Chapter 128: Fire Stealer, The Origin of the Guardian (Two-in-One)
As Rast stepped into the twisted whirlpool, the scenery around him began to spin chaotically.
When the distorted light and shadows once again stabilized and became clear, what appeared before him was a vibrant world full of life.
This was an expansive courtyard, where lush green plants stood tall, blooming with flowers of various colors, releasing waves of rich fragrance.
In the air, the mingling aura of magic and vitality seemed almost tangible, embodying the meaning of the term “Abundant.”
However, if one looked toward the outer side of this vibrant courtyard, a starkly different scene unfolded.
It was an illusory vast ocean, where the twilight surged together with the waves, assimilating the brilliance of the entire world into a dull yellow haze.
The twilight transformed into giant waves, crashing against the boundary of the Abundant Domain, where the hues of dull yellow and green eroded each other, before both dissolving into the Void.
“Abundance” and “God of d*ath,” life and d*ath…
These were two completely opposing sequences, a clash of two forces that touched upon the fundamental laws of the world.
The green radiance faded, while the dull yellow waves surged forth in succession… This cycle continued relentlessly; had he not been within that vibrant domain, Rast would likely have already been consumed by the twilight tide.
“You are currently within the remains of the God of d*ath, inside the ‘Remains of the Divine.'”
“Of course, according to the usual parlance of your Sixth Epoch civilization…”
“This is the origin of the underworld—the ‘Abyss,’ or rather, the ‘Void.'”
An old, gentle voice resonated.
The sound was crystal clear to the ears, yet it seemed impossible to discern its exact direction, as if it emanated from every corner of this abundant courtyard.
“Do you see that illusory dull yellow sea?”
“This is the bl**d flowing within the body of the deity who presides over d*ath.”
“Even if the God of d*ath has already fallen for several epochs, over ninety percent of the power of this remains has long since faded with the passage of time… the divine power and rules contained within the remains, however, are still beyond what you can bear.”
“Were it not for the protection of my Abundant Domain, even a drop of this bl**d, having lost most of its divinity and power, would be enough to completely assimilate you… transforming you into a being similar to the dead within that city above the Void.”
Rast looked around and then noticed the old man with white hair and a peaceful demeanor.
He stood within this Abundant courtyard, without a hint of powerful aura about him, just like a gardener tending to the plants.
Had Rast not witnessed the clash between this Graveminder and Cecil, he might have entirely mistaken the old man for a true Ordinary Person based solely on his aura.
“Thank you… esteemed Graveminder for your assistance.”
Rast respectfully bent down and performed a bow.
“There is no need for such unnecessary formalities in my presence.”
“Every legendary path is a unique and irreplaceable miracle.”
“And every being who is able to find their own legendary path must surely possess a resolute heart.”
“How could such legendary seeds easily submit to others? Even if… you are currently facing a true legend.”
The gardener-like old man gazed at Rast, and his aged voice spoke again.
“Just call me by my name.”
“My name is—Noah.”
“Noah… esteemed sir.”
Rast spoke again, his tone still respectful.
“Regardless, you have saved my life.”
“If you hadn’t intervened just now, against a legend with deadly intent towards me, I would have had no chance of survival.”
“That being said, you were indeed betting on my intervention, weren’t you?”
Noah’s light laugh interrupted Rast’s words.
“If not, your actions would have amounted to courting d*ath.”
“However, you truly are a natural Graveminder.”
He paused slightly.
“From the traces on your soul… I sensed signs of ‘wear.'”
“You are a true immortal who has experienced a long passage of time and felt the gradual erosion and transformation of spirit and soul along with the flow of time.”
“Only those who have truly experienced the wear of time can understand what we Graveminders pursue as ‘Eternal Immortality.'”
“Had it not been for how closely your ideals aligned with those of the Graveminders, coupled with you having opened your own unique legendary path and having the potential to ascend to legend, I would not have chosen to save you just now, but would have let you be burned to ashes by the blazing sun of Cecil.”
Noah turned back, gazing down at the roiling dull yellow illusory ocean.
“Rast.”
“You should still be at a stage of partial understanding regarding the ‘Graveminders,’ correct?”
“Yes.” Rast nodded.
“Prior to this, all my knowledge of the Graveminders came from secret investigations at the Guardian of the Shore headquarters as well as information inadvertently leaked by Cecil…”
“However, the confidentiality level of that information is extremely high; even if I expended all my efforts to collect it, what I learned was merely fragments.”
A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes: “I only understood that compared to the blind and ruthless moths drawn to the flame under Cecil’s leadership…”
“The ‘Eternal Immortality’ pursued by the Graveminders… is much closer to my current ideals.”
Rast’s eyes now carried a hint of determination: “To be honest with you, esteemed Noah, I once found myself trapped in one place for hundreds of years.”
“In that time loop where nothing aged and no progress was possible…”
“I personally experienced how despairing and terrifying it is to have one’s spirit and soul gradually worn down by endless time, with oneself crumbling away as time passes.”
The expression in his eyes shifted from determination to deep-seated fear: “Since then, I understood—”
“Compared to the eternal and undying existence, ideals, beliefs, mundane morals, laws, and personal emotions…”
“Love, familial bonds, friendship… all of these are things that can be discarded.”
“Now I see.”
Noah looked at Rast and nodded slightly: “No wonder your body does not possess a long lifespan like that of an immortal, but rather appears quite young…”
“Yet the traces of wear from time on your soul are so clear, with a level of imperfection far beyond that of ordinary immortals.”
