Navin and Arian stood under the open sky in Thessei, waiting for Adeline to come back from her meeting with the Lord of Tenrell, Gaerel Folarel.

She had to report her success in fending off the invading group of Cultivators, and work out the details of the establishment of communication between her and the information network of Thessei now that she had done her part of the deal.

Already there would be news spreading about the successful defense of Thessei by the hands of the Invincible Fairy, which would deter most of the others trying to take hostile action towards the realm, and would also encourage Thessei’s allies to resume trade and support.

“So, new disciples, eh?”

Arian said with a raised eyebrow. His father gave him a sideways glance and smiled.

“Any objections?”

“None, that’s your decision to make. But I am curious, they can’t be people from the Divine Realm, which means you received them as disciples after the end of the war, so barely a week ago. And taking two at the same time is strange in you.”

Arian replied with a carefree smile. Admittedly there were only two cases to use as a comparison, but he and Adeline were over 3000 years apart. When Navin had adopted Adeline, who at the time was less than four years old, Arian was already a 4th Stage practitioner about to breakthrough to the Fifth Stage.

Now almost 8000 years had passed, and they were both Powerhouses in their own right. But what caught Arian’s interest was the fact that these two new members of the family were received at roughly the same time, right at the conclusion of the war between the Gods and the start of the Cataclysm.

That could not be mere coincidence or whim.

“It was Fate.”

Navin replied while holding his own chin with his right hand, which prompted Arian to laugh again. His Master had a very interesting take on what Fate actually was. Unlike most people, who view Fate as a force that altered events so everything would happen as it was meant to be or an intelligence using causality to make sure that every person arrived at their preordained Destiny, Navin thought of Fate as something that was born from the combined choices of all living beings. It was also a force that could be manipulated and used.

As Arian matured, his comprehension of the Way of Karma had let him understand much of what his Master meant; each action was connected both to the past and to the present, and rippled across the Cosmos in varying magnitudes, causing the future. Fate was the tide made up of all those ripples, so vast and powerful that it was almost impossible to avoid or even perceive most of the time.

How could a mortal attempt to take on an avalanche that had been gathering momentum and mass since the first dawn of time?

And yet, it could be done, if one changed the perspective. The forces of the Cosmos weren’t so simple that they could be interpreted and analyzed in solely one unique way, there were many interpretations of each Law, all of them with a bit of truth in them.

Fate could be seen as a relentless tide, but it could also be seen as a wide and complex set of strings, painting a tapestry across all existence, its threads connected to every living being and pulling at everyone to move to their Destiny. And yet, when looking at Fate in that way, most people forgot that it was also possible to pull back at the strings of Fate.

And Navin Lakar was someone capable of grabbing the threads of Fate and rein them in.

So what Navin meant was that there had been a strong ‘pull’ coming from those two children, that prompted him to take them as disciples. He had accepted them and embraced that Fate. He then started to shape it together with them.

What would come from that was something Arian was looking forward very much. Whoever his Master had chosen as disciples were definitely not ordinary people.

“Fated to meet, eh? Well, that’s quite something. So, who are my new little siblings?”

“Wait for Addie to come back and I’ll show you together. They are wonderful children; you’ll both love them.”

“Fine. Ah, before I forget, here. Those guys will be happy to find that you are back and healthy.”

Arian rolled up his sleeve and extended his right arm towards Navin.

Multiple runes appeared over his smooth skin, shining with different colors and dancing across his arm. Navin raised an eyebrow, he recognized those runes. Those were the marks of contracts to entities that had made pacts with Navin in the past, his followers across many realms of the Cosmos. Some had been made as a group, while others were individual pacts.

Though for the most part Navin let them do as they see fit, they had contracts of subservience to him and received a boon from him in exchange for their service. Each of them was fiercely loyal to Navin and only took orders from him.

Before leaving for the war in the Divine Realm, Navin had gathered them all to release them from the contracts, yet they refused and argued that they would accompany him to the war, which Navin had immediately forbidden. A compromise had been reached to keep their contracts in the care of Arian – as Adeline had fiercely refused to receive even a portion of them– while Navin was away, in the hopes that they would return to him once he returned and as safeguard that in the worst case scenario they would not be destroyed along with Navin.

“Those bastards don’t even listen unless I force them to, anyway. They only helped Adeline these past centuries because it was your wish.”

Arian added in a bit of an annoyed tone. While in theory they were also subordinated to Arian and Adeline, most of those entities only listened to them as an extension of their respect for Navin.

