Monarchs of Ruination

"Greetings, Child of Madness..."

A childlike voice echoed in his mind, jolting NOX from his thoughts.

In an instant, NOX's defenses surged, bracing for the unknown. His mind scanned for threats, his senses stretching to their limits. But after confirming it wasn't the Shadowy Entity whispering to him—nor any other presence lurking nearby—he exhaled slowly.

His gaze snapped toward the 'Sprout of Existence.' It had grown, if only slightly, since the last time he had seen it. The tiny thing swayed, as if waving at him.

Seriously? Was it greeting him like a child?

NOX was still grappling with the absurdity of this situation. A talking sprout? But then again, if an entire universe could manifest as a human, why should he be surprised that a celestial entity encompassing infinite realities could form words? Compared to everything else, this was almost normal.

"There is so much madness in your eyes, so much guilt, and such deep hatred for this world. Yet, boundless love toward what is yours. An entity on the cusp of becoming the embodiment of his very own emotions."

NOX arched an eyebrow.

'Is this little thing pitying me, or is it just calling me an overgrown, emotionally unstable mess?'

Either way, he wasn't sure whether to be offended or unimpressed.

"Come forward, my child..." the Sprout of Existence beckoned.

And NOX complied—mostly because this tiny thing had saved him from absolute death. That was a debt he couldn't ignore. But trust? That was another matter entirely. Of course, he remained vigilant. He always did.

The moment he took a step, reality shifted.

In an instant, he was standing directly before the Sprout. NOX remained still, taking in his new position, but didn't bother questioning it. He had seen stranger things. Instead, he simply waited, eyes locked on the Sprout, assessing what it wanted from him.

Then, in a voice as light as ever, it declared—

"I see. You are unable to transcend because you are a Devil's Seed. I am sorry, child. I cannot help you with that."

Silence.

Then, NOX blinked once. Twice.

'Is this little thing… picking a fight?'

His entire being twisted with barely-contained frustration.

He had come so close. So damn close to evolving, only to hit an impassable wall. The weight of that failure had already been suffocating him, and now this thing had the audacity to bring it up with absolutely no solution in sight?

What was this, a cosmic mockery session?

And while he was at it—why does every self-important cosmic entity call me 'my child'?!

He was a billion-year-old man, for crying out loud! Did they all have some kind of cosmic parental complex?

Despite his rising irritation, NOX suppressed it. Whether it meant to or not, the Sprout had helped him far too much to lash out at it.

Yes, he was frustrated. Yes, he was furious. But he was also grateful. Even if he had failed to become a full Higher Existence, he was now a pseudo-Higher Existence. And he owed that to this strange little thing.

The Sprout, seemingly unbothered by his silence, continued.

"Though I cannot help you transcend, I can help you reunite with your family."

The words hit him like a thunderbolt. His body trembled. His mind spun into chaos. Hope and longing filled his eyes. Reunite with my family? He had never, in all his years, heard anyone offer that. Not a single soul.

He didn't care if the words were genuine or not. He had to try. He couldn't let any chance given slip through his fingers, no matter the cost.

He gathered himself quickly, forcing his emotions into submission. Composed, but the eagerness still rang in his voice, he asked, "And what do I have to do in return? Surely, nothing comes for free, right?"

Seeing NOX's interest, the Sprout of Existence swayed slightly, almost as if it were excited about something.

NOX stared at it, utterly speechless.

'It's actually excited?'

"Unfortunately, you are right," the Sprout admitted, sounding almost reluctant—like a child forced into a business deal. "I will help you reunite with your family. In return, I need you to protect me in a future... far, far away from now."

NOX blinked, his expression one of utter incredulity.

Then, slowly, he raised a finger and pointed at the Sprout.

"You… You want me to protect you?" he repeated incredulously. "Do you even realize the kind of mess I'm in? I don't even know if I'll survive once I return to my universe! There are so many scheming bastards waiting to jump me the second I step foot there!"

Ever since he had entered this realm, he hadn't even spared a thought for his ongoing battle with VRITRA—who was probably still beating the hell out of his main body.

Once he returned to his universe, every schemer and backstabber would be waiting like loan sharks, and the outcome would be the same for him and Lucas—death if they were lucky, or slavery if the plots didn't end.

Here he was, in this fragile state, with no ability to defend himself, and the Sprout was asking him to protect it in some far-off future? It was ridiculous. While he longed to revive his family, he wasn't about to waste his time chasing impossible goals.

The little Sprout fell silent, as if calculating something, or scheming.

NOX's expression darkened further.

'What the hell...? This thing was barely born and already playing the long game, placing chess pieces for something that wouldn't happen for eons.'

It was terrifying. If the Sprout could be this manipulative so soon after its birth, what would it become once it grew into the "Plane of Existence," wielding control over every reality?

After a moment of quiet contemplation, the Sprout spoke again.

