–Immortal Plane, in a bare wooden house surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see–
Inside that lone house, a man appearing to be in his late 20s was sitting cross-legged with a dull, pitch black and red tipped sword on his lap. Unmoving, he resembled a statue. Not even a heartbeat could be heard.
*BOOM*
A deafening sound akin to thunder, along with a visible ripple in the air were released from the man’s body.
If one observed from afar, they would notice something amiss. The house was unmoving like the man. Even the environment outside had no reaction. There were no animals. No insects. No Fish. The only living things as far as the eye could see, were trees, foliage, and the man in the wooden house. If it wasn’t for the wind rustling the trees, one might think this was all an illusion.
Contrary to the forests solitary environment, the world outside of the trees was in an uproar. The ripple that was released caused a vibration in the ground that kept increasing in intensity.
Villages started to become affected as the less sturdy houses crumbled apart. People and animals alike dropped to the ground, unable to regain their balance. Large cities that had millions of inhabitants started trembling. The smaller trees fell, while flying beasts flew towards the skies. This calamity continued for about five minutes before finally subsiding.
Just when the world regained its calm, a pressure followed.
Nearly every living being was affected. For the weak that didn’t have much Qi, it only felt like you were underwater, with your movement restricted.
For the strong, it was like the heavens were descending onto their bodies, ready to crush them like ants. The energy was so suffocating and heavy, most were forced to their knees, gasping for air. They could go long without breathing, but it was as if their lungs were collapsing.
Only the very, very few could withstand it.
After what seemed like an instant for some and an eternity for others, the phenomenon passed after a few seconds. If not for those still frozen in place or collapsed on the ground, it might’ve seemed like a dream. In a world where everyone, even children, had capabilities above normal people, this kind of occurrence was only heard of in legends.
From all around the world, the powerful existences felt that power clear as day.
“I can’t believe that little bastard succeeded! This isn’t good. “ uttered a malevolent middle-aged man in anger and trepidation.
“Ho, it seems that ominous star has finally broken through. They’re finished, now! “ a woman had an excited and murderous glint in her eyes.
“Mmm, looks like that vengeful ghost has done it. Only 7,000 years… what a freak. An absolute freak. They’re done for, now. “ murmured another man.
“Amitabha, benefactor has succeeded at last. Everything will finally come to an end, peace returning once more. “ in a temple, an ancient monk situated on a prayer mat opened his eyes, speaking with a sonorous yet soothing voice. A few other monks seated a bit further away opened their eyes in surprise at the news.
––
Back inside the wooden house, there was finally movement from the man, as if he was a corpse who’s heart just started beating again.
Opening his eyes, another faint ripple spread throughout the surrounding space, slightly warping it.
Short hair black as night and grey eyes that seemed to have an unfathomable depth, this man was Nox.
‘Finally! It’s time!’ Nox clenched his fists in anticipation.
“Nyx! “ Shouting, the sword on his lap flew into the air in front of him and made a humming sound in excitement.
Standing up and grabbing the hilt of his sword, Nyx, he walked out of the wooden house and flew high in the sky. From his body, a silent energy spread outwards in a single direction; he was searching for something.
After a few moments, there was a reaction. He found his target.
A scene visualized in his mind. Nox was observing the inside of an imposing palace. Specifically, his sense was fixed on a malevolent middle-aged man situated on a jade throne.
Nox could also “see” several people with strong auras inside and outside of the palace. Some were sweating heavily, while some were relatively unaffected.
Other than those experts, a powerful energy was shrouding a radius of several hundred miles, with the palace as the core. This was a defensive array used to protect the area.
Within the palace, the middle-aged man on the throne had a face full of panic.
“How could that little bastard have done it? How!? He’s only lived so long. Only an immature brat. “ the man roared.
“If it wasn’t for that old fool, he wouldn’t have been able to grow so much. Dammit, I didn’t put in all this effort just to have everything taken away! “
Every person in the room that heard him, were fidgeting, unable to hide their anxiety.
Joining the middle aged mans camp, only a high and mighty future awaited them once he obtained the sect masters seat. Now, Nox had become a massive threat.
“We have the arrays and all of us are together. He broke the limit, so what? We’re not meat on the chopping block!“ someone gathered their courage, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.
