Chapter 636 Challenge Gate [4]

The vicissitude of time, the expansiveness of space, the trauma of war, the weight of sin. When one experienced so much, was it strange to change?

Life became numb. All things became meaningless. Death seemed inconsequential.

An infinite universe filled with infinite worlds, infinite people living within. In this vast and endless existence, what weight did a single person hold?

It was difficult to not despair in the face of such grandiosity. The realization of how tiny one's existence truly was could be mind-numbing.

But even those who gave into this reality lived their daily lives without pondering on it. It was pointless to do so.

But if one looked deeper, they'd realize the correspondence between universe and man; between microcosm and macrocosm.

Despite the minuteness of a single person's existence, mankind still thrived. Why was that? Why was it that life would always find a way to exist regardless of circumstance, regardless of futility?

It was a question impossible to answer without understanding the truths of the universe.

Therefore, people began contemplating these truths. They slowly found a way to adapt to them and grow to integrate them. In this way, evolution occurred.

Man no longer wanted to stand dichotomous to the universe. Man wanted to stand equal to it, to stand above it.

Mankind developed the ability to do so. With time and effort, the existence of a single person could trump that of the universe itself.

Or perhaps, a single existence could take the entire universe in the palm of his hand.

A sword, an emblem, a crystal, and a pendant. These four objects revolved endlessly in the infinity of space.

Their odd behavior made one question their existence, but even under the strictest of observation, these items were only found to be items; nothing more.

Without the allure of treasure, this great mystery was soon forgotten. The four benign objects continued to revolve around each other for eternity.

It was impossible to understand them.

None understood their history.

A sword reeking of blood and desolateness.

An emblem of contrasting loyalty and purpose.

A crystal of responsibility and desire.

And finally, a pendant.

Even those who knew the story of these four objects couldn't identify the pendant. It remained a profound mystery.

Years passed. Millennia passed. Eons passed.

A boy arrived in front of the four objects. He looked no more than 6 years old. His small hand reached out and took hold of the pendant.

"To return…"

His voice echoed through space. He carefully brushed his fingers across the pendant's surface, wiping away the damage that had covered it over the years.

"Returning, huh…"

The boy's body began to shine. Endless light converged upon the boy and the four objects.

The sword shuddered. It shot through space like a meteor and impaled the boy's body. Soon after, it melted and merged into him.

The boy's bloody aura soared. He looked about 10 years old, but he exuded the aura of someone who'd been killing their whole life.

The emblem shot out next. It burned itself into the boy's heart, melding into his body.

His eyes changed. The twinge of innocence in his eyes vanished, replaced by a multitude of complex emotions.

After the emblem was the crystal. It embedded itself in his forehead and melted, flowing through his veins.

An aura of power began emanating from his 15-year-old body. Ambition emerged in his heart. But at the same time, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders; a burden he was forced to carry.

His eyes panned down to the pendant in his hand. He opened the seal on the locket, revealing what lay inside.

Three images. These images portrayed three different people.

A woman who tried to be perfect even though she was just learning the meaning of love.

A woman who was caged for most of her life and now truly experiencing the world now that she was free.

A woman whose feelings were turbulent, who was still understanding how to properly express herself and be the person she wanted to be.

These three women had led vastly different lives. Just like those three people the bard met before, they were united by fate. While they were very different people, they did share one commonality.

They were his safe space.

They kept him grounded. Their very existence allowed him to face reality and defy it without fear. They kept the negative emotions from plaguing his mind and taking over.

Memories rushed into the boy's mind.

He saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He saw beasts and men alike, torn to shreds and piled up with the rest.

They were the manifestation of his bloodlust.

He saw an old man who, despite his greatness, remained humble and unassuming.

He saw an eccentric teacher who took pride in raising his students and seeing them succeed.

He saw countless figures, people who allowed him to move forward, people he wanted to protect.

They were the recipients of his loyalty.

He saw a world collapse, everything and everyone on its surface exterminated without fail.

He saw countless people suffering from atrocity, from destruction that plagued the entire universe.

They were the source of his responsibility.

The pendant in his hand liquified. He closed his eyes as he relished in the sense of completeness he felt.

When he opened his eyes again, he was a man in his mid-twenties. His eyes panned the surroundings curiously.

"To return…"

The surrounding space was covered in beams of starlight. The starry sky around him melted into liquid and rapidly drained through the crack in the room's door.

The room was white.

Two men sat inside, facing each other.

Between them, a chess-like game board.

The white pieces were nearly destroyed. Meanwhile, the black pieces had advanced far into enemy territory without any casualties.

The two men sat and stared into each other's eyes without a word. Their eyes were glazed and dull.

The man on the black side blinked. Clarity returned to his figure.

Thump.

The man on the white side collapsed. His head banged against the table, scattering the game pieces.

A click resounded through the room. A door appeared behind the dead man.

Damien looked at this door expressionlessly.

But he didn't enter.

He remained seated in his seat. The room turned hazy, the white walls transmuting into smoke and fading into the atmosphere.

His body became light. He became a divine dragon soaring through the heavens, plunged into the deepest of seas as a terrifying leviathan, and even explored the earth as a mere ant.

But his expression never changed.

Everything around him vanished. His body floated in a pitch-black space. He felt his mind becoming groggy. It was hard to think.

Time was present. It was far easier to realize than it was anywhere else. Every passing second echoed clearly in his head.

A red glow passed through his mind. The iridescent blue light of the stars shielded him from injury.

He sat in that blackness alone, unable to move, his thoughts his only company.

He began to wonder about many things. He wondered about questions that plagued his mind, secrets he'd yet to uncover, even new uses of his power.

Until one day, he lost the ability to think.

He could only blankly exist in the blackness, his consciousness both awake and restrained.

But regardless of the torment this condition caused him, his gaze never changed.

From start to finish, he was emotionless.