Chapter 268: Multiversal Conquest Begins - The Origin Awakens

Another 500 years passed without a hitch and with that came the rising ambitions of a certain clan that had been relatively quiet for the last 1,500 years.

[A/N: Just to clarify a total of 2,500 years has passed]

Within the Originat Haven, the leaders of each branch clan had gathered.

It was the first time since the Convergence that they’d all gathered in one place. Until now, it had only been small clusters—pairs, trios, never the whole assembly.

They stood on one of the Haven’s central plains, an endless stretch of warm marble underfoot, its veins shimmering with liquid starlight that pulsed like a calm, steady breath.

All around, islands of crystal spires and night-blooming gardens drifted softly in the dark.

Above, an eternal rose-gold aurora spread across the sky, casting a gentle, otherworldly glow over it all. They gathered in a loose circle—easy, unguarded, like only those bound by centuries of shared battles could manage.

Nia rested against Vaeloria’s shoulder, arms folded, a smirk playing on her lips. Vaeloria stood with her signature regal grace, one hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword, white hair shimmering in the aurora glow like molten moonlight.

Seris lounged on a crystal platform she’d summoned with ease, legs swinging as she laughed at something Yonna had said.

Yonna—wild and untamed—grinned back, her storm-blade draped across her shoulders as if it weighed nothing. Sonna sat cross-legged on the marble floor, humming a soft tune that made the starlight veins beneath them glow in rhythm with her voice.

Thalion stood nearby with arms folded, his calm, calculating gaze taking everything in, though the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth gave him away whenever Sonna’s melody reached him.

Kael and Caelan—inseparable twins—were roughhousing in the background, Kael’s storm aura sparking against Caelan’s polar gravity, neither aiming to land a real hit, just burning off energy like overgrown kids.

Sylvie hovered a few feet above the ground, wings folded neatly, arms crossed as she watched them with a mix of fondness and exasperation. Nearby, Katherine and Summer stood shoulder to shoulder—Katherine’s blood-silks drifting lazily while Summer’s relaxed stance mirrored her—both wearing amused smirks at the scene.

Raven trailed just behind the group—hollow eyes faintly aglow, presence quiet yet impossible to miss, like a shadow that somehow offered comfort.

Nia was the first to break the easy silence.

"Gods, look at us," she drawled, scanning the circle. "All here together. No one’s tried to fight anyone yet. I’m almost disappointed."

Vaeloria snorted. "Give it five minutes—Kael and Caelan are already halfway to brewing a storm."

Kael grinned, not bothering to look up as he sidestepped Caelan’s frost-lance. "Hey, we’re just getting started!"

Caelan’s laugh rang out—sharp, cold, and brimming with delight.

"Getting started? You’re already losing, brother."

Seris leaned forward on her platform, eyes gleaming.

"Ten billion mana stones says Caelan sends Kael’s boots flying in the next thirty seconds."

Yonna let out a sharp laugh.

"Twenty says Kael takes him down first."

Sonna’s humming faltered just long enough for her to murmur,

"Be nice. The ground’s still healing from last time."

Thalion gave a faint snort—close to a laugh.

"Last time, the plain would have took three decades to regrow its marble veins, if not for Creara."

Sylvie rolled her eyes, her wings giving a gentle stretch.

"You two are worse than kids."

Katherine smirked and shot a glance at Summer.

"Speak for yourself. At least they’re fun to watch."

Summer shrugged, as relaxed as always.

"Yeah, it’s better than nothing."

From the back, Raven’s hollow voice floated in—soft, almost affectionate.

"I missed this..."

For a moment, the group fell silent—smiles easing, eyes meeting.

They were happy.

They were genuinely, wholeheartedly happy to be together again—no war, no crisis, nothing keeping them apart. For two whole hours, that peaceful calm lingered, until Vaeloria’s voice broke through.

"Enough games," she said, her tone not sharp but resolute.

"It’s time."

All eyes shifted toward her.

Vaeloria’s gaze swept the circle, locking eyes with each of them.

"We’ve played around long enough. Fifteen universes are under our control, each taken on a whim—out of boredom, for sport, without any real coordination. No grand plan. No true conquest. That changes now."

She stepped into the center, voice steady.

