Chapter 2: Domain Expansion (rewritten)

Sorry I couldn't resist making that joke with the title

—

The first feeling that hits me upon regaining consciousness is pure, utter terror.

There is no floor. There are no walls. There is no sky. There is nothing.

Just an endless void, absolute black stretching out in every direction. My breathing quickens, though… I'm not sure I'm actually breathing. I try to move, but I don't feel my body, I don't feel anything. There's no cold, no heat, not even the beating of my own heart.

"W-what…?"

My own voice sounds strange, muffled, as if it's not traveling through the air, but existing directly in my mind.

I'm dead.

The thought hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm dead. The last thing I remember is the sound of thunder, a blinding flash, and then… this.

"No, no, no, no!"

I try to move, run, turn, anything to get me out of this void, but there is no direction. There is no up or down. There is no resistance. It is as if my existence is suspended in nothingness itself.

I try to scream, but the sound hardly seems to matter. No one hears me. No one answers me.

This can't be happening. This can't be happening.

Panic consumes me, my mind filled with racing thoughts, absolute denial. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be dead. I was supposed to have time. I was supposed to be able to do something more with my life.

But… there is no one to answer my pleas.

I don't know how long I spend in this state. It could be seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days. Maybe longer. There's no way to measure it. All I know is that eventually, the absolute terror begins to fade.

Not because it stops scaring me. It's still terrifying. It's just that… I can't keep panicking forever.

My mind, exhausted, simply surrenders to reality.

Sigh. Or at least, I try to.

"So… this is what happens after death, huh?"

There is no tunnel of light. There is no final judgment. There are no voices welcoming me or images of my life passing before my eyes. Only emptiness.

It's a depressing prospect.

"Gosh… what a fucked up way to end."

My voice still sounds weird, but I don't even bother questioning it anymore.

I try to remember. I try to make sense of it all. I remember my life, my achievements, my failures. I remember how I put so many things off, how I thought I would have time for what I put aside. How I assumed everything would take its natural course.

How stupid I was.

But hey, at least I saved the kid, right? I hope that helped.

I close my eyes, although I'm not sure I have eyelids in this state.

I don't know what's going to happen now. Maybe nothing. Maybe this is the final end.

But for some reason, part of me feels like this isn't over yet.

At first, I try to distract myself.

If this is all I have left, at least I can do something with my imagination, right?

So I try.

I remember things, I relive moments in my head, I imagine alternative scenarios. What if I had turned left instead of right that day? What if I had talked to that person instead of ignoring them? What if I had made different choices?

I also try to imagine new things. A story, an adventure, anything to fill the absolute void I'm stuck in. I think about the games I used to play, the series I watched, the books I read. I create characters, epic battles, entire worlds… At first, it works. It keeps me busy.

But then… more time passes.

Too long.

The concept of seconds and minutes has long since ceased to make sense, but I know it's been a long time. And the truth is that my own imagination is starting to bore me.

I never thought this could happen. But when you have no external stimuli, when all you have is what you already know and what you've already thought about over and over again... ideas stop being entertaining.

I already know all my stories. I've already told myself everything there is to tell myself.

And now, only silence remains.

The infinite, eternal, boring silence.

"…God, this is disgusting."

My voice rings hollow in the void, and for the first time in who knows how long, I wish for something to happen. Anything.

Whatever.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Days. Months. Years? I have no way of knowing.

My mind has gone back and forth between lucidity and despair. I have gone through all possible states: fear, sadness, anger, resignation… until I reached this point, where I simply exist.

There is no ground, there is no sky. There is no sound, there is no color. There is nothing.

And yet, I'm still here.

It is in this state of absolute apathy that a thought crosses my mind.

"If this is all there is… then why do I keep thinking?"

Because if I were really in nothingness, there should be no thoughts. There should be no "I." But here I am.

That means there must be something. Something that keeps me existing.

…And if something keeps me existing, then could I do something with it?

I don't know where the idea came from. Maybe it was just an excuse to keep from going crazy. But I cling to it like a castaway to a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean.

And so, I begin to concentrate.

I don't know what. I don't know how. I just... want something to change.

I want this darkness to end.

I want there to be something more than this emptiness.

I want… light.

I don't know how many times I repeat the wish in my head. I don't know how many times I shout it into this echoless abyss.

But then… something changes.

It is tiny, almost insignificant. A blink in the immensity of nothingness.

But it's there.

A small light, floating in front of me.

I freeze in disbelief. Am I imagining this? Has my mind finally snapped and is creating illusions to trick me?

But no… it doesn't go away.

