Chapter Text
Despite his divinations being clouded by vague predictions and half-formed prophecies, lost amid countless branching possibilities, Zhou Mingrui had never expected to awaken so soon after his battle against the will of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
Sefirah Castle remained as tranquil as ever. Beneath a silent sky strewn with stars, gray fog drifted in slow, gentle waves, undisturbed by the passage of time. Zhou Mingrui stared blankly at his surroundings, his mind utterly still, with not a single thought stirring within it.
Then he blinked, sensing something shift. Lowering his gaze, he found Arrodes resting motionless across his lap. He remained silent for several moments, listening to the faint spiritual vibrations that conveyed the mirror's quiet happiness.
At last, he reached down and gently ran a finger along its silver frame. The moment his finger brushed the intricately carved designs, the Sealed Artifact exploded into a dazzling display of fireworks, brilliant bursts of light blooming across its surface like the sky on New Year's Eve.
[ Great Master! ]
Arrodes' jubilant voice rang through Zhou Mingrui's mind.
[ This lowly, insignificant, and utterly devoted servant humbly welcomes your glorious return with boundless joy! ]
Zhou Mingrui blinked, unsurprised by the overwhelming happiness radiating from the mirror. "Yes." He let out a soft chuckle, his voice echoing through the silent expanse of Sefirah Castle. "It's good to be back."
Even so, he could already tell that something had gone wrong. Zhou Mingrui had been supposed to awaken sometime during the Fifth Epoch, when the transmigration would finally take place. Instead, he had awakened far too early.
Closing his eyes, he let out a quiet sigh, already sensing the absence of his Beyonder characteristics and Uniqueness. Only through his rightful dominion over the gray fog did he still retain the authority of the Lord of Mysteries.
Zhou Mingrui drifted into a dreamlike state, deliberately seeking answers through divination. His visions were severely limited by the restraints binding him, but fortunately, he could still observe the outside world through a detached viewing state.
Beyond the veil of gray fog, Zhou Mingrui saw only darkness and chaos. A wry smile tugged at his lips. "Ah," he murmured. "Would you look at that." It seemed the sun had finally set, and in its wake, darkness had swallowed the land.
"Arrodes, what epoch is it today?" he asked, more out of convenience than necessity. He could have searched for the answer himself, but he wanted to know whether the Sealed Artifact still had access to the outside world.
Zhou Mingrui didn't believe he had imposed any restrictions on Arrodes' omniscience, though there might have been unforeseen consequences. There's also the matter with the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
He gently traced the mirror's intricate patterns. By now, he and the previous Great Old One had mostly merged. However, the madness that accompanied the pinnacle of divine existence brought its own complications.
It's mostly bearable now, barely noticeable, yet still present. He isn't plagued by ravings, not yet, but the pressure remains. Zhou Mingrui can only assume the reason it isn't currently troubling him is the absence of the Lord of Mysteries pathways.
[ It should be the Third Epoch, Great Master! This humble servant would like to know whether you intend to act now? ]
Zhou Mingrui hummed thoughtfully. "No," he replied. "It's still two epochs too early." Moreover, he had no desire to join the current madness below, it simply wasn't the right time yet. He had risked so much for this attempt, yet things hadn't gone quite as well as he had expected.
'Is this one of His doings again?' he wondered. he could think of several reasons why the Great Old One might act in such a way. There was a reason the Fifth Epoch was considered the most favorable time to ascend to an Above the Sequence existence. With the Original Creator's will in decline came the gradual weaking of divinity itself.
Zhou Mingrui could only assume that the Celestial Worthy intended to overtake him while it was still early, when His own will still held strong influence. Fortunately, he had already taken some precautions. If will was tied to the pathways, then what could possibly be corrupted when there was no bridge between the two concepts?
Of course, severing the connection alone was not enough. The plan carried significant risks, especially in the one place where the Great Old One likely held absolute control. It was, without a doubt, a gamble. The earlier the attempt, the greater the risk of facing overwhelming madness.
However, the closer it was to the Original Creator's awakening rather than to the barrier's decline, the more fragmented and incoherent the divine will became. Zhou Mingrui understood that the Celestial Worthy's plan was just as much of a gamble as his own. 'Fortunately, I was able to take steps to counteract it.'
[ Great Master, forgive my impudence, but... if you do not intend to act, what, then, did you plan to do now? ]
Zhou Mingrui looked down, his expression blank. Then he smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was little feeling in it, really, just the familiar curve of a clown's signature smile. "What else is there to do but wait and idle?"
Now, it's simply a battle against boredom.
— Early Fifth Epoch.
It was said that true deities once walked the earth, and Merlin liked to believe such fairytales. After all, he had always longed to believe in miracles.
Belief was meant to be something sacred, reserved for religion. Yet for a sick boy who dreamed of grass beneath his feet and the blue sky above his head, belief might as well have been magic.
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