Chapter 129 — "The Sins of the Past and the Warning from the Nothingness"
The Realm of Architects barely trembled when Vael made a casual gesture.
— Alright, said Vael.
Let's talk.
Aeternus stared at him as if the word "talk" was a threat.
— And what exactly do you want to talk about?
Vael spun his finger in the air.
A ripple spread through the realm like someone had tossed a stone into the ocean of logic.
In a second, a massive table appeared between them.
A table so enormous it could hold six realms on top as decoration.
Vael sat down immediately, feet on the table like he owned the place.
— Sit down. Make yourselves comfortable.
And don't bring the whole cavalry.
Aedrys, Kaeron, Erwin, and Erik are more than enough.
I don't want your entire zoo of Architects parading around just because I'm speaking.
Aeternus appeared on a chair across from Vael.
Aedrys and Kaeron sat to the left.
Erwin and Erik settled to the right, silent.
The atmosphere was heavy.
The kind of silence that makes stars sweat.
Aeternus spoke first.
— Very well. What do you want to discuss, Vael?
Vael tilted his head.
— You remember Orvyn, right? The king of the ancient humans.
Aeternus nodded slowly.
— Yes.
We grew up together.
He, the King of Ancient Humans.
Me, the King of Architects.
The Supreme Angel.
The King of Ancient Gods.
The Supreme God.
And the King of Primordial Demons.
We were six.
Each ruled a Pillar of Creation.
And Zarion, the prince of the Primordial Void, lived with us in the Infinite Palace.
We were raised by the Primordial Handmaidens… and the two Origins.
He paused, a touch nostalgic.
— Before Zarion left to explore Creation.
Vael waved his hand, cutting him off.
— I'm not here for your past.
Not today.
A faint smile crept across his face.
— We're going to talk about the disappearance of two Pillars.
But I'll focus on Orvyn's.
Aeternus frowned.
— I don't know all the details…
But I know you were involved.
Vael raised his hands like it was obvious.
— A long time ago…
Kaeron raised his arm:
— Keep it short, please.
Vael sighed.
— Yeah. Otherwise it'll take forever.
He interlaced his fingers.
— You remember the time when a wave of disappearances hit the races of the six Pillars?
Aeternus:
— I knew it was you.
Vael raised an amused eyebrow.
— Not exactly.
I asked Nyxa to create a massive series of disappearances in each of your domains.
She was very young back then.
I told her: "Absorb them. Send them to the Abysses. Lock them away."
I knew she'd leave plenty of clues because she was stubborn as hell.
He chuckled lightly.
— Nyxa erased, sliced, or absorbed the inhabitants of the six domains depending on her mood.
I was thrilled: she left so many clues you all became paranoid.
You held secret meetings, convinced you were in a crisis.
Vael tilted his head.
— You were literally falling into my hand.
Aedrys grimaced.
Aeternus stiffened.
— So, continued Vael, after your meeting, Orvyn volunteered to investigate.
A wide smile stretched across his lips.
— His worst mistake.
He left his domain.
Unsupervised.
Erwin clenched his fist, already tense.
— Orvyn followed the traces Nyxa had left.
He didn't know he was walking into my trap.
I could've erased everything: his domain, his people, him.
With a snap of my fingers.
But I didn't.
Vael rested his chin on his hand, as if telling a funny story.
— I wanted him to feel despair.
Pain.
Loss.
I wanted him to understand what it means… to arrive too late.
Aeternus boiled inside, but remained silent.
— So I entered the Realm of Ancient Humans.
The entire room held its breath.
Even the logic of the realm seemed to shiver.
— A domain vaster than all of Creation combined.
A domain said to be indestructible.
Vael smiled.
— I could've erased them all just by being there.
But I didn't.
Erik clenched his jaw.
Vael continued:
— When they saw me, they knew it was the end.
They tried to flee.
I took my time.
I sliced their projections, their essences, everything.
I annihilated them… making sure to leave the bodies on the ground.
So Orvyn would see them in the most miserable state.
He placed his hand slowly on the table.
— The most powerful ancient humans tried to stop me.
I let them believe they had a chance.
Just so they'd call Orvyn too late.
Smile.
— He arrived when they were already annihilated.
Aeternus was pale.
Aedrys wasn't breathing.
Erwin trembled with rage.
Vael spoke more softly:
— He tried to resurrect them.
Total failure.
He realized I had cut… too deep.
Vael raised a hand, mimicking a blade.
— Then I erased the entire Realm.
