At Some Moment Between Time

  Location: Unknown

  In a beautiful and long corridor, vertically divided between white and black, a figure can be seen at the far end.

  Instantly formed from smoke, it takes on a humanoid shape, devoid of hair, face, or any distinctly feminine or masculine features.

  [Person] – [Serene & Neutral Voice] This place is impregnated with "emptiness" in every particle that composes its structures. [Takes a Deep, Calm Breath] –

  After walking alone for a few meters along the extensive corridor, the person comes across a red door that seems to emit a faint, shimmering glow across its entire surface.

  In the blink of an eye, amidst a world that appears to have slowed down, several guards appear, their eyes exuding dense smoke. Some have both eyes completely black, others completely white.

  They all stand just a few meters away from this person, each poised to strike with blows propelled by an invisible force that distorts the environment as they advance through the air.

  [Person] – [Serene, Neutral Voice] "Young creatures" are so irritating, so impulsive in their emotions, their feelings so insignificant in the eyes of those who have embraced the "infinite void" in its totality and immensity. [Sighs, Bored & Calm] –

  As all the guards remain suspended in the air, their movements still slowed, they advance toward that person.

  Each of them watches the person, who until now had kept their gaze low, lifting their face calmly, as if time had not slowed for them, but only for the guards who were about to attack with all their strength.

  Then, with a deep sigh followed by a simple snap of the fingers of one hand, the entire environment suddenly takes on the aspect of negative colors, spreading across the entire corridor.

  At the same time, the guards appear utterly terrified by a pressure that seems to crush not only their bodies but also their minds with overwhelming force.

  In the blink of an eye, after they blink their eyes, each of them realizes with horror that they are no longer in that corridor. They are somewhere else entirely.

  Before their eyes, a massive rift ignites from the inside out, opening to a surreal scale.

  This rift seems to devour not only the matter resembling a translucent liquid around it but also any form of existence, casting it into an infinite void at its core, resembling a black hole.

  When each of the guards witnesses this scene for the first time in their lives, their minds seem to succumb to the infinite void, while their existences are abruptly and painfully pulled into the abyss of the rift.

  Their screams of horror and pain do not echo through the space; instead, they are absorbed along with their very beings in a matter of moments.

  Observing these surreal scenes, each of them is gradually stripped layer by layer from their bodies until nothing remains but empty shells floating in that dark, abstract place.

  Their faces display empty eyes devoid of any life, while expressions of total panic and pain remain etched into their features. Moments later, their bodies seem to collapse internally, contorting even without life remaining.

  Returning to reality, I see the same person now calmly resuming their path toward their goal, located at the end of the corridor, behind the shimmering door.

  At the same time, the strange temporal distortion that had previously affected the environment—casting everything into a spectrum of inverted colors—vanished, restoring the place's natural hues as the person seemed to take a deeper breath.

  The guards who had been floating forward, fists raised in an attempt to attack, suddenly collapsed to the ground as if they were hollow flesh puppets drained of all substance.

  A new, subtle snap of the person's fingers echoed, and the fallen guards began to have the remnants of their physical existence erased, after having fully experienced the void and the infinite abyss for the first and last time in their lives.

  The previously solitary figure in the corridor sensed the presence of an individual emerging ahead, only a few meters away, displaying respect by lowering his head for a few seconds with one hand placed upon his own chest.

  [Man – Curious & Respectful Voice] I'm not here to stop you from reaching your objective. In fact, I'm here to ask a single question. —

  In reality, this individual was a man with black hair that swayed subtly, matching his equally black, matte garments.

  [Man – Curious & Respectful Voice] If you're willing to answer my question—of course, only if it's not too much to ask from someone as "irrelevant" as I am, to you... —

  [Person – Serene & Neutral Voice] You have my permission to ask the question for which you so desperately seek a definitive answer, but... [Serene & Calm Breathing] —

  The person before him observed part of the environment distort under the invisible influence emanating from the man's body—an influence that was deeply intriguing in their eyes.

  The man maintained a smile on his lips, hiding his true purpose in that place beneath such a piercing gaze.

  [Person – Serene & Neutral Voice] I hope you understand that, even knowing the answer, you will remain "irrelevant" until the end of your existence. Understood? [Serene & Calm Breathing] —

  Upon hearing those words, the man displayed an even more joyful smile, despite his eyes reflecting a profound desire for vengeance and hatred.

  Even though the words were spoken without emotion or feeling, they cut into his proud heart like blades, a heart consumed by the desire to avenge those he had lost because of the Begeneri twins.

  [Man – Joyful & Sadistic Voice] The Begeneri twins really are going to die, aren't they? —

  The person took a deep breath after hearing that question, and as the world seemed to slow down, they began to raise an arm, opening their hand toward the man standing before them.

