The Author's POV Chapter 858 The Last Battle – What Is An End Is Also A Beginning [5]



A subtle glow flickered before my shadowed gaze.

Initially, just a narrow amber gleam appeared, but it steadily expanded over time. The enveloping blackness around me was rapidly pierced by this intensifying light, which blazed fiercely enough to eradicate every trace of darkness nearby.

Inside that soft luminescence, a comforting sensation wrapped around my whole body, infusing it with tender warmth.

It felt amazing. Incredibly amazing. So much that I longed to remain immersed in it eternally, yet a sudden jolt shattered the pristine realm, and my eyelids fluttered open.

Towering wooden shelves that stretched skyward to the ceiling, seeming infinite, dominated my view. Silence reigned supreme in my surroundings, laced with an unsettling tranquility that hung in the air.

I blinked repeatedly, slowly rising to sit as I scanned my environment.

The realm... it brimmed with endless rows of books and shelves that extended without end.

Lowering my gaze to my hands, I clenched and released them experimentally. My earlier injuries had vanished entirely, restoring a profound sense of completeness within me.

Placing my palms against the wooden planks, which groaned under my weight, I rose cautiously and surveyed the area. Soon, my eyes locked onto a distant small platform.

It rested upon vibrant green turf, with a tome adorned in golden inscriptions positioned on the pedestal.

Recognition hit me instantly about the book's nature, and my legs moved instinctively toward the platform.

One step brought me there, and I halted abruptly. My lips parted, yet silence followed.

"It took you a while."

A voice I recognized echoed in my ears—one I believed gone forever. Turning ahead, I spotted the figure I never expected to encounter again.

The instant my eyes met him, certainty flooded me: it was truly him, not some illusion or echo from the records.

I sensed it through the lingering energies in my frame, a faint ache piercing my chest. Still, I managed a smile.

"Was I late?"

"Very."

A real smile crossed my face then, and I approached the platform where he waited. Settling into the seat across from him, I took in the surrounding vista.

"How are you…"

"How am I alive?"

He completed my thought, and without glancing his way, I dipped my head in affirmation.

"Yeah…"

"It's not that I'm alive," he replied, gazing similarly at the landscape encircling the platform. "I'm just in the place where I was born. I'm neither dead nor alive, just a projection of the remaining power that lingers over the records."

"I see."

Grasping part of his explanation, I nodded thoughtfully. Shifting to meet his scarlet gaze, my focus drifted to the volume on the pedestal.

"Are those the records?"

A complex expression crossed his features as he affirmed with a nod.

"Yes."

Golden runes and script orbited the tome in a swirling vortex. Its radiance wasn't overwhelming, but prolonged observation stirred a pull emanating from it.

"Go on."

His words drew my attention back, and he offered a subtle smile.

"The moment your hands are on the book, you will be elevated to the position of Overseer, and you will have access to every aspect of the universe. You will be responsible for maintaining order throughout the universe and preventing future occurrences of events similar to Jezebeth from taking place..."

His statement furrowed my brow.

"That sounds rather troublesome."

"It is."

He confirmed without hesitation, nodding once more. I nearly shook my head at his demeanor, but a memory surfaced.

"What happened to everyone back on earth?"

After vanquishing Jezebeth, this realm had claimed me. Uncertainty lingered about the fates of those on Earth. Were they safe? Had matters concluded? Any misfortunes?

"Don't worry about them."

Kevin soothed, gesturing toward the Records.

"If you're curious, then take the records. All the questions you have will be answered the moment you become the new Overseer"

Tracing his indication, my sight fixed on the central tome. Its brilliance intensified by the moment, while the murmurs in my ears swelled, urging me to grasp it.

Glancing at Kevin once last time, I caught his nod, and I pressed my lips together.

Shifting my focus from him, I halted directly in front of the records. Right away, the soft murmurs drifting into my ears faded, and I reached out my hand.

As my fingers touched the book, a dazzling light engulfed my whole field of vision, with golden runes and inscriptions hovering all around me. The world nearby began to tremble, and the towering libraries far off extended endlessly in every direction.

Ignoring the turmoil unfolding around me, I cautiously flipped open the book, and then everything went completely white.

That's when it appeared...

The truth.

***

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.

.

.

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Pak!

A profound silence blanketed the area as Ren snapped the book shut in his grasp. In the fleeting instant between opening and closing it, Kevin observed Ren's features twist through a whirlwind of expressions, baring every kind of emotion imaginable.

Anger, sorrow, joy… he revealed them all until at last, his eyes settled into utter tranquility.

This serenity held firm until the book clicked shut. Mere seconds passed as Kevin kept his eyes locked on him.

"What did you see?" he inquired, eager to grasp what had triggered Ren's intense reactions.

Ren shut his eyes, turned his head, and their stares connected. A gentle smile curved his lips.

"I saw… what I needed to see."

Ren hadn't altered much after absorbing the records, yet something subtly shifted within him. It felt like he was present, yet somehow distant.

"What did you see?"

"Mhm."

Kevin's confusion deepened at Ren's vague reply as he pressed for more, only to meet the same faint smile again.

Ren stretched his hand out, palm up, unveiling several shards resting there.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

The fragments hovered above his palm, slowly merging as a radiant white glow wrapped around each one.