And Arian had no desire of taking them over, he had his own influences and connections too, albeit shallower and less powerful than his Master’s, he had no intention of competing for their loyalty. That Navin saw necessary to delegate reign over them to Arian had been too close to the division of inheritance of a dying man for his taste, the sooner his father got them back, the better.

Navin clasped his oldest disciple’s arm and the runes eagerly moved from Arian’s arm to his own arm before he let go. The runes danced a bit across his arm and then with a flash disappeared under the skin.

Navin’s eyes lit up, the runes formed an array in his pupils and with an exertion of will he contacted them all to send a single message.

I have returned.

He blinked and the array of runes was gone.

“I will need a report of the activities they had carried out during my absence, Adeline will have another for the movements of the different groups during this past couple of centuries.”

“I already got one ready along with the situation in the Nether Planes. Though even Adeline won’t be able to have a full scope of the current situation across all the Cosmos.”

Arian replied as he put a finger over his temple for a second. As he removed the finger, a light silver colored sphere came out from his head attached to it. He then pointed at his Master and the sphere of light flew into his forehead.

“Don’t worry about that, I got a firmer grasp on the state of the Cosmos now, and the best vantage point.”

Navin spoke as he quickly went over the report. Arian had spent the last 300 years inside the Nether Realms, and the last 200 he had maintained the Grand Array to prevent the contamination of other worlds while cultivating in seclusion. The different contracted entities had been mostly carrying on as normal, though Navin would need to ask for reports from each of them later.

Although, there were some matters that drew his attention.

Adeline teleported next to them at that moment, which prompted them to turn towards her.

“Alright, all settled. Ready to go?”

Adeline cheerfully spoke as she extended her right hand towards Arian. Her brother raised his own left hand in response and touched hers.

Black and white Auras emerged from both of their hands and started to swirl and form a circle as their hands separated. The black-and-white spiral grew until it was five meters in diameter and finally stabilized to form a solid circular gate with the shape of a Taiji Diagram.

The door had two equal parts of Yin and Yang, clearly defined into it. It shone for a moment before the two halves separated from the middle, vanishing into the borders of the circle, leaving an open path for them to step on towards a light of gold and purple.

Both disciples stepped to the sides inviting their Master to proceed ahead, giving him the honor to be the first to enter. Navin strode forwards and grabbed each of them by the shoulders as he passed them by, walking with them side by side into the gate.

Instantaneously, the gate closed and vanished from existence without leaving any trace in the realm of Thessei.

Most people had a place they could call home, whether they actually lived there or spent most time away from it.

Many Cultivators opened a school in a mountain, practitioners of every tradition would have a special place to gather and hone their skills.

Every major influence had a control center for their people to live and perform duties, a headquarter for its armies and a focal point for their administrative, political, and economic reach.

Every deity had a seat of power, sometimes a whole realm or secluded dimension where they would live and from which to govern their subjects and order their followers.

While there were plenty of rogue cultivators and wandering individuals of great might that never stayed for long in a single place, they all had an anchor of some kind, a place where they truly belong.

For Navin and his disciples, this dimension was what they called home.

They crossed the Taiji Gate and took in the sight surrounding them.

A floor of black marble adorned with multiple golden lines forming patterns of arcane arrays around depictions of constellations in multiple realms, set over a wide platform of pure white jade that floated over a boundless sea of rolling purple clouds.

There was no sky, only a rippling ocean of the purest water, clear as the liquid of an untouched spring, extending as far as the eye could see. And beyond it an iridescent aurora shone down from just out of reach of clear sight, bathing the whole realm uniformly.

There was no touching that vault, one could spend an eternity rising up without ever reaching the liquid ceiling of this world, just like there was no bottom for the sea of clouds below, nor a lateral border to the extension of this dimension. Should someone attempt to find such things, as both Arian and Adeline had tried, they would find themselves no further than ten thousand meters away from this platform at the moment they decided to give up.

The trio walked down the central path of the platform, flanked by the constellations depicted on the floor.

Two lines of columns with a height of ten meters adorned with images of mythical beasts led to a grand golden archway twelve meters tall at its highest point, standing at the opposite extreme of the large platform.

Along the top of the archway, words could be read. Those were not in any language, yet could be perfectly understood by any sentient being who cast its senses in that direction.

Abandon all doubt, you who walk this path.

Beyond the archway extended a set of stairs, enchanted so that it could only be ascended in exactly a hundred steps. It embodied many principles of the Great Dao.

This rising stairway led to the center of the realm. It was that place which could truly be called their home.

The palace at the center of the boundless realm, Alekya.

Surrounded by a circular silvery wall engraved with figures of armies and monsters, a vast array of multiple layers provided protection to it. Six white towers rose along the inside of the walls, ending in tips of black.

