When the blinding light dissipated, the world changed.
Nameless found himself in an unfamiliar place. It was like being inside an abstract painting with no form or shape, only colors blending on top of each other.
With his sharp perception, he knew that space was distorted here; even the flow of time was weird.
Although using the mathematical approach of existing the vector of space, there were indeed three dimensions. But the problem was, his intuition told him that there were only two directions.
No, there was only one.
Stopping his observation, Nameless focused his attention on the other existence in this place.
Floating not far from him was an ordinary worm.
An earthworm, with a length less than ten centimeters and a diameter less than the size of a nail.
It was inconspicuous compared to the weird surroundings.
Maybe it was the innate nature of every living creature to be wary of potential danger by ranking them from the most dangerous to least dangerous.
Naturally, an ordinary earthworm wouldn’t get any good rank in the danger priority.
Or that should be the case.
Abyssal Worm.
A concept that defined itself; in the absence of language, everyone would understand what it meant.
The proof of the divinity of a God.
The corner of Nameless’s eye couldn’t help but twitch. He knew that his situation was not good, but seeing how Gods appeared one after another was not surprising anymore.
But when a new one appeared, he couldn’t help but curse.
“Oh, I always wanted to have a chat with you,” a terrifying and maddening raving exploded instantly.
Nameless could understand what Abyssal Worm wanted to say, but the way it delivered it was inhumanely possible for Nameless to listen normally.
A language that Gods used naturally contained profound truth in them; on top of that, each God was unique on their own.
Abyssal Worm, as its divinity said, had a bad connotation.
Every action and thought were enough to disrupt the fabric of reality, let alone a mortal like Nameless.
Nameless began to mutate in a distorted way, each cell in his body suddenly gaining will on their own and trying to evolve on their own.
The young man now turned into an inflated ball of unrecognizable lifeform.
Flesh, teeth, tree bark, feathers, eyes, and various biological parts emerged. Even elemental and non-organic forms filled some vacancies.
It only took a fraction of a second for Nameless to transform into an unspoken horror.
Realizing its mistake, Abyssal Worm immediately canceled the transformation, and everything returned to normal.
Nameless regained his human form, but there were no changes in his expression. His eyes were calm like water in the ancient well, undisturbed by wind and thunder.
Fear, one of the most important emotions of humans, or rather all living beings. It was due to this emotion that living beings are able to sustain their fragile life amidst a dangerous world.
But in the end, fear was just one of many emotions. When the living being no longer felt emotion, they turned into dead things.
Unknown to fear, ignorant of death.
Nameless, who was obsessed with self-control, naturally already immune to emotional changes. His mind was logical, only knowing ones and zeros; there was no such thing as the unknown.
Even more so, he became even more obsessed with his “humanity”; thus, he was like an addict that still retained his touch of emotion to keep his mind fluctuating.
“What do you want to talk about?” Nameless asked casually; he already ran many calculations and found there was no escape.
So, when everything was fixed, there were no variables left. Why bother to struggle?
“As expected of you,” Abyssal Worm nodded its head. “From all kinds of lives, only you could stand in front of gods and remain unchanged. Unpretentious to the point of being pretentious itself.”
“Even as a clone, this quality of yours remains the same.”
“As you can see, I have already reached the level that you talked about before. The step that the native of this universe was unable to take. But there is something that I don’t understand.”
The earthworm wriggles slightly as if being frustrated.
“After sacrificing ourselves to seal you and putting up many plans, in the end, in that cramped space, someone finally was unable to contain themselves and started to devour the other gods. In an attempt to become the level that you are clamoring about.”
“In the end, that cramped space became another battlefield, with only a few survivors as the winner stood among the corpses of other gods.”
“You see, you see. This actually brought no change, although our power and strength reached a new level beyond our previous selves, it was actually slightly behind what we envisioned. So in the end, we can only find you, the clones, to resolve this final step of becoming a God.”
Nameless calmly listened to the earthworm's speech, but he wasn't interested at all.
It was not because he hated Abyssal Worm or anything; he already reached the state of no-self, no emotion. The reason was simple; he was being devoured right now.
Abyssal Worm, as its divinity says, was the abyss of endlessness.
The last step that the earthworm talked about was the characteristic of low-level creatures.
The winners of the great cannibalistic war of Old Gods that Abyssal Worm talked about, nonetheless, were the powerful Old Gods.
In other words, they were gods that were born from nature itself, an embodiment of a concept.
