Chapter 126 – "The Old Man Doesn't Even Have Patience Anymore"
Vael once again unleashed his presence across his domain.
Instantly, the entire Domain of Nothingness reformed: the walls, the palace, the fractal skies—everything returned to its original state as if no damage had ever occurred.
He exhaled:
— There… clean again. And for now, I'm keeping my palace from plunging you into Oblivion… but good news: the function is reactivated. The one that erases absolutely everything… except me, my avatars, or my incarnations.
The Nameless Balance felt its existence tremble—like an alarm clock that knows it's about to be thrown against a wall.
Nyxa stepped forward, arms crossed, visibly tense:
— You planning to eliminate him, old man?
Death sighed, slouched on his throne like a jaded grandfather:
— That's not even a question. You know the old man… he's not *into* this. He *is* this.
Vael grabbed the Balance's throat with one hand—calmly, almost bored:
— Right. I'm going to finish you off. You've been… too disappointing.
The Balance smiled—the smile of someone who knows they've got nothing left to lose—and his body began to crack, ready to explode like a suicidal star.
Nihil raised a hand, in a "I'm so done with this crap" gesture:
— Oh great, now this…
Vael barely turned his head:
— Lower your hand.
Death materialized his scythe, looking surprisingly concerned:
— Wait… you're not going to erase him?
Vael smiled—a grin too wide to be legal:
— I am. But even if he exploded, my domain would've wiped him out. I'm just thinking… about how I want to eliminate him. Aesthetics matter.
Valt gave a thumbs-up:
— Phew. For a second I almost thought you cared about him.
The Balance glowed brighter and brighter, his body becoming a kind of sickly sun. Then suddenly—
Everything shifted.
A jolt, a distortion, a flash.
They were thrown into a white, empty, silent place: the World Oblivion.
There, the Nameless Balance was erased…
Like a bad memory. Like a message deleted without being read.
Just a soft poof, and he was no more.
---
A breath swept through the Nothingness.
Vael reappeared, hands in his pockets, casual as ever.
— Alright. Problem solved. But since Aeternus, King of the Architects, decided to send someone to me… I'm going to pay him a visit. Just to have a little chat.
Nyxa nearly jumped:
— Let me do it. It's been ages since I stretched my legs.
Death groaned:
— No. Especially not you. You'll just wreck the place. You'll come back with three broken dimensions and a cosmic lawsuit.
Nihil raised his hand:
— I can go.
Valt burst out laughing:
— You?! You want to go see Aeternus? After you eliminated the one who shares his name? Bro, the king's gonna incinerate you before you even touch his soil.
Nyxa added:
— You neither, Valt! It's because of YOU and Vael that Nihil killed Aeternus in the first place!
Valt raised his hands:
— False. I just watched and laughed. Big difference.
Vael shrugged:
— I don't care. He's the one who sent someone to my place. So I'm going to see him. Seems fair.
Valt wrapped it up like a game show host:
— The candidates are: Death… and Vael.
— Cast your votes now to see who's about to get caught in cosmic drama.
Death raised a finger slightly:
— I'm too lazy.
— Perfect, said Vael.
He vanished in a breath—no dramatic effect, no light.
Just poof, like the Nothingness itself blinked.
Chapter 127 — "The King Awakens His Throne"
The Domain of Nothingness finished absorbing the last conceptual dust left behind by the Nameless Balance.
Vael pulled his hands from his pockets, brushed off his imaginary coat, and sighed like someone who had just finished a chore.
— Alright. The error sent by King Aeternus has been dealt with.
Nyxa rubbed her eyes, still dazzled.
— So you're really going to see Aeternus? The real one? The King of Kings?
Valt raised a finger:
— Not the Aeternus Nihil erased, right? That one was just "Aeternus Beta Version."
— Yeah, agreed Nihil. A living update.
Death tapped his scythe — for no clear reason, probably just to exist in the scene.
— The King Aeternus… you're really going to speak to him? Him?
Vael turned slowly toward them, a bored look on his face.