“That’s right, we’re not weaklings. Even the second and third ranked sects combined couldn’t topple us! “ another man roared.
Slowly regaining their courage, fire began to light their eyes once more.
“Yes, well said! You’re not meat on the chopping block; you’re ants about to be crushed. “ an insipid voice resounded in their ears.
An inestimable distance away, Nox was speaking through his divine sense.
“What!? “
Everyone in the hall shouted in unison, including the man on the throne.
They knew who it was, but they couldn’t sense him; not even a wisp of energy. This was unheard of at their strength.
Their previous moral coming and going like the clouds in the sky, only terror was left. Terror of the unknown.
Far, far above the clouds, Nyx started floating in front of Nox. With black smoke abruptly flowing out of her, the once pitch-black sword transformed into a pitch-black bow with dark red ends and a black bowstring.
“It’s time to end this, Nyx. For this day, we’ve endured it all. It’s been too long. For the both of us.“ whispering, there was some weariness in Nox’s voice.
‘Master. Stella… Ling.’
Putting his fingers on the string, a black arrow that resembled smoke, formed. Nocking the arrow, Nox pulled the string back, as the bow bent into a crescent.
Energy from the arrow suddenly exploding outwards, it soon gathering on its very tip. It seemed like an entire star was condensed into a tiny spot.
“My master. My wife. My daughter. This debt of blood will now be paid in full.“ With a booming voice that spread far enough to reach that palace, Nox’s fingers released the bowstring.
The arrow flew with such speed and power, it caused no unnatural phenomena. No sound, no wind, not even a trace of it could be found.
“No! “ in the palace hall, the man shouted and wanted to flee after hearing Nox’s voice.
Not even half a second later, a black arrow arrived from the skies and descended into the middle of the palace.
Now, the only phenomena it caused, was a pressure so powerful it made every living being that could feel it, kneel or become unconscious.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
With the pressure locking down space, an absolute darkness descended and spread throughout a several hundred meter area.
Moments later, light finally returned. The only thing remaining was a massive hole in the earth, almost as if nothing existed there in the first place.
The precision and power of this arrow was inhuman. It spared everything other than its target, only erasing the palace’s area and the people within.
Outside of the impact zone, disciples, elders, visitors, everyone was frozen, staring at the destruction in disbelief. The entire upper echelon of the “Boundless Sky Sect”, the strongest power in all the Planes, disappeared in seconds. For the entire Immortal Plane, this was a turning point.
Several world powers had treasures that could view areas from afar if no one interfered. Also witnessing the aftermath, most were ecstatic and proud of their foresight when deciding to forgo previous enmity with Nox, while some of those people even gained promotions and higher prestige.
They all knew about Nox’s power and personality, but he actually didn’t have many enemies, nor friends. If no one tried to kill him, he would only exclusively deal with the Boundless Sky Sect and their allies. They all understood this.
Over the years, the Boundless Sky Sect had become very oppressive when the Sect Master changed, so although startled at first, this was wonderful news for most of the world.
–Countless miles away–
Nox was standing in the air, silently gazing towards the direction of the sect. Nyx, previously in the shape of a bow, was now that same, dull black sword with a red tip.
“Suffering, pain, rage, powerlessness… loneliness. W-“ Nox expressed, before getting interrupted by Nyx vibrating violently.
“I know, I know, I’ve had you around all these years, but we can’t even speak face to face. You know what I mean, so stop joking around. “ slightly annoyed and amused, Nox was glaring at that sword in his hand. Although Nyx couldn’t truly speak, she could convey things in an odd way. Similar to how you can somewhat understand a pet or animal without speaking, except Nyx was more advanced than that.
Nyx wasn’t always like this. At first, she seemed to be a dark and possibly evil weapon spirit who only decided to help the one wielding her, but, over time, she started to develop differently. Something less negative; at least towards him. Nox didn’t know the exact reason, but he surmised that it was likely due to witnessing his emotions over such a long period of time.
Other than being pivotal in reaching his current power, the way she started acting with him became akin to a pillar, preventing vengeance from totally consuming him, leading to rash decisions and a premature death.
