I didn't leave the city immediately because I sensed the presence of another person coming from the royal palace at the center.
I left the wooden house and swam towards the palace. The inside was completely dry and very clean for a building that had been abandoned for hundreds of thousands of years.
I strolled through its hallways and finally reached the main hall. Pangu's royal blue banners decorated the marbled pillars and walls of the hall, and torches lit up the room. My gaze followed a long blue carpet, embroidered with golden patterns at the edges, that led to the royal throne.
Sitting on the golden throne was Richard, looking extremely majestic and giving off the aura of a true monarch of the universe. His eyes were calm but haughty, as he started talking, "My grandfather, Pangu, built the city of Cuelen as the capital of the universe and ruled for centuries before suddenly dying. Most ancient species in the universe began here.
"Phoenixes, Dragons, Giants, and all sorts of creatures were created here while Pangu was ruling. My mother ruled the city, but not the universe, for three hundred thousand years, and the capital remained stable for all this time.
"I was born here, in this very palace, and was raised here as well. As you already know, I was a mute for the first years of my life, not because I lacked the ability to speak, but because I was born with the knowledge of the universe and immediately became its Lord of Chaos. I spent these years adjusting to this power and completing my Divine Eye at the same time.
However, when it was finally about to complete, I lashed out and killed a small portion of Cuelen's residents. My mother died because of these events, and the rule was passed down to my siblings. However, under their rule, Cuelen declined, and the species were scattered across the vast universe.
"As for me, I opened the Gates of Time and went back to the nexus of the universe and comprehended so many things. Knowledge beyond human comprehension. After Pangu died, I took the title and became the Lord of Chaos even though I did not take Cuelen's throne. My mother ruled the capital, while I ruled the universe, but we never met. We never dared to meet."
I took a deep breath and sighed. So, this is Richard's story. I could imagine the pain that was caused by his inability to see his mother for all these years because he didn't belong to that time, even if he was the Lord of Chaos. If they met, time might not have flown in its intended order.
I looked him straight in the eyes and relayed Komera's final message, "She wanted you to know that she loved you."
His emotional stability was clearly disturbed, though it didn't even last a second. When he stayed silent, I couldn't help but ask, "How did she die? She said that she cured herself of this unknown sickness."
"When Pangu split the seed of Yggdrasil and created this universe, he made a slight mistake," he started explaining. "Thus, the universe was imperfect, and all the first beings in it had one problem: early mortality. They died quite quickly and for many reasons. For example, my grandmother died because she gave birth, yet this should not have happened if the mistake did not exist.
"My mother had the same sickness from birth. So, Pangu started looking for solutions. The first beings were given a new trait that allowed them to regenerate their cells constantly, and were called Phoenixes. In another solution, he created the Dragons, giving them great physical and elemental prowess. Over time, this sickness mostly faded.
"Except nothing worked on my mother. She was given all the traits of every species in the universe at that time, and it did prolong her life, yet she remained sick no matter what Pangu did. Thus, the concept of the Divine Eye was born. An innate ability that would be born with the descendants that were afflicted by this sickness.
"However, Pangu was not able to complete it, and his death was sudden before he ever could, so the cure became a curse. There was another hope, and that was for the afflicted to complete the Eye by themselves and in their own way. My mother completed hers and was finally cured.
"I was the only one between my siblings that had awakened the Divine Eye. It took me five years to complete it. Mine is focused on control of things. However, before that happened, I had an accident, and controlled two thousand residents with my abilities. Chaos ensued in Cuelen, so mother took things into her own hands.
"I was not myself, so the controlled people were savages by every meaning. They ripped her apart, and her powers were not able to heal her in time. She died from her wounds short after."
"You didn't kill her," I comforted him.
"Maybe not, but I was the main reason. Now only I remain. My mother, father, and siblings are all dead."
He sighed and regained his calmness. He looked at me and said, "You are afflicted by the same illness and curse, Orion. But unlike everyone else, you have me, Pangu, your siblings in study, and your family. We will all help you complete your Divine Eye, and look for methods to prolong the time you have."
I nodded, "First off, let's go back to the Mansion, then we will figure things out."
He nodded and teleported us from Cuelen to the Mansion of Night. We appeared at the front gates, only to find my Senior Brothers and Sister gathered there with their faces full of worry.
Richard frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
"Tulip," Merlin replied, "She disappeared moments ago, and we are not able to find her."
"What?!" I shouted. My expression changed to that of horror and worry. I could feel my heart racing and my mind going into an overload.
Richard closed his eyes for a second and opened them again, "Found her!"
We all found ourselves outside the Immortal Sun Sect.
I didn't know that the series of events that would happen momentarily would define who I was for the rest of my life!
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Updated on 23/5/2026