Such as light, darkness, war, death, life, and more.
Even after they reached the state of half-God where they are right now.
They are unable to “transcend” themselves due to their innate quality as an embodiment of nature.
They had no self to speak of; they didn’t have the quality of a living being.
No matter how solid a shadow, it is still a shadow. When the light is gone, the shadow is also gone.
“So is this all predetermined? Was everything predestined before everything even started? Was fate really that whimsical?”
Nameless talked to himself; he rarely spoke out his thoughts.
But in this place, even if he didn’t speak it out, the earthworm in front of him would know about it.
“Yes, yes, that’s it!” the earthworm became ecstatic. It finally found the answer.
Its small body squirmed and transformed into a human; the first appearance was very ugly. With asymmetric eyes, a wide nose, round ears, a small mouth, uncharacteristic teeth, and dissolved hair.
Then it changed its appearance once again, replicating the image of Nameless.
It was like looking in the mirror.
Abyssal Worm didn’t take any action as he just stood in his place, waiting and waiting.
“Abyssal Worm, the “Abyss” means that it is a bottomless pit that knows no end. It is not that there is no end; the problem lies in the entrance itself. When there is no entrance naturally there is no end, but for those who found themselves inside the abyss naturally know that there is up and down.”
“But in fact, there is only a downward direction; the up was just an illusion of the abyss itself.”
“While the “Worm” here means that creature that was looked down upon by others, squirming and living in a place that no one wanted to live on.”
“So when the two terms merged and became the proof of divinity, it means you.” Nameless stared at his copy with lifeless eyes that resembled a machine.
“To escape the restraints of this world, to become “one,” not an embodiment. You need to distance yourself from the concept that created you. The best choice naturally is to transform into a real entity of the abyss.”
“Ah… what a lame divinity you have. The abyss knows no end. The abyss is formless and shapeless; the abyss didn’t exist; it is only a concept just like other concepts born throughout the evolution of civilization.”
“So what kind of abyss exists in this world yet doesn't exist at the same time?”
“Something that is endless, something that knows no bound, something that seemingly has a beginning but doesn't have it, something that has no beginning but has an end.”
“The more I think about it, the clearer the answer becomes. The abyss never meant to confine existence; it knows no limit, no bound; it exists everywhere, for it's worth its name as the divinity of God.”
“Don’t you see? It was always there.”
Nameless, who was like a machinal live, slowly became animated with life, the touch of living creatures. His eyes that didn’t show any light started to gain their luster.
“Don’t you see? It exists, and you are already there.”
As if he were being controlled, Nameless mechanically started to talk to himself but in a different position from his original self.
“Don’t you see? The abyss is here.”
As the luster in his eyes intensified, his voice became more energetic.
“Don’t you see? We are the abyss, and the abyss is us.”
“The thought of living beings only knows that it is thinking and never knows when it starts. They are already inside the abyss, and there is no escape.”
“Don’…”
As Nameless reached his peak of performance resembling that of a living human, his voice abruptly stopped as his figure blurred and merged with his surroundings.
The abyss was devouring him, the process of thinking and pondering have no bounds. It, in itself, is the abyss that digests its owner.
On another place.
The sky was dark, and the ground was black. It was like a world of the end. Where death rests, and life becomes the memories of the past.
Bone, with his lich body, was running while holding a greatsword. But Bone didn’t move forward, as if being petrified while in motion.
His body, the only thing that is different from the world, the soul fire in his eyes, no longer exists.
On another place.
Where the light becomes the only word in this world.
Nine-tails was standing proudly with her hands both on her waist with a sneer on her face facing the radiant sun above.
On another place.
Color stacked, and chaos was present.
A metallic ball that looked like it was made of water was standing quietly.
On another place.
A place that is full of plants and animals like an ancient paradise of life.
Farmer was not found.
. . .
The real universe.
The universe should suffice since the fake universe no longer exists.
In the Dark Continent.
A place where a great battle occurred long ago.
Floating in the air were thick chains made of unknown materials; it began from the void and entangled in one place.
In the center of the tangled chain was a man. But contradicting the eerie and desolate surrounding, the man actually looks like he was sleeping.
His breaths were low, just like how someone was sleeping.
The chain that was made of unknown materials trembled as the man’s eyelids trembled slightly.
One by one, the chain vibrated before starting to crack, and pieces of it fell down.
