After the Court, the Mysterious Person stood alone in the void.
Mysterious Person: quietly, "The Shadow."
He had created the shadow spy not so long ago. But there was something he had never told anyone.
Mysterious Person: "The Silver Goddess made the shadow from a particle of her own essence. Her shadow. Her soul."
He paused.
Mysterious Person: "Which means... I can control her too. Indirectly."
He had hidden this from everyone.
Mysterious Person: "If they knew what I could do..."
He didn't finish.
Back to the present.
Sage Cedric: raising his staff, "Shall we begin?"
Roots erupted... twisting toward the young ones like living whips.
Mira: "Move!"
The four scattered.
Ruo: "Kent... light."
Light blazed from Kent's palms. The roots recoiled.
Selene: "Mira, with me."
They moved together, water and wind combining, creating a vortex.
King Magnus watched from the side.
King Magnus: "Interesting. They work together."
Sage Veyron: "They've had a month."
Malakor: "Still children."
King Magnus: "Children who chose paths most adults fear."
He stepped forward.
King Magnus: "Enough observation."
He raised his hand. The air thickened.
Qi path. The rarest.
Ruo: "What..."
His lightning flickered. Died.
Kent: "My light..."
Mira: gasping, "He's draining us!"
Selene: "Suppressing. There's a difference."
King Magnus: "I will not use it again today. You need to learn."
He shifted... water path. A wave of pressure surged toward them.
Mira: "I can't breath..."
Selene: grabbing her hand, "Together."
Healing path activated... to resist.
Ruo: "Kent... lighting and lightning... combine?"
Kent: "Try."
Light and lightning merged. A beam shot toward King Magnus.
He caught it with one hand.
King Magnus: "Impressive. For children."
He dispersed it.
The battle raged on. Roots. Waves. Rules. Stars.Fire.
The young ones fought back.
But in the shadows, something was happening.
The Mysterious Person stood motionless.
His black eyes were distant.Thinking.
The Court. The agreement. The hunters. The King of Evil. Too many threats.
His subconscious detected something. The auras of the fighters. The danger to the young ones.
His body responded. Instinctively.
The Void of Nothingness activated.
The training chamber went absent. Not dark. Not silent. Absent. Reality erased.
Ruo: opening his mouth... Nothing. No air. No sound. No existence.
Kent: reaching for Ruo... His hand passed through nothing.
Mira and Selene: clinging... They couldn't feel each other.
Sage Cedric: falling into nothing.
King Magnus: reaching for his brother... A shape that was also an absence.
Malakor: screaming without sound.
The Void consumed everything.
For an eternity, they were nothing.
Falling. Through endless nothing. Becoming nothing.
Then...
It stopped.
The Mysterious Person blinked. Looked around.
The chamber was normal. The fighters were on the ground, grasping, trembling.
Ruo: whispering, "What was that?"
The Mysterious Person looked at his hands.
Mysterious Person: "...The Void of Nothingness."
Sage Cedric: struggling to stand, "You created that?"
Mysterious Person: "Knowledge from a hundred worlds. I never meant to use it."
King Magnus: "We were nothing. Falling into nothing."
Mysterious Person: "My subconscious felt danger. The auras. It reacted."
Saint Serene: "Your subconscious can do that?"
Mysterious Person: "Apparently."
Malakor: from the ground, "If you did that consciously, we'd dead."
Mysterious Person: "I know."
King Magnus: quietly, "That is why we never ask him to fight."
The session ended. No one could continue.
The young ones sat trembling. The old ones gathered near the Mysterious Person.
Sage Cedric: "You need to control that."
Mysterious Person: "I know."
Saint Serene: "Your Wisdom Path has risen. Conscious and subconscious working together... Upper Supreme Grandmaster."
Even the Mysterious Person seemed surprised.
Saint Serene: "Higher than mine. Only Fairy Zhi Shang rivals you."
King Magnus: "His stage has risen too. Peak Conqueror."
Ruo: "What?"
King Magnus: "His power grows with those who serve him. More serve him now."
Selene: "After that... we're all loyal."
A voice came from the entrance.
Alya: "That's how it starts."
Everyone turned.
A girl stood at the doorway. Fifteen. Small. Unassuming. Eyes that held something different.
Ruo: "Who are you?"
Alya: stepping forward, "Alya. I've been training with him for four years."
Mira: "Four years?"
Alya: looking at the Mysterious Person, "He saved me from bandits when I was eleven. They died. I lived."
