Chapter 144: Creation After Observation

The wind brushed gently over the endless stretch of green grass.

Each blade shimmered faintly under the soft, blue sky — a sky that didn’t belong to any world.

Zane sat quietly in the middle of it all, the faint hum of null rippling around him.

His island in Nowhere had grown enormous — far beyond what it once was. Mountains now stood in the distance, more rivers of light flowed through valleys,

More ocean and seas formed and the sky abiptly stopped at the edges, as if the entire land were a cutout of reality, floating in a complete darkness.

Yet despite its impossible scale, the island remained calm — alive, yet silent.

In front of Zane, a holographic screen projected from his technowatch, hovering steadily.

Images flickered across it — footage from Zayne’s perspective and a video of zayne telling about it.

The ruins, the Vassel base, the fight — each moment replayed in sharp, glowing detail.

Beside the screen, a smaller holographic figure floated — Eira, the AI Zane had transformed from a higher being known as Eirenyssa of this universe. Her form was delicate and precise, faint blue light tracing her outline as her eyes scanned the data flowing across the display.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Zane watched silently, his expression unreadable.

Then, slowly, a small smile curved his lips.

“…So much has happened,” he said quietly.

Eira’s gaze lifted toward him. “Those murals,” she said, her tone thoughtful, soft static humming under her voice. “They depicted the war that happened seventy thousand years ago.”

Her expression dimmed slightly, light flickering across her face.

“So much I didn’t know about…” she murmured.

Zane’s smile lingered, faint but calm, as his deep purple eyes remained fixed on the screen.

Zane’s gaze lingered on the holographic feed for a moment longer before he leaned back slightly, resting his arm on his knee.

“This Vassel organization is quite interesting,” he said, his voice calm and composed, almost amused. “Although I already extracted information about them from those people I caught in that dungeon…”

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly as the data flickered on the screen.

“…They didn’t know much. Their knowledge stopped at the Fief Holder rank.”

He lifted his hand slightly, and the screen shifted — layers of symbols and diagrams appeared, showing a hierarchy that extended far beyond due to what Zayne’s report had revealed.

“But now,” Zane said, a faint smile forming, “I know the two ranks above that.”

Eira’s holographic form flickered as her expression subtly shifted — surprise flashing across her face.

She was silent for a moment. The quiet hum of data filled the air between them.

As Eirenyssa, she had always been taught by her senior that the Highs — beings of divine origin — stood above all else. That they were unmatched, even by the Abyssals.

But the mural in the ruins… it told a different story.

Her light dimmed slightly as she spoke, almost in disbelief.

“That mural… it showed a figure — an ancient evil one — who saved all the Abyssals and nearly destroyed the Highs themselves…”

Her voice grew faint. “All this time, I believed the Highs were the strongest. But this—”

She trailed off, looking at Zane.

It was the second time her perception had been shattered.

The first was when she met Zayne and then Zane.

She had accepted that they were exceptions — anomalies beyond reason — but the rest of the world still fit into her understanding.

Now, even that was beginning to crumble.

Zane glanced toward her, his faint smile never fading.

“But,” he said quietly, turning back to the holographic mural, “the most interesting one… isn’t that ancient evil guy…”

His eyes glowed faintly violet as the image froze on a single hooded figure — a shadowed silhouette engraved at the mural’s center sealing all Abyssals in Abyss along with ancient evil by taking him to the abyss.

“It’s that mysterious man,” Zane said, his tone low and thoughtful.

“The one who sealed the Abyssals seventy thousand years ago…”

The wind swept across the endless grassland once more, and for a brief moment, the entire island seemed to grow still.

Zane’s gaze lingered on the frozen holographic image for a few seconds before he exhaled softly.

“But Zayne…” he said, his voice dropping into a mild sigh. “He was really careless.”

He leaned back slightly, resting his arm across his knee.

“That guy while trying to look cool, he got sloppy.”

His fingers flicked, and the screen shifted again, showing the scene of Zayne’s clash with the Vassel sub-branch leader. Parts of the footage were fragmented, static flickering across the display.

“Most of the knowledge he could have gained… burned off in that fight,” Zane said quietly. “Just because he didn’t pay attention.”

For a moment, the only sound was the wind and the faint hum of the projection.

Then, Eira’s holographic form tilted her head slightly. Her voice was soft, carrying a trace of teasing static.

“…Isn’t that what you do too?”

Zane turned his eyes toward her — not his head, just his gaze. A sharp, sideward glance.

“Well, first I do look cool,” he said calmly. “And second , I don’t get sloppy.”

His tone carried that subtle confidence that was uniquely his.