Before reaching the ground, the chain fragments dissolved into the void, and not even dust was left.
The man opened his eyes and found the scenery was exactly the same before he fell asleep.
The sky was destroyed, the high roofs of the world were torn apart revealing a chaotic stream of chaos.
The time was sluggish like a river water solidified.
The boundless sea that connected various continents was missing.
Far and close, various spatial rifts opened and closed revealing various dimensions that anchored to this world.
When the man landed on the ground, the Dark Continent vibrated before finally turning into dust.
Just like ancient relics that were hidden for eons, everything returns to dust and disappears into nothingness.
“Hey,” the man called as he stabilized himself by floating.
He saw his previous landing caused a chain reaction that disturbed the fragile state of the world.
Everything that was left began to dissolve one by one.
Leaving only an empty world with many spatial rifts and chaos looming above the sky.
He scanned his surroundings and found five figures.
“Origin of Wisdom, Everything That Is Known.”
The man said as if reading something. “Highest Light, Everything That Is Positive. Abyssal Worm, Everything That Is Left. Conclusion, Everything That Is Negative. Novelty of Life, Everything That Is Changed.”
Each figure had their title read one by one by the man.
“Can you not be a show-off? I just woke up, and my eyes are rather sensitive.” The man squinted his eyes slightly as if being blinded by an eye-catching title floating above the five figures.
The five Gods that successfully transcended the limit of the universe watched how the man talked casually with them.
The man, naturally The First.
“Why aren’t you guys talking?” The First asked with some dissatisfaction. He knew the temperament of those gods, but not these five who reached a higher level still want to continue this act?
The First sneered.
He had no respect at all, because he didn’t know what fear meant.
Origin of Wisdom, a clump of light that looks like various colors stacked together, the God that proved to be all-knowing and omniscient, unable to exert its authority over The First.
“It is still the trick from before.” A voice that had no sound could be heard spreading from the direction of the clump of lights.
“Tsk,” The First clicked his tongue, “how long do you guys want to be in that form? It is unpleasant to the eyes.”
Highest Light, a ball of immeasurable light being held by two metallic capes.
Abyssal Worm in the shape of a limitless shadow of the abyss that stretches beyond the horizon.
Conclusion, a mysterious figure that resembled nothing, having their body covered with a large robe with the position of the head was a triangle hood. The faces were covered with two black curtains that announced the show already ended.
Novelty of Life, an amalgamation of various lives, all kinds of plants and animals. It's hard to tell what kind of life they are.
“If you don’t want to, then no need to talk to me.” The First waved his hand to dismiss those hard to discern creatures.
Calling them creatures itself was actually wrong.
With their level, they knew that The First was still the same as before.
They couldn’t see his true strength. it was not that he was too strong, but rather the opposite. His condition was hard to define.
Even Abyssal Worm, the one who rules over the “abyss,” was unable to tell the depth of The First.
“Is this even possible?” Abyssal Worm asked in doubt. “Are you the abyss or me?”
When his thought came into being, the world trembled, and the whole universe was shaken by this simple question.
Even the Abyssal Worm itself suffered some backlash from the universe, but it was unable to hurt it.
The First ignored the question; he really couldn’t withstand those abstract forms to talk to.
“It is still better for me to talk to a stone instead of you guys.” The First looked down trying to find a stone.
But in this ruined world, where nothing was left, The First was unable to find a stone.
So he could only kick his leg to show his distress.
But there was no ground beneath his feet, so no dust was being kicked.
Helpless in this empty world, The First could only sigh.
Seeing The First had no intention to talk to them, the five Gods finally chose to transform.
They all took the shape of a human.
When The First looked at them, he couldn’t help but frown. “Hey, I seem to have seen this form before!”
He pointed his finger at each figure.
“What do you mean you had seen this before? This is new!” Abyssal Worm tried to defend himself; he took the form of a male human. To be precise, it resembled Nameless by 76%.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The other four were the same; they had more than 50% resemblance to the chat group members.
The First shook his head, not wanting to talk with Abyssal Worm; he knew this guy was like an abyss. There will be no end to having contact with him.
With a wave of his hand, the empty world changed.
A grand palace appeared. The First took the seat without any reservation and gestured to the five Gods to sit down.
The tables were rectangular so on one side was The First alone while on the other side were the five Gods.
The five Gods sat down, each of them conjured their own chair.
But then The First and the other four Gods were dumbfounded when they saw Abyssal Worm choose to sit next to The First.