Selene: "And he trained you?"
Alya: "Once a week. Every week. Four years."
Kent: "Where?"
Alya: "The Invisible Land. The Seventh wonder."
Sage Cedric: "You have access?"
Alya: "He led me there. After the lake healed me."
Sage Veyron: "The Lake of Healing?"
Alya: "Found it. Used its water. Survived."
Mira: frinning, "Like her."
Selene: "Definitely."
Alya: looking at the Mysterious Person, "Can I join them."
Mysterious Person: "You may."
Alya joined the young ones. Didn't look back.
Ruo wrote in his journal.
"Today we almost died. Not from battle. From him.
The Void of Nothingness. He created it from a hundred worlds. Never meant to use it.
His subconscious felt danger. It reacted.
We became nothing. Fell into nothing.
King Magnus: 'If he fought, he could kill us instantly.'
His Wisdom Path rose. upper Supreme Grandmaster. Higher than Saint Serene.
His stage rose. Peak Conqueror.
We met Alya. He trained her for four years. Saved her from bandits. Led her to the Lake of Healing and the Invisible land.
He never tells us anything.
But he's always there. Watching. Choosing.
Tomorrow, we train again."
He closed the journal.
Outside, the World Tree hummed.
In the void between worlds, the Mysterious Person stood alone.
Then space rippled. His real big brother emerged beside him.
Big Brother: "You almost erased them."
Mysterious Person: "I know."
Big Brother: "You need to control that."
Mysterious Person: "I know."
Big Brother: "The Void of Nothingness. You created it long ago. But you have another. Don't you?"
The Mysterious Person was silent.
Big Brother: "The Abyss of Everything. The opposite. If the Void erases, the Abyss... creates?"
Mysterious Person: "Creates. Consumes. Transforms. It is everything and nothing simultaneously."
Big Brother: You've never used it."
Mysterious Person: "Never."
Big Brother: "Why?"
Mysterious Person turned those black eyes toward his brother.
Mysterious Person: "The Void of Nothingness erases. Those who fall into it become nothing. But The Abyss of Everything..." he paused, "... it doesn't erase. It becomes. It takes everything that exists and reshapes it into something new. Something beyond control.Those who fall into it become new. They lose their names, memories, emotions, and forget about their loved ones. If they came out of it, their brains would get damaged and they would become mad. Madness takes control over their bodies. They would lose their consciousness and forget everything."
Big Brother: "It's worse than death."
Mysterious Person: "Yes. It is. That's why I never used it. But one day I will."
Big Brother: "So you have two techniques. One erases. Second reshapes."
Mysterious Person: "Correct."
Big Brother: "And the girl. Alya. Four years. Why?"
The Mysterious Person was silent for a long moment.
Mysterious Person: "Because she reminds me of someone."
Big Brother: "Who?"
Mysterious Person: "Myself. Before I chose to be nothing."
He vanished.
The Big Brother stood alone in the void.
Big Brother: quietly, "You're more human than you think, little brother. And more dangerous than you know."
He too vanished.
Leaving only silence.
And the weight of secrets.
One week after the void incident, the roots parted.
Four figures stood at the entrance.
The Messenger from Omnirank World Two. Elegant, regal.
The Messenger from Omnirank World One. Tall, powerful, eyes holding galaxies.
Behind them, two outsiders.
Sage Cedric stepped forward.
Sage Cedric: "Messengers from the top worlds. Unexpected."
Ruo: "About what?"
Messenger (World Two): "About him." She looked toward the shadows. The Mysterious Person stood there. Silent.
Messenger (World Two): "He has first position on the Judgement Board. Most wanted. Most hunted."
Mira: "We know."
Messenger (World Two): "Hunters will come. From across the omniverse. The Queen is concern."
Messenger (World One): "The king of world One sends a message." He looked at the Mysterious Person. "Reveal your powers. You cannot hide forever."
Silence.
The Mysterious Person's face showed nothing.
Sage Veyron stepped forward, gesturing to the two figures.
sage Veyron: "Introductions."
He indicated the first, young looking, ancient eyes.
Sage Veyron: "A new member of the Sovereign omniverse."
The Newbie: bowing, "Honored."
Mira: grinning, "A newbie? Like us?"
The Newbie: almost smiling, "Perhaps."
Sage Veyron turned to the second, massive, scales on arms and neck, slit-pupiled eyes.