"Life truly is funny. I had a sneaking suspicion, but I never thought it was like this… I finally understand the real meaning behind the world you showed me… and why I never existed, to begin with."

Kevin strained to decipher Ren's words, but they only baffled him further. Clearly, whatever Ren referenced lay far beyond his comprehension.

"I used to think that there used to be a beginning to something, but never did I imagine that my own precognition of time was wrong. Time… it's a measurement we created in order to measure a beginning and an end, but what if there was never a beginning to begin with? What if it was just… there."

The deeper Ren delved, the more perplexed Kevin grew, yet he kept listening intently. Ren's words held a captivating pull, and with each phrase, Kevin sensed himself edging closer to some elusive insight.

WIIIING—!

A sudden burst of white light snapped him from his reverie, and upon refocusing, he spotted a small metallic cube floating over Ren's palm. A dense black mist coiled around it, throbbing weakly as it hovered.

"What's that?"

"This…"

Gazing at the cube, Ren's smile widened.

"You can say this is the continuation of everything."

He paused.

"...The beginning of a very long book. One I personally created and am a part of..."

As he eyed the cube balanced on his palm, it abruptly trembled. Moments later, a fissure formed right beside it, and Ren delicately flung the cube into the crack.

Kevin stared in confusion at the move, glancing back at Ren with puzzlement, but received only a puzzled expression and a sigh in return.

"If it's like this…"

Shaking his head, Ren pressed his lips together and faced him squarely. After a brief locked gaze, Ren flicked his hand, and their environment warped. The patio crumbled away, along with the shelves that vanished around them.

In their place emerged a lengthy, slender corridor glowing with light at its far end.

"Should we go back?"

"Back? …to where?"

"Where else?"

Stepping ahead, Ren gestured for him to follow.

"Home."

***

[In a distant world, unknown.]

The sun climbed over the undulating hills of their modest farm, where two demons strolled hand in hand across the verdant fields, soaking in the peaceful splendor of their realm.

Tall grasses danced in the soft wind, while vibrant wildflowers splashed color across the scenery.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

The pair nurtured their crops with tender attention, sowing fresh seeds and gathering mature produce from the soil.

They labored in flawless sync, each bolstering the other's abilities and flaws. One possessed a delicate hand with the flora, urging them to flourish and prosper, whereas the other stood firm and robust, capable of plowing the ground and hoisting hefty burdens effortlessly.

While toiling away, the pair shared laughs and conversation, savoring each other's presence amid the serene backdrop. The sun's gentle warmth kissed their skin, and the soil's crisp aroma lifted their souls, evoking life's purest joys.

That was their life... 

Far away, a band of demon youngsters frolicked in games, darting after one another across the meadows.

Their merry laughter mingled with the grass's soft whispers, enhancing the perfect panorama, as if time itself had paused, leaving only the world's splendor and family's delight.

Utter peace reigned... 

But that tranquility... was short-lived. 

"What's that?" 

Sensing something odd, the woman halted her work and peered upward. A tiny dark speck hurtled from the heavens, aimed right at them. 

The instant she grasped the situation, panic surged through her; she spun toward her companion, who gawked at the sky too. She nearly shouted for him when suddenly, a silver flash sliced the air and crashed into the earth beside their spot.

WIIIIIIIIIING—! 

No massive blast erupted. Landing with a muffled thud, it left the couple exchanging stunned glances. 

"S-should we check it out?" 

The husband suggested, gazing afar with profound unease. Her nod prompted their advance, and nearing the impact site, shock gripped them at the sight of a metal crate on the ground. 

Faintly, a shadowy tint leaked from the crate into the soil. The demon pair missed it entirely, lacking the ability to sense it. 

"What is this?" 

"Don't touch it!" 

The man edged closer to the crate but his wife swiftly restrained him, her eyes locked on it with intense caution. 

"We don't know what this box is… better to proceed with caution, particularly since…" 

Glancing toward the distant playful children, she met her husband's eyes again; he nodded, clearly getting her point. 

Unseen by them, a youth perched atop a distant boulder, watching the pair with eyes steeped in absolute shadow. 

"So that's how it is…" 

His gaze fixed on the remote couple, zeroing in on the crate below them, ripples stirred in the child's eyes as he observed.

Right then, true comprehension dawned on him. His existence's purpose. The cause of his sufferings, every bit… The root of his truth obsession. 

Emotions churned across the child's features—fury, grief, elation, mercy… flashing in turns until a smile finally curved his lips. 

Ever since seizing power, just one aim had driven him: unearthing why he existed. Obsession had consumed him, yet now he knew. 

He knew the reason for his being. 

It was no accident. 

…and that knowledge sufficed. 

"T-thank you…"

Darkness ebbed from the child's eyes, yielding to pure innocence as he blinked around in confusion, left and right.

"Ah? Where am I?" 

"Hahahahah " 

Soft chuckles from behind snagged his notice; twisting around, he spotted other children waving cheerily.

"Come!" 

They beckoned him, faces beaming with childlike mirth. 

"Come and play with us… Jezebeth!" 

Little hands gripping the rock, the child—Jezebeth—leaped down, waving back with a yell. 

"I'm coming!" 

[The Author's POV] – End. 

Main Story End. 

Epilogue yet to come.