Multiple buildings with different functions laid beyond the walls, and at the center of it all stood the grand palace.

It was within those halls that Arian had first glimpsed at the high mysteries of sorcery and Adeline had honed her techniques of swordsmanship.

No other place commanded so much reverence in their hearts like this one, it was both the holy land for all who were in the service of Navin and the most beloved home for his two disciples.

Though they loved to travel and explore the Cosmos, having multiple adventures and experiences to learn, this place was the one place to which they always returned, their last safe haven even if the rest of the universes collapsed.

Navin took the lead in walking up the stairs, with Arian and Adeline walking side by side behind him.

Even now, after all the knowledge and power they had acquired, this place was still a marvel for his disciples and even for the occasional visitor.

Every single step bathed them with a different principle, like walking from a domain to another as they walked their personal path to ascension. Every principle seamlessly blended into the next, different yet part of the same whole, just like the myriad paths of the Cosmos.

Reaching the end of the stairs, they crossed the gates and stepped into the palace proper. Obsidian pathways decorated with thin lines of varying colors led to the different structures around the main building.

To call Alekya a city would be an exaggeration, as it was nowhere that vast and didn’t have the usual locations nor the inhabitants to be called such. But to call it simply a palace would be inaccurate, given that within those walls there were multiple structures surrounding the main palace, each with its own purpose.

There was the Observatory, a divination tower with many arrays and artifacts for clairvoyance and farseeing, and many charts for the reading of the past, present, and future; it was also used as an intelligence gathering tool.

Storehouses filled with artifacts, armors, and weapons, neatly classified and ordained. One building had the purpose of being used for alchemic concoction and experimentation, filled with tools for assistance in the preparation and safe storage of the products.

There was a training ground with layered protections and multiple simulation grounds to test oneself against a thousand different kinds of scenarios, from single combat to army charges and forces of nature.

There was a greenhouse with a space-altering effect that made it bigger on the inside. It was filled with exotic plants, and farming fields where food was harvested and alchemic ingredients were cultivated. Multiple magic formations made each section especially suitable for the farming of each kind of plant inside.

The Workshop, where they practiced craftsmanship and smithery, countless materials were aligned there, perfectly organized and ready to be used in the making of wonders of technology and magic.

The Grand Library, where vast collections of books of all subjects, arts, and sciences were neatly placed and studied. Scrolls, books, stone tablets, crystals, computers, soul sparks, runic arrays, obelisks, and more. Multiple different methods to store information were used to save and collect this knowledge. In its deepest section, a million different cultivation methods from thousands of different species from all around the Cosmos had been collected.

These and more were found within the boundaries of Alekya, all part of the palace complex.

Walking down to the center of the complex, the trio met the only inhabitants of this realm beside their family. Men and women of different ethnicities and races, dressed in a multitude of clothes, were walking out of the buildings and coming from different sections of the complex to join in the greeting.

A ripple extended across their bodies, and their appearances changed. Humanoid figures made entirely from crystal stood lined up along the path.

Krustali, a kind of artificial lifeform created by Navin. They possessed artificial intelligence and were capable of multiple tasks. They lived in this realm with the duty of maintenance, cleaning, and protection.

At a glance, they seemed to be made from liquid crystal magically taking shape, a circuit of multicolored lights extended along the interior of their bodies and doted them of their intelligence and capability of movement.

“Welcome back, Creator. Congratulations on your glorious return in victory.”

All the figures genuflected as one and spoke at the same time in perfect synchrony, all speaking in the same melodious voice. Then, still kneeling, they welcomed the disciples.

“Welcome back, Lord Arian. Welcome back, Lady Adeline.”

“Thank you for greeting us. It’s good to be back and see that you are all in good shape and health.”

Navin greeted them with a smile. Multiple colors lit up inside the kneeling Krustali, expressing their emotions. Joy, gratification, glee, pride, admiration, enthusiasm.

Arian and Adeline waved at them in greeting, recognizing each of them individually, even in their current appearance, which they took when they convened their collective consciousness in a hive mind, there were traces of each individual. The pair of disciples had learned to identify them, and now that they had the enhanced senses of high-stage Cultivators, it was way easier.

“We are honored by your words, Creator. We are happy to see you all again here.”

The Krustali replied as one, standing up.

“And I’m happy to see you all too. Please, return to your current activities. Thank you for your hard work during our absence.”

Navin clasped his right fist with his left hand and bowed. Adeline and Arian did the same. Without the Krustal doing their laborious job, many of the facilities wouldn’t be able to function properly.