— Why are you all so shocked? It's just Primordial Aeternus.
He's annoying, but he doesn't bite.
Nihil burst out laughing:
— The King of Architects hates you.
— It's mutual, replied Vael.
Nyxa frowned.
— But wait, if the other Aeternus is dead…
— Doesn't change a thing, cut in Vael. The one who died was "Aeternus the Architect of Balance and the one who killed Valt's Mom."
— The one I'm going to see is "Aeternus-the-Father-of-All-Architects," "Aeternus-before-the-Laws," "Aeternus-whose-name-your-Archives-hate-to-cite-because-he-breaks-hierarchy-charts."
Even Death hesitated.
— Vael… it's still risky. The King doesn't have the easiest personality.
— Do I look scared? asked Vael.
Nihil:
— You're afraid of nothing.
Vael nodded, satisfied:
— Exactly. So that's settled.
---
The Journey to One of the Pillars of Creation — The Realm of Architects
Vael snapped his fingers.
The Domain of Nothingness opened like a curtain tearing through the fabric of reality.
Before him appeared a vast corridor of black gold: a space that didn't truly exist, but behaved as if it existed just for him.
Nyxa caught up to him at the last second:
— Wait! If you're going to talk to him, what exactly are you planning to do?
Vael smiled with those infamous "impending catastrophe" teeth.
— I'm going to have a calm and peaceful conversation.
A terrible silence fell.
Valt burst out laughing:
— So you're going to cause chaos. Thanks for the clarification.
Vael ignored him and kept walking.
---
Warning from the Nothingness Itself
As he walked through the passage, a voice echoed behind him.
A deep, ancient voice… and slightly tired:
"Vael."
Everyone froze.
Nihil looked up.
— The Nothingness is calling you?
Vael raised an eyebrow.
— No.
He rubbed his ear.
— That's the welcome protocol of King Aeternus. He just activated his Realm.
Nyxa paled.
— Wait… you mean the King just activated his Pillar?
Vael nodded.
— Yes. It's been a long time since he last did that.
And it means only one thing.
He stopped, the shadow of a smile appearing on his face.
— The King of Architects wants to see me immediately.
Nihil murmured:
— Or kill you immediately…
Vael shrugged.
— Same thing in his language.
---
Death stepped forward.
— Vael.
His voice rang like a guillotine.
— This time… be careful. The King — Aeternus — is dangerous.
He's the one who shaped all the Architects.
He's the one who wrote the rules before the Origins even existed.
Vael smiled.
— That's exactly why I'm going. And don't twist the truth — the way you say it, it sounds like he created the Origins themselves.
Then he vanished in a breath.
---
Nihil crossed his arms.
— This is going to end badly. I can feel it.
Valt:
— It always ends badly with Vael. That's what makes it fun.
Nyxa, trembling:
— The King Aeternus… and Vael… in the same room…
Death sat back on his throne.
— Maybe we should prepare a coffin.
Nihil:
— For whom?
Death:
— Good question.
Chapter 128 — "Audience with King Aeternus"
The path Vael walked wasn't a road.
It was an intention.
A concept of access, sculpted in black gold and white light, shifting with the mood of the one who ruled at its end.
Vael walked it like it was a sidewalk.
— Hope he doesn't keep me waiting, he sighed. If I have to hear another monologue about "cosmic order," I might actually die… of boredom this time.
A vibration shook the space around him.
Boom.
The corridor lit up like a sun taking a photo.
— Oh, he heard that, Vael muttered.
— Still got that fragile ego, the old man…
Suddenly, the passage twisted, folded, and opened like a massive mouth.
And Vael stepped into the Realm of King Aeternus.
---
The Realm of Architects
It was… vast.
Not large.
Vast.
As if the place had no limits, but chose to have some anyway—just for style.
At the center stood a titanic throne, formed from layered realities, each sculpted in a different cosmic language.
Constellations built and unbuilt themselves around the seat like domesticated creatures.
And on that throne…
Aeternus. The real one.
