Once Ben Higgs turned into a statue, Maria expected some firework reaction.

She thought she would die there and then.

But as this elder became silent, she only felt a slight pull.

Rather than some fancy show-off, a slow process began.

Most considered her the strongest in the world. And due to her accomplishments, Maria could see the difference in power. And she could also feel the surrounding nature unrolling new rules.

As soon as she felt it, she became fascinated by the underlining craft. So, she tried to understand this pure law, so different from the magic she practiced. And even more distinct from the archaic cultivation system still present to this day and mentioned in historical texts to be the only system present around the < Dragons > foundation.

So, she didn't only stare at Ben. She also came closer and examined the statue, going as far as attacking it.

Still, she wasn't blind to the danger. Instead, she attacked because she could undoubtedly see how powerless she was against it.

And Maria was right. Her actions were to no avail.

When she finally got out of this curiosity trance, she noticed the energy surrounding her had plummeted.

She also noticed that her body and the others in her army were acting strange.

'What is it that he wants?'

And as if responding, a few seconds later, a small bubble with even more direct rules expanded from within Ben's heart.

Maria was the closest, so she was the first to become submerged by those laws. But while it wasn't lighting fast, the area of effect quickly expanded. In less than a minute, its border moved outside Maria's senses.

And by that time, looking around, she noticed her people grimacing.

Following, Maria stared at her hand and began noticing signs of aging.

Putting her right hand on her chest, she noticed her strength leaving her body as quickly as the bubble expanded.

"I see," she whispered as she turned around.

She walked away from Ben slowly.

Although she wanted to run, she couldn't anymore.

The people around her were already on the floor, and she could barely stay on her feet. Yet, she still moved forward, trying to return to the person she loved.

Her steps became heavier and heavier, and her vision became blurrier.

Despite her strong desire, soon after, she flopped to the floor, losing consciousness.

...

Waking up, Maria found herself inside this familiar room.

"Can you hear me?"

She turned around, and despite her vision being too blurry, she recognized the person due to the voice.

The person talking to her was a Doctor that was part of her faction. A young man talented with medicine but still young and weak. They had high hopes for him.

"How much time do I have?" Maria asked.

"We estimate two to three years."

"How much did it take over?"

"The taint expanded until it took over around one-third of the world."

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Six months."

Maria stared at the ceiling in silence.

She was surprisingly calm, and that surprised her. But after taking note of her body, she discovered why: her taboo energy reserves evaporated.

And that didn't only weaken her body but also gave her a sense of peace, which was drastically different. Before, she felt the taboo slowly corroding her sanity away.

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It was effective, and Maria could become more powerful than most. But her mind suffered because of it. She fell into deep paranoia and developed a thirst that was hard to control. And now, it was all gone.

'What's freedom?'

While Maria was in her thoughts, someone ran into the room frantically.

"Love! Love!" Dio yelled.

Sensing that her husband was alive and well, Maria smiled.

"No one here is dying yet, so don't have a heart attack. How have you been?"

"I've been worried about you! What happened back then?"

"You did a good job. You took control of the faction?"

"I did as you taught me. Although, most of our preparations didn't work. But also, almost no one wanted to take over."

"Is the black marble still there? How did the world react?"

"It's there, and we couldn't do anything against it. But I also didn't try much. Instead, I focused on you. Others from outside did come and try, but everyone failed, and after a while, they stopped coming."

"It seems that affects weaker people less? Is my guess right?"

"The weaker a person is, the slower it acts. Although seven people, including you, have somewhat broken that mold."

"The foundation seems fine?"

"It should last for a while. But it's also slowly deteriorating, and activating it put it under strain."

"That's fine then. How about we walk around a bit?" Maria said as she sat up.

"Are you feeling fine?" Dio asked.

At the side, the Doctor remained silent but showed a worried expression.

"I'm okay. It should be enough to look around for a bit."

Once the couple left, the Doctor went and prepared some more medicine. He had been working hard to develop his skill of using mana-poor plants since the effective flora had all dried out.