“This should be an opportunity belonging to you… Through this encounter, you could gain the qualification to join the Graveminders many centuries or even an entire era earlier.”
Noah chuckled dismissively, not questioning the credibility of Rast’s claimed hundreds of years in the time loop.
The phenomenon of time distortion limited to a small area is rare, yet it certainly is not absent throughout the expanse of history… back when Grey had not yet awakened the Sequence of ‘Fate,’ she created a similar time distortion zone in Frozen Water Town.
For Noah, this Graveminder legend who might have lived through several epochs, it was not something beyond understanding.
His gaze returned to the illusory, undulating dull yellow sea.
“Actually, the so-called ‘Graveminders’ are not the strictly hierarchical military organization you imagine.”
“They are merely a group of individuals with similar ideals coming together for a common goal.”
Noah’s aged voice suddenly took on a distant tone, akin to the rumble of an ancient bronze bell.
“Life is an end.”
“All things follow the cycle of birth, growth, flourishing, aging, until they reach their end… This is the theorem of the world, inscribed in the rules that have permeated this realm since the dawn of creation.”
“Not only ordinary life—even civilizations and epochs themselves cannot escape this law.”
“Thus, just as they once experienced the glorious prosperity of rapid development, civilizations, upon reaching their zenith, must inevitably decline and approach the end of life… until they perish at the end.”
“Our duty and mission are to exist independently of the river of history… to witness the rise and fall of civilizations, the opening and closing of epochs, and to engrave these experiences on tombstones, recording and guarding the traces of their existence—”
“Just like our name—’Graveminders.'”
“As witnesses and chroniclers, watching over the graves of vanished civilizations and the tombstones of epochs, this is the meaning of our existence.”
“However…”
Noah’s words paused for a moment.
“Every epoch, every civilization will always contain certain variables.”
“Clearly having endured hardships, traversed rough paths, cut through thorns and brambles, and overcome countless difficulties, they finally ascend to the throne of legend. Having gained the qualification to exist eternally independent of civilization and epochs, overlooking all existence from the river of time—”
“Yet they still cannot let go of mundane emotions, reluctant to compromise for the sake of ephemeral dreams… attempting, through their own efforts, to rewrite the fate of their civilization and epoch.”
“Trying to refuse the impending end of the epoch.”
“But the birth and termination of epochs, the prosperity and decline of civilizations, are the most fundamental rules of this world, how could the efforts of a mere legend rewrite them?”
“If a civilization of a certain epoch chooses to quietly and calmly welcome its end, then the backlash from the laws of the world will naturally be relatively mild… just like falling asleep, peacefully coming to a close.”
“The old epoch crumbles, a new epoch follows.”
“Using the seeds retained from prior eras, new civilizations will soon sprout anew in the fresh epoch, allowing the cycle of civilization to continue indefinitely.”
Noah’s words remained calm.
“And if, after crossing the critical point of the inevitable transition from prosperity to decline, the civilization of a certain epoch does not face its end with tranquility, but instead chooses to resist…”
“Then the fiercer the civilization’s resistance— the more it deviates from the originally destined path of development, walking a completely different road… When the moment of the epoch’s end arrives, the ensuing backlash will be all the more desperate.”
“That is the judgment of the rules, the decree known as natural law, a cataclysm that eradicates all.”
“In the face of the natural laws that constitute this world, let alone a few legends, even true deities merely become minions of the natural law governing life and d*ath.”
“And before that cataclysm that annihilates all… the entire continent will turn into a wasteland of disaster and ruins.”
“On the scorched earth, the spark of civilization will find it immensely difficult to reignite, countless times more than before.”
“No one knows how many years of accumulation, combined with extraordinary luck, it would take for new civilizations to once again sprout after that cataclysm of annihilation.”
“Even the complete severance of human civilization is not an impossible event.”
Noah returned his gaze, looking down at Rast before him.
“So, Rast, do you understand?”
“Those legends who seek to rewrite the fate of their civilization, appear majestic and just, radiating brilliance.”
“But in truth, they are merely selfish individuals cloaked in the guise of righteousness.”
“For their own satisfaction, for personal emotions… they place their selfish desires for achieving their ideals above the fate of all human civilization.”
“Only pursuing the transient glow of their own existence.”
“Yet they never contemplate whether they could bear the cost of their failures after their downfall? And how future generations of humanity, future civilizations should pay for their reckless decisions.”
“This is not bravery, but merely selfish greed.”
In Noah’s aged eyes, a sudden glimmer of coldness emerged.
“Just like the Guardian of the Shore.”
“Now they pride themselves as the watchers of civilization, revered by the people, basking in flowers, glory, and applause.”
“But—”
“How many know?”
This legendary figure of abundance let out a faint laugh, tinged with a touch of chill.
“Initially, the creator of the Guardian of the Shore, the founder of this organization, was merely one of us, a traitor?”
“In pursuit of that fleeting glow, for those absurd things that resemble ephemeral dreams, akin to moths drawn to the flame…”
“They betrayed the Graveminders and stole that ‘Flame Seed’ from the Graveminders, claiming it for themselves, transforming it into the legacy of the Guardians of the Shore.”
“Every successive leader of the Guardians of the Shore was merely a greedy thief—”
“A despicable ‘Fire Stealer.'”
………………
PS: I experienced a headache from a long red-eye flight over ten hours, and it took a full day of rest to adjust properly to the time difference.
I will try to update more in the coming days to catch up on what was owed yesterday.
(This chapter ends)
