I sat on my bed in the safety of my room with one of the Memory Orbs in my hand.

The last time I tried to connect with one I nearly died. Considering my Soul was still Mortal at that time, I wasn’t even surprised. My Soul was supposed to shatter, though luckily, it didn’t.

Elder Li explained that such things would rarely happen, as the spheres were usually used in the same Realm as their creator, sometimes one higher. Never more than two though. The Memory Orbs contained a tiny fragment of the owner’s Soul, and despite it being mostly just harmless Soul Essence, if the gap in quality between the two was too large, damage could still occur.

And considering people usually used Memory Orbs only after reaching the Golden Core Realm, being more than two Realms higher would mean having a Memory Orb made by a Demigod.

Yeah, as if that was ever going to happen.

A Golden Core Cultivator having something, anything, made by an actual Demigod, would just mean he would die a swift death. If the word got out, of course. I had all my Memory Orbs hidden in the storage pouch. I was not sure even Shao Lin knew about them. He was quite far away when they fell out of the space crack and I swiftly stored them away.

[Well… here goes nothing.]

I slowly touched the white sphere to my forehead.

My mind felt as if it was struck by lightning and my Soul suddenly cracked all over. The pressure on it was beyond comprehension, and I suddenly found myself in a black void.

And then the vision started.

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"Innos! Your old friend is here!"

The perspective came from the man shouting while flying through the sky. The loud shout shook the earth and traveled across the land.

In the distance was a small chubby mountain covered in greenery with the top covered with black stone and ash, an active volcano. A giant building of beautiful red and orange rock, covered in tiny golden symbols was shining in the sunlight.

Enormous pillars stood on either side of the road, leading to giant steps into the palace.

A few young Elves, judging by their ears and body structure, dressed in red robes with golden phoenixes on their backs, were training Martial Arts on the grass outside. Their shouts and body movements created a peaceful and disciplined environment.

The guards standing at the front gates of the giant building twitched as they detected a presence fast approaching.

"Someone is here!"

They all rose their heads to look towards the sky, where the small dot was quickly approaching, surrounded by a white halo. The figure oriented itself towards the place and descended like a meteor, before losing all momentum and landing on the steps of the Phoenix Temple soundlessly.

"Respected Elder!"

The guards recognized the insignia the man wore and immediately kneeled in respect.

"I'm here to meet an old friend, no need to stand on ceremony!" The man gave them a warm smile and then entered the temple by himself.

"Innos! After all these centuries you are still working here on your Divine Phoenix Treasures? Isn't it time to give up already?" The man shouted in good humor.

"Beliar?! Haha, how are you, my old friend?" Both men laughed and hugged. "How long has it been? 400 years? I thought you already lost your life in the Void!"

"Bah, how little confidence do you have in me? If I died just like that after reaching the Divine, I would really be a disgrace to our great race!"

"So? Why are you back? Did you finally find what you wanted?"

"You bet!" The man pulled out a few black crystals.

"Oh! Is that what I think it is?"

"Haha, of course! These are genuine Divine-Rank, Soul Eater Cores! You have no idea how hard it was to kill those damn Soul-sucking monsters!"

"And? Do you still think you will be able to extract their abilities?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Beliar shrugged his shoulders. "You spent half a millennia trying to extract Phoenix's resurrection ability, why shouldn't I try to do the same?"

"That's true, but my work is soon going to pay off, I'm sure of it! Just a few more years and I'll succeed, mark my word!"

"Haha, that's precisely why I'm here! You are the only one I can turn to for help. Your expertise with Spirit manipulation is at the top of the world."

Innos thought for a second. "You know what? Help me finish my research and I'll then help you with yours!"

Without even thinking about it, Beliar happily slapped his shoulder. "You got yourself a deal! I can afford to waste a few more decades in this dump!"

"Good, good! Come, let me show you what I've got…"

The two High Elves, both already above the Divine Rank, entered the deeper parts of the temple where the research into the secrets of magic was currently taking place.

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The vision was replaced by another, and the world was shaken by a loud rumble.

"What is that? Is the volcano waking up again? But that shouldn't be, I just recently sealed it!" Innos lifted his head and looked at the trembling walls around them.

"No, it's something else! There is something big going on in the middle of the continent, something is messing with the underlying structure of space!" Beliar countered.