"Multiversal conquest. Every universe. All of them."

The silence that followed was charged, almost crackling.

The twins grinned—wild, eager.

Kael cracked his knuckles. "Finally."

Caelan’s aura shimmered. "Been waiting for this."

Seris chuckled, low and pleased. "Oh, this will be fun."

Yonna slid her storm-blade from her shoulder, smile razor-sharp.

"About time we stopped thinking small."

Sylvie’s wings flared—light brightening. "We’ve waited long enough."

Katherine and Summer shared a knowing smirk.

"Blood and silence," Katherine said softly.

"Until everything is his," Summer finished.

Raven stepped forward—hollow eyes glowing. "Exactly... All of it. For him."

Then Vaeloria rose her hand and waved once.

A map spread open—vast, flawless, with every universe in the Lower Dimension glowing like suspended orbs. It was the map of all existence tied to Elysia, showing the precise count of universes.

8,748

Vaeloria’s voice was steady, commanding.

"We take them all. Every last one. Until we reach Universe 20. And it will be done before Ash returns."

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Only fierce, joyful, obsessive agreement.

The twins practically buzzed with energy.

Nia stepped up beside Vaeloria, her smile slow and electric.

"Then let’s begin."

The field pulsed—auroras above flaring brighter, as if the Haven itself approved.

The Originat were in motion.

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[A/N: I won’t waste more time showing them overpowering weaker opponents. Just know they’re doing exactly what they set out to do. However, a battle or two will be featured in the next few Chapters.]

And from that moment, they came to an agreement. Over the next 2,500 years, another wave of Originat power swept through the multiverse, even stronger than the first.

Universe after universe fell, legends carved and whispered into existence.

Yet, through it all, the man above them all remained where he had been 5,000 years ago—or more accurately, for the last 50,000 years.

But now, in the void between universes within the Multiversal Container, the cocoon that had held Ash for fifty thousand long years was finally beginning to crack.

CRACK!

A thin crack spread like a spiderweb across the surface, rose-gold light spilling through the narrow gap like sunrise slipping beneath a closed door.

CRACK!

Another crack—deeper, louder, the sound rippling in layers through the endless dark, as if the void itself recalled what it had once held.

CRACK!

The last crack ran from crown to base, splitting in jagged lines like lightning trapped in amber.

Then came silence—complete, unbroken.

The cocoon didn’t explode apart; it just... opened.

Unhurried, deliberate, like the petals of a night-blooming flower finally answering the call it had waited ages to hear.

From within emerged a shape—vague, indistinct, wrapped in shifting veils of gold radiance and soft shadow. No features could be seen clearly; only the suggestion of tall grace, of something both achingly familiar and entirely new.

Wings seemed to flicker at the edge of sight, too many and too immense to count, before vanishing altogether. Horns arched in shadow, eyes like luminous voids.

The air grew dense with a presence—silent, overpowering, the kind of stillness that could make eternity feel small.

Behind him, the cocoon unraveled, rose-gold threads dissolving into drifting motes of light that floated upward before fading away.

A heartbeat.

Another.

Then came soft, playful laughter.

Elysia appeared first—her full form radiant, long white hair flowing like liquid moonlight, four graceful horns sweeping from her brow... though her wings were gone.

She drifted just above and to the left, hands clasped behind her back, golden eyes now glimmering with mischief.

A moment later, Creara emerged—similar yet distinct, with long black hair streaked in white, golden eyes encircled by dark rings. She, too, had no wings. Hovering to the right, head tilted, her smile was both warm and wicked.

Elysia spoke first, her voice lilting and teasing, edged with playful possession.

"Well, well... look who finally decided to wake up. We were starting to think you’d kicked the bucket!"

Creara giggled, hiding her smile behind delicate fingers.

"Fifty thousand years... We kept everything warm for you. The multiverse got a bit rowdy while you napped. Big sister, should we tell him how many universes our little siblings added to the collection... or wait until he’s had his fruit?"

Both sisters drifted closer—smiles matching in obsessive adoration, each laced with her own brand of mischief.

Elysia leaned closer, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Welcome back, Master. We’ve missed you."

Creara’s smile grew—playful, possessive, and warm.

"More than you know."