Chapter 409 On the Verge of Aspiratum — The Beginning of a Journey into Originless Time
After the final explosion of light from Joanna's magic, after the Titans disappeared, and Chronos was torn apart by an indomitable will, everything seemed to have come to an end. Yet, within the stillness of this shattered reality, something stirred.
It was not a creature.
It was not a god.
And it was not even time.
It was Aspiratum.
As if born from deep emptiness, Aspiratum is a whisper of darkness that manifests in the heart of suppressed fears and hopes. Forever trapped in the breath of the world, it creates profound experiences for every soul that touches it, inviting them to feel the dilemma between creation and void.
Rui stood amidst the ruins of the altar of time, grasping the last light-filled hourglass belonging to Joanna. Her breath was slow, but it was not air she inhaled—rather, it was the pulse of the world. An unfamiliar thrum, not originating from Omega, Alpha, or any known dimension.
From the cracks in the ruins, dark shadows floated, as if watching, waiting for the right moment to surface. The sky transformed. The stars that had returned were now dimming one by one, as if snatched away by something older than light.
And from beneath the earth, which Omega had repaired, emerged circular fissures—forming an incomplete spiral. Within it, a proud rumble resonated, shaking the souls abandoned in that uncertainty.
Omega, standing not far away, trembled.
"He... awakens."