A certain being appeared out of nowhere in one of the many worlds. At
first, it did not take any action, continuously staring at the world…
before without rhyme nor reason, it brought the world to its end.
The information about this being was passed on to the creators of many
worlds by a god with the power called omniscient… but at that time, it
was not perceived as a threat.
Because for most of the creators of worlds, erasing a single world is not
an impossible task. For those who exist outside the scope of logic…
there is nothing noteworthy about omnipotent beings, beings that
exceed omnipotence, being that cannot even be described by the word
infinite, and beings that can freely create higher dimensions.
They could easily deal with her… at that time… that was what they
thought.
Omnipotent beings, beings that exceed omnipotence, beings that cannot
even be described by the word infinite, and even those beings that can
create higher dimensions at will… Their worlds were brought to an end
and they disappeared.
When more than a thousand worlds have been brought to an end by
this being, traveling from one world to another and moving after
looking at that world for a certain period of time, that being was then
recognized as a threat.
This is why the creators of the worlds did everything in their power to
eliminate this being the moment it appeared in their world.
However, the beings that should have killed it, the beings that should
have sealed it, the beings that should have created an ability to protect
them from this being's power, the beings that should have erased it
from existing with the law of causality, and the beings that should have
run from it… All of them were brought to their ends.
And then, when the number of worlds that ended exceeded 10000…
This being became the object of despair that the creator of worlds
feared.
It's not that their attacks won't connect… but even when they connect,
all of it is meaningless.
It's not that they can't run away… but running away is meaningless.
It's not that they can't kill or seal it… but all of that is meaningless.
As soon as that being appeared, the story of their world has already
entered its final chapter. That's why, no matter how hard they tried,
they met their ends.
It was unknown when, where or who started calling it with that name,
nor which world's language was used to call her with such a name, but
what they do know is that… at some point, that being came to be known
as "Destruction God of the Apocalypse, Shallow Vernal".
And that she held the ultimate power to bring an end to everything,
"Epilogue"…
The creators of the world desperately prayed that Shallow Vernal
would not appear in their world. They knew that if she showed up,
there was nothing they could do about it.
When the world that Shallow Vernal brought to its end "exceeded
billions"… The creators were deeply relieved when they learned that
Shallow Vernal had stopped ending worlds and had begun to create a
world for herself, and they vowed to never interfere with that world.
Just as Shallow Vernal had said, the first emotion she felt… was
uncertainty. In the first place, she was a being that held no thoughts.
She had never even thought about why she was ending so many worlds,
or why she was gazing at all of them before ending their worlds.
Eden's comment about her being "a system called Shallow Vernal" was
actually accurate.
Shallow Vernal will end the world. That's all she should have been, a
being that holds no meaning nor purpose… or so it should have been.
However, one day, as if she had woken up from sleep, Shallow Vernal
suddenly had a question. The creators of the world, the supernatural
beings who have ended it so far have had more or less the same
purpose. Even if they had no purpose, nor something that could be
called a heart, they all had something that called a will.
"If that's the case, doesn't such a thing exist in her as well?", she
pondered.
It originally should have been obvious that Shallow Vernal had a will of
her own when she questioned it, but Shallow Vernal didn't know that.
Something that was born inside her that is difficult for her to express…
She wanted to know what it is. That's why, when she happened to visit a
creator of a world… Eden, she informed him this question she had in
mind.
As a result, Eden did not make a mistake in her response, and Shallow
Vernal decided to create a world for herself.
If, hypothetically, Eden had made a mistake in her response there…
Shallow Vernal could have dismissed the questions she had as
unnecessary and she would have returned back to being a system that
only ends worlds again.
Since then, Shallow Vernal began to create a world, conversing with
Eden and receiving advice from her.
At this moment, Eden is the most familiar with the being called Shallow
Vernal. In fact, many of the assumptions Eden told Alice were correct.
But of course, some of them were wrong. No, there were some that even
Shallow Vernal herself didn't know about, so it's not surprising how
Eden guessed some things wrong.
Eden predicted that "Shallow Vernal might have wanted to bring an end
to herself", but in reality, "even if Kuromueina the power of Epilogue
and brought Shallow Vernal to her end, such a thing wouldn't have
happened".
It is true that Epilogue was "one of the true essences" of the being
called Shallow Vernal. However, there is another power that resides in
her, a power that can be called absolute.
If one had to name it, it would be "The Last Story"… The being called
Shallow Vernal is the end of the story itself, but at the same time, she
was also the final story.
Shallow Vernal "will not disappear as long as other stories exist". She
can only end her own story after she has brought all the stories to their
ends.
Therefore, there is no magic technique that could kill Shallow Vernal.
Shallow Vernal is a phenomenon that can only be ended by the actions
of the Shallow Vernal herself…
That's probably why she had ended so many worlds when she was just
born. She instinctively understood that the end of her existence could
only come after she brought the end of all worlds…
What would have happened if Kuromueina had used the power given to
her by Shallow Vernal in the battle between the Demon Realm and the
God Realm?
The answer is simple. Both Kuromueina and Shallow Vernal will
disappear, and only Shallow Vernal would have reappeared.
If that had happened, Shallow Vernal would never have realized her
own heart and she would have ended the world she had created.
However, that didn't happen. Kuromueina obstinately spoke to Shallow
Vernal, and Shallow Vernal clearly saw the presence of her own heart.
…What was told so far was the stories of the past. The events before the
being called Shallow Vernal got a heart.
…From here on out is the story leading to the future. The actions
Shallow Vernal took after gaining a heart.
…The story of the being called the Incarnation of Apocalypse… and "the
first wish she held in her heart".