“What the heck are you doing here? Your place is on the other side.” The First cursed and kicked the chair next to him, but the chair didn’t move at all.
Abyssal Worm, which resembled Nameless, naturally had some “edgy” characteristics on him. But when he acts or talks, the “edge” turns into comedy.
“Why can’t I sit?” Abyssal Worm put his hand on the table to hold his position even though it was unnecessary.
“Why!?” The First raised his voice. “Because… fuck you!”
The First wanted to talk logically and then chose to give up and show his veteran side of being an internet user.
Then he kept kicking the Abyssal Worm’s chair.
But no matter how strong he kicked it, it won’t budge. But that didn’t affect The First the slightest.
While kicking the chair, his mouth kept shouting various kinds of insults.
After five minutes passed and seeing how Abyssal Worm was unable to understand the meaning behind his curses, The First chose to give up and noted this in his mind.
“You never change,” Novelty of Life said to The First; her eyes were like butterfly wing patterns that were beautiful and enchanting. Her voice was like the warm sunlight in winter and cold breeze in summer.
“Rich coming from someone known as Everything That Changes.” The First didn’t respond in kind and let out a sneer at the end of his words.
“I won’t talk not until this little troublesome worm sits on the opposite side.” The First let out his ultimatum.
The other four Gods looked at Abyssal Worm who was seemingly edgy but also honest at the same time.
Highest Light, a woman with unparalleled beauty. With bright long hair, eyes carved from the most precious gems, the figure was like a mirror that reflected the most perfect ideal of those who saw her.
In The First's eyes, she looked like a beautiful goddess with great sexual attractiveness; it was a complete package of being mature and innocent at the same time.
“Why are you acting like a kid? You are no longer bound by your innate nature as the “abyss.” Highest Light said kindly to the Abyssal Worm.
“Humph,” Abyssal Worm snorted in an innocent way. “Although we are no longer bound by our innate nature, it doesn't mean we are different from before. Don’t you know that humans have a thing called personality? This is my personality as a living “abyss.””
“Whether it is the innate nature or personality, it is just the variable of living creatures, as long as you want to change it, there is nothing that can stop you.” Origin of Wisdom reminded.
“But I don’t want to.” Abyssal Worm dropped his bomb, like a child refusing to back down.
“Then, so be it.” Conclusion said in a flat tone.
Except for Abyssal Worm, the three Gods looked at him with different gazes.
As Gods, their words were not merely extensions of their thought but also embodiments of their existence. So when a God known as Conclusion said something that was similar to a conclusion, then the thread of fate, river of destiny naturally followed suit.
If he said so, then naturally the end is coming.
As for what kind of ending, no one will know until the time arrives, but at least they know the time is close!
Abyssal Worm, who chose to be the “abyss,” resigned and stood up and dragged his chair to the other side.
While doing so, the sound of him dragging his chair was like a melody of the abyss that was enough to distort everything.
In the very end, he refused not to be the “abyss”!
Abyssal Worm chose to sit next to Highest Light on his left and Conclusion on his right.
“So, what do you want to ask?” The First no longer irritated as before and casually asked the five Gods.
But he didn’t wait for any quick response as he continued. “You guys suppressed and tried to kill me in the past. Disregarding your status as gods, why?”
“Wasn’t it because you guys are afraid of me? Afraid of me transcending this universe?”
“Although you guys were gods, you were no different than kings in the mortal world. Your power was granted by this universe. So when someone breaks the limit of this universe, whether they are hostile to you or not, the ending will be the same. You will die!”
There was no conflict between the gods and The First, the only reason why they hunted him down was basically that his ascension in this universe would kill them.
No personal feelings, just the business of life and death.
“But look now, you slandered me before with various derogatory terms and words. Calling me a heretic, traitor, or whatnot. Forcing the entire world to kill me.”
“Fucking bastard, now you are sitting in front of me achieving the level that I want to achieve and yet at the same time the thing you despise the most!”
“Fucking hypocrite!”
The First couldn’t help but curse and let out his hatred. As a mortal who transmigrated into this world, he suffered all kinds of misery and pains.
It was simply because the gods were afraid of him taking a step that they were unable to take.
He didn’t care about the kingdoms, empires, and other worldly things in this world. He just wanted to grow stronger and achieve immortality like he always wanted to.
But the world was not so kind, even if he dug up an underground cave, he was still being hunted down by the followers and believers of the gods.
