Chapter 257: Origin of the Strange Stone
An unimaginable, transcendent pressure cascaded downward, crushing reality itself into absolute stillness. Eldric’s unfinished command died in his throat, his mouth frozen mid-word.
In that instant, the fabric of existence crystallized, suspended between heartbeats. Leaves hung motionless in midair, shimmering embers halted their dance, and even the smallest particles of mana stood impossibly still—tiny stars trapped in glass.
Time had not simply paused—it had been seized, shackled, and held in absolute stasis.
Within this frozen silence, a single entity stirred. A faint pulse radiated outward from Orion’s slumbering form, barely perceptible yet powerful enough to ripple softly through the unmoving air.
Hovering gently above Orion, the Limitless System activated, forming first as a translucent, shimmering interface, then swiftly reshaping into an avatar.
Lumi appeared, her figure ghostly and ethereal, threads of digital brilliance cascading around her like fragments of captured moonlight.
Her expression was wary, apprehensive eyes sweeping cautiously through the frozen scene. A tremor of anxiety coursed visibly through her projection, fracturing her form momentarily with faint digital flickers.
A ripple, delicate yet absolute, gently disturbed the void above. Stars blinked quietly into oblivion, leaving an endless depth of pure darkness, from which a presence slowly emerged.
He stepped downward from the nothingness, feet treading invisible stairs carved from empty space itself.
There was no explosion, no fanfare, only a silent arrival marked by cosmic stillness. The fabric of reality itself seemed to part gracefully before him, embracing him reverently, respectfully.
Echo appeared, this time as an aged figure quietly radiant with profound melancholy. Long silver hair cascaded softly around his weary face, eyes shadowed by eons of solitude and patience.