Colors lit up again in the Krustali’s bodies, reverence, gratitude, satisfaction, deference, abashment, fulfillment, respect, love, hope, determination, happiness.

A ripple covered the surface of the bodies of each Krustal standing in attention, and their appearances changed back into those of people of other species. These appearances marked the individuality of each particular Krustal.

They bowed deeply and walked back to their previous locations to continue with their activities and carrying out their duties. Navin’s group then continued walking to the center of the complex.

Entering the main building, they walked into a side room and Navin sat in an ornamented chair as his disciples took a seat side by side on a couch in front of him. Navin let out a sigh.

“Finally at home.”

The pair of disciples watched their father lay back on his seat and close his eyes, relaxing as if he was taking weight off his shoulders, for a moment looking extremely tired and… vulnerable. They shared a worried glance for an instant, conveying with a look what a thousand words could not.

“I know you kids are worried. You have questions, and I will answer them, but there will be a time for that later.”

Navin said with his eyes still closed. His two oldest disciples shared a glance again and Adeline cleared her throat before speaking.

“Dad… what happened there?”

It was rare for her to call him Dad. Even after all this time, the most common way for both Arian and Adeline to address Navin was as Master, although they had long since considered him their father. It was only in private and even then only in few cases where they called him such.

Worry was palpable in her voice as she asked the first question of what would surely be a long list.

Navin opened his eyes, a thin mirthless smile on his lips.

“Before that, we have other matters to attend. Can you make a report about the things that happened in the rest of the Cosmos during these past 200 years?”

Adeline seemed to want to pursue the matter but decided to obey. Her father wasn’t prone to keep many secrets from them, so now that she had asked, he would answer. But he was right that there were other matters of importance and more urgent. Though if she was honest, those things took second place after her family.

She put two fingers on her temple and closed her eyes for ten seconds. When she opened her eyes again, she threw two silver spheres of energy, one to Navin and one to Arian. They both let the spheres enter their foreheads and took a few seconds to read and analyze the contents of the report.

Arian was the first to speak, letting out a soft breath.

“So many worlds are gone?”

He asked looking at Adeline, she grimly nodded in confirmation. Worlds of all levels of existence have been damaged, some were outright destroyed. There were some who didn’t have any major immediate changes, but they were all affected in many different ways. Many were struggling to survive right now.

Which wasn’t made easier by those that wanted to take the Cataclysm as a chance to seize resources and territory, or launching attacks on rivals that were weakened.

Adeline nodded.

“Entire sectors were obliterated. And it’s only getting worse now, beasts are rampaging now and the bastards in many of the Sects are licking their lips in anticipation of conquest.”

“Most of these people are behaving the way I expected them to. Really, can’t they just focus on their cultivation? Then they have the nerve to get upset because younger people catch up to them. Wasting their time with this petty stuff, how could they expect otherwise?”

Arian ran a hand through his hair. It was one of the reasons why so many young talents across the Cosmos had conflicts with ancient organizations. While the new rising stars had the desire to advance, the old mountains wished to maintain their positions by oppressing others, which inevitably led to battles.

He knew many of the powerful beings that ruled the different worlds below the Ninth Stage. Some were his friends, some were his enemies, most were indifferent or shifted loyalties and sides at the drop of a hat. Many of the alliances made by power were dependent on that power to keep going; the moment one of the sides faltered, the other would move against them.

“I know, right? Pure schemers and they don’t have anything to show for all their complicated plans. If they actually spent some time sharpening themselves, maybe they would achieve something from their backstabbing.”

Adeline agreed with her brother’s assessment. That those idiots were even thinking about attacking others instead of taking care of their own was evidence of their unmeasured ambition and stupidity.

She looked at her father, who was silent even though she was sure that he had read the report completely by now. His gaze was focused at empty space, eyes slightly moving as if he was reading at something neither of his disciples could see.

“What’s the matter?”

Arian asked after noticing the same as her. Navin flicked his wrist and a figure appeared in the air between them.

White and silver lines of light drew in the air the outline of a two-meters tall cone pointing upwards. Complex patterns formed on its surface until they joined in the apex. The apex lit up softly and formed a sphere, like a sun partially overlapping with the top of the cone. The inside of the cone grew dark and then multiple figures of varying shape and color appeared floating inside the darkness of the cone. Colorful dots and moving blocks, swirling spirals and flowing currents, all could be seen on the inside of the cone orbiting a soft golden line that went from the vertex to the center of the base. The exterior walls of the cone were divided into different sections; each was dyed in a soft shade of different colors.

The nine-layered cone was completed and floated in the air as the figures inside of it moved slowly.

Both disciples knew what this was.

