“Origin?” Yuri said. “Isn’t that the Ability you use? But that is impossible, there is no change in my Information Card! I have been spending time with the 33 Stars for the past few weeks, and they don’t notice a thing.”

Dream calmly responded, “You are overestimating the 33 Stars, Yuri,” he pointed at the dreaded ghostly shadow of L and T, “and our two megalomaniacs aren’t really that high on the metaphysical totem pole. They don’t know everything.”

‘And you do?’ T, still locked into the painful pose by Dream’s telekinesis, said through her gritted teeth.

“Hell no,” Dream said, finding the fact he knows all hilarious. “I have the most powerful [Clairvoyance] in Phantasia, and the only future I have any measure of controlling is my own in the next 3 minutes.” He clicked his fingers and released T. “Even my mentor — arguably the most powerful cosmic entity in all reality — agreed I have a long way to go. But my mid-level position is enough to judge the Divine-races, and the idiots swooning over them, as low bars. Wiser head — that prick Orwell included — is preparing for something much worse.”

“The Reverse Beast?” Yuri guessed.

“Well done, you are using your head,” Rem said, feeling pleased at the pace of the conversation. “But you aim too low on the totem-pole,” Dream said. “Ever wonder where the RB came from?”

Yuri turned toward L.

L knew what was going on in his mind, ‘Fine, I admit. I might screw up and get transformed into an RB, but that doesn't mean I know everything about them. Look. I, and that idiot,’ she pointed at T, ‘doesn’t want to destroy this place, so can you please stop treating us like an encyclopedic time bomb.’

Yuri glared at her harder, and Dream coughed

‘Stop it,’ L said, fully believing her resurrection plan was toasted. ‘When did this have to do with what I am? I don’t even know what this ‘Origin’ thing is.’

“Of course not,” Dream said. “You two are equivalent to a grenade. Your big daddy wouldn’t bother telling you about its natural counter.”

L’s shadowy body tensed at Dream’s words.

“Angry?” Dream said, basking in the triggering of L. “Well, that is exactly how people you often step over feel. Savor it. Remember it. After all, humanity is a virtue your teacher never knew.” Dream rubbed his chin in a mocking contemplation. “What’s it you used to say? Oh right,” he sneered, “you have a lot to lose, L. Don’t you want my support?”

L was silent, but Yuri knew Dream hit her nerve in a way no one ever did.

‘You’re doing this for her,’ L said. ‘Why? That loser—’

“Is stronger than you will ever be,” Dream narrated his issue with L was personally. “She trumps you in every area worthy of my consideration.” He glared at the two shadowy figures. “Here is the deal. Your teacher isn’t here to bust you out. Even if she is, I won’t let her. That dolt might allow you to escape discipline and responsibility on her watch, but guess what, I am cut from different clothes. You two bitches can relax. I won’t tell Yuri your real names. That little honor will go straight as a debt repayment to the girl whose childhood you ruined.”

‘We aren’t afraid of you?’ T said.

“You should,” Dream said. The expression behind his mask was unreadable. “Your sister once told me the same thing, and right now she is contributing some net positive to the world.” Dream’s voice was smoother than tunic. “Tell me? What color do you want for a maid costume?”

A realization sank into both T and L. Everything slotted into place like a jigsaw. At that moment, they realized the man confronting them was beyond godly. He was a merciless monster who had no definable limit. The two shadowy former goddesses had faced threat and life-threatening danger, but none was comparable to this man. Even the Ancient who sealed them held less leverage. At that moment, the two visages of the beast beyond the void acknowledged Dream as the one being that shouldn’t be provoked.

Yes, defeating and sealing them was a feat, but this. If what Dream implied was true, they were risking more than their life.

‘The maid,’ T was petrified. ‘It isn’t a coincidence…“

“So you notice,” Dream said with no sympathy. “Well, you often fight with her, so you know what is at stake more than anyone.”

T was silent. She knew her very existence and identity were at risk. Meanwhile, L tried to act small and quiet, hoping the terrifying mortal would ignore her.

Only Yuri didn’t know where this conversation was going.

“It sounds like you three have a history,” Yuri said.

