Free Web NovelChapter 67: Chapter 67: Ashes Beneath the Silent Sky
The battlefield had finally gone quiet.
For the first time since the nightmare began, silence reigned.
No screams.
No explosions.
No divine pressure crushing the world.
No monstrous armies of angels and demons.
Only silence.
And ruins.
The once-proud outer districts had become an endless graveyard of shattered stone and blackened earth.
Massive trenches scarred the landscape.
Entire roads had vanished.
Buildings that once stood proudly were now nothing more than piles of rubble.
The air smelled of dust, blood, burnt ether, and melted stone.
A cold wind swept through the wasteland.
At the center of it all...
Eternia lay motionless.
Face down.
Completely unconscious.
A few meters away sat Etherius.
He hadn’t moved for several minutes.
Not because he was seriously injured.
Not because he was exhausted.
Because he was terrified.
His mind replayed everything he had witnessed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The First Dream.
Lucien’s death.
The extraction of the Axis.
The stories of beings older than reality itself.
The impossible battle.
The possession.
The horrifying pressure.
Everything.
For the first time in both his lives...
Etherius felt small.
Painfully small.
In his previous life, he had always believed knowledge was power.
If he knew enough, he could prepare.
If he prepared enough, he could survive.
If he survived long enough, he could win.
Simple.
Efficient.
Logical.
But today...
That belief had been shattered.
What preparation could stop a being that treated Void Monarchs like insects?
What knowledge could help against something that remembered the birth of existence?
What scheme could possibly work?
Etherius looked toward Eternia’s collapsed body.
His hands tightened.
A tiny part of him feared she would suddenly stand up again.
With four arms.
With the glowing star.
With that impossible voice.
His body shivered.
"No."
He whispered.
"Don’t think about it."
Yet he couldn’t stop.
Eventually, he forced himself to stand.
His legs felt weak.
Every step felt heavier than normal.
He slowly approached Eternia.
Carefully.
Very carefully.
As if she were some sleeping dragon.
One wrong move away from disaster.
He crouched beside her.
His heartbeat accelerated.
A hundred different possibilities ran through his head.
What if the First Dream was still there?
What if it was pretending?
What if this was a trap?
What if—
"Stop."
Etherius pinched the bridge of his nose.
Even he knew he was overthinking.
Slowly, he reached out.
Then lightly shook her shoulder.
No response.
Again.
Nothing.
A third time.
Still nothing.
Only soft breathing.
Etherius studied her face.
No glowing runes.
No star-shaped mark.
No divine pressure.
No murderous aura.
Just Eternia.
The same irritating girl who somehow managed to attract disasters larger than kingdoms.
The same girl who somehow annoyed him every time they met.
The same girl who had nearly gotten him killed multiple times.
A strange sense of relief filled him.
He exhaled.
Long and slow.
"It really is you."
His shoulders relaxed.
For the first time all day.
Several seconds passed.
Then Etherius looked upward.
The massive barrier surrounding the city was beginning to crumble.
Cracks spread across the golden dome.
The soul-script reinforcement embedded inside it was disappearing.
Without the First Dream actively maintaining it...
The structure could no longer support itself.
A low rumbling echoed across the battlefield.
CRACK.
A giant fracture appeared overhead.
Then another.
Then another.
The entire dome began collapsing.
Golden fragments drifted through the sky like dying stars.
The sight was strangely beautiful.
Etherius watched silently.
Eventually...
The barrier shattered completely.
The sky became visible once more.
The real sky.
Dark.
Quiet.
Filled with distant stars.
For some reason, seeing those stars made Etherius feel better.
The world hadn’t ended.
Not today.
Something nearby caught his attention.
The Stasis Orb.
The artifact rested on broken stone.
Its once-brilliant surface now appeared dim.
Still...
Its value remained immeasurable. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Etherius immediately walked over.
His eyes narrowed.
Even damaged, this thing was priceless.
A Stasis Orb capable of containing and reinforcing soul-script phenomena.
Entire nations would fight wars over one.
Yet here it was.
Lying on the ground.
Ownerless.
Etherius stared at it.
Then immediately picked it up.
"No point wasting resources."
He brushed off the dirt.
Then stored it inside his pocket.
Future Etherius would thank present Etherius.
He turned around.
Then froze.
Eternia.
Nysera.
Both unconscious.
Both completely useless.
Etherius slowly looked between them.
Then toward the distant Sinclair Estate.
Then back toward them.
Silence.
More silence.
A very long silence.
"...Do I really have to drag both of them?"
The universe offered no answer.
Etherius sighed.
Several painful minutes later.
He regretted every life decision that had led him here.
Dragging one unconscious person was difficult.
Dragging two was torture.
Nysera was somehow heavier than she looked.
Eternia kept getting caught on debris.
