The Royal Priest, Regvaor, moved silently through the Temple of Beginning, his feet carrying him right to the center of the building. There, he set his knees upon a velvet cushion as his six hands came up in prayer.

Pulling the Holy Essence from the air, Regvaor let it slip into his body and crawl underneath his skin. It mixed with his own power, almost humming as his form began to emit a soft golden glow.

He smiled and looked up at the massive statue of their Lord and Savior.

Five pairs of enormous crystal wings grew out of the statue's back, illuminating the entire temple in a myriad of colors. Swords of gold hung limply in the entity's hands as it stared ahead with grim determination written all over its face.

Hundreds of years passed since Regvaor first laid his eyes on the silver structure, and yet nothing could take away the childish wonder he felt even now. It was truly the pinnacle of craftsmanship with its size and usage of materials alone. Add to that the constant stream of Essence flowing out of the statue, and it became one of the most unique creations in the entire Multiverse.

Bowing his head, he closed his eyes. Lord of Light and Protector of Creation, hear the words of your humble servant. One more Universe has fallen while another is crying tears of blood as the Void consumes its light. Lend us your strength, my Lord. Bless us with the power of your soul to save those that still live, to give them a chance for a normal life… For we are of the light.

At once, Regvaor released the Holy Essence flowing through his veins into the ground, bowing even lower as the entire temple shook. For we are of the light. He repeated, the glow finally leaving his skin.

"Serafin Kera," he whispered, his eyes opening. "I'm glad to have you back. I trust your trip proved fruitful."

Hearing the shuffle of feet behind him, the Royal Priest rose. He gave the final bow toward the statue before facing the new arrival.

Half the size of Regvaor, the humanoid being of blue coloring had her head bowed while two pairs of small feathery wings remained snugly tucked into her body.

"Forgive me, my Lord, for interrupting your rituals," the Serafin spoke. "I would have waited, but you ordered me to report back as soon as I returned."

Regvaor approached Kera and placed a hand on her shoulder. "There is nothing to apologize for, my dear," he smiled when she finally raised her head. "I gave you an order, and you followed it. For that, you have my thanks. Now come, I will hear what you have to report."

Motioning the Serafin to follow, they walked around the statue and towards the back of the temple. There, he stopped right in front of a wall covered in gray symbols and raised his hand, the signs instantly lighting up like a stormy sky.

Regvaor stepped into the wall, almost shivering as Essence covered every fiber of his being. The feeling soon passed, and he opened his eyes to the sight of a spartan dark room, a stark contrast to the colorful temple he just left.

Far away from prying eyes. He noted, sitting behind a desk and waiting for Kera to do the same on the opposite side. "Anything I can get for you before we begin?"

The Serafin jumped onto the chair and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, my Lord, but I'm fine."

"Wonderful," Regvaor nodded. "You may begin, my dear. If what I felt during the last few days is anything to go by, I fear we might be here for a while."

Kera's small shoulders slumped as she took a deep breath. "Like always, you are right, sir. The sixty-fourth Outbreak might be one of the worst we've had in a while. The previous Universe took too long to fall apart and, as a result, collected enormous amounts of Void Essence."

So it is as I feared. He sighed, one of his hands running through his thick, white beard. "What is the Academy's initial summary?"

"Disconcerting, sir," she replied instantly. "The average rank of planets of Universe No. 237 after the first Cataclysms was placed at D minus. It is the highest since the forty-eighth Outbreak. Even more troubling is the highest-ranked planet, my Lord. Our sensors ranked it at C."

"That's indeed troubling," the Royal Priest murmured. "I assume there are no survivors on that particular planet?"

Kera shook her head. "No, my Lord. No survivors were detected. Master Sargnax speculates that it has already turned into a world of Ever-Darkness. We won't be able to confirm it until the Academy finds out if the nearest star to that planet has already died, but I thought it was something you should know of."

"Thank you, my dear. Those accursed worlds are no joke, as you well know. I would rather hear about it now than later. Void knows how many people we've lost to those planets."

"Indeed, my Lord," Kera nodded. "On the other hand, two new planets are joining the ranks of Dead Legacies. Ver'Sor and," she grimaced, "Almok."

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Regvaor mirrored his subordinate's expression. "So they made it through… The council won't be happy... Most of the Lords were sure we've dealt enough damage to stop Almok from ascending." He shook his head. "No matter, that is a problem for later. Please tell me if Master Sargnax and his unit managed to sense the Old One's shards."

The Serafin bowed her head. "Nothing more than a few echoes. Wherever the shards are hidden, we can't pinpoint their location. Although the Academy is still developing their latest project, with the echoes still fresh, we might see some progress in the coming months."

"While that's not what I wanted to hear, it's more than we had in the past." The Priest massaged his brow. "I hoped that with an Outbreak so powerful, we would hear more from the Old Ones. Let's just pray that other factions were as unlucky as us."

