NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: Old dreams
Shikama Doji floated in an endless ocean of luminous bubbles, each bubble containing a world compressed within itself. These bubbles were not random; they were born from **invisible equations**, as if each bubble was a note from a cosmic symphony, where only the melodies with **mathematical harmony** survived among infinite possibilities. Some bubbles gently collided and merged, creating new worlds, as if **quantum particles** in an eternal dance were recreating parallel histories. The structure of each bubble was woven from the fabric of **space-time**, but its deeper layers were filled with **mysterious dark energy**, flowing like blood through the veins of the universe.
The collisions of the bubbles created waves of **gravitational turbulence**, but the worlds, thanks to their **crystalline shells** (similar to "branes" in string theory), only felt faint tremors—like an earthquake hidden behind secure walls. Amidst this, the death and birth of bubbles had no end. Some bubbles, like the one of our world, remained stable because their **physical constants**—magical numbers like the speed of light or the strength of gravity—were in a **golden balance**. Others, with their unstable laws, became unstable and vanished into virtual black holes… as if the multiverse rejected them.
Ordinary beings would instantly dissolve in this ocean of probabilities. There were no storybook heroes—no hormonal teenagers, no floating spirits, no system to be suddenly discovered. Only coldness and darkness, occasionally illuminated by the collisions of bubbles. Even higher-dimensional beings, if they lingered too long in this space, could perish. If you were near a bubble when it was destroyed, you would face an explosion equivalent to a Big Bang or even larger—an explosion powerful enough to kill four-dimensional beings.
Shikama Doji, with his golden eyes, stared at one of the bubbles and entered it. As he entered, he felt as though he was passing through a viscous wall that rejected his existence. Upon entering, he felt a severe distortion and corruption of history—even perceiving several singularities incompatible with human history. With his intuition, he entered one of these singularities.
What exactly had happened? Shikama Doji, as he entered a forest, felt his golden eyes glow, and his clairvoyance activated. The veil of space-time was lifted for him, and he saw everything: the singularities, the event of burning human order, Goetia the Demon King, the gods… and now Shikama Doji was in the seventh singularity. As he expected, only he existed—there was no parallel version of him. The only difference was the history of his world, while the parallel worlds seemed like the main timeline.
Shikama Doji's golden aura was released, and it seemed as if all matter within a ten-kilometer radius was collapsing. Space-time bent, as if the third dimension was being destroyed. Shikama Doji thought of Tiamat in this world—her tragic fate. Even though he knew this world's Tiamat was not his own, he still felt sad and angry. His golden eyes flashed with intense emotions—human emotions that had appeared in him for the first time in millions of years.
Poor Goetia! He had sealed his own fate. Shikama Doji's anger did not last long, and he returned to his original state. His divine logic overcame his emotions, and his usual gentle smile returned. Well, it seems the battle of heroes against the beast has begun. Now it's time to meet the last master of humanity, Ritsuka Fujimaru. I hope it will be entertaining. With this thought, Shikama Doji's three pairs of white wings spread, and he flew towards the red and orange sky, moving above a sea of blood, thinking to himself, "This should be fun."
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On the walls of Uruk, a young man frowned as he looked ahead. Ritsuka Fujimaru stared at the red sky. The ground trembled, as if a gigantic monster was approaching. Tiamat, the mother of creation, had turned into a beast that sought to destroy her own children. Ritsuka Fujimaru could sense the demonic presence and divine magical energy from kilometers away. At the same time, a feeling of drowsiness overcame him. He placed his hand on the wall, but it was no use. He collapsed unconscious on the ground.
"Senpai!!!" Mash shouted in worry and rushed to Ritsuka Fujimaru's side. When she confirmed that he was only asleep, she sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Ritsuka Fujimaru was drawn into an old dream—days when he truly had peace. His old memories…
"Ritsuka, wake up!" Ritsuka Fujimaru felt as though he had awakened from a long sleep. He opened his eyes and saw the owner of the voice—one of his best friends. He looked around and saw a classroom where students were leaving. He stared blankly around, but suddenly his eyes sparkled, and he yawned. It felt as though he had lost something, and some memories had been erased.
"Thanks, Shin. I guess I didn't sleep well last night." Ritsuka Fujimaru thanked his friend while rubbing his eyes. He picked up his bag and left the school with his friend. He looked blankly at the sky. He felt as though he had lost something and forgotten something. "Hmm… what was I dreaming about? I can't remember…" Ritsuka Fujimaru thought to himself as he walked.