Chapter 185: The Trickstar and the Broken Truth

Jin stood still, his fingers gently brushing over the ancient crystal. His voice broke the silence, low and uncertain:

"Can she… be revived?"

The old man, now gazing at the ancient murals that flickered with lost history, nodded solemnly.

"Yes. But only if her fragments—the ones born from her soul—are united once again."

Jin's eyes darkened with quiet determination. "What about the Monarchs? The Overlords? Can they be revived?"

The old man didn't answer immediately. He turned toward Jin, his expression grave.

"They can… but under very strict conditions."

Jin stepped closer. "What conditions?"

The old man raised a trembling finger and began.

"First, they will not revive if they've achieved Eternal Liberation."

Jin's eyes narrowed. "Liberation…? But how. The former Silver King—who held supreme power over Liberation—control such a thing? He's dead now. The Throne is empty. So how could they achieve this?"

A chuckle escaped the old man's lips, aged and bitter.

"Jin… Kings rise. Kings fall. But their legacies—they echo. Glorious or drenched in blood, legacy survives where the body fails. The Silver King—no, the Transcendent God—went beyond this plane, into the Vast Expansion. And from there, he forged Laws for the lower realms…"

The old man turned to face the mural, where the Silver King's silhouette stood among cosmic fires.

"He left behind Three Supreme Truths."

1. Supreme Liberation

A transcendence of existence. A state where the soul no longer binds to form, matter, or reincarnation. They are free, truly free.

2. Supreme Walking

The cycle of rebirth, reincarnation, and return. The soul chooses to walk again, bearing echoes of memory.

3. Supreme Suffering

For those who've committed grave sins—whose karmic weight chains them. No rebirth. No liberation. Only torment across timeless voids.

"He even bound himself to these laws," the old man whispered. "So no being can escape consequence—not even gods."

Jin absorbed the weight of the truth. "What are the other conditions?"

"Second," the old man said, "A Monarch or Overlord may only return if their creator wills it. But hybrids—those born from both Monarch and Overlord essence—will never return."

He hesitated before continuing.

"Third, if a Monarch or Overlord dies while in a vessel body, both vessel and soul vanish. No rebirth. No echo."

"Fourth—any being slain by abyssal corruption will never return. Abyssal death erases all traces, even from the Spiral Tree's memory."

Jin nodded slowly. But then… something struck him.

His voice cracked the stillness:

"But… what if… someone brings them back anyway? Revives those killed by abyssal creatures? Restores those whose vessels are gone? What if a Monarch is revived—but not by their creator?"

The old man's eyes widened.

He laughed bitterly. "Then what comes back… is not them. Not their soul. Not their will. But a shade… a mockery. A corrupted, evil soul wearing their face."

Silence fell like winter.

Jin's heart sank.

Arden. Kaelros. Lysander. Rin. Chris. Lillian…

His breath grew shallow.

Then they… they weren't real?

Just as his thoughts swirled into a storm—

A portal ripped open behind him.

"FATHER!"

Steve ran through it, breathless, eyes full of worry. Jin turned, stunned.

"Steve? What… why are you here? You were in Silver City."

"I had to come," Steve said urgently. "Nyreth told me you were in danger. Your family begged me to go after you."

Jin's voice dropped cold. "Who begged first?"

Without hesitation, Steve answered: "Arden."

The old man froze.

"What did you just say…? Who told you Jin was in danger?"

"Nyreth," Steve replied.

The old man stumbled backward, pale. His voice trembled.

"Did you say… Nyreth?"

Everyone went silent.

The old man's hands trembled as he spoke.

"He is the Trickstar… the First Pillar. Creator of all Requiems. The spark behind the Great Primordial War. If he's here…"

He turned to Jin, horrified.

"Then he's come to claim what is his."

Steve stepped forward. "Don't worry. I've seen the future—"

"FOOL!" the old man roared. "You do not understand my lord! he is the being who became the The True Elder God. Time bends to his whim. The future you saw—was what he wanted you to see!"

He and Jin were stunned. He remembered the moment before he came here

The Silver City shimmered in twilight, its towering spires glistening like constellations frozen in architecture. A sacred stillness settled over the realm, where the stars above reflected in the crystalline waters flowing beneath the sky bridges. Time itself seemed slower here—gentler.

In one of the floating sanctums, Steve stood alone, gazing over the celestial horizon.

