Inside the Haven, the lower chamber stood empty, its vast silence almost deafening after months of constant footfalls and clashing steel.
Every troop had ascended.
The Greater Chamber stretched endless beneath twin suns that never moved, an ocean of pure white clouds rolling like slow tides beneath a sky of flawless rose-gold. Upon those clouds, in perfect parade formation that covered horizons, stood one hundred thousand Veloran elites.
Each soldier radiated the newborn pressure of fresh S-rank power; the air itself trembled with the weight of their combined presence. At the very forefront, elevated on a floating dais of crimson marble veined with white flame, stood the twins Caelan and Kael.
Though the Haven refused to age them, their newly awakened physiques had stretched their bodies and sharpened their features until they looked sixteen (tall, lethal, and beautiful in the way only divine blood can sculpt mortals).
Above the entire army, on a second dais that drifted the inner circle: Seris, Thalion, Nia, Vaeloria, Sonna, Yonna, and the two hundred silent Elarian S-ranks kneeling in perfect rows. Ash was nowhere to be seen.
He had brought them all inside, given one lazy smile, and vanished to "handle something" before war began.
Seris stepped forward.
Crimson cloak snapping in a wind that belonged only to her, twin daggers sheathed at the small of her back, she raised one hand and the entire army dropped to one knee as though a single string had been pulled.
Her voice carried without effort, laced with steel and absolute devotion.
"Soldiers of Velora... In thirty days, we face war! In thirty days, the world's only SSS ranked talent and every soul sworn to the Kingdom of Voss will march beneath mist and try to take what's ours!"
She smiled in a devilish manner.
"But they don't know we are not the Velora of old.... but those reforged by the finest architect. In thirty days, prepare to dominate every soul who stands against us!"
A ripple of low, predatory laughter rolled through the ranks.
Seris's amber eyes swept over them, fierce and proud.
"You are not an army. You will be the consequence of touching what belongs to His Majesty. You will become the reason kingdoms will learn to fear the color of our sky. When the mist comes, drown it in flame. And when Kale Voss himself stands before you will smile and live or die for the Velora banner!"
One hundred thousand fists slammed against breastplates in perfect unison. The sound cracked the clouds beneath their feet.
While Seris fed fire to the legions, thirty meters away on a smaller floating isle of white jade, Nia and Vaeloria had cornered the Voss sisters against a railing of living moonlight. Nia leaned in far too close to Sonna, tricolored hair blazing like a living torch, eyes narrowed into possessive slits.
"So~ who exactly are you to my Ashy, hmm?" Her voice was sugar coated in arsenic. "When did you meet him? How many times have you touched him? Don't leave out a single detail out, or I'll start assuming the worst."
Sonna's face cycled through three shades of scarlet in two seconds, hands fluttering helplessly.
"I-I… it was only once! Before the Kingdom entered the rankings... at the old Velora palace! He saved my life and—"
"Saved your life," Nia repeated slowly, smile widening until it showed too many teeth. "How heroic. I'm sure he was very gentle about it."
Behind her, Vaeloria rested one lazy elbow on the railing beside Yonna, ten celestial tails swaying like smoke made of darkness.
In contrast to Nia's intensity, Vaeloria's voice was calm, almost sleepy.
"You're staring at my tails again," she observed, amused.
Yonna, arms folded tight, red-streaked hair still tousled from the sudden teleport, finally gave in to curiosity.
"…What are you? I've never seen ears and tails like that on a human."
Vaeloria's smile softened, ancient and fond.
"Hmm, of course you haven't... it seems to be a growing trend around here. Anyways, I'm a Celestial Fox..."
"A fox?" Yonna questioned as Nia's voice floated over, still sweetly terrifying.
"—and if I find out you hugged him without permission, I'll burn the memory out of you, okay~?"
The sweet threat caused Sonna to squeak a bit.
Far above them all, the twin suns burned quietly, counting down the final thirty days before the sky itself would learn whose dawn was brighter.
----
After a full week's of flight Ash found himself at the edge of Elaris standing in front of the death wall. He had come here for a few reasons, he wanted to see what it was and secondly he wanted to take whatever it was for himself.
His eyes shone for a moment as the information showed.
[Wall of Origin Essence - A wall made up of the essence of Origin. To those in the Venia Galaxy, this is known as a transcendent artifact for cultivation. This mist grows more and more with every death in the world of Elaris. Once the mist covers the world, the artifact will be primed for assimilation. An artifact over 500,000 years old. Effects unknown.]
"Well… this was much different than what I expected. Venia Galaxy? I haven't even learned of different worlds, and this is a galaxy-known item?"
He muttered before switching to inspect.
[Essence of Origin] [Fragment of Death Law] [Fragment of Rebirth Law] [Fragment of Samsara] [Fragment of Evolution Law] [Fragment of Continuation Law] [Fragment of World Creation] [Fragment of Life Law] ...
The list was endless, filled with fragmented laws.
"The fuck? This is insane…" Ash couldn't understand what the hell he was seeing. He knew of Laws (well, he had an idea from novels he had read), but even the names of some listed completely shattered what he had been thinking.
'The only two real differences are Fragmented Races, World Creation… and then this Essence of Origin.'
He thought as the list had five races as well: Humans, Dragons, Elves, Foxes, and Demi-humans. World Creation was something that caught his eye… but it was just a fragment.
Now the Essence of Origin was something he had no idea about; everything else seemed pretty transparent, but this…
'Fuck it,' he thought. He chose Origin's Essence as an illusory white hand materialized from nowhere and plunged into the mist. The entire Death Wall rippled faintly, nothing more, nothing less. Grey-black mist swirled silently, as the hand withdrew a single drop of pure, colorless light, so bright it hurt to look at directly.
Then materialized his Vault which stored the drop.
Ash looked at the wall for a moment longer, crown flaring like a second sunrise against the dying mist, then turned and vanished.
Behind him, the Death Wall continued to weep five hundred thousand years of stolen endings, as if nothing had happened.