The Land of Nothingness was not created by anyone or anything. That made its entire existence an impossibility. It was entirely outside of the realm of possibility to the point where even those who had reached a state above the Heavenly Order of their individual cosmos could not comprehend how they could possibly experience it.
As the other side of the coin, did Nonexistence also have its own laws and functions? Did it have its own sort of "existence" that went unrecognized?
These were the questions that everyone asked themselves when they first entered this place, but they'd co to find out that nothing they did could possibly comprehend these sorts of "mirror laws" contained within Nonexistence.
This place was the only reason they could be hypothesized in the first place. And this place that seed filled with clues was not forgiving in the slightest.
The Land of Nothingness was made up of five islands separated by a Sea of Nothingness. That sea could not be crossed through ordinary ans. Instead, one could only progress to the next island after reaching a certain level of comprehension in Nonexistence.
The islands beca progressively more advanced as their population gained more control over the realm. This one, as the first island, was usually a place where only the newest people would say.
Its population was no more than thirty. Only that many people were unable to make it past this place, including Harold.
As Damien guessed, a condition needed to be fulfilled at every island to move on. On the fifth island, one would face a final test that had to be passed in order to return to the world.
It was said that almost nobody had passed that test. Rumors like those reached even the first island. After all, every ti soone left this realm it was a grand showing. Everyone could see that the individual in question succeeded, so for there to be no such showings for so many years, it was obvious that the test was nigh impossible.
Harold couldn't tell Damien everything, as he spent all of his ti on the first island. However, he could spread the necessary information for a newcor to learn the ropes.
Harold seed different from the rest. People like those bandits Damien t earlier had succumbed to their imprisonnt and were acting out so sort of society to cope. Harold also didn't have the talent to reach the next island, but instead of resigning, he decided to guide newcors so they didn't share his fate.
He told Damien the rumors that plagued this land, the theories that had been collectively created about the concept they were all trying to comprehend, and the rules of this place.
He gave his junior enough knowledge to survive on his own.
'So those guys weren't being bandits for no reason.'
On the first island, it was just about energy accumulation. It was a simple step that could be taken by ninety percent of people.
In this place, one could accumulate energy in many ways, but the easiest was obviously to steal it from others.
Unfortunately, with this island's population being so small, it was rare for one to have the opportunity to steal from others. When Damien arrived, he was a clear target for the most desperate of people.
Even his small amount of energy would be sothing aningful to those who could barely accumulate anything. 'For the first step, the aning behind Nonexistence has been removed. This is ant to make us treat it like just another energy and to take away the mystery around it that makes it hard to grasp.'
This was the very issue Damien struggled with most as he tried to find a first step to comprehending Nonexistence.
'It's a funnel.'
The entire chanism was ant to help them get closer to Nonexistence. It just funneled out those unworthy in the process. If Damien could treat Nonexistence like any other concept, then he would be able to conquer it without a problem.
Hell, he had the sa problem with Existence back when he first ca to the Heavenly World.
If it weren't for the Unrecorded setting him on the right path, he would have never progressed past the point where his father was halted.
That was why Damien never looked for the other legacy sites of the Unrecorded. He left them for any potential Absolute who would rise in the future, so that they would have the guidance they needed to reach past their bounds.
This realm of Nonexistence, a place that seed to be created by the concept's own desire to be recognized, was the sa kind of guide as the Unrecorded.
Harold allowed Damien to use the extra room in his ho until he got his thoughts together.
By the ti a day passed in Damien's perception, he was already ready to leave.
"Thank you for your kindness. I won't forget it," Damien said as they bid farewell.
"It isn't anything like that," Harold said with a smile.
"I just want to be able to say that I helped in the creation of a Supre Being."
Damien smiled as well. He could say it however he wanted, but it was true that this man had a surprisingly pure heart for soone who reached this point in power. Perhaps his stay in this realm changed him.
"I saw that you have an interest in drinks. Since you allowed to taste the fruits of your holand, I have also left a concoction of mine for you. Enjoy it while you wait. I'll make sure you can brag all you want in the future."
Damien couldn't guarantee anything to a man like Harold. For now, Harold was stronger than him and more knowledgeable than him. As the islands didn't allow one to move backward, only forward, he wouldn't be able to share his findings with Harold to help him progress his power.
The most he could do was give him a gift and a promise. A promise that he would see the light of ascension coming from the fifth island sooner rather than later.
Damien and Harold shook hands with matching smiles. That was the last ti they'd ever see each other.
It was a brief encounter with a man who wanted to be a guide, but it was aningful only in its finitude.
There wasn't a particular direction Damien wanted to travel in. The island was uniformly made of rolling hills. It was definitely not small, but it wasn't large either.
Still, with the awareness of an ordinary person, it was massive. Damien couldn't fly anymore, but relying on his physical body, he could run incredibly fast. He allowed his feet to take him away until he ended up on the island shore, looking out beyond the Sea of Nothingness at the second island beyond.
'Okay.'
He was calm. It was a surprising situation, but that was the end of it.
From start to finish, Damien had that kind of ntality.
He would either succeed or lose everything.
No, it was impossible to lose everything. He wouldn't allow it.
He had to succeed.
There was no other option in this life.
For the sake of the ambition that had been driving him since the very first instances of his journey as a practitioner, he would succeed.
Even in places where everyone else failed.
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