It was a representation of the entirety of the known Cosmos, the closest thing there was to a complete mapping of it. Though to be more accurate, it was a scale model, a projection of the ensemble of worlds and realms that made up the whole Cosmos.

“Some of the things Arian reported to me before drew my attention, now your report makes other things stand out, Adeline. Joining them with my own observations, it paints a more accurate picture. While it is interesting and promising, there are some worrisome aspects of it.”

Navin spoke as he waved a hand and the projection duplicated. As both models floated side by side, Navin pointed at one of them and wrote an array in golden threads over one of the large sheets in the exterior of the cone, Arian recognized that reddish section as the one corresponding to the Nether Planes.

Then Navin pointed a finger at the top of that model and the shining sphere at its apex vanished, snuffed out like a blown candle.

The effect was both instantaneous and catastrophic.

The cone opened up like a blooming flower, the lines that previously converged at the apex now extended in different directions, most of the colors of the exterior walls started bleeding into the interior of the previously cone and multiple dots of light being tainted and consumed by those colors. Other figures crashed into each other, different cracks spreading over a whole section and some parts were turned upside down.

Chaos, corruption, and utter devastation was displayed for them in the scale model of the Cosmos.

Its significance was starkly apparent for all of them.

Navin’s eyes shone with spirals of energy as he contemplated all of this, analyzing it, running simulations and gaining comprehension.

Making plans and thinking of countermeasures.

“Is that…”

Arian started to talk but let the words trail off. Adeline finished his words in a grim voice.

“The current state of the Cosmos.”

They both looked at Navin, though it was an effort to pull their gaze away from the scale model. He nodded and let out a deep sigh.

“Roughly, yes. And the only thing currently keeping this scenario from worsening and turning into total destruction is me.”

Adeline brightened up hearing that, but Arian kept a solemn expression. This was related to the cause of his worry from the moment he laid eyes on his father in Pereastra.

He was using a Nirmita to meet with them. Arian had identified it as the Dragon Avatar of the Four Guardians Incarnation that his Master used as a special formation when forming powerful Avatars of himself. More importantly, it was evident to his eyes that his father was terribly wounded. Adeline should have noticed too, though he wasn’t sure whether she was willfully ignoring it or just hadn’t carefully looked. It might be that she was simply confident in their Master’s capacity to come out ahead, which he was too, but he could not avoid worrying.

His hands clenched tightly.

“How bad are your wounds?”

Adeline stilled. Navin shook his head.

“I’ll be fine. There are other things that first–”

“Do not coddle us, father! It’s just us here, tell us clearly what’s going on!”

Arian interrupted him with a harsh tone. Adeline’s face went blank and stared firmly to her Master. Navin looked at their faces and saw unyielding resolution there. A bittersweet smile formed on his lips.

Slowly, he nodded and waved to the two models of the Cosmos, making them move to the side. He leaned forward and started to speak in a modulated tone.

“I know that you wanted to ask about what my current state is and what happened during the past two centuries in the Divine Realm. I wanted to address that subject later in the conversation after we had talked about other urgent matters, but so be it.”

He added the last bit with some frustration, but he couldn’t get angry at them for worrying about him. He would have done the same.

He looked at Adeline first.

“War, Addie. In its purest and rawest form, unfettered and unrestrained. We fought with our full powers and massacred each other without pause over the course of two centuries until there was nothing left but two madmen aiming at each other’s throat and as consequence of our battles the Divine Realm is now a ruin, barely a hollow husk where there is only desolation. And in the center of all the remnants of destruction, lies my true body.”

He was speaking in an even voice, yet both of his disciples could notice the emotions laying below the surface. There was a mixture of them. Anger, sadness, and grief, but there were no regrets, their father was not someone to lament over the decisions of his past nor the consequences of other people’s actions. They also noticed hope, excitement, and desire, with the unstoppable drive to keep moving forward.

Judging from the way their father was speaking, it was clear that he was the only survivor of the Grand War. He had lost friends and comrades, not all the Divinities were enemies, some of them had friendly relationships with Navin and even had personally known Arian and Adeline. The worry for their Master had overridden all other concerns before, but now the broader situation was sinking in.

Many entities of great power that they had grown up admiring and respecting were now gone, and a great void of power had been left on the Cosmos as consequence.

The pair knew that Navin wasn’t prone to grief, his life was one of a warrior, he had lived through countless battles and lost many friends. Though he would not forget, he would not be overcome by the sense of loss, especially when there was so much to do right now, he would hold at bay his emotions with an unshakeable and implacable force of will, putting them aside until the moment he could rest.

Navin’s gaze moved to Arian before continuing.