The journey was almost over. Or was it a new beginning? Nox felt a little different compared to those endless years, and he could even feel Nyx’s happiness for him.
“We endured everything for this. Now, no one can threaten us anymore; they’re all eliminated. “
“ Let’s go, I don’t want to wait any longer. I can’t. “ Nox spoke with anxiety and anticipation.
In a blink, man and sword appeared in front of that little wooden house.
Nyx was floating by his side, as Nox waved his slightly shaking hand. A young woman with her eyes closed and beautiful golden hair appeared. She was unmoving like a corpse, but, if you listened closely, her heart was very weakly beating and her body was faintly radiating heat. This was the body of Nox’s daughter, Stella.
Nox had managed to preserve and gradually restore Stella’s body over the years. The only thing missing was a soul.
With a vibration from Nyx, a ball of white light the size of a fist emerged from her.
Staring at that light, pain and anxiousness was evident of his face; it was Stella’s soul. Compared to years before, it seemed to have slightly dimmed.
Clearing his mind, Nox’s expression turned dignified as his aura completely changed. This aura, or presence, was one that would evoke reverence and fear in anyone that came into contact with it. Powerful, it was like a transcendent being descended to the mortal planes.
Spreading out, his aura covered and shook the entire Immortal Plane. Startling only the few that felt it, it was fleeting, lasting only a second.
Around Nox, a heaven shaking power, condensed to the absolute limit, was forming and coiling around his right hand. No, it was even stronger than that.
Reaching out his left hand to gently grab Stella’s soul, it was as if he was afraid that the slightest touch would make it crumble.
With Stella’s soul gently floating in his palm, Nox moved to guide the light into her real body. Slowly submerging into her chest, the light turned violent, shaking and illuminating the entire area around him. Nox wasn’t surprised.
When someone dies, unless their souls are completely destroyed, it must always enter the cycle of reincarnation; otherwise, it’s going against the universe’s laws. This is what was happening right now. Stella had already died, so her soul was rejecting her own body.
Witnessing Stella’s soul about to break free, Nox placed his right hand filled with energy, on her forehead.
Spreading to cover Stella’s entire body, the heaven shaking energy began to gently seep into her, dragging her soul along with it.
In this way, several hours passed by in a blink.
Nox’s countenance was slightly pale. It took an immense amount of energy and concentration to do something that defies the universe’s laws.
A few moments later, the energy covering Stella rapidly decreased in strength, before completely disappearing.
Letting out a long breath, with his gaze locked onto Stella, Nox was filled with immense anticipation and anxiety.
After what was only a few minutes, yet an eternity for Nox, there was some slight movement.
Listening closely, Stella’s heart started beating faster and with more strength. Shortly afterwards, she slowly opened her eyes, clearly in a dazed state.
Weakly turning her head, the surroundings were like a dream. Tall, beautiful trees that had emerald leaves, and endless foliage with multicolored flowers littered about, while the bright blue sky was visible above her.
Turning her head even more, she saw a red tipped pitch-black sword floating near her. It seemed familiar, but she was unable to remember. Lowering her gaze, she saw a man with pitch black hair and deep, grey eyes kneeling right next to her, staring at her unblinkingly.
Confused at first, he also seemed familiar, before a shock abruptly jolted her mind. A few moments later, her dazed expression regained its clarity while staring at him. Slowly picking up her upper body, her eyes suddenly became red with tears welling up.
“Dad. “
“… S-Stella” with a trembling voice, Nox slowly reached out his equally trembling hand, finding it hard to completely reach her.
“Dad! “ Stella shouted then suddenly wrapped her arms around his body, burying her head in his chest and crying loudly.
Feeling her warmth, her movement, hearing her voice, it was proof that she was alive. That everything was worth it.
“...I missed you. “ wrapping his arms around Stella and gently stroking the back of her head, Nox whispered in a low, hoarse voice, while tears started streaming down his face.
After thousands of years, this was the first time Nox has truly been happy. Nox even began to think that real happiness would be something he’d never experience again.
Several minutes later, both of them began to calm down, parting and sitting on the grass next to each other.
Facing Nox, Stella was finding it hard to speak.
“Just ask me whatever you want. You never need to hesitate with me.” Nox expressed lovingly. This was the best day he’s had in a long, long time.
