Act VI: Obsidian Genesis I

Five days later, Nihil sat calmly in the infinite white nothingness, continuing his cultivation. His posture was steady, his expression serene, with a faint hint of satisfaction gracing his features. Suddenly, his aura surged forth from his body, growing in strength. What was once a deep, somber gray now began to shift to a lighter, more vibrant shade of the same color.

Sensing these changes and the rapid growth of his power, Nihil remained focused, fully immersed in his cultivation. The force within him continued to swell as his progress broke through to a higher level.

Moments later, he slowly opened his crimson eyes. Their depth and the oppressive aura they emanated seemed to intensify, hinting at his newfound strength. A smile of satisfaction appeared on his face, reflecting his triumph in breaking through the first level of Core Formation cultivation.

The smile lingered but soon turned into a glimmer of curiosity as he focused on the core he was cultivating.

"Hmm…," he murmured, closing his eyes again to delve into his inner mental realm. Within this internal space, the core he had been nurturing floated, radiating a quiet but profound energy. Compared to before, the core had grown significantly.

Running his fingers gently over its surface, Nihil's curiosity deepened. His smile broadened as he examined the changes.

"It has grown," he remarked, his voice laced with wonder. "Previously, it was the size of a thumb. Now it's five times larger."

His analytical expression sharpened as he crouched down near the core, inspecting it with an intense focus, as though seeking to uncover every secret it held.

"What else do you conceal?" he mused aloud, extending a hand towards the core. Tilting his head to one side, his crimson eyes gleamed with curiosity. Gently, he touched its surface, studying it more deeply than before.

"The color has changed," he noted, observing the lighter shade of gray that now coated the core. He continued to analyze every detail he could perceive.

After a long moment, he sighed. "It seems… that is all," he said, a faint hint of disappointment in his tone. Rising from his crouched position, he stepped back, gazing at the core, which floated silently in the dark expanse of his inner realm. He closed his eyes and withdrew from his mental space, returning to the boundless white nothingness.

Opening his eyes again, he exhaled softly. "Haaaaaaa," the sigh escaped him, carrying a trace of his dissatisfaction. His crimson gaze flickered with fleeting disappointment, but the expression soon faded as he rested his head on his hand. With a slight motion of his other hand, the energy cubes floating around him halted and began to drift towards him one by one, levitating in the white expanse.

Studying them with apparent boredom, Nihil analyzed whether he had overlooked anything during his earlier examination of the core.

"Hmm," he pondered, head still propped on one hand while his other idly moved the cubes. As they floated in front of him, he slowly spoke, piecing together his thoughts.

"It grew fivefold," he began, "and its color changed from a dark gray to a lighter shade."

Turning his attention back to the cubes, an idea struck him. His crimson eyes glimmered faintly as he moved energy from his core into the cubes.

"Let's test this," he murmured, his tone flat but tinged with curiosity. Energy flowed into the cubes, causing them to thrum with newfound density. The energy around them began to swirl more rapidly, a clear sign of their enhanced power. Despite witnessing these changes, Nihil's expression remained unbothered—he had anticipated this outcome.

Abruptly, he stopped channeling energy into the cubes, resuming his idle movements, toying with them out of boredom. Yet his mind continued to analyze.

"Hmm… did I overlook any other changes?" he asked himself. After a brief pause, his expression shifted slightly, as though he had stumbled upon something.

"Hmm… concerning the sublevels of this stage… it feels as though I've experienced a far greater increase in power than usual," he concluded, focusing inwardly on his strength.

"Yes, that's definitely it," he affirmed with certainty. "Could this mean Core Formation has fewer sublevels than expected?" he wondered aloud, though he wasn't entirely convinced.

"Hmm… well, I'll discover the truth later," he remarked, letting the thought drift. Manipulating the cubes once more, he commanded them to orbit him in the white nothingness. Closing his eyes, he resumed his cultivation.

..........................

Seven days later, Nihil opened his eyes again and immediately sensed the progress he had made. His core had advanced to roughly halfway through the next sublevel.

"Hmmm…," he let out a long, drawn-out hum of boredom, contemplating how to speed up his progress.

After a moment of thought, his crimson eyes flickered with a sudden realization.

"Pffff… hahahahaaa!" he burst into laughter at his own foolishness, slapping his forehead and shaking his head in mild self-reproach. Still holding his forehead, he muttered, "Why didn't I just create more energy cubes earlier?"

There was a trace of embarrassment in his voice as he acknowledged his oversight. Wasting no time, he summoned the energy cubes again. This time, he modified their shapes, transforming them back into perfect cubes. Yet, as he gazed at them, his sharp eyes glinted with determination.

Channeling energy from his core, he began intensifying the density of the cubes, making them pull in energy at twice the speed they had before.

"Hmm," he muttered, tilting his head as though struck by a new thought. "Maybe I should create something more within this nothingness."

His voice carried a spark of inspiration. Stretching his hand forward, he directed energy from his core into his palm. A black flame erupted, flickering ominously. Nihil observed it for a moment before solidifying it into a tangible mass of energy. The energy took on a gleaming, obsidian hue, its surface smooth yet exuding an aura of raw power.

Contemplating its shape, Nihil placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he molded the mass into a large, flat platform. The platform dark, shimmered faintly with latent energy. It measured one meter in diameter initially, but as Nihil examined it, he deemed it insufficient.

"This is too small," he decided. The platform expanded slowly, growing until it spanned ten meters in diameter. When it reached this size, he stopped its growth and nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes, this will do," he said softly, a faint smile on his lips. Yet, after a moment, another idea crossed his mind.

"This place is empty," he mused. "Perhaps I should add more?"

With renewed focus, Nihil stretched out his hand again, repeating the process. This time, he created twelve towering pillars. Each pillar rose to a height of six meters, with a diameter of one meter. Their surfaces gleamed with the same obsidian hue as the platform, etched faintly with intricate energy patterns that seemed to pulse faintly, as if alive.

The pillars floated before him, their presence grand and imposing. "Hmm," Nihil considered their placement. Carefully, he arranged them symmetrically around the platform, spacing them evenly. Once positioned, the pillars stood like silent sentinels, majestic and unyielding.

Nihil, seated at the center of the platform, admired his handiwork. The towering pillars around him lent the nothingness a sense of structure and grandeur, but something still felt missing.

Tapping his finger on the platform, he pondered for a while. Then, a single thought captured his imagination.

"Hmm… I like this," he muttered. "But it's missing one thing… a seat."

He rose from the platform, hovering slightly above it in the endless nothingness. Once again, he stretched his hand forward and summoned energy. This time, he shaped it with meticulous care, crafting a throne worthy of his stature.

The throne materialized, dark as the deepest shadows, its surface so black it seemed to drink in the surrounding light without diminishing the brightness of the white expanse. Its design was intricate and regal, with sharp, sweeping edges that exuded authority. Faint energy patterns coiled along its surface like veins, pulsating softly.

Gazing at the throne, Nihil felt a swell of pride. Slowly, he descended onto it, seating himself comfortably. The throne's solid energy radiated a subtle warmth, and for the first time, Nihil felt a sense of ease amidst the white nothingness. He commanded the throne to settle in the center of the platform, aligning it perfectly within the grand symmetry of the space he had created.

Surveying the sight before him, he felt a growing satisfaction, yet a faint sense of incompleteness lingered. Resting his finger against the throne, he tapped rhythmically as he thought. Ideas swirled in his mind, but only time would tell what grand creations would come next.