Chapter 2000 - 2000. Clouds

"Did Heaven and Earth reset their minds?" Noah wondered, and his companions shared those doubts.

The light had stopped the violent uproar that Sepunia had caused. It was clear that Heaven and Earth wanted the dragon to remain on the island, but the three experts couldn't understand the reason behind that desire.

Noah's mind immediately began to generate ideas. The dragons obviously were a unique species, and Heaven and Earth's careful approach to those creatures highlighted that feature. The rulers wouldn't hesitate to wipe out entire packs if they didn't respect their fairness, but the fauna on the island seemed to have a specific purpose.

"Do you think Heaven and Earth will try to kill us if we cause a mess on the island?" King Elbas asked.

"They have tried to kill us since our first Tribulation," Noah commented. "Nothing would change."

"You know what I meant," King Elbas continued..

"They'll probably try to stop us from uncovering what the island is hiding," Noah stated before turning toward Sepunia. "Maybe our troublemaker will have deeper insights on this topic."

"Right," King Elbas said while also turning toward Sepunia. "I would also like to know why you tried to claim the dragon's attention before we even understood what was going on."

Sepunia's eyes moved between Noah and King Elbas, and an awkward smile slowly appeared on her face. Her reason was quite silly, but she tried to justify herself anyway. "I wanted to see what the dragon had to say about its situation. At least we got to see that the island is a special prison that Heaven and Earth control and refill with energy."

"That doesn't justify such a reckless action," King Elbas declared.

"You have some of the most reckless experts in history as your companions!" Sepunia pouted.

"They weren't possible spies," King Elbas replied.

"Why did you even bothered to accept my request if you intended to treat me as a prisoner?" Sepunia complained. "I know that you want to be careful, but stick to an approach. Don't bring up my past only when it helps you!"

"She has a point," Noah laughed.

King Elbas glared at Noah before expressing his surprise. "Are you really siding with her?"

"Either she is our companion, or she isn't," Noah shrugged his shoulders. "We might still have doubts about her, but we shouldn't question her methods. We made her like that, at least partially."

King Elbas didn't like hearing those words, but they made sense. It was hypocritical to connect Sepunia's reckless behavior to a possible betrayal. Divine Demon and Noah had done far worse during important moments, and she was far away from the standard that they had set.

"She took these parts of her character from you," King Elbas snorted before moving his attention back to the island.

"So, do you remember anything about this place?" Noah asked.

"I think I've never known anything about it," Sepunia revealed. "I remember almost everything about the shattered land, and I don't have significant blank spots about the events connected to the area either. I think Heaven and Earth have kept the dragons hidden even from their followers."

"That already helps," Noah stated.

The state of Sepunia's memories added information to the island, at least when it came to Heaven and Earth approach to that topic. The rulers probably couldn't destroy those lands due to their fairness, but Noah developed different ideas when he thought about what his companion had revealed.

Heaven and Earth could have created a prison before marking that knowledge as important. Sepunia would have forgotten about it in that case, which would leave a blank spot in her memory and reveal the rulers' intentions to Noah and King Elbas.

Instead, Sepunia claimed not to know about the island at all. She had never learnt about it, which led Noah to believe that Heaven and Earth had some important projects going on there. He couldn't find any other reason to explain why the rulers would ever keep it a secret from their followers.

The matter became even more interesting at that point. Noah couldn't wait to discover what Heaven and Earth were up to, and the issue wasn't even entering the island. The mission required an escape route, and his eyes inevitably fell on King Elbas.

"The light came out from that crack," King Elbas uttered while pointing at the fissure right above the island. "I think Heaven and Earth have set defenses there since they needed a safe path for their light."

"Maybe it leads to a specific part of the sky," Noah guessed. "I don't remember that crack on the other side. Heaven and Earth might use it as a special passage for their light."

"I don't know about the actual sky," Sepunia commented. "Heaven and Earth don't leave those passages open for a long time. I guess that there are white clouds on the other side."

"Clouds?" Noah and King Elbas asked at the same time.

"You have been there when you returned from the other side of the Immortal Lands," Sepunia explained. "Heaven and Earth cover the surface of the sky with chaotic laws that have obtained specific meanings from time to time. We call them clouds."

Noah and King Elbas couldn't forget the trap that Heaven and Earth had set for them after the mission with the Devils. Noah had to summon Sword Saint to solve that situation, and the latter had ended up remaining with his group until his breakthrough.

The idea of ending up in a similar area was interesting and worrying at the same time. The light discharged on the island had the power to affect the minds of an entire pack of dragons that featured multiple rank 9 specimens. The white clouds on the other side had to contain a lot of energy, but they could also have defenses ready for those who dared to invade them.

The possibility that Heaven and Earth had deployed defenses there was relatively high. The rulers didn't tell their followers about the island to make sure that no memories of the place existed in their minds. They had taken precautions to keep the area hidden, so it was safe to assume the same for the white clouds on the other side of the passage.

"Doesn't this feel familiar?" King Elbas wondered after the trio had remained silent for a few minutes.

"It does indeed," Noah confirmed.

"What are you two saying?" Sepunia asked.

"Heaven and Earth are definitely studying these dragons," Noah explained.

"Or experimenting on them," King Elbas added. "This isolated environment in the void is perfect to avoid external influences. However, I have to admit that the mind-wiping light is a good idea. I should take and improve it."

"Do you think Divine Architect has something to do with it?" Noah asked.

Noah knew Divine Architect due to the inheritance found in the separate dimension with the recurring Heaven Tribulation, but only King Elbas had interacted with her. He had higher chances of sensing her presence on the island in front of them.

"I don't think so," King Elbas evaluated. "I praised the light, but this still feels sloppy. Why would Heaven and Earth hide it in the void in the first place when they have the sky at their disposal?"

"Because it contains something directly opposite to the fabric of the sky," Sepunia stated and confirmed what Noah and King Elbas had hesitated to mention since they wanted to gather more data.

****

Author's notes: Well, 2000 chapters. I can't help but feel happy about this achievement, especially since it has helped create an amazing fanbase. Thank you for making all of this possible with your support.