It's real.

I reach out a hand—or whatever is left of me—and the light flickers, as if in response.

And in that moment, I understand.

I made this.

I don't know how, I don't know why, but it was me.

I can fill this void.

For the first time in what feels like forever, something inside me awakens.

Hope.

If I could create a spark…how far can I go?

The tiny light floated in front of me. It was fragile, trembling, as if it could go out at any moment… but there it was.

Something inside me stirred. Did I… do this?

My mind clung to the idea desperately. If this is possible… if I can really do something in this place…

I closed my eyes. I concentrated.

What else could exist here?

Land.

The thought came to me with force, and before I could hesitate, I felt something under my feet. My eyes flew open.

Where there was once only endless emptiness, there was now ground.

Dark, rough, but firm.

For the first time since I got here, I had a place to be.

A chill ran through me. This… this works.

I stepped harder, feeling the texture beneath my feet. I don't know how long I spent just staring at that floor. I don't know if it was a second or an eternity, but when I came back into focus, an idea popped into my head.

If the ground is possible… what else can I do?

My pulse (if I still have one) quickens.

Trees.

The thought springs forth with force and, as if my wishes became orders, the world responds.

Little twigs emerge from the ground, growing at an impossible speed. Their trunks stretch, their leaves unfold, filling the space with something I hadn't seen in what seemed like an eternity: life.

I take a step forward.

For the first time since I woke up here… I don't feel trapped.

I'm no longer floating in the void.

Now, this is something.

I don't know how much time has passed. Years, probably. But in this place, time isn't something I can measure accurately.

What I do know is that the void is gone.

I replaced it.

Now there are mountains rising as far as the eye can see, rivers winding through green-covered valleys. There are dense forests, open plains, golden deserts and deep seas stretching to the horizon.

Even the climate changes in some regions. In the north, the mountains are covered in snow, the winds blow cold and the earth sleeps under a white blanket. Further south, the sun shines brightly, bathing the grasslands and forests that flourish under its light in warmth.

This is no longer a void.

It's a world.

And I did it.

I stand on the top of a hill, looking at all that I have built. A shiver runs through me, but this time it is not from fear, but from something deeper… something like pride.

But I also realize something else.

Although all this is beautiful, although I filled it with rivers, mountains and forests… it is still empty.

He is still lifeless.

…

At first, I didn't think anything of it. I thought maybe it was my own mind playing tricks on me after being in this place for so long. But as the years went by, they started to appear more often.

They were voices. Not constant, not clear… just fragments, distant echoes that reached me like whispers in the wind.

"My people are strong, I will guide them to their destiny"

That was the first sentence I managed to clearly pick up. I immediately went on alert, looking for the source, but I got no response.

It was a long time before I heard another one. "Feel my wrath!" And then, another completely different one, spoken by a different voice: "Die, fool!"

It was strange. They weren't just random phrases, they seemed like thoughts, prayers... wishes. And others seemed like curses, screams...

I focused on trying to hear them better. Sometimes they were isolated words, other times they were complete sentences. But they all shared one thing in common: they came from different people.

I didn't understand what they meant or why I heard them, but a feeling came over me every time they appeared. They weren't just unfamiliar voices... there was something inside me that reacted to them.

As if… as if I was connected to them somehow.

I tried to answer. I screamed. I tried with all my might to find someone to listen to me. But the silence remained as absolute as ever.

That loneliness, which I thought I had already accepted, became even heavier.

He wasn't alone. But he couldn't reach anyone either.

The images came flashing through my mind. They weren't clear, but they were enough to give me an idea of who the people talking were.

At first, they seemed like blurry figures, faceless shadows. But each time I heard a new voice, their image became clearer. They were different people, but they all shared one thing in common: they carried weapons.

Gleaming swords, precisely carved bows, war hammers capable of splitting mountains… I didn't know why, but each of these weapons felt familiar, as if they were connected to me in some way.

Driven by the need to do something, to not just stay with those voices, I began to carve their shapes in gold. I created statues for each of them, trying to capture the essence of the fragments.

of images in my mind. Each figure had a proud stance, weapons in hand, ready for battle.

When I finished, I stepped back a little and looked at my work.

They were imposing, perfect… and completely silent.

The emptiness didn't go away. Even though I now had something tangible in front of me, the feeling of loneliness didn't fade away.

The voices kept appearing and disappearing. The images came back fleetingly, but the statues did not respond, did not speak, did not move.

He was still alone.

The air changed.

For the first time in a long time, I felt something different in this world I had created. A presence… firm, immense, as if I were standing in front of a mountain that could think.

