Chapter 00093: Stop
# Stop
Chapter 93
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 93: Stop
There was no sound of the heavens collapsing or the earth shattering, no cries of despair to be heard.
When that colossal entity emerged from the heart of the world and unfurled its grand form above the sky, it felt as if the entire universe had fallen into silence.
Only a solitary, scattered song echoed in the void.
“Longing for home, my dear home, how lovely it is… How are the folks back home? They often linger in my thoughts, while I, a lonely guest in a strange land, feel so lonely and forlorn…”
In that moment, even time seemed to come to a sudden halt.
And then, it reversed, beginning anew!
The infinite hand that controlled the heavens and the earth gently tugged at the threads in its grip, once more asserting control over all things, as if everything was being manipulated by an unseen force.
All that had crumbled began to mend, and what had collapsed was reinstated.
Like a series of still images captured and formed under the guidance of an invisible hand, the outline of the little town rose once more from the ruins.
Everything lost returned; all that had been destroyed revived from the ashes.
Even time seemed to begin to flow backwards!
"This is the creation theory of the sages… The entire fractured realm is built upon her creation theory."
From within the ghostly sphere came a numb voice: “After all these years, she’s still alive? Damn, this time she dug up a dinosaur…”
Ji Jue could no longer speak.
If it were anyone else, they might be astonished by the grandeur and wonder of the scene before them.
But as a practitioner of fluid alchemy and non-violent techniques, he felt deeply the profound events unfolding within this fractured realm, comprehending the workings and intricacies beyond all imagination behind this magnificent façade.
It was as if true divinity had manifested!
At the moment when countless records of time buried beneath the earth merged with the newly remade small town before them, it felt as though the rift in time had been breached once more, revealing a path that led back four hundred years.
On either end of time, the little town and the fractured realm mirrored each other, intertwining with countless threads… Gradually, an invisible bridge was formed!
But now, even as the doorway appeared, it remained sealed, covered in dust.
Even though it seemed merely a stone's throw away, the distance felt as vast as the heavens.
Above the sky, a magnificent tower soared, reaching into the clouds, separating the past from the future, standing as a barrier before the doorway.
As the cruel rift manifested from atop the tower, the reflections of time on either side faded away, the bridge painstakingly constructed from mercury vanished without a trace.
With a thunderous sound, it broke apart alongside the Tower of Order.
Only a pitch-black abyss remained.
All that had been reborn once again turned to ruins; all that had been reconstructed fell back to the earth, leaving only remnants… Just as everything had transpired on the far side of time.
Above the sky, the vast being formed from countless hands paused for an instant.
In the lonely song, wails of sorrow once more emerged, sounding like cries of pain and lament.
Crimson tears fell like a torrential downpour, broken remnants plummeted to the ground, transforming into twisted monsters.
They turned around and once again joined the grand yet lonely chorus.
From the ruins, all was remade once more… Time and time again.
Just like countless attempts in the past, the cycles continued without end.
“To be unceasing, without stopping.”
“This is the creation theory of mercury, and its name is ‘The First Cause’.”
The prophet stated: “Mercury combines embers and the ethereal path, constructing a chain from the past to the future based on causality — Its power allows for absolute causal relationships to emerge from both past and future, tracing back to reshape, reversing time, thus forming this ‘recursion’.”
“What exactly is she trying to do?”
In the lengthy silence, Ji Jue gazed at the ever-shifting world before him, muttering softly.
But he already knew the answer in his heart.
Was there any other answer besides salvaging all that was once lost? Was there anything else worth a sage’s pain and madness than reclaiming all that had vanished?
Some say the highest virtue is history and the world itself.
They are born from the origin and extend to the ends of doom, heralding the end.
All things in the world, whether in order or chaos, life or death, war or peace, the rise and fall of powers and changes in the mountains — all will intertwine into a complex tapestry that encompasses all.
Everything is fixed within the tapestry of the highest virtue.
Because of this, there remains an opportunity for redemption, as long as one can return to that day; as long as one can reach that wedding that will forever remain out of grasp…
“Before the age of chaos, a saying was passed down: before the box is opened, no one knows if the cat inside is dead or alive.”
The prophet continued slowly, “Perhaps in history, all that destruction has already been destined. Yet before that destruction, there remains a chance for preservation. If she can preserve the soul before destruction, then there is still room for change.”
For this, she would spare no effort.