Sage Veyron: "Monarch Long. One of our strongest."
Monarch Long's eyes stopped on Kent.
Monarch Long: "Kent Long."
Kent: startled, "You know me?"
Monarch Long: "You have dragon blood. Did you not know?"
Kent's eyes widened.
Monarch Long: "Your grandfather and I were friends. My sister married him. You've had dragon genes since birth. That's why you're the strongest."
Kent: stunned, "I didn't know."
Monarch Long: "Your grandfather wanted you to discover it yourself."
Kent: "Is he alive?"
Monarch long: "Another time."
King Magnus stepped forward.
King Magnus: "The Illimitable Court. Two new couples. Both powerful."
Sage Cedric: "One joined one year ago. Second joined five hundred years ago. Established. Watching."
Mira: "Watching what?"
Saint Serene: "Him. All of you. This world."
Malakor: from his corner, "The Court has interests."
Selene: "What interests?"
Malakor: "The King of Evil. They're helping him."
Ruo: "The King of Evil?"
Malakor: "Quietly. Subtly. They fear what's coming. They want allies."
All eyes turned to the shadows.
The Mysterious Person stood there. Then...
He smiled. Small. Barely there.
Mysterious Person: "Tell the Queen not to worry."
Messenger (World Two): "Not worry?"
Mysterious Person: "I intentionally revealed my position."
Messenger (World One): "Intentionally?"
Mysterious Person: "The more who come, the more benefits to me."
Ruo: "Benefits?"
Mysterious Person: looking at him, "Real battlefield experience. For you?"
Kent: "You want hunters to come?"
Mysterious Person: "I want them to come so I can command them. So they serve you. Become your training."
Mira: "You can do that?"
Mysterious Person: "I can command anyone. Living or dead. Every being. Everything."
Selene: "Terrifying."
Mysterious Person: "Efficient."
He turned to the messengers.
Mysterious Person: "Tell them I have everything under control. Tell them..." his voice dropped, "...this is why I lost the right to be loved."
Messenger: (World Two): "Lost the right?"
Mysterious Person: "When you can command love, you never know if it's real. So I chose not to receive it. I chose nothing."
He looked at the young ones.
Mysterious Person: "They love me anyway. Their choice."
Alya: quietly, "We do."
The Mysterious Person looked at her.
Something flickered... then gone.
Mysterious Person: "Train well. Hunters will come."
He vanished.
King Magnus: "Someone else has been watching."
A figure stepped out... Alya.
Ruo: "You again."
Alya: smiling, "Me again."
Mira: "You've been watching?"
Alya: "He told me to learn."
She looked at where the Mysterious Person had stood.
Alya: "Four years. Once a week. Since I was eleven. He saved me from bandits who were trying to..." he voice dropped, "...But they died. I lived. From the darkness of a forest a mysterious figure came out. And then he trained me every week. Made me strong."
After listening to Alya Saint Serene came to her and hugged her to gave her comfort.
Alya: looking at the group, "Can I join them?"
Saint Serene: tears came in her eyes, "You already have."
Alya smiled and stood with the young ones.
Sage Cedric: "The Seven Wonders. Heard of them?"
Ruo: "Rumors."
Sage Cedric: "Number one: The World Tree. Heart of this world."
Mira: "We're inside it."
Sage Cedric: "Number Two: The lake of Healing. Cures almost anything."
Alya: "I found it."
Sage Cedric: "Blessed."
Sage Cedric: "Number Three: The Valley of Echoes. Past and present blur."
Selene: "Haunting."
Sage Cedric: "Number Four: The Mountain of Serenity. Souls can relax there."
Mira: "Where we trained."
Sage Cedric: "The Mountain chose you."
Sage Cedric: "Number Five: The Pyramid of the Desert. Unknown purpose."
Ruo: "Unknown?"
Sage Cedric: "Some things remain mysterious."
Sage Veyron: "Number Six: The Palace in the Sky. Floating. Home to something."
Saint Serene: "We have never discovered that."
Sage Cedric: "And Number Seven: The Invisible Land. Most elusive. Cannot be entered unless it chooses you."
Alya: quietly, "Where I train."
Mira: "Incredible."
Alya: "He led me there."
Everyone thought that they were not worthy. That's why he never led them at any place.
King Magnus: "Maybe when we become capable he will lead us at every places even the forbidden forest."
After listening to this sentence everyone got shocked and their morale was also boosted to become more strong. So that day would come.