He didn't even know the name of the gods at that time!
If not for his experience of reading many stories and drawing wisdom from them, he might have died without knowing how he died.
Naturally, if he didn’t have that wisdom of various stories and didn’t have the grand aspiration of achieving immortality, he wouldn’t be hunted by the gods.
Just like how a stupid dog wouldn’t be killed by humans; instead, a rabid dog would.
But who could be blamed for this problem?
One only wanted to chase after his dream while the other only wanted to survive.
No one was wrong, but both parties could have a discussion on how to resolve this problem.
For example, helping the gods to free themselves from the rule of this universe so when The First ascended, the gods wouldn't die.
He indeed conveyed this idea.
But he got slapped hard.
Even if the gods didn’t die, a new problem arose. Once The First ascended, he would be stronger than the gods.
At that time, they would be at the mercy of The First.
“If you think about it clearly, the so-called god of wisdom, god of war, god of fate, god of shithead. If you didn’t suppress and bully me back then, would I bother to wipe your poor asses?”
The First didn’t control himself as his saliva flew towards the five Gods.
“Stupid fucking retard, your mother gave birth to a mutt and sow!” Then The First continued to curse the five Gods.
After expressing his buried hatred to the gods, The First calmed and chose to be silent.
None of the Gods were talking, not even Abyssal Worm.
Then it continued to be like this for a long time.
Because the world was destroyed beyond recognition, it was hard to tell the time.
Finally, The First spoke first. “Then, what do you want to ask me?”
He was indifferent and casual.
“Since you can think and open a path beyond this universe, which is the transcendent state, then you must know the next step, right?” Origin of Wisdom asked; he took the appearance of an old man.
“Why? You still want to be stronger?” The First asked tentatively with no interest.
“Why not?” Novelty of Life answered.
“Ha! Hahahaaha.” The First laughed when he heard this.
He kept laughing until his stomach hurt and tried to calm himself, but seeing how the five Gods didn’t find it funny and kept a serious or calm demeanor only made him laugh harder.
It took him exactly four minutes and sixteen seconds before finally he could gather himself.
If he hadn’t read many self-fulfilling power trip fantasies in his previous life, he might also have wanted to be stronger.
What else could be enjoyable than watching yourself getting stronger?
Wasn’t this the main attraction of many stories? To self-insert as the main character who gets stronger every five chapters?
But after consuming so much of this trash, naturally, The First built up resistance, and he began to contemplate his taste in reading.
If the goal was to get stronger, then nothing will remain at the end of the story.
Even the so-called plot was nothing but a medium for the author to give the main character power-ups.
The First shook his head at the five Gods.
Maybe it was because they consumed the clones, so their personalities were affected or maybe because they were being reborn into a “human” that made them desire something.
As for the real reason, that doesn’t matter.
“I do have an idea for the next step. Do you want to hear?” The First said with a smile; he wasn't obsessed with power.
He only wanted to live the way he wanted.
For that, power was needed but not as the goal.
The First pointed upward with his index finger, “What do you think exists above us?”
“Higher dimension,” Abyssal Worm said confidently. It was not an assumption but a fact, as a transcendent being of this universe, naturally, he is aware of what exists beyond this universe.
Then The First moved his index finger to the side. From right to left.
“What do you think exists on our side?”
“Another universe,” Abyssal Worm answered once again.
“Then congratulations! You have found your answer.” The First clapped and praised the five Gods mockingly.
“If you want to be stronger, then go to the higher dimension and become a god there. Then after that go to a higher-higher dimension and become a god there. Repeat and rinse.”
Naturally, the five Gods were aware of this, but when they heard it from The First who had not ascended yet, they found it repulsive.
“There is no end to this stupidity. The only end that awaits you is when your power consumes you, and you are no longer yourself.” The First stated the fact.
Even if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, his own experience was enough to testify.
“Then even if you successfully reached the pinnacle of strength at some point for a period of time, what are you gonna do?”
Everyone wanted to be stronger; they dreamed of picking the sun, the moon, and the stars. But when they become the strongest, they find themselves no longer able to enjoy anything.
“You don’t seem confused; you must find a way, right?” Novelty of Life asked.
“Me? Why would I want to step on the endless stairs of dimension? Isn't it better for me to build a new universe and become the sole ruler of that universe?”
“I can get whatever I want, doing whatever I want.”
The First said with a mysterious smile.
