[: 3rd POV :]

Daniel stood frozen in silence, the vast ocean of truth still rippling through his mind.

The revelation about the Nexus Heart had already been enough to shatter everything he thought he knew about this world, but the weight of his new powers made those truths even heavier.

His aura trembled, not from weakness, but from the sheer density of thought running through him.

Even a god would have staggered under the knowledge he now bore.

Yet, there were still questions clawing at him.

Four of them, clear and sharp as blades, each one demanding an answer.

He exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the dim void of his consciousness.

"System," he began, voice low but steady, "if this world was truly sealed off from the universe, then how did Gates begin appearing?"

His tone wasn't accusatory, merely cold, analytical.

"Shouldn't the seal have prevented anything from coming in or going out?"

For a moment, the System was silent.

Then its familiar tone echoed in his mind, not rushed, but carrying a strange weight.

[: Host, the appearance of Gates was simply due to the fact that the Will of the World has allowed it"

Daniel's brows furrowed. "Allowed it?"

[: Yes, Host. The Gates you have been clearing are gates that the Will of the World has connected to another realm :]

[: They are an expression of the Natural Will and Order of this world. :]

[: With the Nexus Heart that it was born with it, it could utilize it in ways that even Sovereigns wouldn't imagine to happen :]

[; Moreover, Gates are also the Natural Order for every planet :]

A faint pulse of light flickered across the System's interface, each word ringing like truth carved in stone.

[: Even sealed, the Will of the World has needs. For its children to grow strong enough to survive, it required trials, and so the Will had allowed the Gates. :]

Daniel stood silent, absorbing the words.

The thought that the very trials he had endured for years weren't foreign but born from the world itself… it was both grounding and unsettling.

[: No matter how much the First Ancestors wished to isolate this world, they still required the help of the Will of the World to maintain balance. :]

Daniel's eyes darkened slightly.

"Then… the Will of the World has its own consciousness?"

[: Yes, Host. The Will of the World is not a mindless force. It is an entity, vast, ancient, and aware. It does not think as mortals do, but it chooses, acts, and adapts. :]

A flicker of something unreadable crossed Daniel's expression.

The idea of a conscious world, the ground beneath his feet, the sky above, the mana he breathed, watching, guiding, even testing him, was a truth so enormous it made gods feel small.

"So, I wasn't just fighting random Gates… I was being honed by the Will itself," Daniel muttered quietly.

"All this time… was I walking into its plan?"

[: The Will does not plan in the way mortals plan, Host. It acts as a parent acts for a child—nurturing, testing and shaping. :]

Daniel let out a slow breath, tilting his head back.

"Then this world is alive in a way even I hadn't imagined…"

His thoughts churned, but another question burned hotter now.

He straightened slightly, eyes hardening.

"Second question, System. If the First Ancestors sealed this world off… how did they even achieve that?"

"You said their highest rank was only Mythic. A Mythic-rank being shouldn't be able to perform something on that scale, especially if the planet hadn't even evolved yet."

For the first time, the System's tone shifted, subtle but noticeable, like a bell tolling in the distance.

[: Host, the First Ancestors were not ordinary Mythic beings. They were the Chosen Ones. :]

Daniel blinked.

"Chosen Ones… like Apostles?"

[: No, Host. Not like Apostles. :]

The words vibrated in his mind, carrying a gravity heavier than he expected.

[: Apostles are selected by Sovereigns, by gods, by high entities within the known cosmos :]

[: Chosen Ones, however… they are selected by forces beyond even those :]

[: By beings and orders higher than Sovereigns, higher than gods, beyond the boundaries of this universe's hierarchy. :]

The System's tone darkened further.

[: The First Ancestors were not simply chosen randomly :]

[: Their identities were carved by powers that existed before time, before law :]

[: Their seal was not a mere spell, but a command, sanctioned by the highest order of authority. :]

Daniel's lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Even with all his power, the scale the System described was alien to him.

"So… you're telling me," Daniel said slowly, "that the First Ancestors weren't just blessed. They were… what, emissaries? Instruments?"

[: Not instruments. They were those given permission to rewrite what cannot be rewritten. :]

Daniel's fists tightened at his sides.

This was no longer about simple history.

It was about forces so vast they made his new powers feel like ripples on an ocean.

He opened his mouth to ask more, but the System interrupted him.

[: Host, you are not yet strong enough to understand the entirety of this truth :]

[: When you ascend further, when your existence stabilizes at a level beyond Mythic, then you may ask again. :]

The words were final, like a door closing. Daniel inhaled sharply through his nose, but he didn't push.

If the System itself was warning him, then the truth waiting beyond this point was no trivial secret.

He exhaled slowly. "Fine. But I'm not stopping here."

His eyes darkened again, the third question already forming.

"Then answer me this, System. If the seal has been shattered now, doesn't that mean the forces of the universe will start to notice this world's presence?"

[: Yes, Host. The Sovereign Apocalypse has already made his first move. :]

Daniel's jaw clenched.

He had suspected it, but hearing it confirmed made the atmosphere feel heavier.

"Then… how long do we have?"

[: Approximately one year. :]

The words hit harder than a hammer. Daniel's gaze sharpened like steel.

"One year…"

[: In one year, the veil will thin enough for the scent of the Nexus Heart to leak into the cosmos :]

[: After that, countless eyes will turn upon this world. :]

Daniel's mind raced.

Sovereigns. Constellations. Gods. Armies from higher-tier planes.

The very thought of them descending upon this unprepared world was like a shadow stretching across the horizon.

[: The First Ancestors delayed this inevitability for as long as they could, Host. But even their power could not hold it forever. :]

"Then that means…" Daniel's voice dropped to a low, dangerous timbre.

