Synopsis: At the height of the Apocalypse, when the universe itself teetered on the edge of destruction, the Hidden Fourth Pillar finally awakened. Not even the Circle of Inevitability, master of fate and destiny, could stop its emergence. The Lord of Mysteries and other Old Ones could only watch as everything was terminated and brought to the inevitable end.
The concept of existence itself unraveled.
Then, Lumian Lee opened his eyes.
He was back in Cordu Village. Before the apocalypse. Before he had ever set foot on the path of transcendence.
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Chapter 1: A Circle of Inevitability?
January 1356, Fifth Epoch, Cordu Village, Dariège Region, Riston Province, Intis Republic.
Blue eyes snapped and the sound of shallow breathing resounded in the room.
Lumian quickly sat up on his bed as the memory of an endless frozen universe devoid of life, stars, and planets flashed in his mind.
Circle of Inevitability failed. The symbolism of Termination sublimated rapidly because of the Monarch of Decay, that crazy bastard—Cordu?
The Ruler of Calamity's pupils dilated as he took in the familiar bedroom.
The wooden table beside the window, the slanted chair, the small bookshelf against the wall, and the wardrobe across the room.
The Dream Ruins, where everything began appeared in his mind, and he tried to forcefully wake up, only to realise the lack of his Beyonder abilities.
War. Conquest. Destruction. Apocalypse. Chaos.
Lumian couldn't feel a hint of his Authorities as the Calamity of Destruction.
I can't detect the Mirror World, and even my body is back to normal…Jenna…Aurore…Franca. Lumian took deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
After a few moments, with his mind now calm, he noticed a discrepancy in his memories. Familiar memories seemed to overlap as nostalgia filled him, they flitted by until they reached the most recent.
Not the battlefield of the Apocalypse, instead it was Aurore teaching him.
The memory was vivid, as if it had happened just yesterday, no, it did happen yesterday, yet it carried a weight that felt distant, almost unreal. It was as if he had lived two lifetimes—no, it was more than that. It was as if he had experienced everything twice, but only now did the past and present converge into a singular moment.
His breath hitched as a possibility filled his mind, a realization so immense it sent a jolt through his entire body.
I've… returned?
He didn't wait to confirm it. Instinct took over.
Throwing off the blanket, Lumian bolted out of his room, his footsteps heavy against the wooden floorboards. His mind whirled, but his body moved on its own. He needed to see her. Aurore.
Reaching her room, he found the door slightly open, revealing an empty space within. His chest tightened. She's not here.
Without hesitation, he turned and dashed down the stairs, his heart hammering in his chest.
Bursting into the kitchen, his eyes locked onto the figure standing there.
A woman, her back turned to him, preparing something at the counter.
Her long, thin locks shone with a soft golden hue in the morning light, cascading down her back in waves. The sight was so achingly familiar it nearly made his breath catch.
Hearing his rushed approach, she turned around.
A familiar, well-defined beautiful face Lumian hadn't seen in a while greeted him. Pale blue eyes, clear and deep, met him with quiet amusement, and soft pink lips parted into a teasing smile.
"Why so quiet? Did your Grande sœur's beauty take your breath away?" Aurore asked, making Lumian snap out of his trance.
The former Red Priest didn't answer, instead striding forward until he was within arm reach of his sister. Under her curious gaze, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.
The warmth of her body pressed against his own, the steady rhythm of her breathing filling his ears, and the faint thump of her heartbeat against his chest—all of it was real. Not a fleeting illusion, not a cruel trick his mind conjured after he awakened as Fourth Pillar and destroyed the universe.
For a few seconds, he simply hugged her.
Aurore, caught off guard, stiffened slightly before relaxing into his embrace. Her hand came up and lightly patted his back.
Her voice was soft, tinged with concern. "Lumian?"
When he didn't respond, she gently patted his back again. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
She pulled back slightly, enough to look at his face, her pale blue eyes searching his expression with a mix of amusement and worry. "Or did you finally realize how much you adore your dear sister?"
