Life could change so rapidly that one found themselves in places they never imagined they would be just days or months ago.
The whims of existence possessed a particularly cruel sense of humor...one could be a grand teacher of existential philosophy one day, revered across multiple Wheels and Dwellings for their wisdom, and find themselves shaking their body for cash at a seedy establishment the next, simply because existence had decided to restructure itself overnight!
The mighty could fall, the fallen could rise, and sometimes, if existence was feeling particularly creative, both could happen simultaneously to the same being.
Existence could truly change too fast!
---
In a certain Law Fold, removed from the chaos of the Nullvein Gravewake Folds, such rapid change had become the defining characteristic of one particular being’s recent experiences.
Bob... who had managed to lock away Thauron, the Null Monarch, inside an Inevitability...walked through corridors of crystallized authority with movements that suggested he was still adjusting to his transformed state!
His form had evolved into an obsidian-white humanoid figure with skin that seemed to shift between solid and liquid states, crowned by a perfectly round, bald head that gleamed under the ambient light of Law itself.
He was now...a glorious Living Origin!
He followed in the wake of two beings whose presence made the very air taste of structured power. Altheon moved ahead with the distracted air of someone whose mind wrestled with problems far removed from their current location, his luminous form occasionally flickering as if his consciousness kept trying to be elsewhere.
Beside him bounced...there was no other word for her manner of movement- a Prime Living Law whose very existence seemed to radiate barely contained enthusiasm.
Her pink hair defied gravity, while her matching pink eyes sparkled with the kind of vivacious energy that made others simultaneously exhausted and energized just from proximity!
She wore robes that should have been formal, authoritative, befitting her status as a Prime Living Law, but somehow she made them look like party attire through sheer force of personality.
Living Law Authority wrapped around them in spiraling patterns, the silver-white energy creating tunnels through space that compressed distance into meaningless concepts. When the authority finally scattered, releasing them at their destination, the Prime Living Law threw her arms wide with theatrical flair.
"Welcome," she announced with a smile that could have powered small civilizations, "to the Juridical Sanctum of Law Litigation!"
HUUM!
The name boomed in the air with all the warmth of a death sentence delivered with a smile.
Bob’s enhanced perception took in their surroundings, and what he saw was glorious!
Seas of white banners and scales stretched in every direction, each one carved from what appeared to be crystallized justice itself. Between these scales, shrines dotted the landscape like monuments to crimes committed and sentences served.
"Isn’t it magnificent?" the Prime Living Law continued, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "Here we house all types of Living Existences who broke Living Laws in some manner or another. Some are locked away for a mere dozen years...barely a slap on the wrist, really. Others..." Her smile grew sharper, "Others have been here for millions of years, and they’ll be here for millions more."
She began walking, or rather bouncing, forward, gesturing at various features with the pride of a homeowner showing off renovations. "We have sections organized by type of violation, severity of offense, and my personal favorite...likelihood of repeat offense. You’ll find many, many Living Paradoxes here, actually. They have such trouble following rules, the poor dears."
Her eyes twinkled with something that might have been sympathy if it hadn’t been accompanied by such obvious glee.
She spun to face Bob, her pink hair creating a halo effect that somehow made her look both angelic and slightly unhinged.
"The Royal Law Tristesse can have you stay here for, oh, what was your name again?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Bobby?"
Bob’s entire form went rigid, his obsidian-white skin rippling with barely contained emotions.
Bobby. He fucking hated that name!
His voice, when it emerged, carried the weight of someone who had fought for far too long.
"Bob," he said with deliberate precision. "My name is Bob."
The Prime Living Law’s smile never wavered, though something in her eyes suggested she was filing away his reaction for future reference. "Of course! Bob it is. Well, Bob, the Royal Law Tristesse has reached a consensus with other interested parties. Nothing born from those special Nullvein Gravewake Folds is to be released into general circulation just yet...too many variables, too many unknowns. So instead, you get to temporarily learn how to be an Origin here!"
She gestured toward Altheon with a flourish. "With your assigned babysitter, the ever-boring Altheon, to guide you through the process!"
Her attention shifted to the Prime Living Origin, and her expression grew slightly more serious, though the effect was somewhat undermined by the way she was still bouncing on her toes. "Though you seem rather preoccupied, old friend. Some thoughts? Existential crisis?"
WAA!
Altheon seemed to surface from whatever depths his consciousness had been exploring, his ancient eyes focusing on the present with visible effort. He shook his head with the patient exhaustion of someone who had too many things in his mind- after all, his other body was with the Young Miss and the now seemingly terrifting Noah Osmont in a Doorway!
"I don’t have time to be a babysitter," he said, his voice carrying notes of genuine regret mixed with impatience. His gaze settled on Bob with something that might have been sympathy.
"Just bear with it and stay here for a bit. After things cool down...you’ll be allowed to enter the Transcendent Origin Folds properly."
...!
Before Bob could formulate a response, before he could ask any of the thousand questions burning in his consciousness, Altheon simply... ceased.
One moment he stood there, luminous and present, and the next, only the faint afterimage of his authority remained, already fading like smoke in wind.
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