The woman lowered her eyes, smiling down at him with a teasing gentleness.
Her hair—long, wavy, and flowing all the way to her calves—shimmered softly as it caught the light, strands gliding like silk through the air.
"Please," she said quietly, voice warm and unbreakable, "protect my son, my knight… and my ever-so-precious child."
Adam felt something tighten in his chest.
The knight stepped forward from the gate, clad in shallow, weathered gray armor. His greatsword—massive and dull with age—rested at his side, towering even above him. He bowed slightly, head lowered.
"I have noticed," the knight said. "I was wrong… forgive me."
Adam shook his head, smiling faintly as he narrowed his eyes.
"There was nothing to forgive," he replied. "Except that someone is trying to manipulate someone right now."
The woman's smile softened, but concern slipped into her gaze as she lowered her eyes again.
"You will travel from another plexus," she said. "The power of Manori will fade the farther you move from her source."
Before them, a dark universe unfolded—countless orbs suspended in nothingness, each one a world, each one connected by unseen threads.
Adam looked at her.
"But I'll still have it…?" he asked.
"Yes."
[Adam]
Adam glanced toward Rehan—
No. Never mind.
She pressed her lips together.
They called her the Courier.
A thought passed through Adam's mind: Maybe I was…
No. The more he understood people, the more he realized something cruel—knowing more meant seeing how impossible it was to save everyone. The more he spread himself thin, the more powerless he became against the source itself.
Manori's gaze rested on him.
Adam clenched his fist.
"I promised," he said. "If I… if I go… I'll take you with me. So wait."
The beast—the monster—closed its eyes. There was no anger in it now. Only melancholy... And hope.
It looked at Adam one last time before fading away.
"May your journey succeed," the Courier said softly.
She stepped closer, draping a red cloak over Adam's shoulders. Then she patted his head gently. The knight watched in silence.
"This will look good on you," she said with a small laugh. "Next time, I'll put a crown on it."
Her smile trembled.
"Tell my husband not to worry when you see him again. I'll always love him. Forever… and forevermore."
Adam squinted at her, clearly annoyed—hurt in a way he didn't want to admit.
Wanting to rest...
"Do you want me to run errands now?" he muttered, clutching his own hand.
"No," she replied, patting his head again. "It's a request."
Adam flushed, embarrassed.
"A request from someone who wants to make a friend," she continued. "Someone who believes that by helping me, you'll find I'll be there for you too."
A moment passed.
Then she smirked.
Her previously emotionless eyes brightened just a little, cheeks squishing as she pressed Adam and the knight closer together.
"Come on," she teased. "I wish there were a way to freeze moments like this. You two look so cute."
"Let's just go!" Adam snapped.
White orbs formed around them.
Luminescent life surged outward, wrapping the space in radiant layers. Reality softened. Then—
They vanished.
Transferred.
To the world Adam had to reach.
To the world he needed to change.
They drifted through open space, standing upon nothing, flying through the universe toward something hovering far below—a vast surface, waiting.
The knight spoke quietly.
"My mother likes visitors," he said. "She's always happy to meet someone."
Adam sighed. "I figured."
"…My name," the knight added, "is Tsafek."
Adam laughed.
Who names their kid that—
He stopped.
Rehan.
[Yes?]
"Retrieve all Creation Cubes in this universe," Adam said. "Any reality."
His left eye burned red.
His right eye pulsed—like a star trapped beneath his skin.
Something ancient answered.
[LOCATING...]
[CREATION_CUBE_SYSTEM v2.0]
BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED
[STATUS]
CORE: ONLINE
UNIVERSAL SCAN: ACTIVE
TIME: ####-##-## 17:55
[LOCATE MODULE]
IDENTIFYING ALL KNOWN TERRITORIES...
