"Open it?!"
I nodded. "Yes, open it. It's inside my soul so there must be a key to open it, right?"
She massaged her temples. "I don't want to say that I don't know since that would make me feel very useless…. But, I don't know."
I let out a quiet chuckle, then tried pushing the door a little, but it didn't move. 'Hmm… should I put mana in it?' I closed my eyes, focusing my mana into my palm.
When I placed my hand on the door, I pushed it while channeling the mana out of my body.
A faint creak echoed through the empty plain as the door opened slightly before shutting again. In that brief instant, both Uriel and I sensed it, an overwhelming dread, something that wasn't meant to be touched.
No, it wasn't like it was a person; it felt more like the energy inside was beyond the level of mortals or gods.
Uriel, with visible sweat on her forehead, murmured, "Seems your hunch about it being your energy or void rank was correct."
What the goddess said was true. Although the energy behind the door filled me with dread, I also felt a strange certainty that if I opened it fully, I would never remain the same.
A power beyond what reality could withstand.
Uriel, as if realizing what was happening, drifted several meters back. Turning toward her, I asked, "What happened?"
She let out a strained laugh. "What have I even done?"
I didn't react as the goddess pressed her hands to her head while shaking it. "It isn't meant to be possible, not even with everything I granted you," she muttered.
"Can you explain what you mean by all that?"
Uriel looked directly into my eyes, but something in mine made her look away almost instantly. "Great Traveller, it wasn't my intention, nor did I know it was possible, but it seems you are no longer human. Perhaps it's because you have stepped into a rank no one has heard of. If not that, then someone wants to change your race so they can meet you."
Not human? I suddenly felt dread rise through my chest. "Wait, Uriel, if I'm not human what am I? A god? An alien? A stranger? And what do you mean someone wants to meet me?"
Uriel drew a slow breath. "I'm not sure, but considering the energy seeping out of that gate and the dread I've been sensing from you, you are undoubtedly not human, nor a god, stranger, or alien if I were to classify what you are now."
She paused and finally met my gaze. "I would say you are an Eldritch Horror. They are beings spoken of in legends who exist beyond time and space, beyond all concepts, and are among the three beings stronger than gods."
I swallowed. "An Eldritch Horror?" What in heaven's name had I gotten myself into? I just wanted to live peacefully, at home, eating, reading, and sleeping, and now I was becoming an Eldritch Horror?
I sank to the ground with a loud exhale. "If what you say is right, what would happen to me if I become this Eldritch Horror, and who would even want me to become this?"
Uriel scanned our surroundings as if ensuring no one was watching. "I think the one who wants you to become this is the same one who multiplied the normal powers you were meant to get from your three wishes."
I tilted my head. "Someone multiplied my wishes? Does this have something to do with the multiple system notifications that appeared in front of me?"
Uriel nodded, sitting across from me. "One of my seniors visited me this morning. According to her, the elders sensed excessive use of primordial energy, but none of the gods' primordial reserves had decreased to that level, not even mine."
"That meant someone used this energy to make me stronger."
Uriel leaned back on her hands. "It seems so. Out of all possible beings except gods, only one could achieve this without facing any backlash. Someone whose powers may be close to void rank, and someone who uses their power frequently."
"Fate," I answered, resting my hand under my chin. I didn't know why, but Uriel's explanation brought one name to mind; Child Of Fate. What if that title was literal? What if Fate truly favored me?
After a moment, Uriel spoke again. "I'm not entirely sure, but what I know is that as an Eldritch Horror you won't be bound by the rules of the universe, and can do anything you want and meet or live with whoever you want. Then…"
She entwined her fingers. "What if Fate was in love with you, and since mortals and even most gods can't see her, she planned to make you an Eldritch Horror so you could meet her?"
I gave Uriel a long look before bursting into laughter. "What the hell? You read too much fantasy. Fate falling for a human and helping him reach her."
Even though I laughed, my mind couldn't help reconsidering the possibility. A yandere lover, and she wasn't human, or a dragon, but Fate itself. That would be insane, because there would be nowhere to escape.
I rose from the ground and approached the door. Uriel had explained many things about becoming an Eldritch Horror. To some, it might sound like a terrible outcome, but between the lines, it wasn't that bad.
A being not bound by universal laws, basically a world destroyer. If I could become that, couldn't I simply erase the devil king from existence and live peacefully forever? I didn't deny the possibility that Fate might come to abduct me once I reached void rank. That didn't sound entirely bad either, since having a conceptual wife who could give me anything might be ideal.
With all that in mind, I reached a conclusion. I would open the gate. If I were to die, then I would die.
"Hey, Great Traveller, why are you touching the door again? Didn't I tell you what will happen if you open it?"
"Yeah, I heard you clearly."
"Then…"
I smirked. "Becoming an Eldritch Horror doesn't sound so bad." I gathered all the mana in my body into my palms and pushed with full force.
Orders were things tied to a person's existence, not just their body.
«From this moment onwards I shall meet all requirements to enter this door.»
The mana surged to new heights as all my senses shut down. For a moment I felt fine, then a searing, indescribable pain tore through me. My arms shattered while regeneration repaired them, my heart ruptured and stopped, my soul felt like it was burning and could be extinguished at any moment.
Uriel, who was behind me, began shouting as a force dragged her soul toward my body as if to consume it, but I didn't care. I wanted the pain to end.
Was the order I used so extreme that this was the backlash? I tried to cry but no tears came, only blood.
Was this the end for me? Had laziness and the desire for peace led me to death?
My mind faltered for a moment, but I steadied it. I had known I could die opening this door, yet I still chose to. And laziness? What was wrong with being lazy? If I could create a life of comfort without lacking anything, wasn't that hard work in its own way?
A heart that stays firm and unyielding even in death is the heart of a victor. To embrace such a mindset meant making the world one's enemy. Yet even in death, I would continue to carry that heart.
A heart of a demon. A heart of a king. A heart of a man too lazy for mundane things.
The moment those thoughts passed through me, the afternoon breeze carried a refreshing air. The pain vanished, replaced by warmth. My body was still breaking and repairing itself, but my mind and heart were steady, and I remained unharmed.
I couldn't turn to check on Uriel's condition, so all I could do was move forward.
Step. Step. Another step.
I approached the door cautiously. A force within it pushed me back each time I tried to push it open. My footing slipped, and the gentle wind turned sharp against my skin. The clouds inside my soul, once calm, became stormy as lightning struck my form.
If I hadn't fortified my heart earlier, I would have died long ago, driven insane by the pain and trials.
Yet through it all, I felt a grin forming on my face. How strong would I become after entering that door? For the universe itself to be wreaking havoc inside someone's soul, something that should be private, meant the power behind this door could overturn the hierarchy of the universe.
All my muscles tore as the door finally gave way.
Behind it wasn't white or black, it was nothing. My eyes bled as primal fear crawled up my body. I couldn't breathe or think.
The minds of all beings register everything as something. Nothingness as black, creation as white. We couldn't comprehend true nothingness, and even as I stared at it, I couldn't understand it. I tried to form it into shapes, colors, or forms, but it was absolutely nothing.
I clenched my jaw, pushing forward until I stepped fully through the door. Then, with a thunderous slam, it shut behind me.