  Realizing this movement, he widened his eyes, fearing he was about to be killed. Immediately, the man felt his entire body tremble with fear as he also seemed to be forced to close his eyes.

  Location: Unknown

  Moments Later

  Before the vastness of darkness, a luminous point shimmered subtly, drawing his attention. Focusing on this faintly twinkling light, the man observed himself floating completely naked, opening his eyes that had previously been forced shut by that person.

  He immediately felt a surreal sensation in the presence of this place, and before him, a colossal rift, once sealed, began to open where the man was floating.

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  [Boy – Whispering, Afraid & Disbelieving] This feeling... (Trembling Breath & Slightly Panting)]

  As the colossal rift widened, he looked around, perceiving the complete emptiness tinged in a profound black.

  [Boy – Whispering, Afraid & Disbelieving] This place... (Trembling Breath & Slightly Panting)]

  Before him, the colossal rift fully opened in just a few seconds, its size larger than a galaxy, giving the impression that the man was nothing more than a particle compared to it.

  [Boy – Whispering, Afraid & Disbelieving] Don't tell me... this is that place from the Oculi tales... (Trembling Breath & Slightly Panting)]

  A single eye slowly opened within the colossal rift, leaving him incredulous and terrified, confronted with a sensation of insignificance that gnawed at the very depths of his heart.

  This lone eye contained only a white pupil, softly glowing along its edges. At first, it looked in every direction, implying that its size, compared to the man, made him nearly impossible to see.

  Eventually, it managed to locate him. The man, confronted with this surreal scene, watched as the colossal eye focused on him, dilating its pupil and transmitting an intensity through its gaze that made him tremble with instinctive fear.

  Within that shimmering white pupil, a vortex was visible—simultaneously black and white—slowly rotating within it. A vertical mouth opened inside the white pupil, unaffected by the spinning void that continued to swirl inside.

  Seeing this bizarre sight, the man felt an intense anguish in his mind and essence—not in his body or physical existence. He struggled to hide weakness or hesitation, though he could not conceal his fear.

  [Female & Male Voice – Calm, Neutral Tone] ...Yes, "young existence," the twins shall perish at some point. (Calm, Serene Breath)]

  The lips of the mouth inside the pupil formed a smile devoid of any emotion or sentiment—pure emptiness—leaving the man trembling as he heard these words uttered by the gigantic eye.

  [Female & Male Voice – Calm, Neutral Tone] Not even one of them will survive the end of the Unitatem. (Calm, Serene Breath)]

  The man remained utterly incredulous, facing nothing less than the Infinite Abyss itself, hearing its words directly without any intermediary communication.

  [Female & Male Voice – Calm, Neutral Tone] Not even you will emerge unscathed, for you carry the same arrogant and vile essence as those Begeneri twins. (Calm, Serene Breath)]

  [Man – Breath Trembling, Fearful] The man realized that the entity before him was merely a partial manifestation created by the Infinite Abyss, a visual form designed to communicate with something organic as insignificant as his own existence. -

  [Female & Male Voice – Calm, Neutral Tone] Their existences—and yours—are steeped in feelings and emotions so questionable. (Calm, Serene Breath)

  This manifestation, though only 25% of the Abyss's full physical form, spared the man from having his mind, existence, and essence simultaneously disintegrated.

  [Female & Male Voice – Calm, Neutral Tone] ...The Begeneri twins, the Oculi, enemies, allies—all existences shall perish at the end of everything. (Calm, Serene Breath)]

  [Man – Breath Trembling, Extremely Afraid]

  [Female & Male Voice – Calm, Neutral Tone] No one stands above the magnificent Unitatem, and its decisions regarding ultimate balance or imbalance—even I, the Infinite Abyss, am not safe. (Calm, Serene Breath)]

  After declaring this, the man remained frozen, unable to react. He watched as the mouth initially closed, followed by the colossal eye, returning to its original form—merely a colossal rift in the midst of this infinite place.

  Immediately, the environment reacts like a beating heart, distorting all the space where the man was transported, not only physically but mentally as well.

  By that person, who would be a vessel used by the Infinite Abyss itself to walk in the physical world, being, in its entirety, an abstract being.

  At this instant, the man, standing before the rift, looks to the sides after feeling a slight shiver run through his body.

  Around him, he perceives multiple versions of himself, all performing the same act of movement, yet many of them bear striking differences in gender, age, and appearance.

  [Infinite Abyss] – [Serene & Neutral Voice] You desire "power," yet you seem to forget that to obtain it, you must be worthy. [Serene & Calm Breathing] –

  Still, all seem to share the same existence, existing across multiple realities that reveal themselves simultaneously. It is evident that all of them converged at this exact moment before the closed rift.