“That's too superficial of you.” Conclusion denied The First’s plan.
“For someone who fought through the hell created by gods, your idea didn’t have enough motivation.” Highest Light chimed in.
The First smiled as he looked at the Highest Light. “Then how about this? Let me have a good time with you, then I will tell you what my plan is.”
Although they regain “self,” the Gods are still not as conservative as true humans.
Because of this, they didn’t have a change of expression when they heard The First’s vulgar request.
Highest Light had nothing to lose, agreed. “Okay.”
Although she knew the meaning of “having a good time,” she didn’t find any problem with it..
The First laughed and stood up; then he picked Highest Light on his arm and began to do the deed on the table in front of the other four Gods.
Only Abyssal Worm made some remarks on the progress as he learned something new.
Maybe because Highest Light devoured Nine-tails, The First found her to be to his liking and couldn’t help but extend the good time he had.
The rectangular table couldn’t help but tremble every once in a while.
The air was full of a fishy smell as some suspicious liquid splattered around the table.
“Okay, that was a good time indeed.” The First slumped back to his chair like an ice cube melting under the sun.
The smile on his face kept hanging unknown to him.
While having some after taste, The First lazily forced his back to straight up and pinched the air with his right hand.
A small light appeared between his middle finger and thumb.
“Do you know what this is?”
"Another product from beyond this universe," Origin of Wisdom answered.
"Correct, this thing is called the system." The First let go of his finger, and the light expanded, turning into an illusory panel.
On the panel were emoticons of the system. "Who are you guys!?" The childish voice asked warily.
The system could feel the terrifying power from the five Gods, but it was unable to discern The First.
"Ah, you!" When the system recognized The First’s face, it immediately thought of him as Niu Chang. "What did you do? Where is this?"
With that, The First put away the system. "Do you see this shit?" He was energetic, just like when he rode Highest Light, his eyes brimming with light and ecstasy.
"Isn’t it just a system?" Abyssal Worm said.
"Just a system? Do you have worms in your brain? Don’t you realize what the existence of this system means?" Abyssal Worm felt offended and pouted.
"Do you mean that there is a 'story' ongoing?" Origin of Wisdom offered his idea.
"Not bad, it is indeed like what you said. There is a 'story' ongoing right now." When receiving confirmation from The First, the five Gods were immediately shocked.
They vaguely understood what The First’s next plan was. "Since we are within a 'story' right now, and the main character already died, the 'story' should have ended long ago, and the 'plot' disappeared on its own."
"But that is not the case right now." The corner of The First’s mouth raised. He raised his head and his eyes penetrated into the distance barrier and saw a figure sitting down on a chair typing on their computer. But this feeling was vague.
"The author had not finished yet," The First said seriously.
"What kind of bullshit are you talking about?" Abyssal Worm was unable to tolerate this bullshit and copied The First’s art of cursing.
"Do you mean we are nothing but characters within a story? You mean I am only a fragment of thought from someone else somewhere unknown to me? This is ridiculous!" Abyssal Worm, who was acting casually just now, became enraged as the abyss descended from the void and extended to the horizon.
"It's up to you to believe it or not." The First just shook his shoulder and ignored the enraged Abyssal Worm.
"Come to think of it," The First drew something in the air with his finger. A meticulous river of dimensions and universes appeared. Each had its own uniqueness, as The First’s finger kept moving, the river expanded infinitely.
"What do you think of infinity?" "Don’t look at how it means very big, but focus on the chance of it. Tell me, in the span of infinity, what is the difference between 0.01% and 10%? In front of infinity, what is the difference between possible and impossible?"
"This river, composed of various dimensions and universes, can you tell me which one is the first and which will be the end?" "I can’t tell, I really don’t know. But one thing is for sure, if I assume that a 'story' means a new dimension and a new universe, then this might make sense."
"One world might produce endless 'stories,' resulting in an endless dimension and universe. At the same time, the order became chaotic, with no difference between the older and newer realities. Then you might ask, what about the natural dimension or universe? Naturally, it is also possible. There might be a dimension or universe that came into being by chance and not due to the effect of a 'story,' but can you be sure in that dimension or universe for a long period of time there will be no 'story' to happen?"
"Just because the beginning of the dimension or universe is not the direct cause of a 'story' doesn’t mean it is independent from a 'story,' just like our universe! We are not within the 'story' at first, but we became one due to chance. Now can you see the path ahead?" The First was high-spirited and stood up from his chair.
