CHAPTER 1:THE TRUE BEGINNING

The night was still, as though the world itself held its breath in anticipation of what was to come. The remnants of the battle lingered in the air—a palpable tension woven with the faint echoes of the shadow's final scream. Eryndor, bruised and weary, stood at the precipice of a journey that would stretch far beyond the bounds of this reality.

The cosmic sea called to him—a siren song, both alluring and dangerous. His blood thrummed with the residual power of the shadow, now tempered by the light of the Creation Tree. But even in victory, a sense of unease gnawed at him. This was not the end, merely a pause before the storm.

The woman at his side—Aveline, her name was, though she had not spoken it aloud—glanced up at him, her eyes still clouded with a mixture of awe and uncertainty. She had witnessed what few ever did: a mortal man bending the forces of shadow and light to his will, walking the fine line between destruction and salvation. Yet, even she could sense the weight of the task that lay ahead.

"The cosmic sea," she whispered, almost to herself, as though testing the words on her tongue. "Do you even know how to reach such a place, Eryndor? Or are we chasing a dream as elusive as the stars?"

Eryndor's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, though his mind wandered far beyond it—into realms of possibility and impossibility. "I don't need to know the way," he said, his voice low but resolute. "The way will reveal itself when we are ready."

Aveline frowned, skepticism etched on her features. "And what makes you so sure of that?"

He turned to her then, his blue-gray eyes—once human and unremarkable—now aglow with an otherworldly light. The shadow within him stirred, but it was no longer a force of malice. It had become part of him, a tool to wield rather than a curse to fear.

"The Creation Tree showed me the threads," Eryndor explained, his voice quiet but firm. "The connections between worlds, the paths that link our existence to the greater whole. Every star, every shadow, every breath we take is part of something much larger than ourselves. And I can feel those threads now—pulling me toward the sea of stars."

Aveline studied him for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. She had seen much in her time—legends and myths, curses and prophecies—but this man, this broken warrior who wielded both light and darkness, was something entirely different. "You speak as though you've already glimpsed it," she said, folding her arms. "As though you've seen the cosmic sea before."

"I have," Eryndor replied simply, his gaze distant. "And it's more beautiful—and more terrifying—than you could ever imagine."

He turned away from her then, his eyes sweeping over the vast landscape before them. The air felt charged with anticipation, as though the universe itself awaited their next move. In the distance, the shimmering glow of the Creation Tree still flickered faintly, a reminder of the power they had just unleashed.

Aveline hesitated, her hand brushing the hilt of her own weapon, a relic passed down through generations. She had never thought herself a coward, but this journey... it was beyond anything she had ever dared to dream. "What exactly do you expect to find in the cosmic sea, Eryndor? Do you think you'll find Aazam there? Or something worse?"

Eryndor's jaw tightened, his thoughts veering into darker places. "I don't expect to find Aazam. I expect to find something much older—something that gave birth to the darkness he wields." His hand clenched around the broken dagger, the light of the Creation Tree still faintly pulsing within its core. "The echo of Aazam was only a fragment, a piece of the shadow. But the source... the true power behind it... lies somewhere in the cosmic sea."

Aveline shivered despite herself. She had always known that Eryndor's fight was against something far greater than a mere curse, but hearing him speak of it in such terms made it all the more real. "And when we find it?" she asked quietly. "What then?"

Eryndor's gaze was hard, unyielding. "Then we end it. Once and for all."

Without another word, he began to walk, his footsteps steady and determined, as though he were being guided by an unseen force. Aveline lingered for a moment, watching him go, before she too set her jaw and followed. She had committed herself to this journey, and she would see it through, no matter where it led.

As they walked, the world around them seemed to shift. The air grew thinner, the sky darker. Stars twinkled above, brighter than usual, as if they too were aware of the impending journey. A strange hum filled the air—subtle, barely perceptible, but it was there. The cosmic sea was drawing nearer.

The landscape blurred, and soon, the edges of the world seemed to fray. Eryndor felt a pull in his chest, the threads of the multiverse weaving themselves into his very being. His thoughts drifted to the vastness of the cosmic sea—the swirling galaxies, the endless expanse of stars—and for a fleeting moment, he felt the full weight of eternity pressing against him.

Time lost its meaning as they walked. Minutes stretched into hours, hours into days. The sky shifted, no longer bound by the familiar cycles of night and day. And then, at the very edge of existence, they saw it—the shimmering veil of the cosmic sea.

It was unlike anything Aveline had ever imagined. A vast ocean of stars stretched out before them, the horizon bending and twisting in ways that defied logic. Waves of starlight rippled through the expanse, crashing against unseen shores. The air buzzed with the energy of a thousand lifetimes, each star a portal to another world, another reality.

Eryndor stepped forward, the light of the sea reflecting in his eyes. He could feel the pull of the cosmic currents, the vast energy that connected every star, every soul. And somewhere, deep within the sea's endless depths, he could feel the presence of the darkness—the source of Aazam's power.

"We're here," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "The cosmic sea."

Aveline stood beside him, her breath caught in her throat. "It's... beautiful."

Eryndor nodded, though his mind was already elsewhere. "And dangerous. This is where it all began—the light, the shadow, the curse. Everything."

He took a deep breath, his fingers tightening around the broken dagger. "And this is where it will end."

With a final glance at Aveline, Eryndor stepped into the sea of stars. The light enveloped him, and in an instant, they were gone—plunged into the infinite depths of the cosmic sea, where worlds collided and destinies were written in the fabric of time itself.

The journey had begun.