“I’m currently the one holding the reins of all the major forces of the Cosmos, keeping it in an unstable equilibrium, not because I have ascended and become absolute ruler and controller of all existence, but because if I didn’t then the destruction would have gotten out of hand and devastated everything until there was nothing left. I was the only one left to clean up this mess, and no one understands Chaos as deeply as me, so I can guide it to bring forth a positive change, but the risk is astronomical.”

Navin raised a hand and with his index and middle fingers traced a line from his neck to his midriff. He let out a mirthless laugh and continued speaking with a wry smile.

“Besides, I got to experience first-hand the forces that move the Cosmos, it was quite a painful experience that I do not recommend to anyone, but I gained great insight and some degree of influence over them.”

Navin raised a finger and touched his forehead. His figure changed in the blink of an eye. What sat in front of Arian and Adeline was no longer one of their Master’s Nirmitas, but something much closer to his true body.

Navin’s second body switched places with the Dragon Avatar and continued the conversation where the other body had left off.

“Near the end of my last battle against the Sovereign of the Gods, that bastard ripped off the stars of the Divine Realm and made a spear with them, pierced me with it and very nearly killed me. But I managed to survive and killed him. Then I erased him from existence, and removed him from everyone’s memories with Karmic Annihilation.”

Both disciples nodded at their Master’s explanation. They had noticed some of their memories had grown transparent since the start of the Cataclysm. There were two main reasons Adeline could still notice the loss of memories: One, the individual that had been erased was far too influential to disappear completely, even if they were no longer remembered, there was still a void noticed, and the notion that there was a ‘Sovereign of the Gods’ still remained, which had interesting implications she would discuss with her family later. Second, she was an extraordinary existence, she had the attribute of being Timeless due to some fortuitous encounter millennia ago, so things that involved Time, Fate, and Karma did not affect her the same way that other people, if at all.

Arian could retain some notion of the memory loss due to the same first reason as Adeline and thanks to his powerful Soul, as he was close to being Ninth Stage and was extremely well-versed in Sorcery.

“You guys can remember something of him?”

Navin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I remember there was a Sovereign of Gods, nothing else.”

Arian answered and shook his head.

“I have some memories that have grown fuzzy and transparent, I know they are there, but can’t get to them. The Sovereign of Gods had a family, that much I know. We have even met with them before.”

Adeline said with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

“To erase his presence completely was impossible, that son of a bitch was too powerful, too ancient and too influential. His absence is noticed, but at least I have made sure he can never return.”

Navin commented in a disgruntled voice.

“I will help you guys recover your memories once I have enough energy for it. Anyways, after the fight. I used the Tabula Rasa to create this new body and transferred the raging energies that were ravaging my true body from the inside. It’s not enough to ensure recovery, but at least it won’t get worse. Then I used them to connect to the different forces of the Cosmos and restrain the Cataclysm.”

“A sympathetic link using the remnants of the Divine Realm’s stars to connect to the different worlds and stabilize the situation, it’s a grand enterprise, and very risky too. So, your true body is…”

Arian commented. His voice still sounded angry, and despite the interesting bits in his Master’s words, Arian swerved the conversation back to the most important topic: his father’s current state.

“Deep in secluded meditation to recover, but it’s also taking hold of the Cataclysm, so the process is slow. In my current state, I can’t use even a hundredth of my power and I might even have problems trying to kill an Eighth Stage practitioner, though I am not defenseless. Still, it will take me a long time to even be able to move my real self properly, but I will survive. I appreciate your concern, kids, but while I can’t say that I’m alright, I assure you that I am not going to die.”

Navin tried to reassure his disciples, but they just stared at him, carefully discerning the reality of the situation. He let out another sigh.

“Okay, there is a chance that I may die, and we have to plan in case of that, but while it’s not zero, it’s pretty remote.”

The air in the room grew cold, twisted and vanished. Both of them stared daggers at him.

“Don’t even say that.”

Adeline’s voice was firm and sharp, making it clear there was no room for debate. Both of them, on a very fundamental level, refused to accept the possibility of his demise. The sight warmed his chest and he couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“Alright kids, I already told you that I’ll pull through. Take it easy, it’s not like it’s your responsibility. I promise that I’ll manage, don’t worry. It’s just a possibility.”

“There is no such possibility.”

Arian replied, his voice echoing in every language known and some unknown, rippling with arcane power and barely contained emotions.

To even consider that possibility was an affront in their eyes. Navin fell silent. Noticing their father’s silence, Adeline and Arian looked abashed due to their earlier display of aggressivity, but none of them would apologize for their words.

Navin gave them a minute to calm down. They were barely pacified, but at least the air around them wasn’t twisting anymore, so that was progress.

