Author's Note: This takes place immediately after the Anihilaarg goes off and Serena and Bellicus agree to help Ben. Ben 10 Omniverse Season 1 Episode 4.

I wrote this by hand in 2019 but then gave up right before I finished typing it and abandoned it for a year and a half. Decided to come baack and take some time to edit it.

What even is a universe? A collection of stars, galaxies, and planets, right? But Ben was staring at the entire universe. It was so much more than that. It was so big and… vast. And yet, everything within its nonexistent borders was so small. Ben turned his attention from the dying stars, the dimming lights, that dotted the void around him and focused on the individuals.

It was the individuals who made the universe what it was. Individuals, each with their own hopes and dreams, their own fears and insecurities, and their own thoughts and minds. The universe, Ben realized, was a network. A network of individuals, each on their own path. All the paths went their own way but they overlapped, paralleled, and connected to each other in the most intricate ways.

For a moment, Ben felt very, very small.

In that moment, Ben felt very, very scared.

Why did the universe have to be so intimidating?

There were just so many of them. How could he possibly recreate all of that? He didn't want to change anyone. He didn't want to mess it all up. He just wanted his friends, his family… But he wasn't selfish. No matter what others said, he didn't have it in him. Everyone had to come back. And not new people. He couldn't just create new individuals. The idea of that felt too wrong on too many levels. Ben wanted- needed- to bring all the old ones back.

But he didn't know everyone. The universe was a pretty big place. Heck, he had a hard time even remembering the names of the species of his favorite aliens and their home planets. He couldn't even remember the names of all the countries on his own world. How could he remember every planet well enough to rebuild it? How could he capture the essence of every single person who lived on those planets? Their memories, their relationships, the steps they'd already taken towards their futures, their emotions, their darkest fears, their deepest feelings, their most wild thoughts… How could he recreate that? How could he make an exact copy of everything down to the finest detail?

So, Ben just stared. He stared out into the darkness of a dissipating universe feeling lost. Hopeless. Even with nothing surrounding him anymore, all that nothing was just so much. Too much. And he was expected to fill it.

Within Alien X's mindscape, Ben gazed up at Bellicus and Serena. A single word left his parted lips. "Help."

Serana offered him a smile but Bellicus's face remained as hard as ever. "Now you've realized you've bitten off more than you can chew."

Serana ignored him. "Don't be afraid, Benjamin."

Ben threw his hands up. "How can I not be afraid?" he demanded. "I'm all that's left. There was a whole universe and now it's all gone. All of it."

"Let's fly," Bellicus stated suddenly.

"What?"

"You heard him," Serana replied. "Come on, Ben. We'll guide you."

Ben spared one last glance out at the emptiness of space before letting Bellicus and Serena guide their shared body to… "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Bellicus grunted.

"It's not far," Serena promised.

Ben frowned but didn't argue. The remains of the universe passed around him as Alien X shot through space. Ben could feel that they were moving quickly, faster than he could imagine, but with nothing around him as a reference, it was just so… off putting. And oddly calm. Peaceful in a way Ben had never really hoped to experience. Almost like a deep, safe sleep. But it did nothing to calm Ben's anxiety. If he was in his own body, he was positive that he would be having a full blown panic attack, complete with the rapid breaths, sweating, trembling, and everything he didn't want to deal with in such a dire situation. But, everything left of that body was now floating in a mindscape so he tried to relax and take in the sights.

Ben's mind still could not fathom that there was nothing. There was always something, even if he couldn't see it. How could there just be nothing? With nothing to focus on, all those thoughts began flooding back and Ben was so certain he was going insane that he almost screamed.

But then Alien X's body stopped.

Out of habit, Ben lurched. He was so used to obeying the laws of physics that his human mind could not adjust to the fact Alien X didn't have to. He rightened himself and looked up at the two faces floating above him. "So…?"

"Look," Bellicus answered simply.

Ben turned in his mind to look out through Alien X's eyes. He saw nothing but the void. "At what?"

"Look closer," Serena encouraged.

Ben narrowed his eyes but he still saw nothing. He had no clue what he was supposed to be looking at. "Can we get closer?"

"No," Bellicus snapped. "Keep looking."

Ben stifled a sigh and tried to look harder. After about a minute, he was ready to give up. But then he saw it. Or rather, them.

