Chapter 12 - Sprout of Existence!

"The Sprout of Existence!"

The name escaped NOX's lips unbidden, as if the very fabric of reality compelled him to speak it.

In response, the sprout pulsed with a radiant glow, as though acknowledging his unspoken questions. Then, without warning, a flash of light surged toward him, engulfing him in its brilliance.

A strange sensation overtook him—an undeniable pull into a state of enlightenment.

Within this epiphany, Sanskrit runes flickered before his eyes, appearing and vanishing in rapid succession. He couldn't decipher them, couldn't hold onto their meaning, but he refused to relent.

His mind swirled with endless questions:

"Everything that is born must die. Everything that dies must be reborn. This is the cycle of life."

"But what is the purpose of life itself?"

"If death is inevitable, why be reborn at all?"

"Why must lifeforms endure this endless cycle, repeating life and death in the name of reincarnation?"

As if responding to his thoughts, the runes surged toward him...

Eons seemed to pass as he remained immersed in the void, ceaselessly attempting to decipher the enigmatic symbols. All else faded—his battle with VRITRA, his past struggles—none of it mattered now.

Then, from the depths of the unknown, understanding dawned.

A voice, neither spoken nor heard, resonated within him:

"The purpose of life is not merely to exist, but to pursue transcendence…."

"The Great Will granted reincarnation to every being, allowing them endless lifetimes to evolve—until they transcended."

"And within those lifetimes, each soul would be given a chance. A moment of fate. A single opportunity to break free, to ascend beyond the cycle. Whether they seized that chance or aided another in their ascension… that was their destiny to fulfill."

Then—after what felt like an eternity—NOX understood.

A grin spread across his face.

"So, that's how it is… That's how it is…!"

A burst of laughter erupted from him, raw and unrestrained, echoing through the endless void. It was the laughter of revelation, of exhilaration—of standing at the precipice of a truth both terrifying and magnificent.

After a brief moment, he steadied himself.

His mind raced, absorbing the profound truths bestowed upon him by the [Sprout of Existence].

At that moment, within his enlightenment, NOX was being baptized by the Primordial Light—the first light, birthed from the Sprout of Existence at the dawn of creation.

With each passing instant, his very state of being began to evolve, pushing him infinitely closer to Higher Existence.

These changes were not physical—at least, not yet. But his level of consciousness soared, reaching realms beyond mortal comprehension.

However, as NOX sensed these shifts within him, a frown slowly creased his brow. His intuition screamed that something crucial was missing—a key element that stood between him and truly surpassing his current limits.

Though his consciousness had reached a Higher Existence, he found himself lacking, as if he had missed an essential piece of the puzzle.

He immediately began to review every aspect of his understanding—every insight into the very nature of existence itself—but the missing link remained elusive.

In a sudden moment of clarity, it struck him:

NOX had forsaken Dharma. By heeding the whispers of Madness and embracing the power of a Devil, he had irreversibly abandoned the path of Dharma.

There was no way to reconcile his current path with that of Dharma. Even attempting to follow both would be a fool's pursuit, for it was impossible.

A wave of anxiety surged through him. He had been granted a rare opportunity—an understanding of existence itself, a chance to transcend it. Yet the choices he had made in the past now haunted him, threatening to undo all that he had gained.

He had believed he was finally on the brink of escaping his cursed destiny.

He had believed he would finally transcend. That he would revive his family.

Yet fate mocked him once more.

The moment his anxiety and frustration took hold, his enlightenment shattered.

The celestial radiance that had enveloped him faded into nothingness.

NOX clenched his fists as bitter realization set in. His entire life—his struggles, his suffering—had been nothing but an amusement to fate. A cruel game. A cosmic jest. Time and again, fate had dangled hope before him—only to snatch it away at the last moment.

Every path he found toward reviving his family had been met with an insurmountable obstacle. He had lost count of the times and ways fate had stopped him.

A 'genious' from the Dragon Country might raise a question here:

"Why does he blame Heaven for everything?"

"Why is he sulking instead of facing his choices head-on?"

*******

To clarify this, let's take a moment to understand NOX's early life.

And so the story goes…

Long, long ago, when NOX was young, ignorant, and full of naive ideals, the Heavens—kind and benevolent as always—gently informed him of his grand destiny. He, an innocent child, was fated to end all worlds.

Naturally, this poor boy was devastated. Imagine being told, at the very start of your journey, that your only purpose in existence is to bring about its end. To destroy everything you love—including your own home.

So, like any desperate soul clinging to hope, NOX swore to defy this fate. He would rather die than let such a destiny come to pass.

Oh, how adorable.

That was the label fate gave him—adorable. His thoughts, his vows, his resistance… all so cute.

The Heavens looked down and thought, 'Let's see how long this innocence lasts. Let's see how much it takes before he breaks and accepts his destiny.'

And so, the cruel game between NOX and the Heavens began.

Little did NOX know, he was being manipulated by Fate and the Heavens themselves.

Then, in a sudden twist of fate—surely an accident, nothing more—NOX's destiny was revealed to the entire universe. And as expected, humanity, ever the self-proclaimed guardian of righteousness, took it upon themselves to protect the universe from a sixteen-year-old boy and his family.

Not for personal gain, of course. How absurd to even suggest that these noble and virtuous beings would target his clan to steal their power and wealth. No, no. That would be far too cruel.

After being targeted by this noble force, NOX's once-powerful clan was reduced to ruins. His family, in a desperate bid to protect him, sacrificed everything.

Now, the Heavens, ever benevolent, couldn't possibly stand by and let a family be destroyed overnight. Could they?

Of course not.

