Chapter 1: The Child of the Red Moon
"This chapter needs editing."
Beyond the remnants of the Primordial Barrier in the Astral World—an abstract realm representing authority and symbolism—nameless, unfathomable beings watched in silence, their gazes fixed upon the small planet within.
As the most powerful of the Old Ones in this universe, some sought to reclaim their torn essence, striving to restore their completeness.
Others sought to assimilate high-level characteristics from adjacent pathways, driven by instinct to grow stronger, seizing greater authority and symbolism.
The final apocalypse drew near. In mere decades, the last vestiges of the Primordial Barrier would vanish. But for these ancient entities, whose existence transcended time, patience was an inexhaustible resource.
Then, abruptly, a streak of pure white radiance surged from the depths of the Astral World, shooting straight toward the illusory yet tangible Red Moon by the Barrier's edge.
As the indescribable radiance fully merged with the Red Moon, a towering, blood-red figure standing in the Astral World swelled, expanding until it completely enveloped the celestial body.
In the material universe, on the moon shrouded by crimson tides, the radiance was ceaselessly washed over by the red flood that swept across the land. Gradually, something was revealed within it—a fragmented human soul.
The tides gathered, coalescing into a massive, blood-red form. A limb, seemingly composed entirely of blood, extended from it, grasping the sudden intruder—this human soul that had trespassed upon its domain.
As a supreme being symbolizing life, reincarnation, femininity, and spirituality, the Fallen Mother Goddess was momentarily surprised. She found herself unable to discern the true nature of this soul, unable to peer into its memories.
Yet, she could sense that this soul bore a special connection to the planet within the Barrier, able to pass through the seal without obstruction.
Thus, this Old One decided to use the soul to establish a foothold within the Creator's slumbering land.
Or perhaps… an investment. An investment that would ensure her perfect ascendance once the Barrier crumbled.
A child born from her authority through this soul—a Child of the Old Ones.
Without hesitation, a writhing mass of flesh shot out from the towering blood-red form, fusing with the fragmented soul, wrapping around it, repairing and completing it.
Then, her form expanded, seemingly covering the entire Astral Barrier. As many beings observed in confusion or shock, the Fallen Mother Goddess let out a dreadful wail, and the once-substantial Red Moon seemed to boil.
—
Beyond the Astral Barrier, in a world of concealed darkness interwoven with lightning and tempests, a figure known as Mr. Door, lost within the storm, suddenly froze.
A blood-red gate of starlight manifested out of nowhere—then vanished.
—
On the Southern Continent, over the city of Intela—a name meaning "Red Moon" in ancient Balam—the night sky was dominated by a vast, crimson moon, occupying half the firmament! The dark heavens were steeped in its glow, casting a blood-red hue over the land.
The people of Intela, those still awake, gazed skyward, stunned and fearful at the inexplicable phenomenon.
At that moment, from the Northern Continent to the Southern Continent, even within the Forsaken Land of the Gods, every human being saw the same Red Moon looming over the entire sky.
—
In the Governor's Mansion, within a lush garden, Colonel Von Nol, the Loen Kingdom's colonial officer, fixed his gaze on the overwhelming Red Moon. Beside him, the colonial general—the rumored descendant of the God of Death, Rael Lydia Aegis—shared his expression of sheer shock and fear.
Beneath the Storm Cathedral, constructed from deep blue and cyan stone, the local Adjudicator Deacon—ordinarily impulsive and irritable—remained calm. He issued an order to his gathered subordinates:
"Vahir, notify the clerical staff—no, never mind. Send the telegram to the Archbishop yourself."
"The rest of you, follow me to the Azure Gate. Be ready to activate the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact at any moment."
"This Red Moon… is a serious problem."
Having spent years in the Southern Continent, waging war against heretics of the Primordial Moon and the Rose School of Thought, Adjudicator Deacon Himir wasted no time in rallying his enforcers.
Yet, just as he finished giving orders and prepared to lead his team to the Azure Gate, lightning suddenly erupted across the Red Moon-drenched night sky—a chaotic, silver-white forest of electric wrath, turning night into blinding day.
—
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, within a world of eternal night and relentless lightning, an inverted figure opened its solitary eye.
Through the land's ancient seals, the True Creator gazed upon the storm-wrought skies over the Southern Continent.
From the depths of the Astral World, within two divine kingdoms that mended the Barrier's cracks, two entities cast their gazes forward—a towering brass structure of countless eyes and a radiant figure composed of infinite light.
The Dark Sacred Kingdom, the Mechanical Church, the Dusk Hall—one by one, places of great power turned their eyes toward the spectacle.
At last, under the relentless cleansing of divine lightning, the phantasmal Red Moon could endure no longer—it shattered and disappeared.
As the colossal Red Moon faded, the airborne lightning withdrew into nothingness, vanishing from the night.
—
"This… this is the presence of the Lord!"
Witnessing the radiant silver flashes, feeling the instinctual fear and reverence welling from within, Himir, as a Wind Blessed and an Adjudicator Deacon, recognized the divine power—his Lord, the ruler of the skies and seas, the sovereign of storms and lightning!
The night sky returned to normal.
The Red Moon hung as it always had, as if nothing had ever occurred.
—
In the western outskirts of Intela, within a secluded plantation, crimson moonlight filtered through the study window, falling upon the rigid form of a motionless young man seated at a desk.
Suddenly, his tightly shut eyes snapped open.
Confusion.
Doubt.
Staring at the blood-red glow on his face, he instinctively raised his right hand, as though trying to grasp something.
A moment later, he closed his eyes once more, sinking into deep silence.
—
Morning came. The scorching Southern Continent sun streamed through the study's window, casting golden light upon the young man slumped against his desk.
Bathed in its radiance, Wu Ming slowly opened his eyes.
After an entire night of assimilation, he let out the first sigh of his new existence:
"…Sigh."
His name was Wu Ming.
An orphan. A bright and cheerful civil engineer.
He never imagined that, after two months of exhausting overtime, he would be run over by a construction truck and wake up in another world.
And not just any world—but the world of Lord of the Mysteries.
Yet something had gone terribly wrong.
By all logic, he should have reincarnated on Earth.
Instead, he had plunged straight into the domain of a pillar Old One—the Fallen Mother Goddess herself.
Staring at the blood-red glow fused with his soul, Wu Ming felt his vision darken.
He was already tainted.
And yet…
He felt no resentment toward the Fallen Mother Goddess.
If anything, he felt grateful.
When he crossed over, his soul had been shattered beyond repair. Without the Mother Goddess's power to mend and restore him, he would never have been reborn.
In both mysticism and reality, she was now his second mother.
An unchangeable truth.
And the greatest proof?
He had awakened as a Sequence 2 Angel.
A Planeswalker.