“Dad. Mom, she…” Stella tentatively asked, but already had an answer in her heart.
“She’s… not here with us anymore. “although trying to keep his composure, Nox still let out a sorrowful and longing voice.
“Mom. “ Stella whispered with a grief-stricken tone, tears welling in her eyes once again.
“When was it? How long? All I remember are her words and then everything went dark.” she asked resolutely, albeit tears still in her eyes.
Stella wasn’t stupid. Although she seemed young and a bit innocent, she was already several dozens of years old. From the last words she heard from her mother, Stella vaguely knew what had happened.
Seeing her resoluteness, Nox cleared his previous thoughts.
“Your… body was destroyed, and Mom was fatally injured afterwards. To preserve and keep your soul here, she completely burned her own to save you. “ Nox replied solemnly.
Listening to Nox, Stella turned pale.
“Doesn’t that mean she’s gone… forever? “ this time, Stella’s tears erupted once more.
Burning your soul was very serious. It could recover after a long period of time if it was minor but burning it in its entirety would destroy and return it to origin, becoming part of the universe’s energy once again. A few scholars throughout history speculated that the souls eventually reform into a new one, but no one has ever witnessed it or knows how long it would take.
Nox didn’t want to see Stella like this, but he could only silently wait, allowing her to absorb everything. He felt the same way back then. Even now the pain is still there. No matter your power, certain things just weren’t possible.
“Dad, tell me the rest. Everything. Where we are. How long it’s been. “ calming down once again, her eyes were filled with resolution.
Nox gazed into Stella’s eyes, pondering a bit before finally nodding.
“Alright “
*sigh*
“It’s been about 7,000 years since that day. This story is long… too long. “ Nox let out a long breath and slowly spoke.
‘What!? Only 7,000 years? Isn’t that a bit too fast? Even those eon old ancients haven’t done it.’ Stella thought, staring at Nox in disbelief.
“This is Nyx, the sword I always carried. She’s a weapon spirit and was my only companion throughout these years. Your soul was kept safe with her. “ Nox stated, ignoring her expression.
“After securing your soul, we… paid a heavy price to destroy that man. After we killed him, I made a memorial for mom before we left. I managed to preserve your body, but the only way to revive you, was to get even stronger. We trav…” Nox recounted his entire journey. Not wanting to lie and keep Stella in the dark, he didn’t withhold anything, even the unsavory parts. She wasn’t a child, after all. Lengthy, it lasted for nearly an entire day before catching up to the present.
“ I’ve been in seclusion inside that wooden house for about a century; the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place. I guess you could say it became my home, and today was the day I broke through the limit.”
“I first destroyed the Boundless Sky Sect that betrayed us, then I was finally able to put your soul into your body and bring you back. Back to me… Finally. “ Nox started slightly choking on his emotions after finishing his story. He only had two goals: avenge his family and revive his daughter. For today, it was all worth it. Although his wife was gone, their blood is here. Her blood.
“Dad, thanks. “ moving over to Nox, Stella strongly hugged him, filled with pain and relief at the same time. While Nox recounted his story, she could feel the emotions he had; pain, anger, grief, and even the occasional amusement, thanks to Nyx. She would have never imagined that the relatively peaceful and family loving figure in her heart, had to endure such things for so long. Now that she’s back, at least all that he went through, wasn’t for nothing.
“You shouldn’t say that to me. Ever. I will always be there for you, even if the world collapses. “ patting her head, Nox had a stern expression, but it didn’t last long before turning into a smile.
“Well, too bad. It would feel wrong, and I’m old enough that I don’t need to listen to you anymore. “ Stella replied jokingly, before turning serious.
“Dad, I want to see mom. “
Observing Stella, Nox pondered for only a moment.
“... Alright then, let’s go back. I also want to visit her. “
Nox was nervous and his heart ached. He hadn’t visited Ling since the incident, feeling ashamed unless he fulfilled her final wish and came with Stella. Now that she’s here, he doesn’t know what Stella’s reaction will be. He doesn’t even know how the area around her memorial will be. It had been far too long.
Extending his arms, Nox grabbed Stella’s hand and Nyx’s hilt, before disappearing from the forest.