“If something’s happening in my fight…” — he smirked faintly — “then it just means that I’m allowing it.”

Eira blinked, expression unreadable for a moment, before letting out a small sigh of static.

Zane leaned back again, gaze flicking to the hologram that now showed Zayne traveling with his group.

“Anyway,” he said lazily, “he’s heading to the Royal City with those three idiot adventurers…”

He paused. “And that Valeriana chick.”

The corner of his lips curved slightly.

“Zayne seems to like teasing her.”

He chuckled under his breath, that faint, amused smile staying on his face.

“Well… good for him.”

The wind brushed past once more, carrying his quiet laughter through the endless field.

Zane’s smile lingered for a moment longer before it faded.

.

.

.

“Anyway,” he said, glancing back at his hand, “back to this thing.”

The white pearl pulsed softly in his palm — faint, rhythmic light moving through its clear surface like slow-moving mist.

He turned it between his fingers, watching the glow shift with mild curiosity.

“Should I give it to someone…?” he murmured to himself.

His tone was calm, thoughtful, almost like he was talking about something trivial rather than an artifact that radiated divine-level energy.

“Should I give it to Ron?” he wondered aloud.

Then a slight pause.

“Or maybe Lia?”

He hummed, tapping the pearl lightly.

“…Could even give it to Jax or Selene.”

Eira’s small holographic figure blinked, tilting her head.

“Boss,” she said softly, “why don’t you use it yourself?”

Zane’s deep purple eyes shifted toward her for a moment. Then he smiled lightly — the kind of smile that held quiet amusement.

“Nah,” he said, closing his fingers around the pearl. “It’s too weak.”

He looked down at it again, the light reflecting faintly off his face.

“If I tried to absorb it, it’d probably get crushed just by entering my body.”

He leaned back slightly, the wind brushing through his hair as his tone turned almost casual again.

“So, it’s useless to me.”

The pearl continued to pulse faintly — a small, fragile light resting in the hand of someone far beyond its level.

Zane stayed silent for a while, staring at the pearl resting in his palm.

The faint pulsation reflected in his eyes as the wind gently rustled the grass around him.

He kept thinking… and thinking.

Then suddenly, his lips curved into a faint smile.

“I know what to do with this,” he said quietly.

The moment the words left his mouth, the air around him shimmered — reality itself bending like glass.

Fwoosh—

He vanished.

In the next instant, he reappeared inside the research sector of his vast island — a sprawling area filled with towering metal structures, glowing conduits, and suspended crystal panels humming with energy.

Countless bots moved about efficiently — some carrying mana containers, others monitoring energy readings from floating terminals.

The entire place buzzed with quiet, mechanical precision.

Zane walked calmly through the corridors, his boots echoing lightly against the metallic floor until he stopped before a large, reinforced door.

It slid open with a hiss.

Inside was a massive forge, glowing faintly with crimson and azure hues. Mana conduits pulsed along the walls, feeding into a central platform.

Zane stepped forward, raising his left hand. The pearl floated slightly above his palm, its light swirling slowly within.

He looked at it one last time, his expression calm.

Then, with his right hand, he brought his index and middle fingers together — and executed a single, clean finger chop through the air.

Crack—!

Tiny fractures spread instantly across the surface of the pearl, bright light surging out through every line.

The forge trembled as a wave of pure energy burst outward, painting the entire chamber in white.

Zane’s coat fluttered in the energy wind, but his gaze remained steady.

Moments later, the brilliance faded — leaving behind silence.

In Zane’s palm now rested four broken pieces of the pearl, dull and no pulsing light.

He looked at them quietly, his eyes was observing them.

The forge was silent once again, save for the faint hum of energy still hanging in the air. The four fragments of the pearl floated slowly above Zane’s palm, now dull and no light.

Eira’s holographic form flickered into view beside him, her usual calm expression replaced with visible confusion.

“Boss…?” she said, voice tinted with static. “What are you doing?”

She hovered closer, scanning the energy readings radiating from the shattered pearl pieces.

“I don’t understand. Why did you break it?”

Zane glanced at her from the corner of his eye, then back at the glowing fragments.

“Well,” he said calmly, his tone as steady as ever, “I’m going to make something new.”

He raised his hand slightly, letting the four pieces float higher — faint trails of light connecting them in midair.

“A new… and unique System.”

Eira blinked, stunned for a moment. The data flickering across her eyes froze as she tried to process what he’d just said.

Zane’s faint smile returned. His eyes glowed a soft deep purple as he looked at the fragments, the faint hum of grey null beginning to gather around him.

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