded in a supernova seen even beyond their own galaxy.
And in the Parliament of Stars, heads were bowed in honor of one of the first, now no longer with them.
xxxx
"This rock will serve," snickered Ghast. "We can use this one to form a foothold for the rest of this universe."
Abnegazar sighed. "Our master will know we are here," he pointed out. "He will grow greedy, and take this world from us, as he has the ones before."
Rath snarled. "Let him try! The magic is strong here, and we can kick him all the way back to the sixth Hell!"
A horned fist sent Rath sprawling. "Fool! As mighty as we are here, he shall be mightier! Did you not consider that?"
"Meh," said Ghast. "Until then, we can play!" And he danced, stepping through a crude puddle of muck, splattering its contents across the landscape and slowing the development of life on this third planet from its star for just a bit longer.
xxxx
Over the billions of years since the destruction of Godworld, gravity had begun its work. Fragment after fragment gathered around the two prisons of the sleeping Old Gods Sirius and Sh'Vaa, until two planets, each less than half the size of the original world, floated in timeless space. The nature of these worlds mirrored that of their prisoners, and Sirius's world grew green and lush, with gentle light from the Source Wall, and joy abounded. This world eventually spawned life, who were born knowing at least a tiny fraction of their history, and thus called themselves the New Gods of the Fourth World.
Around Sh'vaa's prison, however, a world of tyranny and hate emerged. Ruled by Darkseid, Apokalipse was dotted with hellish firepits, and inhabited by the downtrodden Hunger Dogs and the cruel Parademons. Deeming himself the God of Evil Conquest, this greatly pleased Darkseid.
Eventually, they encountered each other, and for milions of years they warred against each other. Evenly matched in power, it became a stalemate that Darkseid could not abide. He delved into forbidden lore, lost writings predating the Fourth World, until he finally found what he sought. Word reached him of the cause of the death of the Third World, and he devoted himself to finding it. He would possess the formula to conquer everything – he would possess the Anti-Life Equation.
xxxx
Millions of years have passed, and more races have emerged onto, and faded from, the cosmic stage. More stars have joined the Parliament, and more have faded, lost forever as they nova, or diminished into senility as whote dwarfs or even black holes. And outside reality, a being finally found what it sought.
"Ahh, here are my long-lost slaves," muttered what could only barely be called a voice. The walls of reality rupture, and a talon reached in to the mortal realm.
"No! He's finally here!" shrieked one of the hundreds of minor demons frolicking on the lifeless world. They ran in panic, but the rupture spread as the talon grabbed them all, one by one, and swallowed them through a mouth on the palm. They were spat back out in front of their master, with Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast in the very front.
"L-lord Trigon, sire," began Abnegazar.
"Silence."
The monstrously huge demon king stared through the gate at the world that now was free of true demons. A bit of the organic goop present drew his eye. An idea grew in his mind.
"For now, this world is lifeless. It shall not remain so. I wish to wait until it is at its height, and then consume it all." He gestured, and most of the servant demons were obliterated. Only the first three remained. "You shall watch this portal, and wait until a species emerges that can handle the energies of darkness."
Trigon gestured again, and a blinding agony ripped through the three, until three objects ripped from their chest. A jar, a bell, and a wheel floated forth, and placed thmselves at random spots on the rocky planet, then the gate closed to all but the mystic senses.
"When those three talismans are brought together, and the incantation I now write recited, then shall you be unleashed once more upon that world. You are to find me... a bride." He grinned, horrific teeth glistening in the red light of the fires behind the Demons Three. "And then, you shall be free forever."
xxxx
Countless millions of years passed. Dinosaurs rose and fell on the Earth, while in space yet more races rose and fell. The Manhunters proved unreliable to the Oans, who bequeathed their power to a corps of champions known as the Green Lanterns. And, unseen by all, the wave of energy caused by the destruction of the Third World washed over the primitive Earth, causing subtle yet profound changes.
Meanwhile, on the fourth world of the star Ma'aleca'andra, a green race was born. They were innately quite powerful, with the ability to tap the very fabric of space and time for energy, and with absolute control of their molecules. Unfortunately, this brought them to the attention of the Controllers.
