Numbers are means for quantifying reality.
This quantification requires counting, where one phenomena is separated from another or united: In counting 2 oranges we unite them into one set in one respect while observing that 1 orange exists in a variety of states as 2 oranges in a seperate respect.
Numbers do not exist without counting, and the most basic form of counting is observing symbols.
The most basic symbol is the point considering all empirical phenomenon exist as a point in the distance or are composed of points up close (ie jagged edges in the curves). Also it is a universal axiom that represents space and we use intuitively to measure time.
The point is effectively just "space". You cannot seperate counting from this basic assumption.