I turned slowly, and there it was.

An old man dressed in blue robes, his gaze deep and wise, as if he knew the secrets of the universe itself. He did not need to announce himself; his mere existence made it obvious.

I was not alone.

The man watched me for a moment before speaking. "This is your domain."

It wasn't a question.

I frowned. "Who are you?"

The old man closed his eyes for a moment before answering in a solemn voice. "I am Ouranos."

Something inside me reacted to that name. Not because I knew it, but because I felt it must be important.

"Ouranos…?" I repeated, testing the word in my mouth.

He nodded slightly and looked around. "I didn't come earlier because there was nothing. Now that this world exists… I can be here."

His words made me stop. I looked around at everything—the mountains, the rivers, the forests I had worked so hard to create. All of this… it hadn't existed before I imagined it.

"So… what are you?" I asked cautiously.

Ouranos held my gaze. "A god…"

The impact of those words took me by surprise.

A god.

My mind raced, trying to fit that information together. But before I could ask anything else, he spoke again.

"And so are you."

My thoughts stopped dead.

"…That?"

The air seemed to grow heavier. Something inside me wanted to reject it, wanted to say it was impossible. God? That didn't make sense. He wasn't a god, he was just… he was just me. A normal person.

"That can't be true." I let out a nervous laugh, but Ouranos didn't flinch.

"It is."

I shook my head. "No. It doesn't make sense. I can't be a god. I'm just…"

I didn't finish the sentence.

It was just… what?

I hadn't eaten, slept or felt hungry in all this time. I had created this world from nothing, simply by wishing it. And the golden sculptures… I made them effortlessly.

The evidence was there, but my mind refused to accept it.

My breathing quickened. I felt panicked, as if everything I thought I knew had suddenly crumbled beneath my feet.

"Breathe." Ouranos' voice was firm, but not harsh.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. Minutes passed… maybe hours. Little by little, the panic dissipated.

And then… I accepted it.

Not because I wanted to, but because I couldn't deny reality.

I took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I am a god."

The words sounded strange in my mouth, but they didn't feel wrong.

And then, my mind made the connection.

The voices.

The ones I had been hearing for so long. Voices I could never fully understand, but that always felt close to me.

I looked at Ouranos. "The voices I heard earlier… do they have anything to do with this?" Ouranos nodded. "Those voices called to you, even when you didn't know what you were."

I didn't know what to answer.

If those voices were looking for me… did that mean they were waiting for me?

Ouranos looked at me with the same calm as always before speaking.

"Those voices you heard… are likely the connection to your domain."

I frowned. "Dominion?"

"That's right. I'm not talking about this place you created. I'm talking about what you are, the concept you embody as a god."

Something about those words sent a chill down my spine.

"Gods don't exist just for the sake of existing. Each one represents something. An ideal, a principle, a fundamental concept. And that concept is what defines your existence, what attracts those who believe in you, even if you yourself didn't know it."

I fell silent, processing his words.

"So… those voices…"

"They are the echoes of those who seek what you represent. They are those who, in some way, resonate with your divinity."

My mind felt like a whirlwind of thoughts.

Before, those voices seemed random. Loose phrases, directionless whispers. But if Ouranos was right, then it was no coincidence.

"And how do I find out what my domain is?"

Ouranos smiled slightly. "That is something only you can find out."

Brilliant.

I looked at Ouranos with some despair.

"So… can you help me figure it out?" I asked, almost hopefully. "Or at least, I don't know… stay for a while? I'm not going to lie, I've been alone for years and it's horrible."

Ouranos was silent for a moment, as if considering his answer. Then, he sighed.

"I can't stay long," he admitted. "I have business to attend to. But I will stay as long as I can."

It wasn't the answer I wanted, but it was better than nothing. I nodded, trying not to show my disappointment too much.

"Thank you… really."

Ouranos smiled slightly. "So tell me, what is this world you have created like?" And so, for the first time in a long time, I had a real conversation with someone.

Ouranos calmly observed the landscape before turning his gaze towards me.

"This place is called Tenkai," he explained. "It is the heaven where the gods reside, where each has his domain."

"My domain?" I repeated, trying to process his words.

He nodded. "That's right. This world you've built isn't just an empty space… it's your domain, the manifestation of your existence as a god."

I was silent for a moment, trying to process it. Me, a god? It seemed absurd, but at the same time, everything I had experienced so far fit too well with what he was saying.

Ouranos looked away at the golden statues he had created. He walked slowly among them, observing them with interest.

