"Where did he go?"
[Child of Fortune: Arov and I left to handle another important task.]
"Or did he run away?" The traces of anger still burned in Thaluna's eyes.
[Child of Fortune: No, he entrusted something to you.]
"Did he now?" Thaluna asked skeptically.
[Child of Fortune: Yes! Now, let's return to that lump of flesh.]
Thaluna quickly made her way to the center of the 31st floor, the site of their previous battle.
A massive sphere of flesh covered the entire area.
Without hesitation, Thaluna stepped into the core of the fleshy mass and retrieved Arov's sword left behind within.
The sword wasn't ordinary; it wasn't forged from mere metal. It was fused with Arov's flesh and blood through the power of [Devil Change].
Arov had deliberately left it here as a means to deceive Thaluna.
Gripping the sword, Thaluna immediately set about fulfilling the plan laid out by the Child of Fortune.
She hovered in the air and swung the blade, slashing at the enormous sphere of flesh.
Given its size—over a kilometer in diameter—this task was going to take some time.
In truth, cutting through it with the sword wasn't entirely necessary, as the Abyssal creature's domain itself radiated a terrifying, blade-like energy that had nearly torn Arov's real body apart.
After several minutes, Thaluna landed atop the now-destroyed mass of flesh.
She stabbed Arov's sword into the remains and etched words into its blade.
"As deep as the boundless ocean, as expansive as the endless sky, lies the heart of a hero and the courage of a warrior. To live is to fight; to die is to be eternally remembered."
— Arov Quills
"...Was this really necessary?" Thaluna asked.
[Child of Fortune: Yes.]
"I mean, he's a hero, isn't he? When heroes defeat Demon Kings and return safely, they become living legends, remembered for eternity. So why would he do this?!" Thaluna stared at the golden panel in disbelief.
[Child of Fortune: The inhabitants of Earth don't even know about the Abyss Worshippers' existence. How could they recognize a hero among them?]
"Wait, so Arov really came here alone?" Thaluna was stunned.
She didn't know what to think—was Arov brave or simply foolish to storm the enemy's stronghold unprepared?
---
Earth.
A remote planet tucked away in a corner of the universe.
Despite its isolation, Earth experienced a rare phenomenon in the cosmos: cosmic peace.
Higher civilizations wouldn't bother conquering Earth for its resources or for racial domination.
Several factors ensured this.
But now, the time had come for Earth to enter the cosmic stage.
How?
Through Traits.
That was what the Child of Fortune sought to awaken on Earth.
Golden light began flowing and swirling in the wind, spreading across the planet.
Above Earth's atmosphere, the golden form of the Child of Fortune extended its reach to every corner of the world.
As an embodiment of Arov's will and desire, the Trait inherited its master's characteristics and personality.
With Arov's selfish, reserved, and morally gray nature, the Child of Fortune carried these traits as well.
However, with its higher intelligence as a high-tier Trait, it lacked true ambition, doing only what it desired—no more, no less.
And now, Arov had set his sights on advancing Earth.
The Child of Fortune raised its arms, releasing the Vacuous Attribute that Arov possessed.
It had uncovered the true potential of this attribute: not only could it manipulate reality, but it could also create something from nothing.
The cost to awaken Traits below the Divine Court tier was minimal.
The Child of Fortune used 500,000 units of the Vacuous Attribute, condensing it into mana energy, which served as a catalyst for awakening Traits among Earth's inhabitants.
Subtle changes swept across the planet, though only a few individuals sensed them.
Soon, those who adapted quickly would survive the turbulence to come.
For not just humans but all flora and fauna would transform into monsters in due time.
---
Only emptiness remained.
Even Arov felt as though he was drifting aimlessly, drowning in the suffocating silence of this void.
After what seemed like an eternity, he glimpsed a faint light, its glow gradually dimming, as though it could vanish with a mere touch and be forgotten forever.
This was the universe he resided in.
The emptiness symbolized the Abyss, which steadily eroded this tiny cosmos, pulling it into darkness.
Arov grasped the faint light.
He turned to face a chasm with seemingly infinite depth.
Suddenly, he recalled a haunting phrase:
"When you gaze long into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you."
As he remembered this, he understood the fate awaiting him if he continued to look into the Abyss.
Arov tightly shut his eyes, clutching the dim light, and fell, vanishing forever into the Abyss's darkness.
Time seemed to stop in that moment.
There was only him and the faint light.
As everything worsened to the point he could no longer see, Arov began counting seconds.
One hundred years, one thousand years, ten thousand years…
Eventually, he lost track of time altogether.
No—time itself ceased to exist in this place.
After an unmeasurable span of time, Arov felt himself collide with something.
Perhaps because he had kept his eyes closed for so long, when he opened them, he realized he was blind.
Feeling around his surroundings, he discovered he had landed on wet ground, soaked with puddles.
He tried to stand but found his muscles weak and aching—a consequence of being motionless for so long.
After relearning how to walk, he managed to move again.
Panicked, he searched for the faint light he once held.
And then he realized—the universe he once carried now resided within his heart.
Now blind, Arov relied on his heightened sense of hearing and touch.
He walked, walked, and walked.
Endlessly moving forward, seeking a distant place where he might once again feel the light.
Hundreds of thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye.
He had grown accustomed to his routine—no sleep, no food, merely an automaton moving endlessly toward an unseen goal.
In time, he came to understand the truth of the world he inhabited.
From the very beginning, the universe was nothing more than a drop of insignificant water.
Now, here he stood, carrying a burden he neither wanted nor rejected.
Do I regret this, you ask?
Should this be called redemption?
No one could say.
All he knew was to keep walking, chasing hope.
Until finally—
Arov sensed something approaching.
|??????|
He heard a language he could not comprehend.
No, it wasn't even a language.
It was will.
A will that seemed to speak to him.
Arov opened his mouth, attempting to respond.
He knew only one thing—the actions he took now would create ripples that would one day shake the universe.
---
"Maybe he's just tired."
[... Is that truly the case?]
Child of Fortune and the System gazed at Arov, who lay sleeping beside them.
When the three of them had entered this illusionary space, Arov had suddenly collapsed into slumber.
No one, not even the Child of Fortune, who was a part of Arov, knew what had happened.
Five minutes later—
"Ugh..."
"How long has it been? Has another billion years passed?" Arov groaned.
Child of Fortune smacked Arov on the head with its tiny hand.
"Wake up, idiot. We've just entered the most crucial part, and you're already falling asleep? What on Earth are you doing right now, huh?"
"Shut up. I just had a horrifying nightmare," Arov muttered as he stood up.
[Alright, alright. Both of you quiet down. Let me explain how this all happened.]
The scene around them began to shift rapidly.
---
1277 word, 2 chapter today.