Death… And Me

Chapter 1242: New Quest Available

A moment later, the twins received a message from... Sister Orb. [Alright, Master has gone back to sleep. You can go back and explore the catacombs again.]

ʼWhat?!ʼ Wasnʼt that way too ridiculous?

ʼFuck you! Explain everything. What happened just now? What was all that about?ʼ the twins simultaneously asked.

[Didnʼt you hear? Reokkeor had one of the Foundation Fragments. Now that we have it, he went to the path of reincarnation. I thought Roan would have noticed when that happened.]

Roan nodded in response, although he wasnʼt the least bit happy. ʼOf course, I did! However, that doesnʼt explain anything. You better talk about the rest. What about the Extinction Sphere? He said something about it being gone. Does that mean he got to destroy it in the end?ʼ

Rean agreed with Roan, continuing where he left off. ʼThatʼs right! And what about the skeleton? What was he doing in this place until now? First of all, it was Soul Gem who sent us here and had us separated from Calina, Qia, and the others. Doesnʼt he have anything to say about that? Also, whatʼs this about the Foundation Fragment thing?ʼ

[Oh, that? Soul Gem already left the information behind for you. Now that you saw the Foundation Fragment, there wasnʼt much of a reason to hide the rest of the story anymore.]

Sister Orb then explained, [Well, if you stopped to think a little about it, you would have figured the rest on your own anyway. First, the Foundation Fragment talks about the foundation on which our Universe is built. That means both halves.]

Roan nodded after hearing that. ʼThat means when Soul Gem destroyed the Extinction Sphere, it also caused the Universeʼs separation. When we saw Soul Gemʼs memories of the past, he said the Control Orb was supposed to heal the Universe after the sphere was destroyed. After all, destroying the sphere also meant damaging the Universe itself. With the information I have right now, I guess the destruction of the Extinction Sphere was successful. Unfortunately, the healing part didnʼt seem to go according to plan.ʼ

[See? I told you guys youʼd figure the rest on your own. Thatʼs exactly what happened. Because of the Wafrol Forces, Soul Gem was only successful in destroying the Extinction Orb, but not healing the Universe. The reason he couldnʼt do it should be very obvious as well.]

Rean was the one to continue it from there. ʼHe had to run away, right? After all, how could he spend the time to heal the Universe if the Wafrol Forces were there to bother him? Thatʼs where he came up with the Soul Gem System plan after fusing his soul with the Control Orb.ʼ

[Correct. However, as you can imagine, doing such a thing put a huge burden on his soul. Thatʼs why he has to stay in a constant state of hibernation and let the Soul Gem Orb control everything. That other part you already heard before. Without anyone to heal the Universe after the Extinction Sphere was destroyed, its foundation was severely damaged. Thatʼs how both halves of the Universe came to be. The fragment Reokkeor was carrying was one of the Foundation Fragments.]

Sister Orb continued, [You already heard in the past that to fix both halves of the Universe, it was necessary to have someone from the other side. Thatʼs why you came.]

Rean and Roan nodded in response. They did know about that indeed. ʼSo?ʼ

[Before Soul Gem entered his hibernation and sent the Soul Gem System to the other half of the Universe, he entrusted a few of his closest friends with a task. They were to retrieve the Foundation Fragments so that the Wafrol Forces couldnʼt use it to destroy the Universe once for all.]

[As to why the fragments can do that, itʼs simple. The fragments carry immense power capable of influencing the Universeʼs already fragile structure. If you can gather all of them and use their power, the damaged foundation wonʼt be able to hold on. Once that happens...]

ʼBoth halves of the Universe will collapse,ʼ Rean and Roan concluded.

[Yes. Well, you do know most of the story already, so it wasnʼt like you learned too much. I believe you already had your own theories as well. Anyways, thatʼs all. Happy?]

ʼHappy, my ass!ʼ Rean immediately rebuked. ʼWhat about Qia, Calina, and the others? He could have changed their direction as well!ʼ

[Youʼre mistaken. Soul Gem is in a constant state of hibernation, so the systemʼs program is what moves it. It only detected you two, Kentucky, and Celis as having any connection with the Soul Gem System, so it only brought the four of you. He said he felt Reokkeorʼs presence, but only subconsciously. The system did the rest.]

Roan shook his head in response, letting out a sigh as he said, ʼWhatʼs done is done. However, I thought Soul Gem was gone forever. Iʼve never heard about his soul in hibernation inside the system. With that said, I have to ask. What does he plan to do by being in there? What is his part in all of this?ʼ

[That... I donʼt know. You will have to ask him the next time he wakes up.]

Roan narrowed his eyes after hearing that. ʼThe next time he wakes up? Alright then, when will that be?ʼ

[I also have no idea.]

Rean couldnʼt help but say once again. ʼSister Orb, youʼre too useless! You could have asked him at least this bit before he went back to sleep.ʼ

[Ahem... well, I can tell you this much, at least. The stronger the system becomes, the faster Soul Gemʼs next awakening will be.]

The twins were at a slight loss for words after hearing that, though. ʼThe stronger it is? Other than the Processing Power upgrade from that old quest, there isnʼt an option there to increase the Soul Gem Systemʼs power.ʼ

[Oh, donʼt worry. More of these quests will appear eventually. Oh! Speak of the devil...]

*Pin!*

[New Quest Available: To unite the two halves of the Universe, the hosts have to gather all 14 Universe Foundation Fragments. Progress: 01/14]