One strike from my Celestial Slayer.
Aeternus leaned toward the table.
Vael continued, unfazed:
— But Orvyn survived.
He could've recreated his children.
He didn't.
To him… it no longer made sense.
Vael's voice dropped, like a calm yet monstrous confession.
— So I haunted him.
I whispered into his mind the voices of those he'd lost.
"Why didn't you help us, Father?"
"Why weren't you there?"
He circled a finger around his temple.
— I broke him slowly.
He became… shattered.
Silence.
— Then he descended into Creation.
He created Elyon.
Built him a throne.
An heir to rule when he was ready.
Vael snapped his fingers.
— And then…
I intervened.
Aeternus sharply raised his eyes.
Vael continued, almost amused:
— I whispered into Elyon's mind.
That his father didn't love him.
That he was just a tool to erase trauma.
That the throne would never be his.
At first, Elyon resisted.
But over time…
He went mad.
Corrupted.
Impossible to purify.
Kaeron swallowed hard.
Erik murmured:
— That's why he fragmented him…
Vael nodded.
— And that's how it happened.
The silence that followed could've shattered a Pillar.
Aeternus boiled with rage, but his face remained stone.
Vael placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Just to tell you:
Stay on guard.
It could've been you that day.
Aeternus trembled imperceptibly.
Vael added, lightly:
— Never lower your guard.
I can decide at any moment… to target your realm.
Erik stood up abruptly.
— Father!
Don't give in to anger.
Don't let him provoke you.
These events are in the past.
Vael stood, stretched his shoulders.
— On that note…
See you next time, my king.
He vanished in a black wave that made the entire realm vibrate.
Aeternus remained seated.
Head lowered.
Fist clenched so tightly a star cracked.
Aedrys whispered:
— Father… what will you do?
Aeternus replied in a low, trembling voice:
— Survive.
Chapter 130 — "Return to the Palace of Nothingness"
Vael returned to the Palace of Nothingness as if nothing had happened—despite having just pushed Aeternus to the brink of internal atomic meltdown.
Death raised a hand, looking proud:
— You were too cool back there, Vael. I swear, if I'd had popcorn…
Nyxa floated in, arms crossed:
— What happened over there? We felt something… like a spike in cosmic tension.
Death chuckled:
— You should've seen the king's face.
The guy was PISSED.
I thought he was going to swallow the table.
Vael conjured a massive screen in the air, replaying the entire scene: the meeting, the table, the stares, the provocation, and Aeternus boiling like a divine pressure cooker.
Nyxa burst out laughing:
— You're truly a terrible being.
Wait…
So you manipulated me that day?
I thought I was following my own plan, and it turns out it was yours?
Vael smiled calmly:
— Exactly.
Valt (who happened to be passing by) laughed out loud:
— LOOK at his face!
If Aeternus could've blown you up, he would've done it without hesitation, I swear!
Nihil raised an eyebrow:
— Honestly, Vael… you could've asked me to handle the disappearances.
That idiot was too dumb to pull it off cleanly.
Nyxa turned so fast the Nothingness trembled:
— WHO are you calling an idiot?
Say it again, and I'll slice your existence.
Vael raised his hands, amused:
— Calm down.
Thanks to her, the plan worked perfectly.
No gaps.
Clues everywhere, incoherence, panic… magnificent.
Nyxa huffed:
— Pff. I was just young.
Otherwise you NEVER would've tricked me like that.
Death scratched his jaw:
— Oh yeah?
Because personally, I still wonder if you weren't dumber now than back then.
Nyxa:
— Keep talking and I'll rip out your ribs and turn them into a flute.
Death:
— Nice. At least we'd have a useful instrument in this palace.
Vael clapped his hands:
— Alright.
---
Back on Earth
After a bath (yes, even a primordial prince likes to smell good), Zarion materialized in front of Liora.
— Liora… Vael threatened me.
I genuinely thought I was going to die.
Liora rolled her eyes:
— That guy…
He only brings back bad memories.
Elyon stepped in:
— Calm down, Mom.
It's in the past.
And if I hadn't let myself be influenced, none of this would—
Liora cut him off:
— No.
Don't say that.
I made a mistake too.
I left my domain unguarded.
That's when everything spiraled.
---
Meanwhile, Valen was sitting outside, an apple in hand.
Miniature Elyonna, perched on his shoulder, shook her head.
— Now you understand why I hated Vael.
He's heartless.
Inhuman.
He treated me like a twig, even though I'm the Sword of Judgment!