Not the one Nihil erased.
Not an architect version.
Not a copy.
Not an avatar.
The King.
His silhouette sat on the throne, head resting on his hand.
Long white hair tied back, covering his eyes.
A crown rested on his head.
His presence: too vast, too stable, too… absolute.
The kind of presence that looks at you and instantly sorts you into a category ("can break things," "can't break things").
Vael was clearly in the first.
Aeternus looked him in the eyes.
— …So here you are.
Vael raised a hand.
— Yo.
A conceptual murmur shook the entire realm.
Aeternus:
— "Yo"?
— That's your official greeting?
Vael shrugged.
— I could say "hello, your majesty" if that helps. But you'd think I'm mocking you, so let's skip the pretense.
Aeternus stood.
The ground bent under his conceptual weight.
Entire worlds shifted cycles for no reason.
Time rewound a day just to watch him walk.
— You eliminated the one I sent.
Vael nodded, calm.
— He came to break down my door. I erased him.
Simple. Efficient.
Aeternus clenched his fist, and myriads of stars cracked across the realm.
— I didn't send him to die.
Vael smiled:
— Neither did I. But hey… he threw himself into my hand.
Hard to miss a pitch like that.
---
Aeternus stepped down from his throne.
Each step sent out a wave that slightly rewrote the realm's logic.
— Vael…
His voice vibrated like a cosmic law being installed.
— I've tolerated your provocations. Your absurd wars. Your insolent nonchalance.
But killing one of my superior Architects—even if he wasn't me… he still bore my name.
He raised his hand.
— …That's a declaration.
Vael stopped, smiled, and replied:
— No. That's a reaction.
You sent someone to my place. I sent one back.
Perfect symmetry. That's literally your thing, isn't it? Balance?
Aeternus gritted his teeth.
— You're nothing but a problem.
A walking chaos.
An anomaly that refuses its place.
Vael took a step forward, hands in his pockets.
— And you're a king who thinks everything should revolve around his throne.
We've all got flaws.
The entire realm shivered.
---
Aeternus raised his hand.
The sky cracked.
Constellations began spinning in reverse.
A burst of raw power—the kind that could crush a conceptual being with a glance.
— You will regret your insolence, Vael.
Vael blinked.
— Let's skip the regrets. They're exhausting.
But if you want to fight…
He smiled.
Both hands still in his pockets.
— I'm game.
---
Aeternus pointed a finger.
— Absolute Paradox: Royal Erasure.
The beam wasn't a beam.
It was a will.
An order.
A law.
It crossed the realm.
It crossed the meaning of the word "crossed."
It even pierced the defenses Vael claimed not to have.
And when it reached Vael—
Boom.
A blast devastated an entire portion of the realm, which instantly rebuilt itself out of reflex.
The dust settled.
Vael stood.
Unscathed.
Hands still in his pockets.
He raised an eyebrow.
— Starting strong, huh…
Couldn't just say hello like everyone else?
Aeternus, furious:
— You are unbearable!
— I know, said Vael.
— That's what makes me charming.
Aedrys, the Architect of Stories and Narratives, stepped forward.
Short white hair, golden ink-like eyes, holding a book with blank pages and a quill in hand.
He looked at Aeternus, visibly annoyed.
— Father…
You're being incredibly irresponsible for a king.
You're throwing an ego tantrum in front of someone who lives to provoke ego tantrums.
Aeternus fumed.
— I am not irresponsible!
Vael raised a hand.
— Technically, you are.
— I didn't do anything. He started it!
— See, Father? He provokes, and you charge right in.
You're like a child with an infinite kingdom.
Vael added calmly:
— And if I destroy one or two Pillars, you'll all cry about it later.
Just saying.
The constellations around Aeternus trembled.
Aedrys murmured:
— Father… do you really want to repair a Pillar?
Because that's what's going to happen if you keep this up.
Aeternus stared at Vael.
Vael stared back.
Silence.
Then Vael smiled.
— So. Are we talking… or are we going to keep breaking the furniture?
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.