The next day dawned with a piercing brilliant as the light of the sun cascaded all over the streets of Pantheon.

However for Albedo, with his rest day done, now was time for more training. Currently he was in his villa’s training room, sitting alone at a desk in the corner.

On the polished obsidian desk sat a book unlike any other Albedo had ever seen.

The Book of Aevarion.

He had gotten it as a System reward but did not have the time to check it out until now, but all that did was increase his excitement at finally getting the chance to read the book.

Even though the book was closed, it exuded an intense presence. The environment all throughout the room was heated, and the book held a sense of majesty that ranked even higher than the Dragon Heart.

The book was bound in scales that shimmered with red-black iridescence, the cover was etched with the sigil of a Crimson Moon surrounded by flames.

The moment his fingers brushed the cover, a low vibration coursed through the desk and floor, and every flame in the room stilled. Even the ambient mana quieted.

Albedo leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. The book felt warm, like blood that was freshly spilled and steeped in power.

“…Time to learn what you’re really about.” He muttered and opened the book.

But there were no words or pages, just light.

A blinding, furious crimson light that erupted from the seams and flooded his vision. He tried to pull back, instinctively, but something tugged at his core. Something ancient.

The sigil on the book ignited, and the runes above the dome twisted violently, breaking their structure. The room around him began to disintegrate, pixel by pixel, into spirals of red.

“Wha!?”

By the time Albedo could comprehend where he was, he was no longer in his study. Instead, he was falling or rising, he could really tell, he just feel himself moving at exceptional speeds.

He felt his breath catch, his body atomized and yet still whole, until…silence. Nothing happened around him, he felt himself now floating slowly.

When he re-opened his eyes again, the sight had changed. Now, he was floating amidst a galaxy. Not a metaphorical one, a literal galaxy.

Around him stretched a cosmic expanse which defied understanding. He could see planets spinning in spiraling systems, and nebulas glowing radiantly. Star clusters drifted lazily like lotus petals in a boundless ocean of night.

But above all of them, distant, majestic, and utterly sovereign, was a Moon, a Crimson Moon. It wasn’t just a celestial object. It was a being, or perhaps a concept, shaped into the form of a moon.

Its glow was not cold or dead, but alive, pulsating with heat and will. It burned like an eye gazing down on creation. Beneath it, worlds shifted, stars bent their light, and all fell under its sway.

Then, just when Albedo was already shocked, an ancient, unfathomable voice echoed across the void, shaking Albedo to his very core,

“Welcome, Inheritor.”

Albedo’s breath hitched as he looked around, trying to comprehend what surrounded him. Then, the moon’s surface began to shift rapidly.

Cracks of light, deep crimson and laced with gold, spread across it like veins. The glow intensified. And from that brilliance… a figure emerged.

He descended slowly, wreathed in cascading trails of luxurious flame, each ember a burning law of the universe itself.

He was impossibly tall, at least ten feet in height, with shoulders broad enough to carry constellations.

His skin was a flawless obsidian kissed with a crimson sheen, like magma cooled beneath starlight. His eyes? Twin infernos, swirling galaxies of red and violet, filled with wisdom that preceded time.

His hair flowed like molten fire, trailing behind him in shimmering arcs, and his entire body was adorned in robes of flickering energy, woven from starlight and apocalypse fire.

Symbols of extinct civilizations and Primordial languages moved across his skin, glowing softly before vanishing again. His aura was one of regality and power.

He felt so Noble and overwhelming, like he was a God who could do anything and everything he ever wanted. Not even Raphaeline ever gave Albedo this feeling. It was one of absolute dominance.

The mystery man landed before Albedo with a quiet, seismic finality. Then he let out a warm smile.

“So this is who the Universe has chosen to inherit the Crimson Moon,”

His voice was layered, like a choir of stars whispering in perfect harmony. Each word resonated deep in Albedo’s bones.

“…Are you… Aevarion?” Albedo asked, his voice dry.

The towering man nodded, his smile widening.

“Aevarion of the Scarlet Orbit, Warden of the Final Gate, Heir to the Flame of Rebirth, and… yes, creator of the Crimson Moon.”

He paused to glance around them.

“Or at least… what remains of it. This galaxy… this moon… it is but a fragment, a sliver of my true dominion. A living memory, carved into existence by my Will and bound to this book as a guiding beacon.”

Albedo remained silent, floating before the godlike entity as he listened to him speak.

“The real Crimson Moon is within you. There can only be one bearer of this physique at all times, and they hold the Crimson Moon. As you grow, you’ll gain more access to it.”

