Origin

Origin is a Halo 5 Machinima written and produced by Ascend Hyperion. It was released on March 31st, 2019. It follows a character known as The Lifeform and their journey to save the universe from The Savior; who seeks to use a cosmic power to erase reality to create his own.

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Summary
At some unspecified point in time, far before the rise of the Precursors, a pair of entities known as The Beyond, discuss the danger that the universe is being faced with. "A dark soul", is attempting to use "their creation" to erase the known universe. They also highlight that another being, later referred to as The Lifeform, is attempting to act again the dark soul in order to save the universe. They resign themselves to merely observing the events that are due to unfold.

The Lifeform on a distant sun-baked world, uses an advanced machine to acquire the ability to teleport. Unlike conventional teleportation, it would appear the use of this ability temporarily displaces The Lifeform from his dimension. This is evidenced by how The Lifeform projects RBG ghosts before and after using the ability. The Lifeform arrives at a machine complex beneath a massive star. The complex allows for the Inverse Key to be stored safely by discharging the excess power of the key into the form of a star. Upon removal of the key, the star collapses and destroys everything in the immediate area. The Lifeform teleports away with the key shortly before the fallout occurs.

Immediately after, The Lifeform arrives at stormy world. They approach a triangular stone structure in the middle of a massive basin. After separating themselves into two dimensional projections, the Lifeform is able to pass through the structure. One the other side, they appear whole again. It is here where The Lifeform secures the Parallel Key but upon doing so, a mass energy reaction is released and everything goes dark. The Lifeform wakes up shortly after atop a vast body of water. The gateway is still present but is partially sunken. Upon a quick survey of the area, The Lifeform departs. Hidden near the structure was The Savior, who also disappears shortly after.

On a snowy world, The Lifeform enters a large temple-like structure. Inside, they are greeted by the voices of The Beyond, who inform The Lifeform that the Reality Keys will need to be converted into a new form before The Lifeform can use their power. The Inverse Key is transformed first, but upon application of the new form, The Lifeform is taken away from the temple. The Lifeform was taken to a non-physical realm where they could see all of the universe at once. They approach a bright blue light that projects onto the whole universe. Motionless at first, The Lifeform takes aim at the light, prepared to shoot. A voice rings out from behind The Lifeform and they are returned to the temple in an instant. The Savior confronts The Lifeform calmly, explaining that the light they saw was The Origin, a power greater than all power. However, it can only be wielded by one who controls all of the Reality Keys. He also highlights that The Lifeform collapsed the dimension that the Parallel Key existed in. Upon realizing the situation at hand, The Lifeform teleports the pair away from the temple and back to the vast ocean world. The Savior resigns to conflict with The Lifeform, stating that when his work is done, he will reemerge onto the universe as its savior. The two begin fighting, employing the use of both physical and cosmic combat. Eventually The Lifeform is able to take The Savior by surprise, wounding him and sinking him below the ocean surface. However, The Savior employs the use of a Reality Key, granting him an intense cosmic power. After tearing a hole in reality, he releases a blast that kills The Lifeform. Suddenly, The Lifeform awakens again on the ocean world, in the same manner that they did after claiming the Parallel Key. They survey their surroundings again and depart but this time, The Savior is not present at the scene. A series of events retells and rewrites past occurrences. As the universe is being consumed by the power of The Savior, the Dimension of the Parallel Key reforms and The Lifeform converts that key into a usable form. They then reenter the scene of conflict right at the moment The Savior uses his power to destroy everything around him. The Lifeform fires at The Savior, killing him in a moment of vulnerability. However, the blast of energy continued to radiate outward, seemingly consuming The Lifeform. This time however, without The Savior to claim the Reality Keys, the blast trails off and the universe remains intact.

Impact in the AMU
Currently, the events of Origin have no direct impact in any other Ascend Machinima except for the fact that the universe as a whole is saved by The Lifeform; subsequently allowing the events of the AMU to even happen in the first place.

Trivia

 * Origin is the 5th installment in the AMU and the 2nd to feature a silent protagonist.
 * Like DEEP, the characters of Origin have titles but no traditional names.
 * Origin uses all but one of Halo 5's default forge canvases in its filming.