"Everything is a 'story,' whether you agree or not, this is an irrefutable truth in front of you. So even if the stairs of dimension are endless, the 'story' is not! To reach the end of this endless sea of 'stories,' you need your own 'story,' or at least use the 'story' of others."
"Ridiculous!" Abyssal Worm, unable to contain himself, stood up, pointing his index finger while shouting. "I thought that you had something in your mind, but in the end, you are still angry at us and utter this nonsensical bullshit!"
Abyssal Worm turned his head left and right, looking at his fellow Gods. None of them had the similar outrage like him. Seeing this, his already thin patience reached its limit and started cursing. "Story this, story that, do you think you are special just because your previous idea was correct? What you have is nothing but a fluke; you depend on your unique insight from a different world and apply that idea here. You are a mere mortal, dare to speculate against the divine and yet unable to discern yourself."
As Abyssal Worm continued his speech, The First was nonchalant. What he saw was an endless pit, the long tunnels squirming, letting in unrecognizable echoes that resounded beyond and further.
Maybe it was his 'personality' or maybe it is the abyss itself. Know no end, thinking itself has no end. Thus creating conflict and endlessly pursuing meaningless confrontation was in line with Abyssal Worm’s divinity. For them, time no longer had meaning. As time passed, Abyssal Worm continued to talk to himself.
Although he always pointed his actions and words directly at The First, no one cared about it. If you saw a worm squirming on the ground, would you care? It was until a clap stopped the echoing sound of the abyssal tunnel.
Origin of Wisdom clapped his hands and stopped Abyssal Worm from continuing. Although they no longer cared about time, they still didn’t want to continue to let it be wasted for something useless. At least not until they get everything they wanted from The First.
"You said that everything is a 'story.' Then I assume you are implying that in the boundless scope of everything and nothing, all of it was within a 'story.' Now tell me, what is this big 'story' about?" The First’s expression changed when he heard this question; he had his own reasons as to why he is willing to talk, one of them was because it was more fun to discuss his idea with others.
"Indeed, a good question. Even I overlooked this aspect to a certain point. But that is not important, isn’t it?" The First smiled and continued. "The big 'story' that contains every story. As I know, a story only has one reason to exist, which is to tell the event or experience within. If it didn’t have this core concept, then it is not a story but just a book of general knowledge."
"Maybe there is a big thing happening on a grand scale that we don’t know right now. It might have already passed or it might be far in the future. Again, why does this matter? Does a cluster of 'stories' mean that a big 'story' needs to contain them?"
"Who will be the author? Eh, that is another good question. But why do we care about it? Look, don’t we all just want to get stronger forever and ever? Reaching the penultimate of everything and nothing? So, why bother with the big 'story'? Also, this big 'story' doesn’t mean it will end in the way you wanted."
The First shifted his focus towards Conclusion, this man who grasped everything that was negative didn’t choose the word of death or other similar term. But instead chose a conclusion, thus by nature, his “personality” should match with the current topic.
“A story ended as soon as it started,” Conclusion said. “To write a story means to tell something to the reader, which is the ending, the journey inside the story. Because of this, even if the big “story” really exists, it wouldn't matter because once it ends, another story will replace its place.”
Conclusion already had an idea in his mind, as he looked at The First to confirm his guess.
“In everything and nothing, it is always in the state of existence. Meaning that a “story” is always present to keep everything existing. There is no need for a big “story”; even a single “story” should suffice.”
“The past tells the “story” of the future while the present tells the “story” of the past, and the future will be the same. One turning into the other, and infinity was created.”
“There is no need to think about the big picture because the fundamentals of this concept itself is unreliable and not certain.”
“So the focus needed to be set on the goal in the first place; the goal was to go further in search of greatness.”
“The story ended as soon as it started.” Conclusion repeated this sentence with deep meaning. “It means, even if there is no big “story” enveloping every other “stories”, we are all trapped within its boundary, forever existing in a state of non-existence since it is trapped in the circle of mutual destruction.”
“When the meaning of positive exists, then it also defines the meaning of negative. But the stories are different; they only exist within the book and never present in any form.”
A sneer escaped from Abyssal Worm’s mouth, but no one cared about him.
Highest Light, in correspondence to being “positive,” presented her thoughts. “So you are saying that we are not real? That is not necessarily the truth.”
“Since we “exist,” then there must be hope.” Her eyes gleaming with brilliant light.
