"Open it?!"
I nodded. "Yes, open it. It’s inside my soul so there must be a key to open it, right?"
She massaged her temples. "I don’t want to say that I don’t know since that would make feel very useless.... But, I don’t know."
I let out a quiet chuckle, then tried pushing the door a little, but it didn’t move. ’Hmm... should I put mana in it?’ I closed my eyes, focusing my mana into my palm.
When I placed my hand on the door, I pushed it while channeling the mana out of my body.
A faint creak echoed through the empty plain as the door opened slightly before shutting again. In that brief instant, both Uriel and I sensed it, an overwhelming dread, sothing that wasn’t ant to be touched.
No, it wasn’t like it was a person; it felt more like the energy inside was beyond the level of mortals or gods.
Uriel, with visible sweat on her forehead, murmured, "Seems your hunch about it being your energy or void rank was correct."
What the goddess said was true. Although the energy behind the door filled with dread, I also felt a strange certainty that if I opened it fully, I would never remain the sa.
A power beyond what reality could withstand.
Uriel, as if realizing what was happening, drifted several ters back. Turning toward her, I asked, "What happened?"
She let out a strained laugh. "What have I even done?"
I didn’t react as the goddess pressed her hands to her head while shaking it. "It isn’t ant to be possible, not even with everything I granted you," she muttered.
"Can you explain what you an by all that?"
Uriel looked directly into my eyes, but sothing in mine made her look away almost instantly. "Great Traveller, it wasn’t my intention, nor did I know it was possible, but it seems you are no longer human. Perhaps it’s because you have stepped into a rank no one has heard of. If not that, then soone wants to change your race so they can et you."
Not human? I suddenly felt dread rise through my chest. "Wait, Uriel, if I’m not human what am I? A god? An alien? A stranger? And what do you an soone wants to et ?"
Uriel drew a slow breath. "I’m not sure, but considering the energy seeping out of that gate and the dread I’ve been sensing from you, you are undoubtedly not human, nor a god, stranger, or alien if I were to classify what you are now."
She paused and finally t my gaze. "I would say you are an Eldritch Horror. They are beings spoken of in legends who exist beyond ti and space, beyond all concepts, and are among the three beings stronger than gods."
I swallowed. "An Eldritch Horror?" What in heaven’s na had I gotten myself into? I just wanted to live peacefully, at ho, eating, reading, and sleeping, and now I was becoming an Eldritch Horror?
I sank to the ground with a loud exhale. "If what you say is right, what would happen to if I beco this Eldritch Horror, and who would even want to beco this?"
Uriel scanned our surroundings as if ensuring no one was watching. "I think the one who wants you to beco this is the sa one who multiplied the normal powers you were ant to get from your three wishes."
I tilted my head. "Soone multiplied my wishes? Does this have sothing to do with the multiple system notifications that appeared in front of ?"
Uriel nodded, sitting across from . "One of my seniors visited this morning. According to her, the elders sensed excessive use of primordial energy, but none of the gods’ primordial reserves had decreased to that level, not even mine."
"That ant soone used this energy to make stronger."
Uriel leaned back on her hands. "It seems so. Out of all possible beings except gods, only one could achieve this without facing any backlash. Soone whose powers may be close to void rank, and soone who uses their power frequently."
"Fate," I answered, resting my hand under my chin. I didn’t know why, but Uriel’s explanation brought one na to mind; Child Of Fate. What if that title was literal? What if Fate truly favored ?
After a mont, Uriel spoke again. "I’m not entirely sure, but what I know is that as an Eldritch Horror you won’t be bound by the rules of the universe, and can do anything you want and et or live with whoever you want. Then..."
She entwined her fingers. "What if Fate was in love with you, and since mortals and even most gods can’t see her, she planned to make you an Eldritch Horror so you could et her?"
I gave Uriel a long look before bursting into laughter. "What the hell? You read too much fantasy. Fate falling for a human and helping him reach her."
Even though I laughed, my mind couldn’t help reconsidering the possibility. A yandere lover, and she wasn’t human, or a dragon, but Fate itself. That would be insane, because there would be nowhere to escape.
I rose from the ground and approached the door. Uriel had explained many things about becoming an Eldritch Horror. To so, it might sound like a terrible outco, but between the lines, it wasn’t that bad.
A being not bound by universal laws, basically a world destroyer. If I could beco that, couldn’t I simply erase the devil king from existence and live peacefully forever? I didn’t deny the possibility that Fate might co to abduct once I reached void rank. That didn’t sound entirely bad either, since having a conceptual wife who could give anything might be ideal.
With all that in mind, I reached a conclusion. I would open the gate. If I were to die, then I would die.
"Hey, Great Traveller, why are you touching the door again? Didn’t I tell you what will happen if you open it?"
"Yeah, I heard you clearly."
"Then..."
I smirked. "Becoming an Eldritch Horror doesn’t sound so bad." I gathered all the mana in my body into my palms and pushed with full force.
Orders were things tied to a person’s existence, not just their body.
«From this mont onwards I shall et all requirents to enter this door.»
The mana surged to new heights as all my senses shut down. For a mont I felt fine, then a searing, indescribable pain tore through . My arms shattered while regeneration repaired them, my heart ruptured and stopped, my soul felt like it was burning and could be extinguished at any mont.
Uriel, who was behind , began shouting as a force dragged her soul toward my body as if to consu it, but I didn’t care. I wanted the pain to end.
Was the order I used so extre that this was the backlash? I tried to cry but no tears ca, only blood.
Was this the end for ? Had laziness and the desire for peace led to death?
My mind faltered for a mont, but I steadied it. I had known I could die opening this door, yet I still chose to. And laziness? What was wrong with being lazy? If I could create a life of comfort without lacking anything, wasn’t that hard work in its own way?
A heart that stays firm and unyielding even in death is the heart of a victor. To embrace such a mindset ant making the world one’s enemy. Yet even in death, I would continue to carry that heart.
A heart of a demon. A heart of a king. A heart of a man too lazy for mundane things.
The mont those thoughts passed through , the afternoon breeze carried a refreshing air. The pain vanished, replaced by warmth. My body was still breaking and repairing itself, but my mind and heart were steady, and I remained unhard.
I couldn’t turn to check on Uriel’s condition, so all I could do was move forward.
Step. Step. Another step.
I approached the door cautiously. A force within it pushed back each ti I tried to push it open. My footing slipped, and the gentle wind turned sharp against my skin. The clouds inside my soul, once calm, beca stormy as lightning struck my form.
If I hadn’t fortified my heart earlier, I would have died long ago, driven insane by the pain and trials.
Yet through it all, I felt a grin forming on my face. How strong would I beco after entering that door? For the universe itself to be wreaking havoc inside soone’s soul, sothing that should be private, ant the power behind this door could overturn the hierarchy of the universe.
All my muscles tore as the door finally gave way.
Behind it wasn’t white or black, it was nothing. My eyes bled as primal fear crawled up my body. I couldn’t breathe or think.
The minds of all beings register everything as sothing. Nothingness as black, creation as white. We couldn’t comprehend true nothingness, and even as I stared at it, I couldn’t understand it. I tried to form it into shapes, colors, or forms, but it was absolutely nothing.
I clenched my jaw, pushing forward until I stepped fully through the door. Then, with a thunderous slam, it shut behind .
Reviews
All reviews (0)