In the time left of her life, she poured all her strength into chasing after the position of sage, crafting her creation theory in this manner.
She hoped that one day, with the help of simulation tools, she could approach that time without limits and through the door of eternity, return to that day.
But she failed.
No matter how many attempts she made, no matter the prices paid.
It was not due to a lack of ability, nor a miscalculation.
It was precisely because of the collapse of the Tower of Order!
The tapestry woven from the highest virtue was shattered by her own hand; she could no longer trace the path upward.
The horrific chaos and destruction carved an insurmountable abyss through history and time, leaving a wound that could not heal, separating her from all she cherished.
Thus, everything became irreversible.
She became what she is.
Everything was already predetermined.
If the embers represent a sage shaped by destiny, then this was her fated forging.
She could not reverse her origin, just as even the sage representing origins must eventually face the end, akin to the dragon that heralds doom.
Despite her exhausting efforts and the endless search for the dissipated old times, she could not mend the gaps within.
No matter how minuscule the error, after countless repetitions, it would become a distant illusion distinctly different from reality.
Even if it meant paying any price.
Even if it required creating hell with her own hands, confining herself within it…
Endless changes, repeated yet yielding nothing, in a hopeless cycle, the resulting endpoint was not the conclusion.
But rather the beginning of eternal torment.
“This is madness, isn’t it?”
The prophet sighed lightly, “Clearly there are so many futures waiting to be explored, yet humanity would waste a lifetime on ‘returning to the past’.”
“... I don’t think so.”
Ji Jue shook his head: “A mother wanting to see her child once more, wishing for her to lead a happy life, what’s so mad about that?”
Even if it meant dying countless times or sacrificing everything.
Each time they recalled each others' faces, the price paid became trivial.
“If it were me, I might do the same,” he said softly.
The prophet asked, “Even if it meant creating hell?”
Ji Jue remained silent, not answering.
In the brief stillness, the prophet watched him, letting out a faint sigh: “... You really are just like her.”
Had she known, she might have been more cautious in choosing partners, but now, these little details didn’t matter.
No more regrets.
Since awakening self and consciousness, she had already regretted more than enough… And this time, she chose to risk her own regret rather than face failure.
But strangely, she could not help but wonder: Was the mercury of that year also this determined?
She shut her eyes, letting out a silent sigh.
Now, everyone was the same kind of “person.”
Boom!!!
When the mirage of the Tower of Order collapsed again, everything within the fractured realm once more turned to ruins.
Beneath the rain of bloody tears, the lonely song continued.
A multitude of hands still stubbornly reached out, seeking to correct everything and recreate it all.
Never-ending.
The sage sang alone out of tears, again and again.
Until the wings were ignited in the shifts of time, until the body turned to ash in the flames, they would not cease!
Even offering themselves as sacrifices.
Futilely reaching out, hoping to touch the cheek of that face from four hundred years ago.
But everything had already been predetermined.
The closer they drew toward the remaining time of the Tower of Order, the stronger the curse they bore became.
With each reversal of time, they would bear another backlash from the source, as reason and soul were eroded away, leaving only obsession in their wake.
It felt as though tossing one’s own body into the abyss time and again, hoping to one day tread upon their own bones to reach the other side.
In the hopeless torment, longing for a future that would never arrive, wishing to return to a past that was forever out of reach.
In the endless cycle, in the end, what would you become, mercury?
When soul and body are burnt out, when ashes and embers are scattered across the rifts of time, will there be complete return to the void? Or, as a true offspring, will one emerge from the embers of pain and despair?
Before that, everything should have ended…
“Stop it, mercury.”
The prophet opened her eyes, issuing her final command to everything, to the fractured realm.
She said: “Stop!”
In that moment, the song suddenly ceased.
Sky, earth, creation, ruins, and even mercury, which enveloped the entire firmament, everything came to an abrupt halt… The anguished cry erupted from the skies, tormenting everyone’s ears.
From the depths of the earth, the core of the workshop once again changed upon the prophet’s command, just like the countless times over the past four hundred years…
A blade-like tower rose from the ground, ascending into the sky, replacing the mirage of the Tower of Order, and standing sentinel between heaven and earth, piercing through the distorted form of mercury!
It imprisoned the sage once more within the cage known as the workshop!
Ending everything within the endless cycle.
Coming to a standstill.
(End of Chapter)