Lumian opened his mouth to speak, only for no words to come out. He had a lot he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to start.
So he said the first thing that came to mind, "Aurore, I…I'm from the future, I missed you, Grande sœur."
The Warlock swallowed the quip that came to mind as she looked into his eyes. "Let's take a seat and have breakfast first, we can talk after." She gently said, not dismissing his comment.
How could she, when she herself is a transmigrator.
Lumian must have gone through a lot. She deduced, noting the tiredness, pain, doubt, and hope in her little brother's gaze. He's not sure if this is a dream or reality.
….
….
….
On the roof after breakfast, Aurore and Lumian sat side by side, the sunlight shining on them as both of them gazed at the blue sky that stretched endlessly.
Lumian broke the previous silence with a question, "Do you miss Home?"
Aurore blinked, momentarily caught off guard—not by the question itself, but by the way he said home. The word had left his lips in fluent Mandarin, her mother tongue, something he had never spoken before.
Her surprise melted into amusement, and she let out a small chuckle. "Well, I was expecting a dramatic revelation about the future, but instead, you hit me with a sentimental curveball. What's next? Are you going to tell me I died and you swore vengeance on the world?"
Lumian stiffened ever so slightly.
Aurore's teasing expression faltered, and she instinctively cursed, "Merde."
The young village boy's lips curled upwards at her reaction, "I resurrected you." He assured her.
Aurore raised an eyebrow at his words, "Death Pathway? Did you raise me as a Jiangshi?" As she jokingly asked, the Warlock activated her Eyes of Mystery Prying to look at his Astral Projection.
Lumian who noticed her action instinctively wanted to stop her as he recalled the various high-level corruptions and powers his body had, only to remember that he was now in the past, before he became a Beyonder.
"Hm? I can't peer past your Ether Body." Aurore muttered, her brows furrowed in confusion.
The ex God's posture straightened at her words, his expression turning serious as he inquired, "What do you mean?"
The Mystery Pryer who saw his change dutifully explained, "It's like my Eyes of Mystery Prying are being suppressed? No, that's not it…Weakened? No…"
At that moment, Lumian supplied, "Disrupted?"
"Yes! Disrupted!" Aurore snapped her fingers in realisation, focusing on her brother after closing her Eyes of Mystery Prying.
"Is something wrong, Lumian?" She asked in concern, seeing his wry smile.
Lumian let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "It's nothing, just… fitting."
Aurore's brows furrowed further. "Fitting?"
His wry smile deepened. "You know how they say some people are born under a lucky star? Always blessed by fortune, as if fate itself favors them?" He paused, his gaze drifting toward the vast sky. "I think I was born under a calamity."
Aurore's worry only grew. "What do you mean by that?"
Lumian exhaled, "The disruption you felt—it's an ability of a War Bishop, the Sequence 3 of the Hunter pathway. The 'Fog of War' distorts perception, suppresses spiritual intuition, and severs connections to the spirit world."
"Wait…does that mean you still have your Beyonder powers?"
Lumian shook his head. "No, my abilities as a Beyonder are gone." He paused before adding, "This is something else… a connection to something beyond even the True Gods."
The City of Calamity. He inwardly added.
Aurore stilled at his words. She had long known that the path of a Beyonder led to terrifying heights, and when her little brother told her he revived her, she knew he must have reached unimaginable heights, his explanation about War Bishop reinforced that thought.
But this…
A power beyond true gods…
"…Can you tell me about it, Lumian?" She softly asked, "Your experiences?" She clarified.
He let out a quiet breath and turned back to his sister, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.
"Where do I even begin?"
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A/N: I am…HERE! Alive and well, and healthy enough to live another 70 years…hopefully. Anyways, I posted this earlier on QQ, and finally got time to post it here after my haircut.
As you can tell, it's a Lord of the Mysteries snippet, and the regression idea came from all the Manhwa's I've read back in the day. Hope you enjoyed it.