"The other Alien Xs are here," he realized. That made sense. Why hadn't he figured that out on his own? "Er, Celestialsapiens that is."

Serena smiled. "Don't you see?"

"Um, no," Ben said, scratching his head. "If this is supposed to be your way of telling me I'm not alone, it wasn't a very good try. I mean, you guys are here and you totally could've just-"

"Keep watching," Bellicus interrupted.

"Hey, I just spend who knows how long looking at-"

"Don't look," Serena told him. "Watch."

Ben blinked at them for a few seconds, not quite following, before doing as he was told. His eyes fell on the Celestialsapiens, tracing over their powerful, starry frames as he watched for anything significant. He saw nothing. That was to be expected.

But then one of them moved.

It surprised him. Ben had been to the Celesitalsapien's home but he'd never seen any of them move. He knew first hand how indecisive they could be.

The Celestialsapien lifted an arm and waved his hand towards the emptiness. Slowly, black began to bleed back into color.

Ben could've cried. It was so, so beautiful.

"Don't you see?" Serena asked. "One simple act of pure willpower and you can rewrite reality."

"Very few Celestialsapians will be able to help you," Bellicus added. "Mostly young ones, like yourself, who can come to an agreement quickly. Do your part and they will do theirs. Together you can recreate the universe."

Ben's mouth went dry. "I… How… How do I start?"

"Center yourself," Serena told him, "and focus on what's around you. Remember what's important and concentrate on the little things."

Ben nodded and took a deep breath. He willed himself to move and suddenly he was back where he started, floating in where Bellwood once was. The place where he had watched the universe get destroyed, unable to stop it. He could recreate it though. There was still nothing there but in the distance, he could see streaks of color flowing from different points in the sheet of black. His eyes followed them and they gave him faith. Faith in himself.

They were each creating a different corner of the universe, Ben realized. Well, right now the other Celestialsapiens were doing all the work. Now it was time to do his part.

He followed Serena's advice and delved into his memory. What did the world look like before the Anihilaarg went off?

Ben had been standing on the streets of Bellwood surrounded by his friends and enemies. But, hey, when wasn't he? Been felt like he had known Rook long enough to call him a friend. They'd only known each other for a few weeks but they'd hit it off well enough that Ben felt like they could stand at each other's sides for a long time. He wanted no other partner. Yeah, they were friends, no questions asked. Argit… Not so much. At least they were on semi-friendly terms. Unlike Emperor Milleous and the Vreedles. Ben definitely wasn't on good terms with those guys.

Serena's words echoed in his mind. "Center yourself and focus on what's around you. Remember what's important and concentrate on the little things."

He reached into his memory for that last moment before the explosion and decided to start by focusing on Rook. Ben was already centered but he needed an anchor. He figured his partner was the best person for that. The Revonnahgander was steady and calm which balanced Ben's rash, chaotic aura well. Yeah, Ben knew Rook could keep him grounded while he tried to rebuild everyone else.

To Ben, Rook seemed like a simple guy both inside and out. Yet, he had his complexities too. Everyone did. Rook was a good man at heart but he was torn between duty and doing the right thing. He was a lowly farmer who reached for the stars. He gave up using tools in a harvest to wield them in battle. He was born a bystander but he honed himself into one of the best warriors Ben had met. He was a stranger on a foreign planet but he was managing to fit in and maybe even coming close to finding a new home.

It was easy to remember what Rook looked like. Tall, blue furred, sharp eyed, Ben couldn't forget that. It wasn't hard to remember what he fought like either. Rook was graceful and swift, elegant even, in battle but he was also strong and precise, surprising given his calm nature.

Ben found it easy to forge Rook's personality too. Ben's mind was scrambled with anxiety as he tried to piece it all together. He didn't want his subconscious to influence his partner into something he wasn't.

He could feel Alien X's power flowing from his core to his hands and out into the universe. Within it, he could feel Bellicus's will and Serena's guidance. He relaxed a bit, trusting the two of them to mold everything into what it should be.

Slowly, Rook came back together. His lean frame, his smiling face, those brilliant eyes, that ever confused yet genuine quality he always had to him, it was all coming back. And Ben smiled. His work wasn't done yet though.

He decided to focus on Argit next. It was a bit more difficult and Ben found himself struggling. Again, it was easy to remember what he looked like but Ben knew Argit had more sides to him than he could count and the rat-like alien had a deep history that Ben would ever know about. He found himself relying more and more on Bellicus and Serena as Argit came back into existence.

