Chapter 78: The Eyes In The Darkness

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Eyes In The Darkness

Moments after Aeon entered his enlightenment phase, Headmistress Nyxara and three high-ranking professors stepped quietly into the medical suite.

Among them were Tharos, Kael, and Chen Hao—the esteemed professor from the angel race. Having sensed the violent localized energy fluctuations radiating from the room, all four had rushed inside to investigate.

The moment they witnessed Aeon floating suspended in mid-air, framed by blooming golden lotuses and shifting, intricate Law patterns, they were utterly stunned.

Every single one of them understood the concept of enlightenment, but what truly shocked them was the sheer scale of the phenomenon manifesting while Aeon was in his trance.

Enlightenment was generally divided into two distinct tiers. The first was a standard breakthrough where an individual entered a deep meditative state to comprehend a minimal technique, or perhaps an intent if they were exceptionally gifted.

Then there was supreme enlightenment. This rare state allowed a cultivator to comprehend something extraordinary, such as a localized Law or an even higher authority, which naturally triggered reality-warping phenomena in the physical world.

Seeing the golden lotuses and the sheer density of the Law patterns swirling around him, they knew without a doubt that Aeon was currently grasping the fundamental threads of a cosmic Law.

"To be so young... not only did he manage to survive an SSS-rank gate entirely on his own, but he is also actively comprehending a Law. I am very glad he survived that hellscape and made it back alive," Professor Chen Hao murmured, his eyes wide as he tracked the floating youth.

"And let us not forget his performance during the entrance exam, where he demonstrated that he had successfully mastered the Extreme Micro-Level Movement," Kael added, his voice tinged with awe as he recalled Aeon’s flawless movements.

Upon hearing that Aeon had achieved the legendary Extreme Micro-Level Movement, both of his parents and Headmistress Nyxara simultaneously snapped their heads toward Kael.

"Is that true?" Aldrich asked in sheer disbelief, locking his gaze onto Professor Kael.

Tharos, standing close by, spoke up while maintaining his fixated stare on Aeon. "Yes, it is the truth. We saw it with our own eyes. Student Aeon is also, by far, the strongest combatant in my elite training class. Even if the rest of the academy’s top rankers were to join forces against him, they wouldn’t stand a chance."

He paused for a brief moment, turning a respectful gaze toward the parents. "You have raised an extraordinarily talented son. He is the greatest prodigy this academy has ever witnessed."

Hearing their son’s monumental feats laid bare and listening to such high praise from the faculty, both parents felt an overwhelming surge of pride.

However, Nyxara interrupted the moment, her next words sending an even deeper shockwave through the room.

"No, I wouldn’t limit it to just the academy. I would say he is the greatest prodigy in the entire galaxy. Look closer at the enlightenment phenomenon. Notice how the Law patterns are interacting."

The group immediately turned their attention back to Aeon, examining the radiant display.

As the Law patterns continued swirling around Aeon, some of them suddenly began to distort, their intricate golden lines bending in ways that defied the laws of reality.

The space surrounding his levitating body rippled like the surface of a lake disturbed by an invisible force. Tiny spatial fissures appeared and disappeared around him, while the distance between the floating golden lotuses fluctuated unpredictably.

Some seemed to be only inches apart, yet others appeared impossibly distant despite remaining within arm’s reach.

Then, something even more extraordinary happened.The world around Aeon seemed to slow down.

The golden petals drifting through the air gradually decelerated until they appeared almost motionless. Even the swirling Law patterns began moving at an imperceptible pace, as though time itself had lost its ability to flow normally within the room.

Then a faint, golden radiance emerged from the center of Aeon’s chest, spreading outward in concentric ripples.

For a fleeting moment, the surrounding space twisted while the flow of time fluctuated, causing the entire room to fall into an incomprehensible state of distortion.

"Th... that is..." Chen Hao stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the display as his voice cracked. But before he could voice his words completely, Nyxara cut in, finalizing the thought.

"Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. He is actually comprehending the Laws of Space and Time."

Even Nyxara found the words bizarre as they left her lips. If she hadn’t been standing here witnessing it firsthand, she would never have believed that a fifteen year old child could actually grasp the concepts of both Space and Time simultaneously.

"How is that even possible? To comprehend two of the most complex cosmic Laws at such a tender age... it defies logic," Kael muttered, his usually unshakeable composure completely cracking as he stared at Aeon in sheer disbelief.

He then took a breath before revealing another important detail.

"And as far as our records show, he doesn’t even possess a natural affinity for Space. While it is technically possible to comprehend Laws outside of one’s innate affinities, attempting to do so is hundreds of times more difficult than it would be for someone born with even an F-rank affinity in that specific Law."

Nyxara then spoke up, providing the only logical explanation available.

"I believe it must be directly tied to how he managed to survive. Dragging oneself through a brutal life and death struggle and emerging victorious carries immense karmic rewards. Supreme enlightenment almost exclusively triggers under those exact, high-stakes conditions."