"Such beings would be great as shock troopers," said one. "However, they would be difficult to control, with their telepathy."
"Perhaps we could combine them with some other race?" suggested another. "We could tailor individual populations for specific environments, and build in weaknesses to allow us to control them."
"Excellent idea. Perhaps their neighbors here would suffice. They are primitive, barely at the state of fashioning tools. They do not even have cities yet." He gestured to the Galactic West. "They are a form of plains ape. Some of their shamans have demonstrated limited mystical ability, and there are at least three phenotypes. This gives us plenty of material to work with."
xxxx
Vandar Adg was feeling slightly grumpy. His tribe, the Blood Tribe,which future men would consider Cro Magnons, had just been repulsed as they tried to enter the lands of the Tall Ones, who would be called Denisovans by the future. They could travel north, and face the Heavy Ones, the Neanderthals, or they could travel south, and attempt to take over the others of his own kind, the Bear Tribe.
However, his plots and plans were sent from his head when a screaming, flaming star fell from the heavens. It stopped in mid-air, and grabbed most of his tribe in some sort of strange light, and raced off to the east. Only a handful remained, which thankfully included his tribe's shaman. "Adnash! Use your magics, warn others of the people! A sky demon has arrived, and we must drive him off!"
xxxx
A sensor light blinked on the Controller ship as they began to gather up the sapients of the primeval Earth. "Hm... it appears those Shamans are attempting to drive us off. Their magics, however, are not very strong, and are being collected in the Repository. Oddly, the repository sensors report it is being converted into the Light of Will, as well as the inert matter intended."
"How much can the Repository contain?" asked the commander of the ship.
"At current rate? Perhaps another three cycles of the planet's rotation before it will require ejection of collected mass. Unfortunately, this would also eject the Light of Will forming within it."
The commander scoffed. "We are not Guardians, or their pathetic Corps. We have no need of the Light of Will. Eject it when you must."
xxxx
The Blood Tribe and the Bear Tribe were mortal enemies, but even they knew this was a matter of survival that dwarfed their emnity. Klarn, chief of the Bear Tribe, glared across the clearing at Vandar. "What you have said is true. Scarcely a tenth of the local tribes remain, and word from other shamans say that the other regions have suffered even worse. Entire regions will have no more People in them if this Sky Demon is not stopped."
A grunt was his initial reply, until Vandar was prodded by Adnash. "What about the shamans' attempts at driving it off?"
Klarn's shaman spoke. "The energies we hurl at the demon would lay waste to entire herds of mammoths, yet they have as little effect as a pebble on a pond. Indeed, it even seems to glow brighter as we do so."
A third chieftain, Hollan of the Swamp Tribe, spoke. "There are so few left now... many tribes will have to merge to have enough wives for all the warriors, or enough husbands for all the women."
Vandar spat. "The Blood Tribe will never merge with their lessers. It would be better if we all die!"
Klar stepped forward, dangerously close to Vandar. "Then you are fools. This is not just our survival, but that of our children, and their children after!"
"You will move, Bear Cub, or I shall make you move!" declared Vandar.
"A ritual fight, then?" asked the now eager Klar. "I accept! On the morrow, we shall fight, and the winner leads both the Blood and the Bear Tribes!"
"On the morrow we shall fight," corrected Vandar, "and when I win we shall slaughter the Bear Tribe, down to the last mewling infant!"
xxxx
"Sir, it is time to eject the Repository Mass."
The commandersighed. "I do believe we have sufficient samples of the species to utilize. Eject the repository mass, and then melt the ice caps. That should flood this world, and wipe out the remnants."
"Acknowledged, sir."
xxxx
Vandar and Klar each held a long, knapped knifeblade, the handle wrapped in sinew for a better grip. They faced each other, the remnants of their tribes forming a circle to witness their ultimate fate.
Hollan stood between them. He looked from one to the other, then nodded. The two men lunged.