The same went for the Vreedle Brothers and Emperor Milleous. Ben didn't know them well at all but they were nearby when the universe went boom so they were easy enough to focus on. Ben knew them on the surface. He knew their looks, their personalities, and some of their quirks. But he knew nothing of their pasts and Ben was sure that each one of them had a whole lot of history. Big, impactful history. Just today Ben learned that the Vreedles had affected Rook's life. Surely they affected everyone else Rook had been with that day in the same way. And what about before then? Everyone affected each other in some way. And Emperor Milleous conquered solar systems. His exploits transformed and influenced the lives of millions. Maybe billions. Probably more. Still, he managed it.

Bellwood was a bit easier. The city had plenty more to it than meets the eye but it was Ben's home and he knew it well. Every street, every corner, every sign, every house, every nook and cranny formed in Ben's mind and sprouted into existence around him. Had he been the type to pause and take it in, he would have been stunned but Ben didn't have that kind of time. He still had people to bring back.

The Plumber Base and Undertown were definitely the hardest places to restore. There was so much diversity, so many cultures and stories. So many individuals who'd always been connected to the rest of the universe and linked to everyone else in it. How could he capture that? How could he rewrite something so delicate? It had already been lost once and Ben could feel it slipping again but somehow he pulled it back together.

Once Bellwood was complete, he reached out to the cities beyond its borders. His mind immediately went to the college town where Friedkin University students lived. Where Gwen and Kevin lived. Man, he missed them. Ben hadn't seen them since they left. And he never would. He could make copies but it wouldn't be them, not really. He had to try though.

Ben's mind blanked for a moment when he tried to remember his cousin. He remembered her, of course, but he found himself unable to figure out where to start. He just… He understood her so well. Gwen was probably closer to him than anyone in the world and the reverse was more than true too. They had been at each others' sides from day one. Literally. They had been born the same day at the same hospital. They had grown up together. They shared everything, even if they didn't always get along.

There was just so much. Memories of tossing mud at each other, running through sprinklers on the lawn, trying to find the dog before their parents found out that he escaped from the yard, messing around on the Rustbucker, practicing their powers, studying, fighting aliens, going to new planets… There were so many memories. He couldn't just… rewrite that. It needed to be the same. Exactly the same. There were just too many moments.

But he had recreated Grandpa. And his parents. And his friends. He could get his cousin right, right? Right?

"Do not fret, Ben," Serena assured. "We will help you always."

"Or at least until this is over," Bellicus grunted but Ben was still comforted. Taking a deep breath, he recreated his cousin and Kevin. Gwen and Kevin were both pillars in his life. Both were always there and were more reliable than he could ever be. Ben prayed to the gods he didn't believe in that they were remade just as he remembered them.

The rest of the world was next. If building just the United States was complex, the Earth was like trying to build a tower of cards without learning the technique. The Earth was a young planet and modern life had barely just begun yet, there was so much history and interwoven connection throughout.

Ben was glad omnipotence came with a bit of subconscious omniscience because he did not understand his homeworld as well as he should have.

Next was the moon, the nearby planets, and the solar system's mother star. Ben felt power rush through him as the sun boomed into existence. Never before had he felt something like that. And it only got better.

Slowly but surely, he could create entire planets with a mere thought and still get them perfect. No more concentrating on every detail. It was. Or rather, it wasn't then it was.

Clapping entire galaxies into existence was a sensation like no other. Ben couldn't quite fathom it but one moment there was only darkness and the next the void was filled. It was so simple yet so incomparably complex.

He didn't realize how much he had created until he felt his reaches brush someone else's. It startled him for a moment until he realized it was the touch of another Celestialsapien. Three, actually. One for each corner of the universe. No more joined them, none willing to leave their still posts to help, but Ben was okay with that. Four was enough and Ben appreciated any help he could get. Their energy and power flooded the universe so deeply that it felt like they were one. The contact felt familiar even though it wasn't at all.

Reality continued to bend as sheer power melded together, typing any gaps or holes left between each Celestialsapien's range. Streams of energy intertwined and the universe felt whole again.

It was one. They were one. Everything was complete.

Ben suddenly felt very small and that pure feeling of enlightenment and connection vanished as he stepped back onto Bellwood's streets.