It has been 100 years since the battle with Kuromueina. Standing atop
the Sanctuary, the highest peak of the God Realm, Shallow Vernal gaze
towards the world. As she was gazing at the changing world, a routine
she had been doing since she realized she had a heart, Shallow Vernal
muttered to herself.
[…"Again" huh.]
It was a being that had occasionally come to her attention since her
battle with Kuromueina. A good-looking young man with light brown
hair. And she saw herself talking to him.
She didn't know who this being was or why she kept seeing the same
scene. However, Shallow Vernal was certain.
She was sure that this being was very important to her…
[I don't know. How can I find you?]
That's why Shallow Vernal wanted to meet that being. However, the
future was very unstable and unclear. That was the only scene that she
could see… so she didn't know how she could meet this being.
Perhaps, the only emotion she felt towards him was interest. Gradually
though, the desire to meet the young man made her move.
First of all, Shallow Vernal has created a "third world"… The Human
Realm. She knew that the young man in her future vision was a Human,
based on the world she used as a reference when she created this
world.
Just like that, Shallow Vernal "created Humans". Thereupon, the future
vision, where she could only see one scene, began to grow another
scene.
It was Shallow Vernal, laughing together with a young man. It was a
shocking sight for her, who didn't even know what laughing was.
Seeing this, Shallow Vernal became convinced. She was sure that this
young man was the one who could teach the clueless her what
emotions were…
It didn't take long for her wish to meet the young man to turn into a
burning desire.
Yes… It was the first "wish" that Shallow Vernal had ever had, and the
first "future" that she had ever wanted.
Another thousand years had passed since then, and Shallow Vernal had
hit a major wall.
She had created a world called the Human Realm. In addition to the
Humans, she had also created a variety of other races such as Elves and
Dwarfs.
The Human Realm is gradually developing and Humans are increasing
in number… And yet, the future where she met the young man
remained unstable and no progress was made.
——How can I meet the young man? What must I do to make him
appear before me?
Thinking about all of this, Shallow Vernal was in a situation where it
could be said that she was stuck, but her next move came from
something she hadn't thought about.
She had thought about this after a peculiar being named "Shalltear" was
introduced to her by Kuromueina, who had become her friend.
Knowing that this being was a visitor from another world, Shallow
Vernal arrived at a possibility.
——That young man might be a person from another world.
Having reached this conclusion, Shallow Vernal created "a magic circle
that summons people" from another world, and set it up in the Human
Realm.
The first magic circle was created for the purpose of inviting people
from Eden's world with whom she had a connection with… and this
action brought about a dramatic change. Her future vision became
much clearer than it had ever been before. She began to see the factors
that would bring the young man into her world.
Becoming even more enthusiastic than before, Shallow Vernal began to
gather the factors to bring the young man into her world.
Unbeknownst to anyone, "She manipulated the direction of
development of the Human Realm behind the scenes", "created a gate
that connects the three realms", "instructed the Humans how to use the
"Hero Summoning Magic Circle" through ancient legends when the
Demon Lord appeared", she continued to make her moves, changing the
future into something more vivid.
Nearly 19000 years had passed since she first saw the young man in the
future, and the Summoning magic circle was finally used.
Unfortunately, it was not the young man she had been waiting for, but a
girl named Kujou Hikari who appeared. But steadily, the future was
beginning to move in the directions Shallow Vernal wanted.
When Kujou Hikari visited the God Realm to conclude the Treaty of
Friendship between the three realms, Shallow Vernal only heard about
it through the Supreme Gods, to which she readily gave her
acknowledgment.
That was, of course, because it was a necessary factor in inviting the
young man into her world…
And that time had finally come. The moment when the Treaty of
Friendship was signed by the representatives of the three realms in the
presence of Kujou Hikari… The future became brilliantly clear, and the
future of the young man's visit to her world became a definite event.
After that happened, Shallow Vernal was in a really good mood. With
her clearer vision of the future, she found out that the young man's
name was Miyama Kaito, and she could clearly see her future together
with Kaito.
But when the premise changes, its meaning also changes.
Kuromueina had told Kaito that "the things that Shiro held interest in
could be counted in one hand"… but she's mistaken.
In the first place, Shallow Vernal…"never held any interest" towards
Shalltear or Kujou Hikari.
She had always been wishing for only one thing… It is to meet Miyama
Kaito, and whether it's Shalltear and Kujou Hikari, "they were only
people she was concerned about because they were a necessary factor
in inviting Kaito into her world", and "she doesn't even remember their
names".
Yes, Shallow Vernal had only been looking at Kaito. She had only been
waiting for Kaito's arrival. Her emotions towards him were so intense
that it can be said that she was in love with Kaito even before they
met…
When she thinks about it, the thousand years since the settlement of
Kaito's visit might have been the happiest time for her. Gazing at the
future which had not yet arrived, but would certainly come, her heart
was filled with excitement.
However, the future she desired for… and wished for for the first time in
her life… did not come. Ironically, it was all because of the sole person
she considered a "friend"…
In front of the magic technique called the "Cradle of Oblivion"… Shallow
Vernal quietly closed her eyes.
She doesn't think what she is about to do is correct. She knows that
what she's doing is wrong… She completely understands… that this was
an act of betrayal to her friend Kuromueina and to her beloved, Kaito.
Even so… She won't give up. For her desired future that she had wished
for the first time in her life… wasn't something she couldn't throw away.
For the first time in her life, the emotion called "jealousy" began
budding within her heart. However, she still did not know how to
suppress it.
Even as she's lost and in agony… Shallow Vernal still steered the ship
towards the end of her story. Her ship that should have had a brilliant
future… but is now gloomy and sinking within the sea of grief…