“Anyways, there are a lot of things we need to do. And both of your reports highlighted some things that need consideration.”

“Like what?”

Arian asked, his tone calmer than before. Though there was still an edge in his voice.

“For instance, Katabria launched a campaign 50 years ago attempting an invasion to the Nether Planes, and was stopped by Adeline.”

Both of the disciples frowned at that, why was that event significant? Adeline had fought the Legion sent to make a breach and made a deal with their King. In exchange of her promise of not attacking him or his domains for two hundred years, he would refrain from any further incursions in the Nether Planes for two hundred years.

“The thing that drew my attention is that 50 years ago was when Atropos died in the Divine Realm.”

Hearing his words, both of his disciples opened their eyes wide, understanding what he was implying.

One of the most powerful entities to ever exist in the Cosmos, a Tenth Stage Major God that was rumored to be half-step into the Eleventh Stage.

Hadrial Atropos, The God of Death.

That the King of Katabria, a powerful being of 8th Stage with powers related to Death had launched a large scale invasion to the Nether Planes the same year that the God of Death was destroyed, painted a very suspicious scenario.

It couldn’t be a mere coincidence.

“But, how could he know? No one in the entire Cosmos knew what was going on in the Divine Realm.”

Adeline spoke in alarm. If that old monster in Katabria was capable of knowing some of the things in the Divine Realm, he might be even more dangerous than she had expected, and his goal when invading one of the Nine Serenities might be more complex than expected.

“I will visit him later to clarify this matter. But there are other worrisome things to deal with.”

There were other events, like the stampede of beasts from the Desolate Wilderness, which could be related to the deaths of some of the Divinities. He would need to investigate personally to be sure.

Adeline and Arian shared another look. Now that their greatest worry had been addressed, they would move on to the next worrisome matter. Something about the way their Master had been referring to the other Deities felt off.

Navin said that they died and left it at that. But they knew perfectly well that such things were not so simple. Divine beings were not so easily eliminated.

Deities, as a general rule, were freed from the constraints of age and removed from the cycle of reincarnation by their power and nature. And while that didn’t mean they were indestructible, they were extremely hard to destroy.

Even when they were killed, the vast majority of them had at least one method of resurrection, it was part of the reason there were so many Deities in the Cosmos. Of course, such methods were not perfect, they were incredibly difficult and expensive to use, and there were ways to prevent them, but to possess such safeguard was an extremely valuable thing.

There also existed some ways to kill someone in such a thorough manner that both resurrection and reincarnation became impossible, like their Master’s Sword of Nihility, which could even erase someone out of existence if used at full power. Few existences possessed such methods, but the ones involved in the war were the top powerhouses of the Cosmos, so it was to be expected that many of the casualties in the war would be permanent.

However, that none of them could come back was hard to believe.

“Master, you said you eliminated the Sovereign of the Gods, but what about the other Deities? I can still remember them all perfectly, so they were not erased, right? Will they return?”

Arian asked. They could speculate well about how the different groups and influences in the Cosmos were behaving, but if some Divinities were actually capable of returning while others couldn’t, then the situation would be unpredictable.

“No, they weren’t erased. When the conflicts across the Cosmos escalated to the situation of no return and all-out battles to the death, we agreed to fight in the Divine Realm and settle things there. To let the loser side to return from death would just enable the conflict to start again after some time and get us in an endless cycle of destruction. So when Deus, that’s the Sovereign of the Gods, and me closed off the Divine Realm, we made sure no one who died there could resurrect. Mostly taken as a measure against each other, but effective for everyone else by extension.”

A ban to resurrection enacted by the two most powerful beings in existence. A seal formed by the collaboration of the two only Eleventh Stage Sovereigns of the Cosmos would not be bypassed by anyone.

The past two hundred years had been brutal, and every participant of the war fought with the intention to obliterate the enemy, and they all entered it knowing full well that they might not be able to return.

But they fought because it was something they all considered was worth dying for.

“So, Auntie Selene, Lord Tathagata, and the others…”

Adeline asked in a soft voice. Navin shook his head.

“They are all gone, killed in ways that make resurrection impossible.”

Navin hesitated, then slowly chose his words before continuing.

“However… reincarnation might be possible for some. Mahesh did something there, right at the start. He didn’t really participate in the war. He sacrificed himself when we had sealed off the Divine Realm for the war. He performed some kind of ritual, putting everything that he was in it. But even that was not enough to enable resurrection of those who died in the Divine Realm, and I doubt that was ever his intention. He was always a preacher of ‘second chances’ and that’s what his sacrifice aimed for. The only one I’m sure that can’t reincarnate is Deus. The rest is a throw of the dice, and even then it’s possible it’d take them hundreds or thousands of years before reincarnating anywhere across the Cosmos, and they won’t have their memories, much less their powers.”

