"Why hasn't he come back yet?!"
Kaito checked his watch again. His anxiety was close to breaking point.
Rensu wasn't any better.
This was a wedding witnessed by the entire magical world. If things really reached that point, the consequences would be unthinkable.
And yet, there was nothing they could do.
If Noah didn't appear, this wedding would become a disaster. Worse still, Noah was the Sorcerer Supreme. His absence alone would become a scandal of historic proportions.
The most absurd part was that the three of them had agreed to leave together if things went wrong.
But now, they couldn't even leave.
Everyone was watching them.
Former classmates. Friends. Officials from various Ministries of Magic. People kept coming over one after another.
At an event this large, they had no private space at all.
"What do we do?" Rensu smiled while greeting another group, then cursed under his breath. "Damn it. Are we really supposed to run away from the wedding venue? That's even worse than leaving now."
"Do you have a better idea?" Kaito nodded to someone nearby, then lowered his voice. "You think I want this?"
"Both of you, shut up."
Evan's voice was low but firm.
"Greet the guests properly first. We'll figure something out after. Once you've made a decision, stop hesitating. It's embarrassing."
Evan was still Evan.
He rarely spoke, but when it mattered, his word was final.
Back then, Noah had been the one like that.
After Noah left Hogwarts, no one else was ever allowed into their three-man dormitory. And no one dared move in.
Kaito usually led, but when Evan spoke, the decision was made.
Kaito and Rensu exchanged a glance and nodded.
And then-
Professor Flitwick and Professor Dumbledore appeared in front of them.
The three froze.
No matter how powerful they were now, standing in front of their old professors still made them instinctively stiffen.
"What's wrong with you three?" Professor Flitwick asked, puzzled. "And where's Noah? The wedding begins in ten minutes."
"He-uh..." Rensu stumbled.
"He's in his room," Evan said calmly. "We came out for some air."
"Right! Exactly!" Kaito elbowed Rensu and smiled. "Just getting some air. We'll be ready very soon."
"I see." Dumbledore nodded gently. "Congratulations, boys. Seeing how far you've come truly makes me happy."
Professor Flitwick nodded as well. Then he glanced around again.
"Let's go to your dormitory. It's been a long time since I've been there. I'd also like to see Noah. That boy is far too busy these days. I haven't seen him in ages."
Kaito and the others had just relaxed-
And then their faces went pale.
"Am I... hallucinating?"
Noah stared at the figure before him.
But he knew the answer.
This wasn't an illusion.
As the golden orb continued to pour power into Noah's Domain, the silver energy surged violently, expanding without restraint. And as it did, the figure seated within the void became clearer.
"Playing dumb isn't very flattering," the figure said casually.
The accent was standard. Familiar.
Almost identical to Noah's own.
Yet Noah knew, without question, that this was no human.
He had never felt this way before.
Not facing Odin.
Not facing the Ancient One.
This fear came from the depths of his soul.
A terror so absolute that resistance felt meaningless.
"Who... are you?" Noah forced himself to breathe.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that he had felt true despair.
He couldn't see the figure's face.
He couldn't sense its aura.
Yet a single sentence made his soul tremble.
Noah was genuinely panicked.
Still, he clenched his teeth.
If he broke now, his soul might collapse the next time the figure spoke.
What kind of monster is this?
He didn't dare say it aloud.
If this being was temperamental, Noah might simply cease to exist.
A demigod's soul could resist the pull of the World of the Dead.
But here-
Noah was certain that even a true god would be erased instantly.
"System," Noah asked silently, "do you know who this is?"
No response.
The System was completely silent.
"Me?" The shadow tilted its head. "I have many titles. 'Prodigy of the Muya Continent.' 'Prince Augustus.' 'Sole Sovereign of the God-Lands.' There are too many."
Noah searched his memory.
Nothing matched.
Then the shadow spoke again.
"Others prefer a simpler title."
"The Lord of the Void."
Noah's eyes widened.
His soul shook.
Lord of the Void.
A name he had never forgotten.
A name bound to the System's origin.
