In the midst of absolute emptiness, beyond the boundaries of existence and nonexistence, a woman appeared. She was the feminine form of the entity known as the Void Eternal — a primordial being untethered even by the concept of "being" or "not being." She walked through the void with light steps, then stood right beside Exafanos — the anomalous entity who had erased the boundary between existence and nothingness, the embodiment of "vanishing."
Without emotion, Void Eternal spoke with a calm yet firm voice, declaring that she would accompany Exafanos. A decision not spoken lightly by a being of her magnitude.
Exafanos merely sighed — not out of weariness, perhaps, but more from understanding the consequences of such a choice. He looked at Gordos, the creator of the Multiverse, and said he would return first. Gordos nodded, as if understanding everything without further explanation.
With a single thought, Exafanos erased all distance and dimensions that separated him from his dwelling — a place hidden deep within a silent forest, isolated from civilization and all other forms of existence.
But before resuming his usual life, Exafanos did one crucial thing: he erased all memories of the Void Eternal from the minds of gods, absolute entities, and superior beings alike. Only Gordos was allowed to remember. This was no frivolous act. Exafanos knew that her presence disrupted the balance of existence itself. And so, for the sake of peace, her presence had to remain a secret.
Upon arrival at his home, Void Eternal surveyed her surroundings. A small house in the middle of the forest, a tidy garden, a modest field filled with vegetables and fruits, and a strangely peaceful aura — an oddity for someone like Exafanos.
"This is your home?" she asked, her tone flat, though tinged with curiosity.
Exafanos nodded.
Void Eternal found this world — the human world — somewhat fascinating. Though she didn't understand much, a sense of calm washed over her.
Exafanos then served her a cup of tea. Void Eternal stared at it, puzzled. "What is this?"
"This is tea," Exafanos replied.
Void Eternal asked again, "But you don't require food or drink. Why concern yourself with things bound by such concepts?"
Calmly, Exafanos answered, "It's not about necessity... it's about desire. We may be beings beyond concepts and existence, but these things aren't about what we are — they're about what I enjoy. Living like a human… to me, it's something pleasant."
Void Eternal frowned slightly. She didn't fully grasp his explanation. Still, she took the teacup and sipped slowly. A warm sensation and soft aroma filled her senses — a new experience unlike any she had ever known.
A faint smile appeared on her face. She said, "The sensation of drinking something… and feeling something… it really is quite soothing."
Exafanos nodded, content with her response.
Void Eternal then asked if Exafanos' life here was only filled with sitting around and doing housework.
"I'm also a teacher," Exafanos replied.
Void Eternal fell silent. She didn't expect someone as powerful as Exafanos — who could erase existence and manipulate reality with a mere thought — to choose to be a teacher.
"Your students are lucky… to be taught by someone like you."
Exafanos simply responded with a nod.
In truth, a million years had passed in this world since Exafanos had last left. But because he had erased the concept of time during his journey across faraway realms and dimensions, time in this world didn't progress as rapidly. To this world, his absence had only lasted a few hours or days.
That night, they sat at the dinner table. Exafanos served meat, vegetables, and fruit — all harvested from his own backyard garden. The dinner atmosphere was odd, yet warm. Two beings beyond existence sharing a worldly moment.
During dinner, Exafanos proposed that Void Eternal should have a human name. "It would be better if you had something… more grounded," he said.
Void Eternal paused, considering. She realized he was right. She needed a new identity — not just a title or label. But she didn't know what name to choose. So she asked Exafanos to pick one for her.
He thought for a moment, then said, "How about… Hana?"
Void Eternal — now on the brink of forming a new identity — looked at him and asked, "What does Hana mean? And why that name?"
Exafanos gave a faint smile and explained its meaning. A name symbolizing a flower, life, beauty in simplicity. A name that was gentle yet strong, like the life she was about to learn.
Void Eternal — now ready to shed her old self — nodded in agreement. "From now on… I am Hana."
And thus, the nameless void now had an identity. A new beginning.
To be continued...