  [Infinite Abyss] – [Serene & Neutral Voice] Your essence is corrupt and repulsive, your feelings are pathetic, and... [Serene & Calm Breathing] –

  [All of the Man's Existences] – [Trembling Whisper, in denial] ...Lies! [Trembling & Slightly Angry Breathing] –

  After those statements echoed within the mind of the man and all his existences there simultaneously side by side—millions of them—before the closed rift, creating subtle ripples throughout that infinite, dark space surrounding it.

  [Infinite Abyss] – [Serene & Neutral Voice] Is that so? Your emotions are driven by an arrogant desire to conquer the love of the one you love at any cost. [Serene & Calm Breathing] –

  [All of the Man's Existences] – [Trembling Whisper, in denial] ...Shut up! [Trembling & Slightly Angry Breathing] –

  [Infinite Abyss] – [Serene & Neutral Voice] If you persist in this relentless pursuit of your great love, knowing deep down that it is impossible to have her, you will achieve nothing but a pathetic death in all your simultaneous existences. [Serene & Calm Sigh] –

  [[All of the Man's Existences]] – [Trembling Whisper, in denial] ...YOU ARE LYING!!! [Trembling & Slightly Angry Breathing] –

  Again in the Corridor

  A Few Seconds Later

  In the blink of an eye, the man returned to the corridor, while the reality around him gradually returned to normal, with colors once again filling the space.

  [Man – Denying & Emotional Voice] ...You're wrong, Infinite Abyss. [Deep, Confident Breath] -

  Faced with this mental ordeal, the man felt his legs weaken, falling to his knees. His eyes burned slightly, and black tears streamed down his face, drop by drop, until they hit the floor.

  [Man – Denying & Emotional Voice] I can shape my own destiny, and no one can control the future of my existence but me. [Deep, Confident Breath] -

  A few meters behind him, the same figure—manifesting the Infinite Abyss in a dense, black smoke form—remained, now with its back to him, staring forward.

  [Man – Denying & Emotional Voice] I will prove it to you!! [Deep, Confident Breath] -

  Hearing these words, the figure sensed the man's essence becoming more malleable, losing its singular existence and transforming into something irregular.

  [(Infinite Abyss – Calm, Neutral Voice) You are truly an... interesting 'individual.' (Slight, Deep Sigh)]

  For a few seconds, the Infinite Abyss felt this subtle transformation and lifted its gaze slightly toward the ceiling, observing that something had changed after the man had become an irregular existence.

  [(Infinite Abyss – Calm, Neutral Voice) Next time we meet in person, the 'void' will be rather busy—not just consuming your entire race, but... (Slight, Deep Sigh)]

  After speaking these words, the smoke construct continued moving toward the door, now only a few meters away.

  [(Infinite Abyss – Calm, Neutral Voice) Also, each of your simultaneous existences, and all others around you, are... far more important and relevant than your own existence, Mr. Keain. (Slight, Deep & Ironic Sigh)]

  As it moved away, Keain rose again after falling to his knees, still with his back to the abyss, walking calmly toward the end of the corridor.

  [Keain – Whispered Confidence & Determined] We'll see, you bastard. Soon, I will prove you wrong. [Deep Sigh] -

  Focusing on Keain's face, the change from fear was evident—his eyes entirely white, a confident, proud smile forming on lips that had once trembled in terror.

  [Keain – Whispered Confidence & Determined] I will reach those I love, no matter the cost. And I promise you, you damn Infinite Abyss... [Pleasurable & Vengeful Sigh] -

  After uttering that single whisper, Keain's essence burned with such intensity that, from that moment on, he desired only one thing: to gain the power necessary to change his destiny.

  [(Infinite Abyss – Calm & Reflective Voice) These existences, with such irregular essences, emanating this... 'feeling,' even for me, remain unattainable and mysterious... (Deep Sigh)]

  Keain then began walking forward, his body gradually seeming to vanish from the corridor, carried by a soft breeze that transformed him into nothing but a gentle white smoke of faintly glimmering particles, signaling that he had left the place.

  [(Infinite Abyss – Calm & Curious Voice) It inevitably leaves me even more curious to see just how far they can reach at their highest intensity. (Gentle, Joyful Sigh)]

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

  [Extra Information Regarding the Chapter]

  All information classified as "Global Confidentiality" held by the human corporation Sagittarius, concerning the Oculi and their only two factions that have intervened in human reality since the 1960s, is as follows:

  Reginae Faction

  They are the faithful followers of the true royalty and blood heir to the Oculi throne, represented by the young child, Lilian.

  All members of the Reginae, alongside their current queen, seek to forget the events of the past, in which humans cold-bloodedly killed their previous queen, who was also Lilian's mother.

  The Reginae have a single objective: to prevent internal conflicts and potential misunderstandings with humans, even going so far as to protect them in the shadows from the bloodthirsty members of the Inanis faction.