And he killed based on his mood. I'm not imagining this, right? His MOOD.
Valen rolled his eyes:
— So my nightmares…
They were the gods he killed?
Elyonna nodded.
Liora arrived just then:
— Stop.
We're done talking about him.
Just hearing his name makes me want to punch someone.
---
Zarion took a breath.
— Liora…
About Ivan in the dungeon…
— Yes? Did you take care of it?
Zarion shrugged:
— I was going to.
But Vael showed up.
He looked at him for 0.1 seconds…
Then said:
> "He's too weak. I'm bored."
And erased him.
Valen smacked his forehead:
— Of course… Vael.
Elyonna growled:
— And they say I'm the cruel one!
---
Silence settled for a moment.
Everyone knew that what Vael had revealed in the Palace of Architects would leave scars.
And in the Nothingness, Vael slumped onto his throne:
— So. Who wants tea?
Nyxa:
— Did you poison the tea?
Vael:
— Maybe.
Death:
— I'll take some.
Chapter 131 — "The Awakening of the Blade: Nova's Story"
Zarion looked at Nova like one examines a rare artifact.
— Nova… I noticed you're using the Arts of the Void.
You have tremendous potential.
How did you awaken that art?
Nova lowered his head for a moment, as if rewinding his own life.
— I awakened my powers five years ago, when the portals appeared.
But… I had already been training for a long time.
Zarion raised an eyebrow:
— Training how?
Nova took a deep breath.
---
— Ever since I was young, my master taught me all his sword techniques.
It was hard.
Really hard.
We were just humans without powers… but a human can go far if his master is a demon with a stick, I swear.
Zarion burst out laughing:
— Ah, a proper old-school master.
Nova smiled shyly.
— Yeah. A grumpy old man.
He didn't have a son, so… he adopted me.
He said I had a talent you don't see anymore.
Me? I only saw his "educational slaps."
Even Zarion couldn't help but chuckle.
— I woke up early, did his shopping, laundry, cooking…
And after that, I was finally allowed to train.
That was my routine.
Every day.
For years.
Nova's face darkened.
— Then he started getting sick. Weaker by the day.
But he refused to stop.
He said, "I won't die until I've passed everything on."
Zarion:
— Sounds stubborn.
— You have no idea…
At ten years old, he passed away.
I gave him a funeral.
No one came.
I was his only family.
He left me his sword and his fortune.
And I trained like crazy.
To be worthy of him.
---
Nova clenched his fist.
— The day the portals appeared, I was fifteen.
I had trained so much that I could perceive the micro-movements in an opponent's muscles before the attack even began. I could read intentions in the tension of their bodies.
- My hearing: I could hear heartbeats, armor friction, held breaths from dozens of meters away. I could locate a scream in a battlefield full of noise.
- My sense of touch: I could feel vibrations in the ground, shifts in air pressure. I could detect a presence behind me without turning around.
- My reaction time: my brain processed information so fast the world sometimes felt slowed down around me. I didn't dodge — I predicted.
On TV, guns and rifles did nothing.
So I thought, "Alright. My turn."
Zarion winced:
— You were fifteen, seriously?
— Yeah.
I took the old man's sword.
And I left.
He continued:
— The military was fighting. Doing what they could.
I arrived, they told me "don't go."
I jumped onto a car and sliced a monster in half.
They were stunned.
Zarion:
— Understandably.
— I told them I'd save the survivors.
They let me through.
With my senses pushed to the extreme, I heard a woman scream.
I rushed in. I cut through everything in my path.
Corpses everywhere… it was hell.
---
— I found the woman.
One move: lightning strike.
The monster was shredded into a thousand pieces.
She was trembling.
I asked if she could run.
She was slowing me down…
So I threw her over my shoulder and kept going.
Zarion:
— You did that at fifteen…
— Yeah.
I dropped her off with the survivors.
Then I cleared the path.
I moved so fast they only saw a trail behind me.
He gritted his teeth.
— And then… I heard a scream.
A scream that chilled my blood.
For the first time, I felt danger.
But I had no choice — someone was out there.
He looked at the ground.
— What I saw…
A gigantic monster.
Scaly skin.
Looked like a wingless dragon.
Its mere presence shattered walls.
Zarion:
— Oh… that one.
— Yeah.
I rushed in. Saved the person.
Then attacked.
My sword struck, but it blocked.
One hit…
And it sent me flying.
I caught myself with my blade.
I used Spectral Acceleration…
My remanations attacked from all sides.
