Location: Star Realm
Feldway POV
We hovered above the Star Realm, amidst the firmament where laws bled into the void. The stillness around us was deceptive—woven with currents of divine intent.
Veldanava's voice broke the silence.
"We're in a higher-dimensional layer of the Material Belt. The belt itself contains countless 'bubbles'—universes, all vast beyond measure. There are nearly infinite of them."
So the theory of multiple universes wasn't just fantasy. It was truth.
"These universes are sustained by higher connections—threads anchored to this plane. And powering those threads are the Great Spirits. I created them to interface with the multiverse's systemic backbone: the Voice of the World."
The term struck something deep.
"They're emotionless constructs," he continued, "not beings in the traditional sense. They're functionally void of ego—just machines, upholding existence through absolute neutrality."
I frowned. "So… the Great Spirits are just soulless tools, powering reality like batteries?"
Veldanava gave me a sidelong smirk. > "Correct. The Voice of the World operates them like limbs. The System I made—well, mostly made—relies on them to preserve causality."
He paused, his expression hardening.
"But only one person besides me can influence them directly. She's not as strong, but she understands the mechanics. You'll meet her in time."
A strange chill ran down my spine. Her?
Then, as if brushing dust off his shoulders, Veldanava casually shifted the topic.
"As for my origin… I don't remember being born. But I awakened with this power. And I wasn't alone. From my shadow, another being emerged—a second will."
"I called them Ivarage."
He looked away.
"We didn't hate each other, nor did we bond. We simply… existed, opposites drawn into orbit. We fought. We laughed. We grew stronger."
A long pause followed.
"Then everything changed."
I leaned forward slightly. "What happened to them?"
His tone dropped to a near whisper.
"They were afflicted with absolute knowledge. The rules of all creation, laid bare. Every law. Every consequence. Every secret."
"And in knowing everything… Ivarage lost themselves. Their mind collapsed. They became a being of instinct and destruction—a conceptual calamity."
My breath caught in my throat.
"To preserve the Lower Dimensions, I confronted them. I stole what fragments of knowledge I could, and sealed the rest. But even so…"
He turned to face the void again.
"That's when I began to relinquish my own power."
A deep, uneasy silence followed… until he added, almost too casually:
"And with that, I passed full administrative control of the System to the Voice of the World."
I blinked. "You… what?"
"All of it," he confirmed. "The laws, the logic, the narrative structures. Every single thread of fate. I gave it the authority to script all life, down to the tiniest soul."
The implications hit me like a Star Buster to the chest.
"Including your life, Feldway. All of it. Every event, every relationship, every failure—was written."
My hands trembled. "You mean… even my reincarnation?"
Veldanava nodded slowly.
"Yes. You were reborn because the Voice deemed it necessary. You were made a Cherub because the System required balance. Even your fragmented past—those memories you can't quite grasp? The Voice of the World might've scrambled them on purpose."
I stared at him, mouth dry.
So… my entire existence—my regrets, my identity, my pain—they weren't even mine? They were lines in a cosmic script?
"But why?" I whispered. "Why give up your will to a machine?"
Veldanava didn't answer.
The weight of it crashed into my chest. Was my life a lie? Was my sense of self a manufactured byproduct of a dying god's convenience?
I couldn't stop the words that came next.
"Obviously, you wouldn't understand."
He froze.
"You—an all-powerful being, born into a lonely upper realm with nothing but a mindless counterpart for company. NOT EVEN the Voice of the World shows you love. You used your only friend for knowledge, and now you seek love from your creations to cope with your pathetic existence."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
For the first time, Veldanava didn't laugh. His head bowed, his golden eyes dimmed. There was no rebuttal. No smug grin. Just quiet.
"…I'll be heading to the West Heavenly Mountain," he murmured, voice stripped of grandeur. "Train alone for now."
And with that, he vanished.
Location: West Heavenly Mountain
The peak was quiet. The wind here whispered like an ancient priest, carrying secrets through the air.
I found him seated on the edge of the cliffs, staring into the pale horizon.
I stepped forward, landing softly. He didn't look at me.
"You know," I said gently, "what I said earlier was true."
He gave the slightest nod.
"But I missed one thing." I took a breath. "You can feel love—even from the things you created. Even from us. That love may not be perfect… but it's real. I've felt it myself, lately. Fortunately."
For a second, I saw something flicker in his eyes.
A single tear rolled down his cheek before he wiped it away—and laughed.
"Kuahahaha! You thought that would hurt me?! Please. I, the Great Star King Dragon, am invincible—emotionally and physically!"
I grinned. "Oh yeah? Then let's test that, old man."
He stood, cracking his knuckles.
"Free hit. I won't even read your mind. Let's see what you've learned."
This time… I would show him everything.
To be continued…