The dreams began at age seventeen.

Orion would wake in a cold sweat, the visions still clinging to his mind — an endless tree, its roots tangled through galaxies, its branches heavy with creatures great and small.

From the shimmering insects to beasts of cosmic terror, the Tree of Life demanded a choice. One lifeform would be crowned the Master. One form would inherit the right to become.

Each dream ended the same way: standing before the Tree, heart pounding, a voice rumbling through space and time.

"Choose."