Chapter 302: The Era of Khaos Begins - The Land of Elsewhere

’Fifty thousand years... and carrying the weight of an entire universe,’ Akasha mused, the thought looping in his mind for minutes without a single word escaping his lips.

He lingered at the pond’s edge, letting the reflection of his thoughts mingle with the gentle, unhurried labor of the water.

A faint thread of void-light stretched across his face, while behind him golden leaves fluttered with quiet patience.

The scent of herbs drifted in and out, carried on a wandering breeze that had no right to exist at such a height.

Luna, Yume, and Akashi let the quiet hang in the air, giving it space to speak for itself.

They could tell the difference between a man gripped by fear and one who had just learned that his peace came with a cost.

More than anything, they knew Akasha well, and knowing he had troubles ahead, he was already figuring out ways to handle them.

His shoulders were squared, his face calm and unreadable.

Luna smiled softly and rested her head against his shoulder.

Her white-and-pink hair slid down his arm and pooled in the grass, warm through the cloth.

Yume moved and sat on the bank, trailing her fingers through the pond until the ripples broke him apart and put him back together.

"So," Akasha said after a while, "What does all of this truly mean?" He questioned.

He understood the concept of Karmic weight, but if he was going to prepare himself properly, he needed to know exactly what it meant to bear the weight of fatality.

Akashi lingered on the sight of the water a moment longer than necessary.

"Well," she said, tilting her chin toward the oasis, the winding paths, and the mountain draped in all those climbing threads.

"You will essentially stick out like a sore thumb... Becoming a target at the most random moments... and even at times for no reason."

She went on to explain that anyone linked to him would inevitably get caught up in such matters, with Dream Land in particular drawing far greater attention and curiosity from those eager to learn more about it.

Hearing this, Akasha maintained a calm, casual expression as he asked, "So... is there a way for me to cleanse this weight?"

Akashi stepped back, studying him as if seeing more than what was on the surface.

"Realistically? No," she replied, shaking her head, never one to sugarcoat the truth.

"Only a select few could find their way out of this... and they all belong to the Ineffable Clan," she continued.

"The only way you can cleanse it... is by standing in front of Fatality and making her stop."

As her words came to a close, she gave a knowing smile and stepped forward to pat his shoulder.

"And my son, even if you move the Mountain... elsewhere, a path will always open to make you face the consequences."

It didn’t mean that someone could stroll into Akasha’s Domain, but it did mean that for the next fifty thousand years, neither he nor those tied to him would be able to hide.

They’d have to live constantly looking over their shoulders, always hunted.

Akasha’s eyes narrowed as he picked up on the deeper meaning in her words.

Since his evolution, he had gained some impressive benefits... and that was also the reason for the absence of the Sage, who had been calmly waiting for his arrival.

"How is that even possible?"

Akashi shrugged, almost cheerful about the size of it.

"She’s strong as hell."

At her words, he glanced down once more.

The pond reflected Luna leaning against him, Yume’s hand drifting in the water, his mother waiting nearby, and the weight of fifty thousand years pressing over them all.

He kept staring until his gaze grew blank, then pulled in a long, slow breath.

"Fuck it. What’s the second thing?" He said, as he had never been the type to worry about anything beyond his control.

Put simply, if he couldn’t look his grandmother in the eyes and convince her to undo the effects, then they would linger indefinitely.

He lacked the strength to challenge her power truly, and that much was painfully clear.

If she could even reach into and influence his own subspace... then there was no question just how far her influence could stretch.

"Yeah... it was a few years back when the Era of Khaos began," Akashi said. "That’s what really makes Fatality even worse."

She explained once again how the Era of Khaos reflected one of her mothers, Khaos herself.

During this time, as Akasha already knew, the chances of monsters being born skyrocketed, along with the likelihood of multiversal wars and other far more damning matters.

Akasha finally turned his head toward his mother, the tilt subtle and almost lazy, as though giving her one final chance to admit she was winding him up.

Luna’s hair brushed lightly against his arm, and Yume’s fingers froze in the pond.

"Fuck it," he said, and then, softer, "Fuck it. Fuck it."

In that moment, he began to smile. After hearing everything, he wasn’t the least bit worried.

As long as he knew what to expect, he would be ready, and in that instant, every trace of worry left him.

He didn’t care about the weight of Fatality or the Era of Chaos.

Ever since he had evolved and discovered his origins, he had already decided to show all of existence what it truly meant to be overpowered.

"Before we walk into Pantheos," he said, "I should get started on the plans."

He lifted from the grass without taking a step.

The breeze from the oasis tugged at his pale hair as he ascended.

The pond released his reflection.

From above, the peak resolved into a map once more: winding paths, the herb garden, the tree’s golden and white mass.

"Do me a favor... Gather everyone behind the mountain," he called down. "I won’t be long."

As he rose higher, the void threads glowed brighter around him.

The treehouse dwindled into a vision of white fruit and golden leaves.

Then the space he had occupied was empty, leaving the three of them with the pond, the scent of crushed herbs, and the outline of a man already in motion.

"Well," Luna said with a teasing smile, "This is going to be fun..."