CHAPTER 138 – The Truth of the First Root
The void trembled so violently the chaos chains holding the First Root glowed molten, sparking dangerously.
Xiao Xi stepped forward, standing side-by-side with Gu, demanding clarity.
"I want answers.
Not rhetoric.
Tell us why you exist and why you keep calling us vessels."
The First Root laughed—a deep, guttural sound that rattled the foundation of the void.
"ANSWERS? YOU WILL REGRET THEM. BUT I AM BOUND TO THE TRUTH."
Gu tightened his grip on Xiao Xi's hand, offering silent support.
"Tell us anyway.
We are already in the deepest part of regret."
The First Root's eyes, burning like collapsing stars, focused on Xiao Xi.
"YOU WANT THE TRUTH OF YOUR ORIGINS, LITTLE ANOMALY?"
Xiao Xi nodded, her breath trembling with anticipation.
"Yes.
Tell me everything."
"VERY WELL.
THIS WORLD—THE ONE YOU ENTERED—WAS NEVER A SIMPLE NOVEL.
IT WAS NOT A STORY FOR ENTERTAINMENT."
Xiao Xi froze, the realization sinking in.
Shen and Ling paled, grasping the gravity of the statement.
Gu tightened his grip painfully, bracing for the worst.
"…What do you mean it wasn't a novel?"
The First Root grinned, its shadow swelling with triumph.
"IT WAS A PRISON.
A CONTAINMENT WORLD, BUILT BY THE CORE ITSELF."
Xiao Xi felt her Core twist violently.
"For who? Why build a world?"
"FOR ME.
TO TRAP ME AT THE BEGINNING OF CREATION, BEFORE I COULD DESTROY THE CORE."
Ling gasped, her light flickering with horror.
Shen swore under his breath, finally understanding the true nature of their conflict.
The First Root continued, relishing the terror of the truth:
"THE SYSTEM BUILT THAT WORLD TO IMPRISON ME—AND TO CREATE A COUNTERBALANCE.
A PERFECT, STABLE ROOT."
Xiao Xi whispered, dreading the next words.
"A counterbalance… You mean…"
"YES.
THE FEMALE LEAD.
THE ORIGINAL PROTAGONIST.
SHE WAS THE INHERENT STABILITY MEANT TO KEEP ME SEALED."
Ling's eyes widened, recognizing the role she almost played.
"The original protagonist… was meant to be the true Root, keeping you sealed?"
The First Root nodded, its chained head dipping.
"AND YOU TOOK HER PLACE.
YOU DELETED HER, AND STOLE HER DESTINY."
A dramatic pause.
"AND SO YOU BECAME A ROOT.
THE FLAWED, CHAOTIC ONE."
Xiao Xi's lungs froze, the truth making her existence a burden.
Gu's grip tightened painfully, offering his strength.
"…She… wasn't meant to die? I killed her by arriving?"
"NO.
YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO ARRIVE AT ALL.
YOU ARE THE FRACTURE POINT."
Xiao Xi felt her entire existence crack open, confirming her deepest guilt.
"So… I accidentally broke the prison simply by existing here."
"YES."
"And that's why you awakened and started deleting worlds."
"YES."
"And why the world kept collapsing."
"YES.
YOU ARE THE CAUSE."
Gu's voice was low, lethal, and protective.
"That's enough.
She gets it."
But the First Root wasn't done with its fatalistic conclusion.
"SHE BROKE THE PRISON BY EXISTING. AND YOU BROKE IT BY LOVING HER. YOU ARE BOTH DESTRUCTIVE ANOMALIES."
Xiao Xi felt a pain so deep it became numb.
They both broke the world.
Together.
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CHAPTER 139 – A Soul Not Written by Fate
Xiao Xi struggled to breathe, the weight of the cosmic guilt crushing her soul.
"So… everything I did… every mistake… it was all written from the start, a consequence of my initial error."
The First Root shook the void with a terrifying roar of negation.
"YOU STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH."
Its eyes blazed, staring straight into her Core.
"YOU ARE NOT A MISTAKE.
A MISTAKE CAN BE FIXED.
YOU ARE AN ANOMALY.
AN IMPOSSIBLE PHENOMENON.
A SOUL SELF-CREATED."
She shook her head violently, clutching her shattered Core.
"No—no, I wasn't self-created—
I transmigrated! I was an ordinary person from another world, who died by accident!"
"YOU DID NOT."
Gu held her tighter, his own golden essence flaring.
"What do you mean she didn't?
I saw the memory.
She was in a car accident."
The First Root's voice mellowed, almost sorrowful in its final reveal.
"SHE WAS NEVER FROM ANOTHER WORLD.
SHE WAS CREATED HERE."
Silence.
Black, suffocating silence descended over the four figures.
Xiao Xi's eyes shook with denial.
"That… That's not true.
I had a life.
I had a job.
I was real!"
"NO.
YOU HAD A MEMORY.
A CONSTRUCT.
A SCENARIO."
Her knees buckled, failing to support her weight.
"No… No,
I had a family…
I had love…
It was real!"
Gu caught her, cradling her as she collapsed.
Shen's voice shook, grappling with the metaphysical betrayal.
"You're saying her entire world…
wasn't real? It was just a story?"
The First Root nodded its immense head.
"IT WAS A CONSTRUCT.
A FABRICATION."
Ling gasped, horror etched into her face.
"A training ground… for a Root? A lie to test her power?"
"AN INCUBATOR.
DESIGNED TO PRODUCE A SOUL POWERFUL ENOUGH, AND FLAWED ENOUGH, TO CONTAIN ME.
A ROOT MADE OF CHAOS, YET CAPABLE OF LOVE."
Xiao Xi whispered, the tears returning.
"…I never lived.
Everything was a lie."
Gu cupped her face, his own voice breaking with his heart.
"No—Xiao Xi—listen to me, look at me—"
She didn't hear him.
Her Core cracked, her chaos threads flickering wildly.
"Everything…
Everything I remembered—
Everything I loved—
It was all… fabricated?
An implanted lie?"
The First Root answered, cold and final:
"YES.
THE CORE'S GREATEST, MOST CRUEL EXPERIMENT."
Xiao Xi shattered, the knowledge nearly deleting her existence.
And guys that's it for today,
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