Kai_8322

After a catastrophic event known as the Everworld Convergence, people across dimensions randomly swap places with their counterparts in parallel realities. Some find themselves in worlds of magic, others in dystopian futures or cyberpunk nightmares. Amidst the chaos, Orion Vale, a seemingly ordinary young man, realizes he's the only person who retains memories of all the worlds he's lived in.

As Orion jumps between realities, he discovers that he's not supposed to exist—he is an anomaly, a paradox created by a failed god’s attempt to rewrite fate. Hunted by cosmic enforcers known as the Eschaton Judges, Orion must uncover the truth behind the Convergence while mastering the unstable abilities that come with his fractured existence.

Everworld Paradox

Orion's breath came fast and shallow as he stared at the golden-eyed Judge blocking their path. The tunnel walls around them pulsed, warping slightly as if reality itself was uneasy in the entity's presence. He could feel it too—an unnatural pull at the edge of his consciousness, as though something unseen was trying to unravel him thread by thread.

Cipher tightened his grip on Orion's wrist. "We don't have time for this," he hissed. "We have to—"

One moment it was standing still, the next it was in front of them, arm raised. Orion barely had time to register the movement before Cipher was yanked backward by an unseen force and slammed into the tunnel wall with a sickening crunch.

"Cipher!" Orion shouted, but the Judge didn't spare him a glance. It was focused solely on Orion, its single golden eye pulsing with unreadable intent.

"You are fractured," the Judge said, its voice calm but carrying an undertone of something ancient and unyielding. "You do not belong."

Orion's pulse pounded. He clenched his fists. "Yeah, well, I get that a lot."

The Judge raised a hand, and reality around Orion twisted violently. A pressure unlike anything he'd ever felt crushed against his body, threatening to pull him apart at the seams. It wasn't pain—it was worse. It was as if he was on the verge of ceasing to exist.

Panic surged through him, but then something shifted. His mind reached instinctively for the branching paths he had glimpsed before, the infinite possibilities spiraling out before him. And in that instant, he chose.

Orion stumbled forward, gasping. The Judge took a half-step back, its golden eye narrowing slightly.

"You resist," it murmured, almost… curious? "Fascinating."

Orion didn't waste time thinking. He spun and grabbed Cipher, who groaned as he struggled to move. "Come on," Orion gritted out, half-dragging him toward the darkened corridor behind them. "We have to go."

The Judge didn't stop them. It simply watched, its presence looming over them like a storm cloud on the verge of breaking. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it stepped backward into the tear in reality from which it had emerged—and vanished.

The tunnel stabilized. The distortion faded. But Orion knew better than to think they were safe.

Cipher coughed, clutching his side. "That… was new."

Orion hauled him up, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. "You okay?"

"No, but let's pretend I am." Cipher shook his head. "That wasn't just any Judge, Orion. That was something else. They're adapting to you."

Cipher winced as he started moving again. "The system doesn't like things it can't predict. You're rewriting its rules every time you use your power. It's watching. Learning."

A chill ran down Orion's spine. "Then I need to learn faster."

They pushed forward into the tunnel, the weight of what had just transpired pressing down on them. Orion knew that whatever had happened here tonight was just the beginning. The Eschaton Judges weren't just hunting him.

And that terrified him more than anything else.

To be continued...

Shattered Boundaries