"They are imposing figures… and they all hold weapons," he said. "Why did you make them?"

"I don't know for sure," I admitted. "I just… felt a connection to those voices I heard before. When I tried to remember their faces, this is what came to mind."

Ouranos nodded thoughtfully. He passed his hand over one of the statues, as if he could sense something beyond its form.

"Your domain doesn't seem to be tied to anything tangible like the sea or weapons," he said finally. "It's something more abstract… something that manifests through these figures you've created. Perhaps, without realizing it, you're connecting with those who fit within that concept."

"A concept?" I repeated.

"That's right. And finding out what it represents exactly… is something only you can do."

I concentrated harder, trying to see what made these souls unique. And then I understood.

Each of the brightest souls had one thing in common: heroic deeds. They were people who had changed the world in some way, whether through strength, intelligence, or unbreakable will. Warriors who faced monsters, leaders who guided their people, sages who left their knowledge for future generations.

My eyes snapped open. "They are heroes."

Ouranos nodded, a faint smile on his face. "It seems you finally understand. Your domain is not something simple. You are the god of heroes and reincarnation."

"Reincarnation? Why that too?" I asked, still processing what he had just told me.

Ouranos crossed his arms, regarding me with a calm gaze. "Not all gods can see the flow of souls. Some, whose domain is related to death or souls, can manage their fate here in Tenkai. But only a few are able to see the cycle of reincarnation as you do."

"So I can see where souls go after they die?"

Ouranos nodded. "Exactly. You can see them rise to Tenkai, rest, and then descend back to the mortal world. Not all souls follow the same path, some shine brighter, others barely shine. And now you know why."

I looked back at the souls moving in the endless stream. Some passed quickly, others stayed longer. It wasn't just randomness, there was a pattern. Something inside me told me I could understand it if I concentrated hard enough.

Ouranos looked at me expectantly. "Now that you have discovered your domain, you need a name."

"A name?" I repeated, not knowing what to answer.

Ouranos nodded. "Every god must have one. While you already exist as a deity, without a name it would be difficult for others to recognize you. Besides, it's part of accepting who you are."

I looked down, thinking. I had a name in my previous life… but using it here didn't feel right. That life had ended when I was struck by that lightning bolt.

"…I don't know," I admitted.

Ouranos didn't seem surprised. "It's not unusual for a god to take a while to decide on his name. However, sooner or later, you'll need it."

I crossed my arms, feeling somewhat frustrated. How am I supposed to pick a name for myself?

After a few minutes of silence, I was still mulling it over. Choosing a name was not something I wanted to take lightly… but I couldn't stay undecided forever either.

Then, out of nowhere, a name popped into my mind.

"Xander."

Ouranos raised an eyebrow. "Xander?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah… Xander. I like the sound of that."

I wasn't going to tell him that I got the name from a planet in a movie I saw in my past life. It's not like it had any deep meaning to me, but it sounded strong, fitting for someone who is supposedly a god.

Ouranos looked at me for a moment and then nodded. "Very well, Xander. That will be your name from now on."

Ouranos sighed as he looked at the empty sky above us. "Well, Xander, it's time for me to be off. I have other matters to attend to."

I wasn't surprised. From the moment he arrived, he made it clear that he wouldn't be able to stay long. Still, a part of me felt disappointed. After so much time alone, there was finally someone to talk to… and he was leaving.

"I understand." I tried not to sound discouraged.

Ouranos looked at me seriously. "Now that you are aware of your domain, I recommend that you begin exploring your abilities. You can also travel to the domains of other gods if you need answers or company."

That caught my attention. "Can I do that?"

"That's right. Now that you have a domain in Tenkai, you can communicate and travel to the domains of other gods… if they allow it, of course."

That gave me something to think about. I had no idea how many gods there were or what kind of people they were, but if there were more like Ouranos, maybe I wouldn't be so alone here.

I looked at Ouranos and smiled sincerely. "Thank you for everything, Ouranos. Seriously."

Ouranos simply extended his hand. "I hope we can talk again in the future."

Without hesitation, I shook his hand firmly. "Me too."

With that, Ouranos vanished in a flash of light, leaving me alone once more. But this time… I didn't feel the same hopelessness as before. I now had a name, an identity, and a purpose.

It was Xander, the god of heroes and reincarnation.

I sighed as I looked around. My domain… my world.

He had spent years shaping it, filling it with mountains, rivers and varied climates. But now that he knew what it really was, he felt that something was still missing. Something essential.

"Life…" I muttered to myself.