Navin sounded frustrated and passed a hand through his hair before leaning back in his seat. His disciples looked at each other before letting out a soft laugh.

“That… really sounds like something Lord Tathagata would do.”

Arian commented and Adeline nodded. Extending the chance of redemption to his enemies and despite the bloody war among Deities, he gave up his own existence to enable everyone, both ally and enemy, to reincarnate.

The kind of selfless act that such a Saint would do.

Navin mirthlessly let out a sigh. He had been furious when it happened. Mahesh was one of his closest friends, vastly older and more experienced than Navin. He was a person of great honor and integrity, one of the few beings that Navin wholeheartedly respected and even admired.

Tathagata’s death had been a great blow to their side. Not only Mahesh’s sacrifice gave the others a chance of reincarnating after the war was over, leaving a potential danger on the loose, but left their side without one of its most powerful fighters.

Different from the many powerhouses above Ninth Stage who reigned as Gods of a particular Law of the Cosmos, Mahesh Sakya was an Immortal Cultivator who had ascended to the pinnacle of power via Enlightenment.

He, like Navin, trained and comprehended the Cosmos to advance, instead of simply being the Regent of a single Aspect of the Cosmos like so many others.

He was a Tenth Stage Powerhouse, only surpassed in power by Navin and Deus. He was also the possessor of many titles and names, the most common of all was Tathagata.

He was worshiped as a Sage who guided countless worlds to wisdom throughout the long history of the Cosmos.

The wondrous Lord who dispels the darkness of ignorance and bestows the light of truth, knowledge, and enlightenment.

In other words, a Buddha.

“That guy always did as he pleased.”

Navin said with a rueful smile.

“Don’t we all?”

Adeline replied with a smile. Navin narrowed his eyes at her and she stuck out the tip of her tongue at him as Arian laughed. Navin accepted the comment. He really wasn’t one to talk when it came to doing what one pleased. Besides, Tathagata had stayed true to his nature and his Path, so there was no badmouthing him. Even if Navin disagreed with his actions, he would respect his choice.

Which, as much as Navin hated it, extended to letting even his enemies have a second chance in reincarnation. Otherwise, that sacrifice would be in vain.

“Fair enough. Alright, enough of the past, we can talk more about it later. Now we need to focus on what’s happening and what will happen in the Cosmos.”

Navin spoke and both disciples straightened in their seats. The humor from before being short-lived, their moods turned serious once more.

Arian cleared his throat before speaking as he glanced at the model of the devastated Cosmos.

“Alright, what should we do now? The Cataclysm presents opportunities for beings all across the Cosmos. The question then is how to use it to guide the Cosmos in a better direction, right?”

Adeline nodded. Her expression was serene but her sharp eyes were focused and her voice was firm, filled with power. Her entire body language changed, her aura was stirring, sharpening in preparation for the upcoming events.

“Change is coming, a new age will begin and its arrival is inevitable. That much is certain.”

“Chaos and war are catalysts for change. But we need to be careful if we want to bring forth a positive change. These factors are already at play, what we have to do is take advantage of them.”

Navin said rising from his seat and walking up to the floating model of the Cosmos. His disciples stood up, picking up the intent behind his words.

“Chaos already started, it’s spreading across every world in some manner or another as the first consequence of the Cataclysm."

Arian said, his voice was the herald of mysteries and miracles, horrors and wonders unfolding within the light in his eyes as he gazed at the Cosmos.

"New paths are being created right now, and a myriad more will appear tomorrow. The seed for the second catalyst is planted in the minds of all who hold a key to the future in them; the madmen and the followers, the ambitious and the fools, heroes and villains both. All who would look at the world and make a claim for something better. They will arise and when their paths clash, only one thing can happen.”

Navin said in a clear voice. There was no hesitation in him, only the cold certainty of what was coming, and the blazing determination to face it.

“War.”

Adeline spoke one word and needed to say no more. The word rang with the power of certainty. The Empress of the Battlefield studied the changing Cosmos, already searching for the place where her sword would be unsheathed.

Navin stood next to his disciples and took a deep breath, ready to walk with them the uncertain new path spreading in front of them. At the end of that path, like a beacon shining in the darkness, was the gate to Transcendence.

But before he could enter it, many things would need to be done, and he could already feel the pieces moving, the rising lines that would draw the future of the entire Cosmos.

“So it begins.”

He said, and so it was.