"Once you accept this deal, you will have a single 'chance' to survive your current predicament."

"A single chance…?" NOX muttered. He frowned but didn't dwell on it.

For him, survival wasn't the main goal. Reviving his family was.

"You'll first help me revive my family, right?" NOX asked, his skepticism dripping through. He didn't want to be used, only to be discarded like a rag after the Sprout got what it wanted. Especially not by a newborn entity.

"Of course! But you should know, even if I revive them now, you'll need to survive to protect them."

"Let me worry about that."

That was a later problem. Right now, this was the closest he had ever come to saving his family. He could revive them first and figure out his survival after.

Maybe—if he was lucky—the schemers after him had long-term plans and wouldn't kill him immediately. If they needed him alive for their schemes, he could stall. Maybe he could buy himself millennia before they closed in.

The Sprout didn't comment on this. If NOX could sense the subtle shift in the air, it would be clear: the Sprout was pitying him.

Yes, pitying him. No doubt, it understood the terrible fate that awaited him.

With a deep, almost resigned sigh, the Sprout spoke again.

"Okay, hand me your Universe's Core."

NOX furrowed his brow. "Why do you need that...?" He asked suspiciously, especially since the Universe's Core was his backup plan for delaying the inevitable Nirvana of his universe. He wasn't about to just hand it over without some assurance.

They stood there, face-to-face, the silence between them thick. Then, the soft sound of air passing between them cut through the stillness.

In that moment, as NOX gazed at the Sprout, he could have sworn it was sighing at him like a disappointed teacher looking at a clueless child.

"I cannot create information out of nothing. The Universe's Core holds the records and information stored in its space-time matrix. I need that mark to pull them back into reality," the Sprout explained, its tone as if speaking to a two-year-old.

"But my universe is sealed from the outside, and the space-time matrix...?" NOX began, before trailing off. The void returned to total silence.

"Alright, alright, don't look at me like that..." NOX quickly added, realizing how foolish his concerns must sound in comparison to what the Sprout was dealing with. "I'm not that dumb."

Without further hesitation, he pulled the Universe's Core from his mental world, and it hovered between him and the Sprout.

The Sprout swayed gently, pulling the Core closer. A brilliant light shot from the Sprout, enveloping the Core.

The moment the light made contact, NOX saw it: countless black chains, ominous and foreboding, materializing to hold the Core in place. These chains were eerily familiar to him.

Before he could fully process why these chains felt familiar, they began to disintegrate, crumbling into nothingness.

NOX felt a tidal wave of emotions flood through him: excitement, anticipation, fear, guilt, and shame, all crashing into one another.

He was excited—this was finally happening. He would see his family again. But there was guilt, too. Guilt for what he had done to the universe. Yet, he didn't regret it.

NOX's eyes never left the Universe's Core.

Time stretched on...

The black chains continued to dissolve under the Sprout's light.

At long last, he could see it: the end of his endless solitude. The idea of a future with his family felt real now. His heart raced with anticipation.

As he waited for the final chains to break, a lingering question clawed at the back of his mind.

"What kind of catastrophe are you facing that makes you so desperate to ask for my help?"

The Sprout, still immersed in unraveling the chains, momentarily shifted its focus to NOX.

"I do not know the exact details," it admitted. "But I do know that it will take place in the 'Great Freedom' epoch."

It paused briefly before adding, "And before you ask—yes, it is extremely dangerous. You will not survive. It will be the absolute end of your journey, whether you save me or not."

NOX didn't panic or comment further; he fell silent, absorbing the weight of those words.

Great Freedom... epoch? Sounds like a fun time, he thought sarcastically. He wasn't about to dwell on the inevitability of his fate just yet. The last few chains were still being destroyed, after all.

Any minute now…

Then, out of nowhere, a Celestial Chain, glowing gold, began materializing from inside the core. Its movements were slow and deliberate.

NOX's instincts screamed at him to run.

"No! Get away from that chain!" The Sprout's voice rang out, panicked. The force of its warning caused it to strain against the chain's grip, trying to pull NOX away.

But it was already too late.

In an instant, the Celestial Chain lashed out, seizing NOX and pulling him back toward the core.

Both NOX and the Sprout were thrown into a panic.

With no time to waste, the Sprout immediately deployed its [Authority]. In a flash, time froze—an absolute stillness engulfed them.

Yet, the Sprout could feel its [Authority of Time] crumbling under the power of the Celestial Chain. It was futile. There was no time to waste.

In one decisive action, the Sprout sliced off a portion of its own essence and sent it toward NOX.

"Remember… you must not hesitate. You will have only one chance," the sprout warned urgently, its final words carrying the weight of impending fate.

The moment the Sprout's essence entered NOX's body, its [Authority] shattered.

In the blink of an eye, the Celestial Chain dragged NOX back into the Universe Core. It was as if NOX and the core collapsed into a single point, vanishing into nothingness.