“Not exactly,” Dream corrected the boy. “But I have an obligation to keep these loose-cannons under control for a dear friend.” He sighed with relief. “Maybe it is a lucky break, or maybe it is karma, but your Origin is excellent in suppressing them.”

“Which brings us back to where we began,” Yuri said. “What exactly is an Origin?”

Dream scratched his head, “Same old explanation, then.” He began a lecture. “Mystic Core, Adamakles — these two are the method for mystical beings to absorb and process Mana. Truth to be told, Orwell’s Adamakles are the more superior of the two.” Dream realized he was sidetracking a little. “Anyway, Origin is different. It is a mystical reflection of who you are — a unique Ability originating from your very identity and developed along the unique path your life took. Unlike Mystic Core and Adamakles, Origin overcame the usual limitation of physics to arrange the very reality.”

“You mean reality-warping?” Yuri gaped at the most ridiculous power in all fantasy.

“Within a certain flavor, but yes,” Dream nodded. “How else would a boy with almost no power chain down two among the storied list of the most power-hungry, insolent, and ambitious bitches in the history of Phantasia.”

T and L gave Dream a stink-eye, but the eldritch beings didn’t have a nerve to talk back at him.

“Okay,” Yuri said, trying to assemble the story. “How did this happen? I never had this power before.” He then stumbled upon a certain question. “Wait, aren’t you an Origin user, too? How do you awaken it?”

“Well, to answer both questions, you normally don’t,” Dream replied. “The very nature of an Origin put reality itself at risk. The Law of the World — the Governor — is constantly freaking out about this. He probably gave you an emergency activation to deal with these two morons and the Fairy Realm.” The Dream realized Yuri had no context for what was happening. “Okay, context time, the entire multiverse hinges on delicate balance between self-destructive extremity and progressive stability — the metaphysical concept of evil and good — the Malice and the Center Force. These two powers have been warring from the dawn of the Multiverse for supremacy. The Malice created the Reverse Beast to further its agenda, and the Center Force reacted by engineering events to combat them. As these two forces threaten the fabric of reality in their eternal war, the Governor — Law of Reality — tried to keep the world from collapsing.”

L, T and Yuri were silent at the lore bomb. None of them knew about this.

“Are you telling me we are in the middle of a cosmic war?” Yuri said.

“A cosmic war that will probably last as long as the concept of good and evil exists, waged between forces operated above the fourth-dimension,” Dream said. “But yes, it is a cosmic war.”

‘I don’t think he is kidding,’ L turned to T. ‘Do you think he is kidding?’

‘No idea,’ T replied. ‘But this sure explains a lot.’

“Back to the story,” Dream said. “In most of history, the Malice have been the aggressive party, and they have been winning a lot. But one day, not too long ago, Center Force experimented with a creation of a human soul from its essence. This led to the birth of a woman called Symphony. After living her life as a human, died, and returned to the Center Force. Symphony took one look at how the war was going and cleaned the house.”

Yuri repeated Dream’s words, “Cleaned the house?”

Dream answered with pride and awe, “Yes, cleaned the house. Symphony’s humanity, and her latent potential, awakened the power that is utterly unmatched in all existence. She took everything the Center Force could throw in her way, win, and ascend as its Queen — the single most powerful being in all the cosmos. Her power is so extreme that her direct manifestation would fold the very metaphysical and dimensional constant like tissue papers and cause the end of existence as we know it. Malice freaked out when she came to power, and the Governor nearly had a heart-attack at the mere thought of her taking action.”

Yuri blinked, “Okay, let me put this straight. The Center Force created a soul.”

“Yep,” Dream said.

“And after living a full-life, this soul came back to the Center Force and rebelled,” Yuri said.

“Bingo, but to be fair on Symphony, the Center Force never had sympathy for individuals before the boss literally beat the appreciation for all that is beautiful in the world into it,” Dream said.

“Fine!” Yuri tried to ignore the seismic shift in the power-scaling of the world. “So this soul somehow won and is now running the joint,” Yuri said. “Okay, but I can’t wrap my head about how this got to do with me.”