"This planet isn't just in danger. It's already been marked."

[: Precisely, Host. The moment the seal shattered, the countdown began :]

[: The Will of the World has already begun to respond, creating stronger Gates, accelerating the growth of its children, but it will not be enough without intervention. :]

Daniel's eyes flickered faintly. "So, it's up to me now."

[: That is your choice Host :]

There was still one final question he couldn't ignore, a question that had been burning at the back of his mind ever since the System first revealed his new powers.

His gaze hardened, and his voice was quiet but cutting.

"System… with all the powers and abilities I've gained, every skill, every form, every path you've unlocked for me, compared to all the entities out there in the Universe…"

His fingers twitched faintly, the Eternal Giver pulsing at his core.

"Could I kill them?"

Silence followed his question.

It wasn't the System's usual pause; it was heavier, deeper, as though the very cosmos had gone still.

Finally, the System's reply came, and for the first time, its tone felt almost… apologetic.

[: Negative, Host. :]

Daniel's eyes narrowed, but he didn't flinch.

"Negative?"

[: You would not lose to them, Host. :]

The words were like iron, steady and cold.

[: But you would not be able to kill them either. :]

Daniel's expression flickered.

A strange stillness came over him, not of fear, but of measured calculation.

"Why? Explain it to me."

The System obliged.

[: Host, to answer this question, you must first understand the true hierarchy of power that governs existence itself. :]

The interface pulsed, and a cascade of shimmering symbols spread across his consciousness, layers of truths that felt older than creation itself.

[: First comes the Law :]

Images of flowing water, spiraling gravity, flames flickering through void flashed across Daniel's vision.

[: Law is the foundational understanding of an element or force. The Law of Water, the Law of Gravity, the Law of Justice. It is the recognition of its nature. :]

Daniel could feel it. Law was not power in the brute sense, but comprehension, the first breath of control.

[: Beyond Law is Divine Law, simply a higher rank of the same principle. A deeper resonance with the element's structure. :]

The images sharpened, glowing with richer colors.

[: Further still lies Authority :]

This time the symbols pulsed brighter, heavier. Daniel felt a weight behind the word itself.

[: Authority is not merely understanding an element but perceiving what makes it itself. It is holding the essence of the element in your palm, not just as a tool, but as a truth. :]

Daniel's mind flickered to his own abilities.

Void Step.

Destruction Element Manipulation.

Oblivion Pulse.

Yes… Authority was something he had, but had never truly understood its meaning.

[: Beyond Authority is Concept :]

The System's tone deepened, like an echo from a cavern without end.

[: Concept is mastery of the very existence of the element. Not just holding its truth, but becoming the truth-bearer of what it represents. :]

Daniel's breath slowed. He thought of Void. Destruction. Oblivion. Concepts that ate other concepts.

Yet, according to the System, even that was not the summit.

[: Afterwards is Commandment :]

Daniel's heart gave a small, involuntary thump.

The word itself was like thunder.

[: Commandment is a level where one commands, manipulates, and even controls the very element itself. You do not just master it; you dictate its reality. :]

[: Up until now, Host, this is what you have come to understand most :]

[: The Authority, the Concept, the Commandment, these are within your grasp :]

[: But there is one more level beyond Commandment, one which separates you from those Entities you speak of. :]

Daniel's eyes narrowed further.

"And what is that?"

The System's voice was quieter now, but it hit harder than any roar.

[: Embodiment :]

The word landed in Daniel's mind like a meteor.

[: Embodiment is the level where one becomes the element itself. Not commanding it, not shaping it, but existing as its living truth :]

[: It is the point where comprehension and being fuse. They are no longer masters of the element, they are the element. :]

The interface flickered, and for a split second, Daniel thought he glimpsed shapes, beings of impossible scale, bodies made of living concepts, faces like galaxies.

[: Host, you cannot kill them because the Embodiment of the element keeps them alive :]

[: Even if you shatter their bodies, erase their souls, the element itself sustains them, for they have become indistinguishable from it. :]

Daniel's jaw tightened slightly.

"So unless I possess an element at the level of Embodiment…"

[: …you cannot kill them. You may defeat them, suppress them, seal them, but not erase them from existence. :]

Daniel stared at his own hands.

Yet even this, the System implied, was not enough.

He drew in a slow breath.

"Then why do I already possess Authority… even Commandment-level powers? Shouldn't my body and soul have collapsed under that weight already?"

The System answered immediately, as though it had anticipated the question.

[: The reason you can wield Authority and even Commandment is because the System is tied to you, Host. It stabilizes your body and soul so they do not cease to exist. :]

[: This is why, even with all you have, you cannot yet kill those Entities. :]

Daniel tilted his head slightly, absorbing the answer.

"So… these Entities… they're like living laws?"

[: More than that. They are living realities. Some of them possess abilities so broken, so ancient, they escape death itself :]

[: Others have lived for billions, even trillions of years, refining their strength in ways you cannot yet imagine. :]

[: But understand this, Host. :]

The System's voice shifted, steel underlining the tone.

[: In the end, there is nothing you cannot do. :]

The words resonated in Daniel's mind like a bell tolling across eternity.

[: You are not yet at Embodiment. But your path is not closed. You are not bound by the same ceilings as others. Where they required eons to ascend, you may rise in years. This is your difference :]

Daniel stood in silence, his eyes reflecting a storm of thoughts.

The truth of the hierarchy, the weight of Embodiment, the reality of Entities who had fused with the elements themselves… it was enough to crush anyone.

Yet instead of despair, Daniel felt something colder rising within him, resolve.

"So," he murmured at last, "they can't be killed… yet."

His gaze lifted, sharp as a blade.

"But everything can end. Even them. All I need to do is reach it first." He smirked.

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