The terrain was terrible.
Everything hurt.
At one point he seriously considered abandoning both of them.
Only for common sense to remind him that was a terrible idea.
So he kept going.
Step after step.
Meter after meter.
The destroyed battlefield stretched endlessly behind him.
Eventually...
The outer perimeter of Sinclair territory came into view.
And with it—
Guards.
Lots of guards.
Dozens of armed Sinclair personnel rushed forward.
The moment they recognized Etherius...
Every single one immediately straightened.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master Etherius!"
"What happened?!"
Etherius nearly collapsed from relief.
Finally.
Competent people.
The guards quickly took control of the situation.
Several rushed toward Eternia.
Others moved toward Nysera.
A few examined Etherius himself.
The captain looked horrified by the state of all three.
"What happened out there?"
Etherius stared at him.
Then laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because he genuinely didn’t know where to start.
Within the hour.
The Sinclair Medical Hall entered a state of emergency.
Doctors.
Healers.
Mages.
Everyone moved at full speed.
Eternia was placed inside a recovery room.
Nysera received treatment shortly afterward.
Etherius underwent examinations as well.
Fortunately.
None of them suffered permanent injuries.
At least physically.
Much later.
Etherius sat in a private office.
A senior guard stood nearby recording everything.
"What happened, Young Master?"
Etherius stared out the window.
Then began speaking.
The attack on the underground auction.
The explosion.
The chaos.
The battle.
The barrier.
Everything.
Not everything.
Not the First Dream’s true history.
Not the conversation.
But enough.
Far more than enough.
The guard listened in stunned silence.
Hours later.
Exhaustion finally overwhelmed Etherius.
He returned to his estate residence.
The hallways were quiet.
The moon hung high above.
His room felt strangely small tonight.
Safe.
But small.
Etherius sat on the edge of his bed.
His mind wandered.
Back to the battlefield.
Back to the First Dream.
Back to Lucien.
Back to Eternia.
Back to everything.
Slowly, his hands clenched.
"I need more power."
The words escaped naturally.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
No arrogance.
Just certainty.
He wasn’t strong enough.
Not even close.
His previous life experience.
His intelligence.
His planning.
None of it mattered before overwhelming power.
And somewhere out there...
A being older than existence itself was moving pieces across the board.
Etherius looked toward the moon.
"I need a way to survive."
A pause.
Then another thought.
"And eventually..."
His eyes hardened.
"I need a way to kill it."
For the first time since returning to this era...
Fear had become motivation.
Eventually exhaustion won.
Etherius closed his eyes.
And fell asleep.
Meanwhile.
Far away.
A lone guard walked along a stone pathway.
The same guard who had received Etherius’s report.
The same guard entrusted with delivering information.
He never saw death coming.
A shadow appeared behind him.
Silent.
Instant.
Merciless.
The guard turned.
His eyes widened.
Then—
Nothing.
No scream.
No struggle.
Only silence.
Moments later...
Pieces of a body lay scattered across the pavement.
Blood slowly spread across the stones.
Standing above the remains...
Was Godfrey.
The old man’s expression remained calm.
Unmoved.
As if stepping on an insect.
He looked down at the corpse.
Then sighed.
"Forgive me."
His tone suggested he was actually sad.
"My Lord’s existence cannot become public knowledge."
Godfrey closed his eyes.
For a brief moment.
Respect appeared within them.
Later that night.
A report arrived.
Official.
Clean.
Perfectly written.
According to the document:
A coalition of rogue mage gangs and rebel organizations had launched an attack on the outer city.
Significant collateral damage occurred.
Several powerful artifacts were involved.
Many casualties resulted.
Investigation ongoing.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing impossible.
Nothing divine.
A perfect lie.
Godfrey stood atop a ruined tower overlooking the battlefield.
Moonlight illuminated the devastation.
Miles of flattened terrain stretched before him.
The scale remained unbelievable.
Even after witnessing it personally.
Godfrey lowered his head.
Then looked toward the stars.
A faint smile appeared.
"My Lord."
His voice carried genuine reverence.
Not fear.
Not obligation.
Faith.
Absolute faith.
Most people served power.
Godfrey served conviction.
And after witnessing what happened today...
His conviction had only grown stronger.
The old man gazed over the ruined landscape.
The flattened cities.
The shattered earth.
The scars left by a battle beyond mortal comprehension.
His eyes reflected awe.
"The First Dream."
The wind howled across the wasteland.
Godfrey smiled.
"A being truly worthy of devotion."
Far above.
The stars continued shining.
Unaware.
Or perhaps unwilling to acknowledge.
That the greatest nightmare in existence had only suffered a temporary setback.
And somewhere deep within the Sinclair Medical Hall...
Eternia slept.
Unaware that her life would never be peaceful again.