Novelty of Life nodded. “When there is life, then there are changes. Since we already know about this. It is only a matter of working hard to achieve it.”
Then her mouth curved in a meaningful way. “And everything is based on the premise of what he said about the concept of "story".”
In the end, everything was indeed only The First’s speculation about how to reach the penultimate strength.
Deep inside, The First already abandoned other paths because he found that the endless stairs of dimensions were really endless. No end to it, just like a story; it only ended because the author said so.
But for the reader, they still had their real life and can continue to read other stories.
“So, tell us. The goal of your idea,” Origin of Wisdom said.
The First shook his head honestly, “I’m thinking of a place that escapes the “story”. Yes, it is not a level or a state, but a place. A place where everyone was no longer controlled by any stories, and instead, they could observe this whole bundle of messed up balls of stories from that place.”
“A place? Destination?” Origin of Wisdom echoed his thoughts in a low voice.
“What do you call that place?” Abyssal Worm asked impatiently.
“The True Ending?” Conclusion answered the question and at the same time hinted The First to confirm his guess.
“The True Ending?” The First repeated it in his mouth as if he was chewing bubble gum.
“No,” The First shook his head to deny this answer.
Conclusion thought for a while and then stopped midway. “I can’t think of another answer. The story ended as soon as it started. A place beyond it, naturally a conclusion of everything, where no story exists. If it is not the true ending, what will it be?”
“Don’t be too trapped on the “conclusion” itself. As you know, a story needs the author and the author needs the reader. If it was called the True Ending, are you sure that there is really no continuation? What about the possible outcome from different choices that the readers thought of? Even if the story is already finished, some readers might think of the continuation inside their head.”
The First spoke from his own experience; it was like an aftertaste after finishing a story. One couldn’t help but think about what will happen if this happens and what will happen afterward.
“There is no ending to a story. There will only be the beginning but not the ending. This is why the infinity exists; once a “story” sprouts, countless “stories” emerge, creating what exists right now.”
Seeing that the five Gods were waiting for his answer, The First said it without any suspense. “I call it Hiatus. Or rather, Indefinite Hiatus.”
“The author might label their stories as completed or finished, but in reality, the world where the stories took place will continue to advance even if there are no longer continuation works from the author. Only by acknowledging it as hiatus would it be acceptable as completed and ongoing at the same time.”
“Only in Indefinite Hiatus will I escape the current “story” I’m in and rightfully escape from its grasp.”
As soon as The First finished talking, the universe was shaken. The universes on the same level as the current universe level started to resonate with the universe; the invisible endless stairs of dimensions slowly emerged, revealing its steps in the voids as the higher-dimensional universe tried to open a passage to the current universe. Even those from lower-level dimensions higher beings tried to climb up to this current universe.
Beyond the universes and the endless stairs of dimension, the unknown and the chaos, the creatures of that place set their sight on the current universe and swarmed. Just like how sharks swarm when they smell blood.
The dimensional barriers of the current universe were like a paper in front of the emerging creature that was coming in. It had no power to stop them.
While the five Gods stared at The First with peculiar expressions, there was shock, disbelief, envy and more.
They thought The First would need more time to achieve his goal, but all he needed was actually a single thought to reach his goal.
Only Conclusion could see the truth behind this. Maybe it was because of his divinity as “conclusion” that he was aware of this, another reason was that The First was within the scope of this universe thus making him as a God have authority over him.
The First was looking ahead, as his eyes penetrated the infinity.
Conclusion followed this gaze and saw various visions; he looked through many windows of various sizes that unfamiliar phantoms looked at him and the whole universe from a restricted-omniscient perspective.
Then he looked at the most conspicuous vision among the many, one rectangular window. Behind it, he saw a figure sitting on a chair with their finger dancing on something while watching the universe develop according to their will.
With every push of their finger, the future was shaped.
Retracting his gaze, Conclusion looked at The First who was nonchalant at the breaking of the universe.
A formidable and terrifying aura pressed down from the future that blocked every change of the present.
But this terrifying power is unable to change the future of The First.
The First slowly stands up from his chair while being undisturbed by the power beyond the universe.
He stared at the five Gods one by one, he gave a kind smile to them and bade farewell. “This is the end of this story. Thank you for helping me to let this develop in this way, if it is possible let's meet again in another place at another time and in another “story.”
——— The End ———
——— To Be Continued in Indefinite Hiatus ———