---

"It's so easy to lose track of time."

"Exactly!" Emily, Paul's sister, agreed.

The extreme traveling over this wasteland was always a challenge. Yet, this clan came here every generation.

Despite her kid's chitchat, the mother stayed focused while controlling the car-shaped artifact toward their destination.

Their clan came here often, but that didn't make it easy on them. In addition, Lucy Highpeak was worried about the instability shown by the wasteland in the last two years.

"Oh! The Luminious Ruins! Finally! Something recognizable. We're close."

As Emily yelled, she kept looking around, searching for the traces she had studied.

"Their story is so romantic! Spending the rest of their lives together, despite the end of the world surrounding them."

"They should have instead tried to leave."

"Maybe they couldn't. Wasn't the Empress rooted in this place?"

"I don't know. Those two don't sound smart, though."

"I don't care. Didn't the couple remain here and then die protecting this land anyway?"

Paul looked around and then sighed.

Once they passed those ruins, it didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination.

"We're here. Get ready for the ritual," the mother spoke again after staying silent for the whole journey.

However, as they went outside the artifact, they were surprised.

The fancy altar was empty. And there was no mistaking it.

Over many generations, they eventually organized this place out of respect for the Senior who slumbered here.

But now, the distinct white marble statue couldn't be seen.

"Mom? What now?" Emily asked.

"We come back and prepare our move to Hope City. We should be able to leave by your grandchild generation."

---

Waking up, Ben Higgs felt comfortable.

It was hard to remember every detail, but he knew he had finally won the battle against nature's pressure.

Although, this time, he didn't do so by breakthrough. Instead, he only waited until nature became weaker due to the decline of this world.

He still strengthened his foundation, though. Over the years, he slowly stabilized his body.

So much so that Ben finally stopped his refined soul from wanting to expand and leave his body.

Looking at his arm, Ben immediately noticed the withdrawal of the deep black tattoos all over his body.

Closing his eyes and feeling his instinct swing, Ben didn't feel the maddening whispering anymore.

And with those changes, he hoped he could finally go to his hometown again.

But before that, Ben became intrigued by the continuous aurora. Since he woke up, the show in the sky hadn't stopped.

In addition, he also noticed the change in the celestial bodies.

After he slumbered for a long time, the sky would always change, but never to such an extent. Today, it looked way denser than before and more chaotic. And he couldn't find a single recognizable configuration in the night sky.

The extra moon and sun also didn't help him understand it.

'What the fuck happened while I was asleep?'

He saw the signs of visits around him, but his curiosity was too big, so he ended up leaving before his people appeared again.

...

Ben Higgs walked around randomly, but the more he did, the more he felt intrigued.

...

Ben spent weeks reading about the legends of the past. He decided to read up on written history due to the chaotic changes around him.

Right now, he was inside the ancestral library of the Wildreach Resistance.

He ended up here after noticing that, despite the name change, they were descendants of the Volcano Sect.

"Do Sir need anything else?"

"No. So, thank you for letting me borrow your library."

"We haven't forgotten."

Once he stood up and left the books behind, Ben talked again.

"I extend the invitation again. If the end comes, you can always find a new home at my place. Do you still know the directions?"

"We do."

"I hope to see whatever is left of your lineage there later. Eloise would be proud."

Ben disappeared, but before leaving, he gave the foundation below the library a small recharge.

He then climbed to the highest place in Wildreach City and observed the world around it.

Before talking to them, Ben heard gossip about a neighbor wanting to absorb this lineage. Ben didn't believe they could achieve such a thing, but the conflict would still weaken Eloise's legacy.

'They grew weak enough that a small help of mine leaves a lasting effect.'

"What did Ginn do, and how can humans be so ingenious."

The sequences of surprises gave Ben such a shock that his consciousness woke a bit more than planned.

But how could he not rise to see this incredible craft? This strip of inhabited land stretched in two directions, sandwiched by distinct wastelands.

This place that its residents now called the Ring World.