I had created this whole landscape, but it was empty. There was not a single creature moving among the trees, not the sound of a rushing river. It was beautiful, yes, but also silent… dead.

I focused, feeling the flow of my domain. If I could create a world out of nothing, then adding life to it shouldn't be impossible, right?

I closed my eyes and imagined it. I didn't know exactly what kind of beings I wanted to create, but I let my thoughts flow. Creatures that would populate this place, that would make it their own… that would fill it with their presence.

The wind began to blow.

I opened my eyes and saw how, little by little, the earth responded. First, there were small flashes of light floating in the air. Then, ethereal beings began to emerge from the earth, like spirits made of light and pure energy.

They weren't exactly animals or people, but... they were alive. They moved, floating between the trees and the water, leaving trails of light in their wake.

I watched them in silence, feeling a warmth in my chest.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

I watched the small creatures move around my domain, floating between the trees and the water, leaving a faint glow behind them.

"Wisp…" I muttered, trying the name out loud.

It fit. Their luminous shape and the subtle sounds they made, like little flashes in the air, reminded me of will-o'-the-wisps. Now this place didn't feel so empty anymore.

The Wisps didn't seem to have a defined physical form. They were more like fragments of light, energy that took on shifting shapes as they moved freely. Some fluttered in groups, others seemed to explore alone, but they all brought a sense of warmth to my world.

I sat on a rock, watching them in silence.

It was strange… I wasn't alone, but at the same time, it wasn't like I could talk to them. Did they understand me? Did they have a conscience or were they just following their instinct?

I reached out to one of the Wisp floating nearby.

The small sphere of light flickered, emitting a faint sound, almost like a distant echo.

I smiled.

I didn't know how much time I would spend here in my domain, but at least… it was no longer a lonely void.

I watched silently as the Wisp settled into the ground, its light flickering softly before fading. An instant later, something began to sprout from the ground.

At first it looked like an ordinary tree, but I soon noticed that its shape was different. Its trunk curved in a strange way, as if imitating the posture of a hunched old man. Its branches, gnarled and elongated, extended like arms, and its bark seemed more flexible than that of any other tree I had seen before.

I approached cautiously, observing every detail. Then, right in the center of its luminous crown, a flash appeared. A small orb of light floated from its leaves, gently separating before rising into the air.

It was another Wisp.

Then another.

And another one.

The tree continued to generate them at a slow but steady pace, as if its very existence was destined to populate the domain with these little living lights.

I stepped back and looked around. The first Wisp that had appeared were floating aimlessly, but now, with this tree, it seemed like they finally had a home.

A feeling of calm enveloped me.

One by one, the Wisps began to settle on the ground, sinking gently into the soil as if answering a silent call.

The first one to emerge was similar in shape to the original tree, but its bark was shaped into a feline face, with sunken eyes and pointed ears carved into the wood. Its trunk was agile, flexible, as if it could move at any moment.

The next one took on a completely different appearance. Its leaves were a vibrant orange hue, as if it were trapped in an eternal autumn. Its wood seemed lighter, and every time the wind blew—if there was wind here—its leaves would break off and float through the air, but they never completely disappeared.

Another one sprouted from the ground, but instead of thin branches and leafy leaves, its form was robust, imposing. Its bark had deep cracks, with patterns that simulated the erosion of a mountain. From its crown grew not leaves, but small protuberances of stone that gave the impression that it was a part of the earth itself.

I stood there looking at the scene.

Each of these trees had an identity of their own, a distinct essence, as if they were unique manifestations of the Wisp that gave rise to them. They were not just meaningless creations; they seemed to have a purpose.

I looked at the trees more closely. Their shapes, their patterns… there was something strangely familiar about them.

The old man bent like a tree, the feline carved from wood, the autumn tree that was constantly dropping leaves, the mini-mountain with cracks like veins of stone… It was like I had seen them before.

And then the idea hit me.

"Wait… this looks like the night elf structures in Warcraft 3."

I said it out loud without expecting a response, but the more I looked, the clearer it became. They weren't exact copies, but there were too many similarities to ignore. The Wisp, in that game, became the buildings of the night elves. They didn't use tools or stones; they merged with nature themselves to shape them.

Had my subconscious influenced this?

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

I had spent years in this void, creating things from nothing. Everything that was here came from me, from my thoughts and desires. If deep down I remembered those structures, then it was logical that, when shaping the Wisp, they would end up taking on something similar.

It was a strange feeling.

On the one hand, it meant that even in this place, my mind still retained traces of my previous life. On the other hand…

This also meant that everything he created from now on could be influenced by what he had known before.