Multiverse Years
I wandered the countless universes for thousans of years.
And now?
Now I was confident enough to step into the next one — the one I had labeled long ago in my mind as "Misfit Demon King."
Ultimate Sage's voice chimed in my thoughts, smooth and precise like always.
<
I smirked inwardly.
"Good. Let's enjoy it a little before we go destroying stuff."
There was no rush.
Not anymore.
<
A ripple passed through me — not a restriction, but a filter. My presence dimmed slightly, like covering a lighthouse with a cloth.
Still more than enough to rewrite reality.
Just not too obvious about it.
Reality twisted.
The familiar weightlessness of dimensional travel took hold.
Then—
Light.
Sound.
Smell.
I landed softly in a quiet forest clearing, birds chirping overhead like nothing strange had just happened.
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I stretched my arms above my head, rolling my neck.
"So... he's still a kid," I mused aloud, stepping forward. "Guess that gives us time."
I adjusted my coat.
"Let's get moving. First stop — the Silver Sea."
The trees rustled gently in the wind.
Somewhere far away, a boy with red eyes dreamed of a future he couldn't yet grasp.
And I?
I was already several steps ahead.
As always.
Over the next few months, I gradually made my presence known to Anos—not as an enemy, not as a rival, but as someone who could keep up.
At first, he was wary.
Who wouldn't be?
Some guy shows up out of nowhere, doesn't flinch under his pressure, and casually deflects his spells like they're mosquito bites.
But instead of fighting him head-on right away, I joined him in small things.
We sparred in the academy's restricted zones, pushing each other without holding back — well, as much as I could hold back.
We ate together, often stealing Sasha's food or getting dragged into Misha's pranks.
We even shared quiet moments — watching the stars above the kingdom, talking about what it meant to be a ruler, what it meant to be feared, hated… misunderstood.
He called me "Nox" most of the time — a name he came up with after deciding I was "too mysterious for a normal name."
I didn't argue.
It fit better than he knew.
And slowly, over time…
A bond formed.
Not family.
Not quite.
More like equals who chose to walk the same path — if only for a little while.
After I had my fun, I decided it was time to leave.
I told Anos under the moonlight, as we stood atop one of the tallest towers in The Continent — the wind tugging at our coats, the stars blinking above like distant memories.
He didn't try to stop me.
Didn't even ask why.
But I saw it in his eyes.
Real sadness.
Not dramatic. Not desperate.
Just… disappointment.
He'd gotten used to having someone around who could keep up.
And I had too.
Still.
It was time to go.
Because there were answers I needed.
Answers no one else could give.
Power no one else could wield.
So I stepped away from the Misfit Demon King and walked into the void between worlds.
Over the millennia, I wandered.
Like a lost cat with nowhere to be, but everywhere to see.
I made quick stops in countless universes.
Absorbed knowledge.
Broke limits.
Gained power no mortal mind was meant to hold.
Some called me a god.
Others, a demon.
Most didn't even know I existed until I was already gone.
I studied pantheons like novels.
Destroyed civilizations just to watch how they fell.
Built new ones from ash.
And then tore them down again.
I fought beings who claimed to be the strongest.
And I broke them — gently.
Sometimes not even with my hands.
Just by existing.
Eventually…
I stopped counting the years.
Stopped caring about names or titles.
There was only one goal left.
One truth buried beneath layers of reality itself.
And when I finally reached it?
When I finally stood at the peak of creation — above gods, above demons, above even time…
I looked down.
And smiled.
Because now?
Now I could do anything.
I stood at the edge of the endless void, watching nothing stretch in every direction like an infinite canvas yet to be painted.
Millions of years had passed — not all spent in action, but in existence . Watching. Learning. Becoming something beyond even what gods could comprehend.
And yet…
Even the strongest beings — those who once ruled over reality itself — would eventually wonder:
What else is there?
"I've absorbed countless powers," I murmured, my voice barely more than a breath in the emptiness. "Walked through millions of universes. And still… I can't find the answer I'm looking for."
There was no echo.
No response.
Just silence.
Until—
"Perhaps I could be of help with that."
The voice came from nowhere.
Soft.
Gentle.
But unmistakably there .
I didn't flinch.
Didn't turn immediately.
Instead, I let the words settle.
Then, slowly, I turned my head.
A figure stood behind me — barely more than a silhouette at first, wrapped in light that wasn't blinding, just… present .
"Come with me," it said, and behind it, a pair of massive doors began to spin — not physically, but conceptually, like they had always existed in some forgotten corner of reality, now forced into awareness.
The doors were glowing brighter until even my eyes — long since beyond mortal limits — couldn't pierce their brilliance.
Then, just as suddenly as it appeared…
The figure vanished.
No flash.
No drama.
Just gone.
Leaving only the open path.
And the unspoken invitation.
"Well," I muttered, my form drifting toward the threshold. "Might as well."
I didn't rush.
Didn't hesitate either.
Just moved forward, steady and sure.
Ultimate Sage's voice rang through my mind — sharp, urgent, almost frantic.
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I exhaled softly, feeling the pull of the door intensify as I neared its edge.
"I know," I thought back. "That's what makes this interesting."
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I smirked faintly.
"Good."
The moment I crossed the threshold, everything changed.
Not violently.
Not with explosions or cosmic screams.
Just… silence.
Complete.
Absolute.
Like I had stepped outside of time itself.
Then came the sensation of falling — not downward, but inward.
Layers peeled away.
Identities blurred.
Powers dimmed.
I felt myself being stripped down — not physically, but conceptually — as if something was testing how far I could go without relying on what I had gathered over the years.
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I didn't panic.
Didn't flinch.
Because I already knew.
Whoever — whatever — had called me here wanted to see what I was beneath the layers.
Underneath the power.
Beyond the multiverse.
So I let it happen.
"All right," I whispered into the void. "Let's see what you've got."
Then the fall ended.
Light surged.
And I landed — not in another dimension, not in a throne room of gods or a battlefield of titans.
But in a place so simple, so mundane, it nearly broke me.
A classroom.
Chalk dust in the air.
Sunlight filtering through dusty windows.
A desk.
A chair.
A name scrawled in familiar handwriting on the blackboard.
"Progenitor."
I blinked.
Then smiled.
Because now I understood.