But nothing got through.
He swallowed.
— I was out of breath.
So I gave it everything I had: Twilight Strike.
I sliced the monster in two.
Zarion:
— Not bad.
— I sheathed my sword, thought it was over.
And then…
A foot.
Just a foot.
It sent me flying into a wall like a rag doll.
Zarion nodded:
— Ah yes, it had two hearts. Most people don't know that.
Nova continued, voice trembling:
— I was bleeding.
Broken ribs.
Broken arm.
Couldn't move.
My vision was blurry.
I thought, "This is the end."
A heavy silence fell.
Then Zarion said calmly:
— And that's when… you awakened.
Nova's gaze shimmered.
— Yes.
Exactly at that moment.
Chapter 132 — The Legacy of the Void
Nova continued.
Everyone around him listened in silence — even Vael, which was already a miracle.
— In that critical moment… I saw a figure standing in the void.
A place completely black… and yet I could see him perfectly.
White hair, calm gaze… he looked like he didn't belong to this world.
In the Palace of Nothingness, Vael, Valt, Nyxa, Nihil, and Death watched the events unfold on a massive screen.
Nyxa burst out laughing.
Nyxa:
— Someone making a dramatic entrance and handing powers to a human? You sure that wasn't Vael in cosplay?
Vael stared at her.
Vael:
— If it were me, he'd be dead just for looking at me too long.
Nova added:
He spoke to me.
— Human… I've been watching you for a long time. Your persistence, your will… I've decided to grant you my powers.
I was half-crushed against a wall, bleeding, my arm twisted like a twig, but I still managed to say:
— Why? You're surprisingly generous for a guy floating in the void.
He smiled faintly.
— Because you protect these humans without hesitation, even though you don't know them — even at the cost of your life.
I'm destined to disappear… and you're dying too.
So I'll pass on my powers and memories, to live on through you.
— But your body is too weak to handle everything. So I'll only give you a portion.
Nihil burst out laughing.
Nihil:
— Basically: "Here, take 10% of me. The other 90% is DLC later."
Even Vael chuckled quietly.
Zarion raised an eyebrow.
— So even then, they called you fragile?
Nova winced.
— Well… yeah, kinda.
Then he continued:
— When I opened my eyes again, I could see… mana in the air. Like glowing threads — I could see everything. The flow of the void, movements before they happened.
I felt a power I'd never known. My wounds were gone. I was breathing like nothing had happened.
The monster felt the pressure… it was like a predator had just opened its eyes.
I smiled and said:
— The roles are reversed now.
And then… like muscle memory, techniques I'd never learned awakened on their own.
I took the blade the old man had given me.
I coated it in energy.
And before the monster could understand,
I sliced it into pieces.
Zarion nodded.
— Yep, classic. Monsters never like surprises.
Nova continued:
— After that, I jumped onto another monster's head… crushed its skull with a single kick.
Zarion burst out laughing.
— There it is! That's when you started showing off. You were way too far above them.
— That's not true! said Nova.
— It is, confirmed Zarion without hesitation.
Nova sighed.
— Anyway. I saved whoever I could that day.
Zarion frowned.
— But… you said he gave you his memories and powers, right?
— Yeah, but I think he sealed them. Like, for me to unlock later.
I feel there's a lot more… but like he said, at the time, my body would've exploded.
Zarion crossed his arms.
— Interesting. So the guy put a countdown in your head.
— Yeah… a paid DLC I can't activate yet.
Zarion snorted.
— And the Void Arts — how did you create them?
Nova smiled, proud:
— I created my 15 techniques myself.
But I could combine the old man's style with the Void techniques… I know I could.
But out of respect for him… I don't.
He taught me everything, literally until his death.
So I keep the styles separate.
Zarion placed a hand on his shoulder.
— You don't look it, but… you're a good kid, Nova.
— Yeah, I know, replied Nova with a bored look.
— But you were still a show-off, added Zarion.
— … You're annoying.
Zarion burst out laughing.
Nyxa:
— He became ultra stylish, saved a bunch of people, and then started flexing.
Nova:
— Okay fine… I saved everyone I could that day.
But I still feel like part of that power… is sleeping inside me.
Zarion:
— It's not "sleeping."
It's a power that's waiting.
Someone like him doesn't grant a legacy by accident.
You haven't yet realized what you're carrying.
Everyone turned toward him.
Zarion narrowed his eyes.
Zarion:
— And I have a feeling… he's not the only being from the Void watching you.
A chill swept through the room.