Screaming from on high, a glowing green star erupted from the clouds, slamming into the ground between them before either one could react. Such was the force of its impact that almost every member of the three gathered tribes was wiped out. Only Vandar, Klarn, and Hollan survived, ironically closest to the point of impact, but each was changed.
Vandar was now immortal. He would wander the world, growing in skill and knowledge and hate. One day, far in the future, he would be known as Vandal Savage.
Klarn, likewise, was immortal, but in a different manner. When he died, by whatever means, he would be nearly immediately reborn, though often different than he was before. He would maintain his emnity with Vandal Savage as the Immortal Man.
And Hollan... Hollan was different. In the conflagration of green fire, he grasped with his own latent magical connection to the earth, and wrenched. His essence shattered and recombined, but was no longer strictly mortal. From his shattered soul would come the first elemental of the Green, a title that would sporadically carry on for century after century.
And the meteor itself, the repository of solidified magic and the Green Light of Will? It achieved sapience in that instant, and declared a prophesy. "Three more times shall I flash – once to bring death, once to bring light, and once to bring power!" it cried out, then fell silent for years unnumbered.
xxxx
"We have the samples, sir," declared the science officer. "Most are condensed into data, but can be extracted as needed for the project."
"Excellent. Melt the poles, and let us be on our way," ordered the commander.
And so it was done. Over the course of the next several decades, as the waters of the world rose higher and higher, mankind retreated and dwindled until only the smallest territory remained for them to live on. Barely more than thirty thousand individuals survived at the end of a century, but they were among the hardiest and fittest – and most importantly, the smartest. Many were of mixed ancestry, bearing Cro Magnon, Denisovan, and Neanderthal genes, though many more were pureblooded. It would take dozens of millenia, but they would rise once more, greater than before.
And in the Parliament of Stars, Sol and Ma'al consoled each other, as sister and brother, at what the Controllers had done to their peoples.
xxxx
"This planet is known as Rao IV in our archives," began the scientist. "It is a heavy gravity world, whose combined athmospheric cloud layers and solar radiance encompasses frequencies from the sub infra-red through orange, and from teal through trans-ultraviolet. This gives a clear and present possibility for a means of controlling our first test subjects."
"Explain," said the eldest member of the Council.
"We have been unable to replicate the purely psionic means by which the Ma'al control their forms, but have discovered a way to activate part of it by means of a solar powered catalyst enabling the Sol originated organisms to tap into a field more primitive races would equate to superstring energy, or zero point energy – specifically, the potential energy of the barrier between timelines."
"And how does Rao VI provide a control method?" asked another Council member.
The scientist pointed to a graph of the frequencies of light that reached the surface of the planet. "As you can see, there is a sharp dropoff of emitted light received in this part of the spectrum. If we limit their ability to proccess sunlight to this frequency, their power will be little more than enough to withstand the increased gravity, both in strength and reflex speed."
The graph changed, to that of the typical environment of a Class M planet around a typical yellow-orange star. "Under other environments, as you see here, their power will increase exponentially, to be potentially even greater than the Ma'al natives. With a bit of culturally induced fear of leaving their homeworld, they will remain on Rao VI, and only leave when it is time to utilize their power for our purposes."
The eldest leaned forward. "And how do we reign them in once unleashed?"
"I propose two methods, both easily induced into the genome at the current stage. The first, intended for this world, is to induce a vulnerability to certain frequencies of gamma radiation. These frequencies would destructively interfere with their ability to store and utilize solar energis, rendering them weak and helpless for some time.
"The second is to, instead, render them vulnerable to dampening reactions from the more stable elements, specifically lead. This variant would be stored on the world Daxxam III, which has similar environmental conditions and a similar stellar spectrum."
The Council turned to each other, and murmured for a while, then faced the scientist. "So be it. And you may also continue similar experiments with other races."
Another Council member spoke up."What will you do with the failed specimens?"
The spectral diagram was replaced with a three-dimensional map of a complex star system. "The Vega system has many inhabitable worlds. They can simply be dumped there. A religious fictition can keep them under control."
The Elder nodded. "Then resume your work. And whatever you do – do not fail us!"