Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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Surprise, panic, and confusion were felt by the crowd as they discovered their surroundings changing in an instant.

The sea of dark golden fog surrounded them, and it felt strange because it's full of contradictions. The atmosphere feels heavy, like a boulder that weighs on their shoulders, one that they could feel through their souls, making it a bit difficult to breathe, yet at the same time, it gave them a heady feeling of weightlessness, like gravity just lightened all of a sudden; it's as if they're going to float helplessly above if they took a single mistake in their steps.

The dark golden fog messes with their perception. It blurs their sense of direction, making them forget which way was forward and which one was back. Up and down lost its meaning here, yet at the same time, they are able to see and feel everything within it.

It's a lot because in this fog, they could see visions of worlds, stars, planets, realms, universes, and cosmic entities; they could even feel the traces of concept laws at their rawest form, like they're watching its birth or something. But at the same time, it's empty, because truthfully, there's nothing here. All they're seeing were mere visions, mirages; it's all smoke and mirrors.

This place didn't feel real, but it also gave them a feeling that every vision they saw could become real in a snap of a finger.

What a truly bizarre domain. They've never seen anything that contradicts itself so much yet also conforms to order. Yet the most bizarre thing about this is that they sensed the presence of the Void, yet for some reason, it didn't evoke the usual feeling of disgust or repulsion in them. It felt neutral, neither good nor bad; it just is.

"It's hard for me to explain this, so I figured I'd just show you and let you experience it for yourselves." A calm and serene voice echoed in their ears, following the disappearance of the dark golden domain.

They once again saw that young man with golden hair and eyes, regarding them with the same calm and serene expression.

"Call me Dawnbringer," he said, introducing himself. "I know why you're here. You've made a decision, and I admire you all for taking such a great risk for a small chance."

"Since you've come here, you must've been informed of what you're dealing with. But in case that there are some of you who didn't comprehend entirely what this project is all about, allow me to explain."

"I've treaded this path through an accident; I was extremely fortunate to have survived, all things considered. This led to me unknowingly stepping on the same path as the Ancients and allowed me to open up my Inner World—which was the domain I unleashed just now."

"You must've, at the very least, felt that wave of terror that spread throughout the entire realm. That signified the birth of an entity we now call the Void Prince. And if you've been paying attention to the news within the alliance, you also must've heard or seen the most recent invasion that we had to face, which led to the Societal Office sending us their men for reinforcements."

"We barely survived that invasion," Dawnbringer solemnly revealed. "And while this might sound like I'm bragging, it's the truth. My abilities played a decent role in our survival. If I hadn't stumbled upon this road, then it is very likely that all guardian camps would've withered to nothingness by now. This place would be occupied by the Void Prince, becoming one of his outposts for his plan to swallow the entire Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm."

He paused, allowing this information to sink into their minds.

"Obviously, knowing that I could help, I will continue to do so, especially since my methods are proven effective. Unfortunately, I am only one person, and there are only so many hours within a day. I, alone, am not enough to help the entirety of the Border Patrol Department."

A sigh then escaped his lips, before saying: "We've tried other ways before. And they worked for a bit. The methods I discovered can be replicated and could easily be done by others."

He then looked at them and said, "I know what you're thinking. 'Well, if your method worked just fine, then why are we here? Why are you talking so much?' Well, there's a caveat, you see. It's not that simple, after all."

"While it is easy to replicate the means I used by following the rules and concept I comprehended through this path, those who aren't in the same path as me, or simply not me, will easily forget all the information I taught to them."

"It doesn't take much to forget about it. The moment their thoughts wander just slightly off the topic I taught them, they'd start forgetting about. It doesn't take long either for them to forget everything too. At most, the longest one has remembered it was three days, and that record is held by the Wise Dragon Chancellor."

Hiss!

That...that detail was a big deal. To think that the strongest and wisest creature in the realm can only hold on for three days before forgetting sounds absolutely unbelievable. So much so that they sent out questioning gazes to the chancellor. And that was met with a face that expressed admittance, albeit helplessly and begrudgingly.

"Why this happens is a mystery to me as well. We've tested it a bunch, and we didn't receive much success. It was only then that I realized that this can't continue. After some deliberation, I discovered that the only way to prevent this is by making others the same as me. But, well...it's not that easy."

"I just can't tell everybody to start drinking gallons of pure Void Energy and hope for the best, can I? How's that any different from asking them to kill themselves?"

"That's where you all come in..."

Cedric went silent for a bit. Looking at every single one of them as if he's testing their resolve.

"Some of you here are desperate to break through the bottleneck that has trapped you for many, many years. Others are approaching the end of your lifespan and are not quite willing to die just yet, opting for a last desperate gamble to turn your fate around. There might also be a few of you who don't really fall into any of these categories, but it doesn't matter."

"You are here because you consented to be here. You have been given a choice and you decided to take the risk. I don't know how many of you will make it through the end. I can't guarantee your safety at all, so I'll be giving you one final chance to retreat."

Cedric then faced them, wearing a strict and determined expression on his face.

"I have been tasked with figuring out a way to canonize this path. The goal of this project is to have everybody in the alliance become like me, eventually."

"You are the first batch of people who will test this out. And once you've decided to participate, you will face multiple threats to your life. I will have you dancing in the fine line between death and survival for the sake of collecting information."

"In short, you'd be my guinea pigs."

"If some of you don't like the sound of that, you can leave now. I promise that you wouldn't face any consequences or punishment if you do so. We understand that not everybody is willing to gamble their remaining lifespan for a small chance of breakthrough, so if you change your mind after hearing me talk, this is your last chance to retreat from this. There won't be any once we begin."

Cedric paused for a while, letting the uncomfortable silence settle in their surroundings. Despite this, none of the participants made a move. They couldn't be dissuaded from their decision, it seems. Cedric didn't know whether he should be happy that they're willing to see this through to the end or be sad about their desperation.

After an uncomfortable couple of minutes, Cedric took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "Very well. Since you've made your decision, then I won't stop you."

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentleman, to Project 'Ancient Chaos Alpha'. Don't be excited, I can't guarantee that you will havs a great time being my guinue pigs. Prepare your minds because you will experience pain unlike anything you've felt before."

"For now, you will be led to your temporary homes while you're here. Once you've got the time, write your last will and testament just in case you meet an unfortunate end."

"We will officially begin the experiments at the start of the next week. Cherish your remaining free time while you still have it."

After saying that, Cedric disappeared from their senses. The crowd was blissfully unaware of the amused expressions of the chancellors as they watched him disappear. But of course, they wouldn't rain on his parade.

They called some people to help settle the crowd to their new homes while they themselves returned to their usual duties.