“It got to do with you because the power Symphony awakened is Origin,” Dream answered. “Symphony is the first and most powerful Origin user, and her accomplishments are unprecedented. The Governor see first-hand what Origin-user is capable of and still awaken yours. That kind of gamble is a prelude to a disaster.” Dream looked at Yuri with genuine concern. “Like it or not, you are a player in this cosmic game, Yuri, and it terrifies me. You are still a blank canvas. You can be painted in any color, for both goods or ills.”

Yuri still had a bad feeling, “Aren’t you going to recruit me, if I’m that important?”

“We don’t work like that,” Dream said. “My organization upheld the right to choice. We never forcefully conscript our members. Your power is yours, and you have the freedom to choose how to use it.”

Yuri looked at Dream and asked what was bouncing in his brain for weeks, “Who are you guys? Nobody knows who you are or what you stand for. You seemed to appear where you are needed the most, and now you come here with this cosmic lore.”

“What if I tell you, one of the first things Symphony did to turn the tide against the Malice is forming a task-force ?” Dream replied. “She couldn’t move personally without blowing the universe, so she adopted like-minded individuals and trained them as a mentor and surrogate mother-figure.”

With that final piece of information, everything clicked. Yuri finally understood Dream’s impeccable timing and the strength he wielded. If his story about Symphony was true, then it explained the sheer gap in power between him and pretty much everyone else. The masked man in front of Yuri was comparable to an Archangel — an agent of the all-good and all-powerful.

“You are her subordinate?” Yuri said, wanting to confirm whether he was mishearing.

‘Oh shit,’ L said, realizing she never had a chance. ‘Wait, does this mean…’

‘I won’t believe it,’ T said, shoving down her worst fear. ‘There is no way any cosmic entity will recruit that weakling.’

“Yes, we are an Order of Knight that answers directly to Symphony,” Dream said. “Let be honest Yuri, Symphony herself instructed me to monitor you,” Dream nodded to the shadowy figures. “The situation isn’t looking good. The Order is scattered, and we are short-handed. I believe our Director and Symphony herself are debating about you.” Dream shrugged. “But let's be real, they will probably welcome you with an open arm.”

“What?” Yuri couldn’t believe this. “You are telling me the most powerful being in the multiverse wants me — the loser — on her team? What about you?” Yuri recalled Dream’s less than impressed attitude with him. “I think you hate me.”

“‘Might make Right,’” Rem said the phrase with disdain. “I always hate those terms. Symphony is a human first before the almighty Queen of Center Force. She taught us that the heart — empathy, joy, gratitude, and much more — are the greatest privilege she ever has. We never care about your power, Yuri. We can mentor a poodle to be stronger than those little punks in the Divine Fist, but it is your spirit which matters. The days the Center Force used its agent like disposable were over when Symphony buried the old management. Before the super is the man. Yes, putting our enemies six-feet under is part of the job, but before that we must be a pillar for the helpless. Someone worthy of the people to place their faith and emulate. It isn’t Might that makes man great, but the Right he inspires. ‘Might make Right’ is the credo of the cynic fated to die in obscurity. Our creed is to be the bringer of hope, not the purveyor of despair.” Dream gave Yuri a heart-to-heart. “I never care that you are weak, but I am disappointed that you have already given up hope.”

L and T believed Dream’s words were corny.

“You're a much sappier person than I think,” Yuri said. “That had to be the corniest speech I heard in a year.”

“Maybe, but our existence is already absurd,” Dream looked at the night sky. “We are children born out of dust from exploding stars. We saw the moon and somehow, after a thousand years, built a rocket to reach it, without the wings from gods. A sappy race who somehow amasses endless power of hope from a single page of comic book.” Beneath the visor was the face of a hero. “My comrade and I are the knights swore to uphold the old-fashioned ideal of peace, justice, and liberty. Between Superman and Zeus, my money is on Superman.”

“Superman isn’t real,” Yuri said. “Zeus is.”

In response to that, Dream lifted his finger and touched Yuri’s chest, right above his heart.

“No,” Dream said, tapping at Yuri’s chest. “Everything Superman stands for is real. He is simply waiting to be awakened here.”

Yuri was stunned at the faith this hero had in him.

L and T watched the miracle-bringer and felt so incredibly small. Dream was sappy and sentimental. Some people would call him cringe.

But in the world of petty edge-lord and arrogant Divine-races, his light of aspiration dwarfed the all.