She then turned a tentative look toward Aeon’s parents. "Though it may be shameless of me to ask this given the circumstances, would it be permissible for me to ask your son how he managed to survive once he wakes up?"

Hearing Nyxara’s careful request, Elisabeth and Aldrich exchanged a brief, knowing look before instantly arriving at a unified decision.

Elisabeth stepped forward, gently taking Nyxara’s hands in her own. "Yes, we can do that. But I can also see that you are still drowning in guilt, holding yourself personally responsible for what happened to Aeon. Please, stop doing that to yourself."

"You were not responsible for any of this, sister. It was an unpredictable, tragic accident that was entirely out of everyone’s control. Now that he is safe and recovering, it is only reasonable for you to finally forgive yourself."

Elisabeth stepped closer, wrapping her arms securely around Nyxara’s shoulders, offering her a deeply heartfelt, sisterly hug.

Hearing Elisabeth’s reassuring words and feeling the genuine warmth of her embrace, Nyxara tightly hugged her back. The suffocating weight of the guilt she had been harboring since the gate mutated finally began to dissolve.

"Mm... thank you, Lisa," Nyxara whispered gratefully, sharing a quiet, tender moment with her dearest friend.

-----

Meanwhile, far beyond the boundaries of the Mortal Realm, deep within a dimension perpetually shrouded in primordial darkness, a pair of titanic eyes slowly opened in the void.

Their sclera were as pitch-black as the deepest abyss, while their massive white pupils gleamed with an eerie, unnatural luminescence.

Bizarre, glowing crimson glyphs swirled within the depths of their irises, radiating an ancient, profoundly ominous aura.

"Hmm? Someone has slaughtered my child?" The entity spoke their voice echoing the darkness.

"Tsk, tsk... What a pathetic, stupid creature, allowing himself to be killed in a mere mortal realm."

A distinctly feminine voice echoed across the endless dark expanse, its smooth, melodious cadence carrying an unmistakable undertone of mockery and absolute disdain.

"It took me millions of years of meticulous planing and waiting to forge that specific vessel, ensuring he could manifest within the lower mortal realm without drawing the prying eyes of the Akashic Records. And yet, he managed to get himself eradicated. What a disappointment."

The ancient entity spoke, her tone dripping with annoyance.

"Who could possibly possess the capacity to execute you within that restricted plane, my child? I will tear them apart and obliterate their entire universe. I absolutely cannot tolerate any anomalies disrupting my grand plan."

With that final declaration, the titanic eyes slowly closed, seamlessly blending back into the infinite, consuming darkness.

-----

Back at the academy, hours had steadily trickled by since Aeon had entered his meditative trance. In the meantime, the remaining students had successfully concluded their scheduled gate subjugations.

The moment word of Aeon’s catastrophic incident leaked out, Sophia and the rest of his friends had immediately rushed to the medical sector, desperate to check on his condition.

However, they were strictly barred from entering the suite by the guards, as they were terrified of anyone inadvertently disrupting the delicate flow of Aeon’s enlightenment.

Finally, after ten long hours, Aeon’s trance reached its natural conclusion, and his levitating body slowly drifted back down, settling gently onto the mattress.

The following morning, Aeon’s eyelids fluttered open. As his vision cleared, he found his parents, his professors, and his friends all gathered around his bedside.

"Mom?" Aeon called out softly, his voice raspy and laced with feigned confusion as he looked at her.

Elisabeth immediately bolted up from her chair and threw her arms around him, holding his frame with desperate, tight strength.

"Aeon... my beautiful boy. Thank god you are alright," Elisabeth cried out. Heavy tears began to roll down her cheeks once more as her entire body trembled against him.

Sensing the emotional state of his mother, Aeon felt a genuine pang of guilt for causing them to worry.

Steeling his resolve, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, returning the embrace while offering soft, reassuring whispers.

"I’m perfectly fine, Mom. I’m so sorry for making you worry like this."

Seeing him responsive, his friends loudly expressed their immense relief, eagerly wishing him a swift and total recovery. Sophia, however, refused to speak.

She simply lunged forward and buried herself in his side, hugging him with a fierce, terrified grip, as though letting go would cause him to vanish from reality forever.

It took Aeon some time to reassure her. Meanwhile, Seraphina deliberately approached him and wrapped him in a heartfelt hug, giving him a kiss on the cheek in the process.

"It will help you recover faster," Seraphina said with a playful wink.

Elisabeth couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. It seems her son had already begun his romantic journey.

A little while later, Headmistress Nyxara approached Aeon. "How are you feeling, Aeon?" she asked, stopping in front of him.

Aeon looked at the beautiful dark elf and replied politely, "I’m feeling fine, Headmistress."

Nyxara nodded, but her expression soon turned serious. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" she began, her gaze fixed on him.

"How did you survive an SSS-rank gate?"

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