A name that carried fear itself.
The Void.
Oppressive. Suffocating. Terrifying.
"So you know it," the shadow said lightly. "Akatosh threw my creation into the endless void. I only discovered it recently. What's more interesting is that before I could retrieve it, you delivered yourself to me."
"I... delivered myself?" Noah swallowed.
"Void Power." The Lord of the Void laughed softly. "You condensed it. If that power hadn't broadcast from the Heart of the Universe, I wouldn't have found this place."
"Heart of the Universe... Void Power..." Noah murmured.
He understood.
The silver energy was Void Power.
The golden orb was the Heart of the Universe.
The core of an entire universe.
No wonder it radiated complete rules.
No wonder it felt ownerless.
It was the universe itself.
Noah remembered Thanos had once touched this power in another story.
He didn't remember the ending.
But he understood the danger.
And now, it didn't matter.
"Was it intentional?" Noah asked calmly. "Did the System guide me here? To Void Power. To the Heart of the Universe. To you?"
"What do you think?" The Lord of the Void smiled. "You already know."
Noah fell silent.
The System had helped him.
That much was true.
And when Noah reached for the Heart of the Universe-
The System had tried to stop him.
"I guess I was unlucky," Noah said quietly.
"Unlucky?" The Lord of the Void stepped closer. His form grew clearer. "Do you think meeting me is misfortune?"
"Who knows." Noah smiled faintly. "May I ask one thing? Why could I condense Void Power in the Material World?"
"Because the System comes from the Void."
The figure was now clear.
"You were lucky. Void Power requires a seed and eight elements. You had them all."
Noah was stunned.
Four elements.
Light and dark.
Time and space.
All present.
He felt cold.
As if he had been guided step by step.
A chess piece.
"Humans love to imagine conspiracies," the Lord of the Void said calmly.
He emerged fully from the mist.
A young man.
Golden hair. Azure eyes.
About Noah's age.
Handsome.
Terrifying.
And familiar.
"Do you feel it?" he asked. "You and I are the same kind."
Noah couldn't speak.
"...Was it all a coincidence?" he finally asked.
"I don't know." The man shook his head. "I don't stay in the Material World often. You know the consequences."
Noah did.
Valoran.
Warcraft.
And the System-
It had always sounded like him.
"So why are you here?" Noah asked.
"Curiosity," the Lord of the Void replied. "And because now that you possess Void Power, we will meet again."
Noah looked at the silver power spreading through his Domain.
He understood.
One day, he would step into the Void.
"Then I'll go." The man sighed. "A foolish dragon is waiting."
He looked at Noah's universe.
"Incomplete. But impressive. I'll wait for you, Noah Fenier."
"Maybe," Noah said softly. "If that day comes."
"...Can you send me back?" he added. "I still have something important to do."
"My pleasure."
The Domain separated from the golden orb.
The Heart of the Universe pulsed alone.
The Lord of the Void faded.
"Thank you," Noah whispered.
"Josh Augustus," the voice echoed. "I'll be waiting."
Wedding bells rang.
Magical flames bloomed above Hogwarts.
Hermione stood alone in her white gown.
Her eyes were red.
Kaito, Rensu, and Evan had confessed everything.
The news spread.
Ancient One couldn't sense Noah at all.
He was gone.
Hermione waited.
The bells stopped.
Rain fell.
She didn't move.
Guests stayed silent.
Then-
A hymn echoed from the sky.
Divine.
The rain reversed.
Clouds parted.
Sunlight fell.
A rainbow appeared.
Space shattered like glass.
A man stepped through.
Cheers erupted.
Hermione's vision blurred.
"I'm sorry," Noah said gently. "I'm late."
"I knew..." Hermione broke down. "I was afraid-"
He kissed her.
Long and quiet.
Then he smiled.
"I will never regret it."
"No matter what."
"So..."
"I'm back."
---------------
TN: More than a year of travel with this book.
many ups and downs in my personal life and work life but finally i finished this.
A new book will be coming soon and your supports will be must appreciated.