So instead of destroying everything in a single night, they let NOX's suffering drag on. Slowly. Deliberately. With each loss, his sanity cracked. With every death, his humanity withered.

Then, as a final blow, the Heavens orchestrated a grand spectacle for NOX to witness—the death of his sister. This, they hoped, would finally push him into Madness, turning him into a Devil.

Tell me—can anyone truly imagine it?

Can you fathom watching your loved ones being slaughtered one by one, their deaths wrapped in the banners of justice and righteousness?

Can you picture them avoiding killing you—deliberately leaving you alive—just so they could justify hunting down the rest of your family?

After NOX fell from grace, the torment didn't end. What came next was far worse.

The very mortals that NOX's family had once protected, now bared their fangs at him. They were convinced that every misfortune they had endured was somehow the fault of him and his family.

Now, they accused him of every crime they could imagine, seeking to humiliate him and make him suffer—just to boost their own sense of superiority.

But did the Heavens stop there? Of course not.

The destruction he and Lucas wrought upon the universe? That, too, was part of the Heavens' grand design. They ensured there was no other path left for him. Every road to his family's revival was sealed.

NOX had endured it all, and eventually, he began to grow numb to their schemes.

And it wasn't just the Heavens.

There was VRITRA, Garuda, The Universe itself, three mysterious Entities, and that Voice that pulled him into this realm—perhaps even the Shadowy figure.

And these were merely the ones he could see. Who knew how many other hands lurked behind the veil, weaving this grand scheme, stripping away the very concept of free will?

NOX wasn't a fool. He saw it all. He simply lacked the power to do anything about it.

So he played along. He endured their game. All for the slimmest chance—the tiniest gap in their schemes—that would allow him to bring back his family.

That was the only reason for his restraint. His endurance.

If they took even that from him… if they stripped him of that final goal…

Then there would be no more reason to hold back his Madness.

And as for those who had wronged him?

He made sure their ends were so gruesome that the universe itself shuddered at the mere thought. A lesson written in blood, warning all who would dare use "justice" and "greater good" in his presence.

So now, tell me—

Does he not have the right to blame fate?

Does he not have the right to curse the Heavens that decide the fate of every living being?

 ********

Back to NOX :

What is the Dharma Path?

The Dharma Path is the pursuit of immortality through understanding—grasping one's place in the cosmic order, unraveling the unseen forces that shape fate, existence, and reality itself, and then surpassing them. True mastery does not come from faith or force, but from clarity. A Dharma cultivator does not defy existence; they comprehend it, loosen its bindings, and ultimately step beyond them.

And the Devil Path?

It is Dharma's twisted reflection. It does not seek enlightenment, nor does it attempt to understand the world's structure. Instead, it bends all of existence to its will, corrupting rather than transcending.

These two paths are fundamentally opposed. They cannot coexist.

And now, standing at the crossroads of these two paths, NOX faced an impossible dilemma.

He wielded dominion over the Devil Path, which meant he was no longer bound to the cosmic order. He existed outside its structure, a force separate from the natural laws of existence.

So then—how was he supposed to ascend into a Higher Existence without Dharma?

For the first time, he was truly afraid.

Not because he couldn't evolve—but because if he missed this chance to transcend, he might never get another. And without transcendence, there would be no reviving his family.

Panic gripped his mind, cold sweat dripping from his spirit form.

His thoughts raced, desperately searching for a solution, a way forward. Then, an idea struck him—one so blasphemous, so utterly reckless, that his own existence trembled at the mere thought.

"Should… should I try and corrupt the Sprout of Existence?"

The moment that thought took root, a crushing force descended upon him. An invisible pressure seized his entire being, threatening to erase him from existence for daring to even think such heresy.

NOX instinctively turned toward the shadowy figure, still seated in silent meditation.

That entity had never once acknowledged him since his arrival in this realm. As if NOX were beneath his notice. As if he didn't even exist.

But was that truly the case?

A being that could erase entire realities with a dance, and then recreate them in mere moments, somehow couldn't sense NOX's presence?

NOX refused to believe it.

And yet, despite this indifference, he knew—this suffocating force belonged to the shadowy figure.

Not that it mattered. NOX had bigger problems, like the fact that his very existence was on the verge of collapsing under the sheer weight of this unseen power.

Then, as if sensing his predicament, the Sprout of Existence swayed ever so slightly.

A radiant light shot forth, enveloping NOX.

And the crushing force retreated.

Yes, retreated.

NOX let out a shaky breath, finally able to move again. He had just come dangerously close to answering his own curiosity about what it felt like to be erased.

Spoiler: it was not a pleasant experience.

His gaze drifted back to the meditating shadowy figure.

That was a warning.

A mere thought of corrupting the Sprout of Existence had invited a response so terrifying it nearly erased him entirely. And yet, it had not been a deliberate attack—just an unintentional warning.

And still, NOX, who now stood at the very cusp of becoming a Higher Existence, had no chance of resisting it.

He hadn't even been given the dignity of a fight.

No struggle. No last stand.

Just an effortless, unceremonious erasure.

And the only reason he still existed? Because something else had intervened to stop it.

As for NOX's so-called Omnipotent Concept and his prized [Destruction Immunity]?

Well… it was embarrassing to even mention them.

They hadn't resisted.

They hadn't even tried.

In fact, NOX could swear his own Concepts had practically offered themselves up to be destroyed—like it was their greatest privilege to be erased by this entity.

What a pathetic excuse for divine defenses.

What an embarrassing and sick set of Concepts he had.

Once again, NOX was painfully reminded of his place in the Cosmic Order.

As he lamented his insignificance, a childlike voice echoed in his mind, jolting him from his thoughts—

"Greetings, Child of Madness…."