The universe shook.

This time, there was no sound, no chime of the Records accompanying the quivering of the very fabric of reality.

It was as if the Records themselves were tired of announcing to all who could see, to all who could hear, to simply any living being… that Noah had done another ridiculous thing.

And perhaps that was exactly what made this phenomenon more dreadful, more harrowing, than it was ever meant to be.

After all, since when did the universe shudder without the sound of the Records?

In every corner of existence, across realms hidden within billions of folds of reality, in dungeons crawling with slumbering monstrosities capable of shaking the very foundations of creation, across every main world of the Progenitors, the holders of Origins, and the Origins themselves—

Everyone paused.

Everyone listened.

They listened to the whisper of reality itself, wondering what had just happened.

Beings embodying the Aspects of Fate, Destiny, and Causality moved at once, seeking the source of the disturbance.

But all they saw — without exception — was a vast, pale sky that stretched without end.

A sky that swallowed all senses, that devoured every attempt to grasp it, that made even divine minds lose their sense of self within its bottomless expanse.

Confusion gnawed at the insides of all who gazed upon it, but more than confusion, there was fear. A distinct, primal fear slithered through their hearts and coiled around them like a serpent wrapping around its prey.

It was not their own fear.

It was the fear of the powers they commanded — the trembling of Fate, Destiny, and Causality themselves, shaking violently as if terrified of acting, terrified of moving, terrified of doing anything wrong before that pale sky.

It was the fear of a child caught doing something wrong, standing frozen before his mother, her slipper already in hand, her stance perfectly ready to induce trauma for generations to come.

That kind of fear.

But it was not only them.

Every being with enough understanding of the universe did all they could to trace back the origin of the event that had just occurred.

Some used time, attempting to turn back the flow of the entire universe to witness it.

Others scanned through the folds of realities, manipulating the concept of space to a degree no mortal could ever comprehend.

Some used light, hoping to find the one who emitted such a distinct and dreadful radiance.

Others used absorption, devouring fragments of the universe's timelines and histories to glimpse the truth.

And there were those who wielded thought itself, manipulating the concept of thought across existence to look, to understand.

All of them tried.

All of them failed.

None managed to find Noah.

And with that, one of the oldest and most primal fears known to any being between heaven and earth crept into their souls with a chilling, suffocating grip.

Yes, the fear of the unknown.

The incapacity to know what was happening.

The incapacity to know if what was happening was in their favor… or their doom.

The divine were not used to such restlessness…that anxious, mortal sensation of dread, and yet they were feeling it.

And they were hating every second of it.

And because of that, they did what any sane and sensible being would do when faced with something beyond comprehension, something that defied even the highest logic of creation.

They sought help.

They gathered. They banded together, standing side by side in silent, shivering awareness of what they could not see.

They could feel it…

Something was coming.

And they would be ready, or so they hoped, to face whatever it was.

…

"Things are becoming rather bothersome, aren't they?"

One being — a man with golden hair and matching eyes, wearing a white robe that flowed down his lean, muscled frame like pale water — spoke in a voice that could topple worlds.

He sat within a garden carpeted with golden flowers that shimmered with bright, gilded luster. Above, the sky was equally golden, framed by a white sun that bathed the entire space in a pale, immaculate glow.

The man floated slightly above the ground, seated on a golden chair with a concerning air of leisure.

There was no one around him, and yet a voice rumbled through the realm, answering his question.

"Things have always been troublesome, Soleil," the voice said. "And yet something more is happening lately, something we have no idea about."

Soleil smiled faintly. "Isn't that interesting?" he chuckled, his tone both light and unnerving. "It's been a while since I had anything worth my attention, you see."

He paused briefly, the corners of his lips curving upward.

"Since the matter with The Knower of Light, in fact."

At the mention of that name, silence swallowed the golden realm. Then slowly, the voice returned, strained and wary.

"You want something from me."

Soleil suppressed a grin, his eyes half-lidded in amusement. "Is that so?"

"Cut to the point, Soleil," the voice growled. "You wouldn't call me here and mention the Knower of Light for no reason. Don't take me for a fool."

"But aren't you a fool?" Soleil taunted, his golden eyes gleaming with mischief. The growl that followed was sharp enough to shake the petals of the golden flowers. He brushed it off with a soft, mocking laugh.

Then, in the midst of that levity, his voice turned cold.

"As you said, something's been happening in this universe lately. And among all those things, there's one that concerns me more than anything else."

The voice hesitated. "And what is that thing?"

Soleil's smile dimmed. His tone, once playful, fell like a blade through the silence.

"Justicia."

His golden gaze hardened, the light around him bending in unease.

"I haven't received a single word from Justicia… in years."

His eyes fixed on the white sun above, the light reflecting in them until his golden gaze looked like a mix of white and gold.

"You know her importance, don't you?" he asked.

"She is simply a useless caretaker," the voice answered dismissively.

"A caretaker to the one being we all wanted gone," Soleil retorted, "that alone made her worthy of licking my toes, don't you think?"

"And her silence with no news at all, means an unpleasant event has occurred. Hopefully she's simply been killed and not… that something happened with that woman."

The voice sighed then, a rueful, exasperated sound. "We should have just killed her," it said coldly.

"And risk the wrath of the Light-Touched?" Soleil scoffed, disdain in the motion of his head. "The thoughts of the ignorant never fail to amuse me," he added in a dry, humorless tone.

Without waiting for an answer and seemingly tired of speaking to a fool, he continued,

"Use your men and find me a world called Laeh. Use everything. Justicia has disappeared from her realm, left it untended."

"Her fate doesn't concern me," Soleil said slowly, "but if you happen to find her or her remains—!"

"I sent her to you?" the voice finished, but Soleil shook his head, golden eyes flashing with searing heat.

"I don't bother with trash. Just kill her and destroy her soul."

A long silence followed, then, finally, the voice asked, "Anything else?"

Soleil shook his head, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his golden chair. "I even doubt you'll do this job correctly with your foolishness. Don't ask for more. You can go."

He dismissed it, and the voice complied obediently.

Once alone, Soleil sighed softly under his breath.

"Bad feeling…" he muttered. "Bad feeling." He repeated it again, his tone lower, strangely restless.

Now more than ever, he knew.

Something was coming.

…

"How interesting," Noah mused as his gaze settled on the glowing runes floating before him.

{Noah Vaelgrim, you have done something worthy once again.}

{You have become a world bearer by holding your own world, Laeh, inside of you.}

{Now, you have made a living and functional world your heart, and refined your blood with the stars themselves.}

{GLORIOUS!}

{Your title has been upgraded.}

{Title: Bearer of World → The World.}

{You are walking an unprecedented path. You now hold the right to be the Will of both Laeh and Earth, should you desire it.}

{A wisp of the primordial energy of the universe now flows within your veins.}

{Gather enough of it, and create the Seed of a Universe.}

The Records ended their words there, needing to say nothing more, yet they were still watching.

Noah stood in silence, a faint smile curving his lips as he felt the new kind of power coursing through his veins.

He closed his eyes, letting himself drown in the sensation, feeling the difference, the shift, the gift he had been granted by making a world his heart and earning his new title.

"Oh my, oh my…" Noah exhaled softly, information pouring into his mind like a tide of stars.

His smile widened

"What," he whispered, "am I becoming?"

—End of Chapter 377—

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