"Why should we, my Lord? None of them are actively searching for the shards," she frowned. "Ger is the only place equipped well enough to find them. Why would we worry about others?"

"Oh? And please tell me, what happened with the first shard?" Regvaor smiled as Kera ducked her head, almost disappearing behind the desk. "Exactly, my dear… They found them by chance, and to this day, a piece of an Old One is lost to us, even if the one to find it died eons ago. That's why we always need to be on guard."

"I understand, and forgive me for my incompetence, sir," she blushed.

Regvaor chuckled. "You are still young, Kera, and have plenty of time to learn... Now, did you manage to find out what happened during the last hunt? I would rather not ask Lord Stonewell."

The Serafin scowled, her previous embarrassment vanishing. "Another unsuccessful mission, sir. Fools thought they could follow the Trinity and recover what they stole. Only one came back, and he probably won't be placed on active duty anytime soon."

"The Trinity?" Regvaor repeated, his gaze hardening. "How many times do I have to tell those damned fools to stop messing with entities beyond their understanding? Those three are too powerful for normal soldiers to face. Dear Lord, they are even beyond most of our elite… It seems I have another subject to broach during the next council meeting."

"I doubt Lord Stonewell will be happy," Kera remarked, a slight grin forming on her lips.

"Lord Stonewell, forgive me for my language, can go jump into the Abyss," he grumbled. "His pride and idiocy have led many good soldiers into early graves. I will make sure he will be the one to bring the news to their families."

Kera nodded. "As he should."

"Enough about the bumbling idiot," Regvaor sighed. "It's getting late, and I'm sure you would rather go back to your home than spend the next few hours listening to my rants about the Council."

The young Serfin grinned. "I don't mind at all. You always have the best gossip, my Lord. My mother is particularly fond of the stories I bring her after our meetings."

Of course, she is. The Priest groaned, masking it with a cough. "Yes, well… Why don't you tell me how the Merchants are doing? I would love to know if they have already managed to find their so-called 'rifts'."

Kera shrugged, the grin still on her face. "My contacts wouldn't tell me a thing. But they sounded quite excited, so I'm pretty sure that even if they haven't found any passages yet, they are close."

"As expected," he murmured and leaned back in his chair. "Thank you for gathering all of that information, Kera. Your work is, as always, appreciated. You can take your leave now and rest for a few days. It won't be long before the gates in the new Universe open, and we will have hands full of work again… Oh, and please pass my greetings to your mother."

The Serafin stood and bowed deeply. "Of course, my Lord. Thank you, and I'll be sure to tell Mom that her friend didn't forget about her."

"As if she would let me," Regvaor huffed. "Now go, child. May the Protector shine his light upon your soul."

"For we are of the light," Kera returned, and with a flash of green, she disappeared from the room.

Youth. The Royal Priest chuckled.

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Far away, deep inside the dimensions of the Void, a lone man sat on a cliff of a rocky hill. A soft hum constantly escaped his throat as he gazed at the ocean of miniature stars and galaxies that hung above his left palm.

The holographic image changed constantly. Colorful planets turned into crimson globes while stars dimmed, losing almost all of their light. And yet another Universe fell prey to the Void's Curse. I wonder what secrets I can uncover this time…

The man's gaze zeroed on a particular galaxy, its light already almost dead. It seemed like the first dark zone was already developing in the new Universe. Curious… It's not even close to the Ever-Darkness world. I just might have to drop by and see how it progresses. Dark Zones always have interesting things to hide. I wo…

Pausing, the man brought up his other hand, a small metallic orb materializing in his palm. Deep beneath the figure's cloak, an eyebrow rose as the man pressed the only button on the orb.

"Rikora," he muttered, his voice rough and scratchy. "I didn't expect to hear from you three so soon."

A giggle resounded from the small orb. "Well, aren't you a lucky guy then, Traveler?"

As if. The man sighed. Why couldn't Peria or Kirysk be the ones to call him? He shouldn't be able to get a headache, yet a single sentence from Rikora made his temple throb.

"What do you want, child? I'm busy."

Rikora snorted. "Yeah? With what? Is there another book by the great Lone Traveler on the horizon? Or are you watching the Universe destroy itself again?"

Annoying brat. The Lone Traveler growled. "Nothing that concerns you. Now tell me why you called, or I am crushing the transmitter."

"Ruin my fun, why don't you?" She grumbled before chirping out again. "Anyway, Peria wanted me to tell you that some Essence from Nikra's shard is floating through the new Universe. We are working on finding the source. That's all, bye!"

Taking a deep breath, the Traveler counted to ten and dismissed the orb from his hand. "At least she brought some useful information," he mumbled. Nikra's energy could only mean a possible gate leading towards the shard. Not something he could dismiss.

He turned towards the holographic image of the new Universe, his gaze going back to the developing dark zone. And I even have a place to start the search.

He smirked. Who knows, maybe this cycle won't be too boring.