A sudden warmth bloomed in his mind—then a voice, soft and ethereal, touched his thoughts.

"You've been quiet, love."

He smiled.

"I was waiting for you, Yun Hai."

The telepathic link fully opened, and in his mind's eye, he saw her clearly.

Yun Hai—his wife. She stood gracefully beside a silver lake in the Celestial Realm of Serene Veil. She was a vision carved from divinity itself—a beauty so refined it seemed unreal, like a dream remembered too vividly. Her long silver hair shimmered under moonlight, cascading like liquid starlight over her shoulders. Her violet eyes, deep and luminous, carried a serene melancholy, as if they had witnessed lifetimes of sorrow and silence. Framed by delicate, porcelain features and a soft, solemn smile, her presence felt sacred—untouchable, like a goddess watching from the heavens.

Her figure was slender and graceful, yet carried the poised elegance of nobility. She moved like a whisper—light, fluid, effortless. Adorned in flowing robes of silver silk and starlit embroidery, she embodied both mystery and divinity, her silhouette echoing the grace of ancient priestesses and the lethal stillness of forgotten queens.

Though soft-spoken and distant, her aura commanded reverence. She was not merely beautiful—she was eternal, a living elegy, a silver flame burning quietly in the chaos of gods and monsters.

"Still dramatic after all this time," she teased with a smile.

"I call it romantic," Steve replied with a grin.

"Mmm… romantic or suspicious?" she narrowed her eyes playfully. "I hope you're not charming some mortal priestess while I'm away."

Steve laughed, running a hand through his hair.

"If anyone flirts with me, I tell them I'm already bound to my goddess wife."

She smirked. "Hmph. Good answer. For now."

They chuckled together before a comfortable silence settled.

Then Yun Hai's voice softened.

"How are they? Your father… the others?"

"They're well," Steve said. "But something happened a few days ago."

He looked out over the stars, eyes narrowing with thought.

"I was with my father's old friends—Arden, Kaelros, Lysander, Rin, and Lillian. Even Grandpa, my sister, and Master Verion were there. We were just talking, and I asked a simple question."

"What did you ask?"

"I asked how they first met my father."

Yun Hai leaned against the willow-like tree behind her, the leaves glowing with silver light. "And?"

"That's when it got strange. Their faces… turned pale. Everyone. As if I'd touched something forbidden."

Yun raised a brow. "Maybe they were spies."

Steve blinked, then laughed.

"Seriously? You're joining the conspiracy theories now?"

"Well," she giggled, "if they were spies, your father would've figured it out long ago. So if you haven't, that means they aren't."

"Exactly what I thought," Steve said with a grin.

The two paused again, their connection filled with warmth and silent understanding.

"I love you," Steve whispered.

"I love you too idiot," she replied gently. "Now stop getting suspicious of your family and and get back to being the cool divine guardian or whatever you pretend to be. stay safe."

Just as the telepathic bond faded, a figure stepped through a tear in space behind Steve.

He turned instinctively—eyes narrowing.

Nyreth.

He stood calmly, his cloak of black and silver billowing in a wind that didn't exist. His eyes burned like distant suns, and his presence bent the surrounding aura.

"Steve," Nyreth said, voice calm but urgent, "your father… is in grave danger. A life-threatening one."

Those words struck like a thunderclap.

Steve's breath hitched. Behind him, Arden stepped forward.

"Please Steve do something!"

Steve opened his mouth but no words came except one.

"But___"

Before anyone could object, Velka's voice cut through, trembling.

"Please… go to him. He's all we have."

Then Lia stepped forward, her hands clasped in prayer.

"We beg you, Steve… bring him back."

Steve clenched his fists. He glanced at Nyreth—who was looking worried.

"he've served alongside my father before I came," Steve whispered. "If Nyreth is serious… then I must go."

He opened a portal without hesitation—silver and blue threads swirling into a vortex.

As he stepped inside, Nyreth watched silently, his expression unreadable. He smiled slightly, a glimmer of ancient secrets dancing in his eyes.

And somewhere beyond the veil of stars… destiny twisted.

The flashback faded

"He is not bound to destiny," the old man whispered. "He writes it."

Steve opened a portal. "We need to leave. Now."

Without a word, Jin stepped through, his mind heavy with revelations. As the portal closed behind them, the crystal pulsed faintly—

—and far beyond, a violet eye opened in the darkness. Watching. Waiting. Smiling.