Innos frowned and turned his attention away from his research, to where Beliar was looking. His eyes saw the walls of the temple, but his mind's eye spread across the land, hundreds of kilometers to the west.

"You are right, something is trying to tear a hole in the Firmament! Don't tell me... Is some fool actually trying to break through again? Haha!" Innos made a mocking smile and turned his gaze away.

"When was the last time something so exciting happened? Should we go and take a look?"

"You can go if you wish, I'll stay here and continue working on this necklace. Within these last few years of your help, I almost got it! I can't stop now!"

"As you wish! I'll be back before nightfall, save some of this delicious wine for me!"

Beliar dropped his wine cup and rose in the air as the space around him warped, and in a blink, disappeared from the room.

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Above a hilly area in the middle of the Neloron continent, a storm was brewing in the sky. The entire space itself was bending and cracking while producing terrifying lightning. A few tall old men, with long ears and silver hair stood in the sky, calmly observing the situation.

"Oh, Beliar? Is that you? You are finally back?"

"Old dog, you are still alive! Did you also come and watch the excitement?"

Beliar flew closer and gazed across the familiar faces.

They were all High Elf Elders, beings that stood on top of the food chain in this world, Divine beings with powers strong enough to extinguish all life of an average kingdom with a single hand. Some were also his early friends and classmates from millennia past.

"I can't believe you old bastards are still alive! How have you been?" Beliar smiled. They hugged each other in a greeting and laughed, taking out strong wines and Divine Elixirs to celebrate their reunion.

"Who is stupid enough to try and break through this time?"

"Hehe, we were wondering the same thing! The Firmament is just growing stronger the more they attack it, they can't be all that smart."

There was a loud boom and a scary crack spread across the sky but was then immediately closed up by a bolt of lightning that struck it from the clouds. An angry gray face, covered in scales and with black horns coming from its forehead appeared momentarily before it disappeared.

"Haha, did you see that? I think it was the Demon Emperor himself! What a fool!"

"Bwahaha, the look on his face! Did you see that stupid look? He must be so mad! I bet the Firmament slapped him right in his ugly mug!"

"Stop, stop! Ow, my stomach, hurts from laughing so much! Hahahaha!"

"Do it again! Come on, try it again! You can do it!"

"Woo-hoo! Go, Demon boy, go! You can do it!"

"You can do it, you can do it!"

The High Elves started to chant in unison, laughing and mocking the being that tried to break through the protective shell of their world. It might have been their arrogance or the strong liquor, but they acted completely unlike people of their age should.

All of them were grown-up men, centuries, or even millennia old, some with white hair and hunched backs, and yet, they acted like teenagers in provoking the immensely powerful being on the other side.

"ROOOAR!"

Another loud boom came.

The structure of space shook and the entire planet felt the vibrations, but the spatial barrier stood strong. The hearts of those present skipped a beat, but then quickly returned back to normal.

"Hahaha! Look at him! He is still trying!"

"You can't come through, you fool! You are too strong! Send us your underlings!"

"Yeah, send them through! I was just lacking some good exercise!"

The High Elves laughed and mocked, Beliar included. They would see a sight like that once every few centuries when a strong foreign race or being tried to descend upon their world. They would be always stopped though, with no exceptions!

That was because the Firmament, set up by their ancestors, was a magic barrier that became stronger the more force was applied to it.

And that didn't work just with physical force, no. It was mainly the strength of a Soul. A core of any living being in the universe. The stronger the Soul, the stronger the resistance.

Weak beings could come and go as they pleased, but if they wanted to cause trouble, a few thousand Divine Rank High Elves were there, guarding the place.

"Yawn, this is getting boring already…"

After a few hours of the Demon Emperor trying to break through unsuccessfully, the High Elves got bored and left one by one.

"I think I'll also go back now… Hey, you there! Feel free to stop making a ruckus at any time! Bye, bye now!" Someone shouted towards the Demon Emperor.

Even Beliar descended from the sky and went to get a bite to eat. He was traveling through the Void for a long time and then went to help his friend with his research immediately after. He didn't have time to get some quality food in quite a while.

*Rumble~*

"What now?" Beliar turned around, only to see the sky split open and a ring of dark purple stone fall through.

"Huh?" Beliar mouthed. "What's that?"

*Wooooommmmp!*

The purple ring suddenly lit up and dark swirling energy burst out of it.

"Uh-oh! That can't be good."