Aevarion said and tilted his head slightly, his ember-flame hair trailing like ribbons through the cosmos.

“You are… sixteen,” he said, more a statement than a question. “Peak Silver.”

Albedo gave a stiff nod.

The ancient being chuckled, “Not bad….For this era. There were even people who came from eras prior weaker than you. I’m impressed.”

He raised a single hand, and the planets around them shifted in orbit. A wave of his fingers, and solar systems spun like toys. Entire civilizations, likely illusory, flickered in and out of existence around him.

“In my time… I was already at the Amethyst Realm at sixteen. Not the modern imitation,” he added with a slightly mocking grin, “but the Primordial Amethyst, when every rank condensed the power of worlds, and laws were raw and untamed.”

He folded his arms behind his back, voice taking on a distant tone.

“Your generation… you have potential, but the world itself is weaker. The mana density of your skies is diluted and the laws are diluted. It’s not your fault, just the consequence of the Death of Eras.”

Albedo frowned slightly, “Death of Eras?”

The weakening of people overtime was one of the bigger topics in the Novel. As Eras passed by and knowledge was lost, the average strength decreased, however this was an unsolved mystery of the Novel.

Aevarion turned toward him fully, and now Albedo could truly feel the immense pressure radiating off him. The man was barely real, only a will, and yet his presence was heavier than anyone Albedo had ever encountered.

“I come from the Age of Genesis. When Laws were born. When mana bled wild and stars screamed as they were forged.”

He looked down at Albedo with something between pity and admiration.

“The world you know? It is a graveyard built atop ruins so ancient, most cannot even perceive the bones beneath their feet.”

A beat of silence passed between them as Albedo stared, unable to speak, it was all so much information to learn at once.

“So why have you appeared before me?” Was the only question Albedo could come up with.

Aevarion smiled once more.

“Because the Crimson Moon has chosen you. And because this”, he gestured around the star-scape, “is your inheritance. A gift. But also a trial.”

He gestured behind him, and suddenly a massive spiral codex appeared. Not the Book of Aevarion itself, but its true form. A living encyclopedia composed of layered rings of knowledge, each rotating and glowing with bound glyphs.

Aevarion’s voice dropped, gaining weight.

“The Book is your gateway. A compass to guide your soul and strengthen your Physique. It will teach you my techniques, my insights, and more importantly—my failures.”

He stepped forward, his gaze sharp now.

“Because power is not the end goal. Understanding the Universal Laws is. If you do not learn to master the truths that govern flame, gravity, destruction, creation and rebirth, you will never reach the Final Eclipse. God Rank is not the end, only a prelude to the Eclipse.”

Albedo’s fingers clenched, “Universal Laws…”

Aevarion nodded, “Fire. Time. Gravity. Death. All things are governed by Laws. The Crimson Moon was my attempt to surpass them. To bend them. And in doing so… I paid a price.”

A flicker of something ancient passed through his eyes as he shrugged his hands, whether is was wrath or regret, Albedo couldn’t tell.

“There have been millions who’ve tried to reach the Final Eclipse through different means. Whether it be trying through reincarnation, stealing bodies, serving the Abyss, many have tried, but almost all have failed.”

Aevarion said with a sigh, thinking back to his past.

“I forged the Moon to burn through the Heavens themselves. But the deeper I delved, the more I realized, without understanding, you are only mimicking flame. Not wielding it.”

He extended a hand toward Albedo.

“I give you this. My Remnant Will. Use the Book to train your soul. To evolve your Physique. The techniques written inside are keys. Each one opens a door into the truth of the universe.”

Then, as if remembering something, he added:

“And when you reach Holy Rank, and your spirit is no longer bound by flesh… only then will you be able to meet me, the true me, within the heart of the Crimson Moon.”

Albedo’s breath slowed.

“What’s the first step?”

Aevarion grinned.

“Good question. For now? Survive. Grow. Train. Explore the Crimson Codex housed in the book. Use its techniques to carve your own path.”

He turned, beginning to ascend again toward the Crimson Moon.

“Don’t become me, Albedo. My attempt was incorrect, I didn’t understand just how deep this rabbit hole goes.”

He looked over his shoulder one last time.

“Become something greater.”

And then, he vanished, dissolving into flames, becoming one with the Moon once more. The stars began to collapse inward. The galaxy spun into itself, like a scroll being closed.

And the voice of Aevarion, now far more distant, echoed one last time:

“Let the Apocalypse burn brighter than ever before.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep