Void Evolution System Chapter 1898 The End [2]

Time.

For an Absolute, that was how it was witnessed.

It seemed like only a moment ago that his youngest daughter was a mere seven-year-old child. Peace was in its infancy, and every day felt like a breath of fresh air. Now, however, those were nothing more than fading memories. The way they viewed life back then lived on only as dreams within his mind, scenes observed from his omniscient perspective. A millennium had already passed since those days. Life had moved forward.

It wasn't that those people or those moments had vanished. In this world, people were not bound to remain mortal, particularly those gifted with talent. And how could the children of Damien be anything less than geniuses?

They remained alive and thriving. He possessed the ability to visit them whenever he wished to check on their progress, and the family naturally reunited every few years.

It was just...

Things had changed. Over the course of a thousand years, Damien’s standing had shifted drastically.

Every one of his children had ascended to become Godly Entities. Meanwhile, his wives had stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves to the cosmos as the secret sovereigns of its most powerful organizations. Though he and his wives still occupied the same home where their children were raised, only he and Rose truly kept up the appearance of this mundane life.

He had no complaints about it. He still appreciated the stillness, and there was plenty to occupy him should he find the motivation.

Even so, on a day like today with the whole family gathered, he found himself unable to stop gazing at the stars, wondering what secrets lay beyond the horizon.

What is left for a man who has attained the Void? Truly, what goals remain to be achieved?

The solution was as straightforward as it appeared. For those standing at the absolute summit, there is nothing left. Because of this, Damien never viewed becoming an Absolute as his final destination. It was simply a means of protection, allowing him to pursue everything else in tranquility.

Unlike the Worldwalker, he was capable of finding happiness within eternity, yet that did not mean his satisfaction was complete.

Ultimately, he was a man who had fallen in love with the journey. He had spent two centuries—a span that felt like thousands of years—constantly chasing one objective after another.

Now, his family was surrounding him. His children had matured and introduced him to his grandchildren. Those grandchildren grew up in turn, presenting him with their own offspring. As this cycle repeated, the spark that had driven him for so long began to dim. Everyone was occupied with their own paths. He was content to spend increasing amounts of time with his wives, knowing he would never tire of this serenity regardless of how much time slipped by.

And yet, a dull ache persisted in his heart. It was a longing that no one else could comprehend. Night had fallen. The festivities of the day had concluded and the guests had departed. He sat in solitude, pondering thoughts that were beyond anyone's grasp.

Even after they had all ascended past the rank of Supreme God, they had to admit they couldn't fully fathom his mind, yet they still understood him.

They were intimately familiar with that look on his face. After all, it was the same expression he had worn for centuries while staring at the heavens. How could they fail to recognize it?

Damien had remained on this plane out of a desire to be with them. He wanted to watch his children mature and fulfill his role as a father and a grandfather.

But that era had passed.

Too much time had gone by. He was the God of this world and an even more formidable presence on a cosmic scale. As the centuries rolled on, the gap between him and the newest members of his bloodline became too vast to measure. Of course, they were still there. Everyone Damien had invited to this realm remained, and they visited frequently. Even so, they could see the truth. This stagnant life was not the conclusion Damien sought. Rose watched him with a faint, wry smile. It felt odd to acknowledge, but... it was enough. He had given enough of his time here.

Wasn't it time for him to turn his attention to the horizon he had never stopped loving? "Go."

It wasn't clear who spoke the word, nor when they had decided to approach him, but it was irrelevant. All four of them were in total agreement on this.

"Pardon?" Damien asked. Rose stepped forward, a smile on her lips.

"Go. We are aware of how much you crave the things that remain invisible to the rest of us. You have been more than considerate, so do not feel held back by us. Just go."

"I wasn't just being considerate, Rose. You know that I truly—"

"—I know."

She interrupted him, refusing to let him argue.

"I know it isn't like that, but regardless. Even if you won't say it, it hurts you to restrict yourself by staying here, doesn't it? Just as much as you want happiness for us, we want it for you. You have succeeded in giving us eternal joy all this time. Isn't it our turn to do the same for you? For the first time in hundreds of years, go and explore that stunning horizon again."

She glanced back at her sisters, who gave their nods of support. "In the end, you will always come back to us, won't you?" Damien’s eyes widened as he looked at her. His confusion evaporated as he weighed her words, and his expression slowly transformed into a deep, heartfelt smile. He had been found out, but he couldn't find it in himself to be upset. Who could be angry at having such supportive wives?

Indeed, there was something he wished to see. A destination he could only reach alone. He had restrained himself for a long time, but perhaps... the time had finally come?

He looked at each of them. Rose, Ruyue, Elena, and Iris—the four women who would be his companions for all eternity.

"Of course. No matter what happens, I will always find my way back home."

The day he was truly severed from them would never arrive. He embraced them with deep sincerity, letting the weight of his love flow through his touch. Then, with only his wives as witnesses, he stepped forward and said his goodbyes to this world.

Finally, as it had yearned to do since that very moment, his body was permitted to ascend to its rightful station.

A place that existed truly beyond everyone and everything else.

***

Darkness surrounded him. Damien felt an irresistible pull, a primal urge that drew him into the Void.

To him, this was not just a place, but an extension of his own being. It was the environment where he felt most at ease, where the suffocating feeling of holding himself back finally vanished.

The Void was everything, yet it served as the very bedrock upon which every Cosmos was constructed. It was teeming with countless energies, diverse cultures, and worlds waiting to be discovered.

And yet, Damien was able to perceive it all in a heartbeat. He grasped everything, traced the links between all things, and understood the fundamental patterns that defined the Void in its purest form.

He only felt the passage of time through the periods he spent within various cosmos. These journeys allowed him to comprehend the experiences of the Worldwalker, and he discovered the same joy in that thrill.

It was truly magnificent. All their differences and similarities were a sight to behold. Whenever Damien entered a new world to witness a new culture, his omniscience receded, allowing him to feel like a true traveler learning as he went. But there was still a sense of regret.

The Void was a lonely place. With the Worldwalker gone, Damien was left as the sole individual capable of experiencing this sensation.

He truly hoped that another would eventually arise. Keeping a close eye on the Supremes of the Void, he waited for the moment one of them might step across the final threshold. That was when he heard it.

In some obscure cosmos in the middle of nowhere, while he was observing a clash between its most powerful beings—perhaps eons later, or maybe only seconds after his own ascension—he heard it.

A "Sound" within the Void.

A noise in the Void that should have been an impossibility.

His attention sharpened instantly. Abandoning his current task, he raced toward the source.

For this was the moment he had been waiting for...

...and the harbinger of something truly spectacular.

The End.