Still unreeling from the madness he unleashed earlier, Aren wasn't fit for a full fight.
Hence, keeping the Equinox men locked in their positions using his chains would only be his best choice… or worst.
As Aren ordered them to reveal Equinox, the chains of his started vanishing, turning into small particles of dark blue.
His eyes widened, uncertainty surfacing within him.
In the same moment, the men of Equinox were vanishing just the same, and following them was the entire surrounding.
Aren felt reality breaking apart, something he hadn't experienced before, even during his time at Caelum Leonis.
"What is happening?!"
The fluently colored buildings vanished, tearing themselves apart.
Silence hung like sound hadn't existed. Not a murmur, not even the echo of the chaos he caused.
In the depths of a dark, empty void, he found himself utterly alone, surrounded by an endless expanse of shadows that stretched infinitely in every direction.
And in that solitude, he could hear the faint echo of his own heartbeat, a reminder of his existence in an otherwise forsaken realm.
And even he, his body was torn apart into particles. Though there was no pain, yet Aren could still feel it.
His vision darkened, eventually finding himself losing his own consciousness. Due to that, he was unable to perceive, move, or do anything.
As much as he had tried forcing the slightest move out of his limbs, nothing would work. His mind would stop operating, and his body would evaporate.
Aren squinted his eyes in disappointment. Then, in an obscure manner, his eyes and head vanished the same like the rest of his body.
And just like that, there was nothing but the emptiness of the dark.
***
Amidst the darkness and silence, a voice was heard.
"... ∎∎∎∎!"
The words of a young woman didn't quite register, though he felt a deep resonance from them.
His eyes slightly opened. In front of him, a young lady with brown hair and restless eyes.
"Epsilon?" he asked, his voice full of unease.
She stared at him for a few moments, gathering her thoughts deeply.
"Yes, we have a lot of work to do. This is no time to be sleeping."
He abruptly stood up from his seat, knocking several ink-filled papers off the table onto the floor.
'I felt like I just had a really horrible dream.'
He sighed, straightening his round glasses, covering the eyes of a man of knowledge.
'As the wisest sages say, don't forget, and don't remember.'
Epsilon Germain started moving towards the brown door, then looked back at the looming uncertainty of his.
"Today, we have around four people who think they've found a contradiction to our New World Order. I would've gone by myself, but I need the person who laid the foundation of it to come along."
He nodded, a slight frown appearing on his face.
As he gathered many papers from the desk, he responded to her,
"It isn't like I was the only one working on it. The entire project was funded by the Dragon's Household. If I hadn't been recognized with the Sovereign Horns, I would've been worth as much as a speck of dust."
Epsilon giggled under her breath, "That's quite a big if."
Epsilon then left the room and headed to the large stage outside the building.
The Polymath was still preparing in the room, as he went through papers and books alike to find the one thing he was looking for the most.
While in the process of doing that, he came to see a book called "The World In Between."
"Hm… It must be one of those fairy tales of the Euphor."
Continuing, he came across many different books that described the situation of his world.
Volumes detailed every corner of his existence — his birthplace, his power, even his thoughts.
'It is only fair I get to have them, as well!'
He pulled out one specific book, written by his favorite author. At some point, he had lost count of how many times he'd read it.
"The gift from one of the Silent Keepers in the Gold Division. I should be treasuring this even more!"
His eyes lit up with pure excitement, recalling the thoughts of meeting one of the Silent Keepers from Gold, who were said to be one of the most mysterious in their case.
"Ah, no. I'm getting distracted."
But, as he continued looking through the numerous books and papers, he came to find that the one he wanted wasn't there.
"What a shame. But it'll be fine. I'm sure someone from the Council of Resonance has a copy."
As he was about to leave the room, he glimpsed a title of another book. It weirdly sent shivers down his spine.
"Aren Veyr, the All-Devouring Nothingness"
His eyes twitched intensely as he felt the same resonance as before.
He blinked, only to see the difference in the title.
"Titan of Euphoria."
The Polymath raised a hand over his forehead, calming himself down before facing off with other mathematicians who wanted to prove him wrong.
'I have no time for this.'
He walked out of the door, then after a few minutes of walking, he reached a large, stone gate with shining marble.
He looked at the two Dawnbringer Legions guarding the door, nodding his head in respect.
In a moment, their armored bodies turned at the same moment, making way for him.
On each side of the gate was a gap inscribed in the shape of a sword. Seemingly, it was used to serve as 'keys', which only the Dawnbringers possessed.
'These Dawnbringers really are the backbone that keeps us safe. Unfortunate, however, their leader is one I cannot meet with.'
Not because of history or blood relations, but rather because the Ephors were constantly preoccupied with various matters.
None of them had time, really, for anything. That was the case especially for him.
But, at the same time, he was one of the most unrecognized among the Five Ephors.
'I strived to reach where I am now for years, but I still am the lowest in the grand scheme of all things.'
The Dawnbringers unleashed their swords, then quietly put them on top of the gaps, fitting perfectly.
The gate creaked, dust falling over its top. Slowly, it opened.
Light quickly entered the room, but not normal light.
The Light of Equinox, the sky of endless nights. The Ephor of the Holy Scripture was the one who proposed this idea, mostly known as,
"Aurora Borealis."
It was colored blue and purple, mainly green. Though it was a beautiful sight, anyone could get bored with it after a week or two.
'Truly, what a waste of Infracta.'
Or, they just had too much of it to begin with. Even then, it was still laughable.
There was a roundtable set outside, amidst the snow and below the Aurora Borealis. Seeing the number of people waiting for the Polymath, he took a deep breath before advancing.
'The New World Order has already been installed. I've gone through it over five hundred times, there are no contradictions whatsoever…'
He continued, letting his thoughts convince him of something he couldn't remember creating.