- LOCATION_ID: UC-001
NAME: Aetherion Nexus
TYPE: Cosmic Plexus
DIMENSION: Multi-plane
TERRAIN: Nebulous energy flows
SUB_REGIONS: Void Bridges, Light Currents
CONDITIONS: Variable temporal flux, high energy density
ANALYSIS: Stable energy nodes detected; portal anchoring possible
NEXT_ACTION: Map inter-node connectivity
- LOCATION_ID: UC-002
NAME: Verdant Expanse
TYPE: Overworld Plain
DIMENSION: Material
TERRAIN: Forests, rolling hills, river systems
SUB_REGIONS: Emerald Canopy, Whispering Rivers
CONDITIONS: Fertile; high biodiversity
ANALYSIS: Optimal for settlement
NEXT_ACTION: Deploy exploration teams
- LOCATION_ID: UC-003
NAME: Plexarion Rift
TYPE: Shadow Plexus
DIMENSION: Sub-reality
TERRAIN: Fractured planes, floating shards
SUB_REGIONS: Dark Corridors, Echo Chambers
CONDITIONS: Unstable gravity; temporal anomalies
ANALYSIS: High risk, high resource density
NEXT_ACTION: Install observation nodes
[PROCESS MODULE]
- Terrain categorization: Plains | Mountains | Oceans | Plexi | Sub-planes | Void
- Resource indexing: Elemental nodes, energy currents, rare materials
- Universal connectivity: Portal nodes, interdimensional conduits
- Priority zones identified
- Anomaly detection active
[ANALYSIS MODULE]
- Multiverse convergence detected
- Layered resource accumulation probable
- Traversal feasibility calculated
- Recommendation: Anchor stable intersections; avoid fractal anomalies
[LOG COMPLETE]
SYSTEM STANDBY
[SYSTEM WARNING]
CORE PROCESSING OVERLOAD
DOMAINS EXCEEDED: >100%
ENERGY NODES: CRITICAL
REALITY COMPLEXITY: BEYOND THRESHOLD
SHORT CIRCUIT IMMINENT
[ERROR]
SYSTEM FAILURE
DATA FRAGMENTATION
CORE PROCESSORS OFFLINE
AUTOMATIC SHUTDOWN INITIATED
[CREATION_CUBE_SYSTEM v2.0]
STATUS: OFFLINE
Adam almost died.
He collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently, lungs burning as he gasped for air. The world spun. His vision blurred. The knight dropped to one knee beside him at once, lifting him carefully, supporting his weight against his back with shaking concern.
Adam forced a crooked smirk and raised a trembling thumb.
Yeah… that was stupid.
Trying to do that right after regaining his power.
Real genius.
They broke through the sky moments later—dark clouds tearing apart as gravity reclaimed them. Adam nearly smashed face-first into the ground, but the knight grabbed the back of his durable red cloak just in time, hauling him upright before he could embarrass himself even more.
…Damn it.
That was humiliating.
Somewhere along the way, he had become a comical character.
Reality had decided to laugh at him.
Gasps erupted around them.
Church bells rang out of rhythm. Priests froze mid-prayer. Knights stiffened. Villagers screamed as they stumbled backward, shock rippling through the streets like a wave.
"Oh dear…" someone whispered.
"And this—this happens while the catastrophe is still ongoing?!"
Panic took over.
People ran in every direction. Dark-armored knights surged forward, surrounding them in heavy formation. Bows snapped taut as arrows were loosed all at once.
Adam rose into the air instinctively, hovering just above the ground.
The knight reacted instantly—launching himself upward at near sonic speed, intercepting the arrows before they could reach Adam, deflecting them far away.
Only then did Adam notice it.
His power.
It was limited.
Crushed down to a fraction of what it had been before. Not sealed—but suppressed. Reduced to a thin trickle where once there had been an ocean.
The knight glanced at the soldiers, his expression unreadable.
What had twisted them into this state?
What unseen force had pushed the world so far?
The answer came screaming through steel and flesh.
Ahead of them, a monster rampaged through the streets—a towering figure with curved horns and pale, corpse-like skin. Paladins surrounded it, their purple aura-blades blazing as they struck again and again.
The blades bounced off.
The creature's hide was thick, layered, almost cradle-like in its toughness. It turned its head slowly, slitted eyes narrowing with a dreadful calm.
One by one, it grabbed the paladins.
Dropped them.
Their swords clattered uselessly against the stone.
Then—
Lightning split the air.
A bolt crashed down from above, scorching the monster's flesh, forcing it back in a roar of pain.
Smoke curled upward.
Silence fell.
The knights turned.
Their eyes locked onto Adam.
Not with hostility.
With uncertainty.
With fear.