Speaking of blood, gore, and collapse, there were outcomes far more devastating than simple physical destruction.
In another region of the Infinite Unfurling, far from the battles raging across multiple fronts, a singular figure arrived at a specific coordinate.
THE Living Origin stood before a certain wormhole that Lumivara, Noah, and Stellara had passed through not long ago. Her body currently blazed with power at THE, the full weight of her genuine capability on display.
None of the weavings or limitations of Pre-THE could be detected anywhere on her form. She had clearly been concealing her true strength when she appeared among THE Time Surfer’s entourage. As for the reason why? Who knew!
But despite her overwhelming power, she frowned and did not enter the wormhole. As if she knew precisely what lay on the other side.
She remained outside the spatial anomaly, her white-gold eyes looking deeply into the distortion with intensity. When she spoke, her words seemed to be only for herself, a contemplation voiced aloud.
"Origins," she said with measured thoughtfulness. "What constitutes a true origin when one perceives a glimpse of that same origin manifesting on another entity, even if they do not belong to this time or place?"
Her expression became complex.
"Origin belongs everywhere it currently stands because Origin is the beginning point, the source from which things emerge. So if I see my own Origin reflected in another who should not exist here, what does that mean for the nature of reality itself?"
She reached out with one hand toward the wormhole without touching it.
"What is real, and what is false? If I exist here and now, am I the true Origin? Or am I merely an echo of something that will come later? Does the chronological sequence of manifestation determine authenticity, or does Origin transcend such temporal constraints?"
Her hand trembled slightly.
"What is real, and what is false?" she repeated with quiet intensity.
The question hung in the air without answer as THE Living Origin continued to stare into the wormhole, not going in just yet!
Meanwhile, past this wormhole and through the unique frequency barrier, inside a domain of concentrated authority and blinding brilliance...
Inside THE Northern Unfurling Node of Existence of THE Creature, a scene of devastation and emotion played out. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
The body of Stellara was breathing heavily with tears dripping steadily from her face. She was actually wailing with unrestrained grief, her voice echoing across the white-light landscape with pain.
This was a powerful entity who had cultivated strength for eons, now reduced to crying like a broken child.
The immense rage and pain she was expressing came through clearly in every sobbing breath. Her body looked torn and collapsed all over, with sections of her form literally unraveling as her existence began to lose cohesion.
Near her sat Noah’s figure, calm and unhurried.
He moved to sit beside her with ease, as if they were old friends rather than mortal enemies who had just tried to kill each other.
"Come on, why the tears?" he said with measured tone. "They will not change anything at this point."
Behind Noah, Lumivara looked over the scene with a profound trace of awe and shock written across her features. Noah’s figure had shown heavy injuries during the battle that were now completely healed, testament to the power of his Way.
The terrifying battle between him and Stellara, who had been stripped of her Pre-THE power by the domain’s mechanisms, had finally ended after what felt like an eternity of conflict.
It had concluded with a constant barrage of expressions of Noah’s Way that already superseded the Way of Light at fundamental levels. He had gradually worn her down through relentless assault, each attack proving that his Sovereignty stood above hers.
Until her entire existence had been decimated to the point where she now sat at the edge of unraveling completely.
And at that critical moment, she had begun to wail with grief.
Stellara’s emotional voice rang out between sobs as she looked at the radiant light suffusing everything around them.
"Since I first opened my eyes in existence, I dreamed only of Light," she said with voice breaking. "Having attained Pre-THE status, this perfect Light I was always pursuing felt so near. So close I could almost touch it."
Fresh tears streamed down her luminous face.
"But then THE Time Surfer appeared and demanded I join her. Then all of this happened in sequence beyond my control. To be stripped of my Light by this domain, to lose to you..." Her voice filled with bitter rage. "To lose to a fucking nobody like you who apparently should not even exist in this time..."

"Go toward the Light," he said simply.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse