857 Who sealed this Gate!
Millions of miles away, in a boundless, mesmerizing expanse of inky blackness, where countless shimmering specks of light danced like fireflies in a cosmic sea.
Some specks of light shone like bright stars, while others were dim and faint, barely discernible like grains of sand.
In the center of it all, a group of ancient beings, both men and women, their hair as white as snow, sat cross-legged, their eyes watching the countless specks of lights.
They were clad in robes of dark and white, embroidered with intricate patterns of gold, red, and blinding silver. Each one emanated an ethereal glow, the color surrounding their skin unique to them, representing the most powerful element they commanded.
Many of them would sigh each time a speck of light around them flickered out, like an extinguished candle, vanishing into oblivion, never to shine or exist again.
A wave of joy would wash over them each time a speck of light around them began to shine brighter than the rest, and they would murmur about what might have caused the universe linked to that light to grow, or if they should expect an influx of Celestials coming from that universe in the future.
However, their smiles would vanish into frowns whenever a speck of light around them buzzed, calling for help.
They were called the Guardians of Nature, so connected to nature that they believed people who disobeyed it were committing blasphemy and wouldn't advance in power.
They believed nature was alive like them, imbued with its own will. It was a typical day as they diligently carried out their task – watching over the countless universes within the vast expanse of the cosmos.
Not because they wanted to, but because this was their job, for which they received payment from the rulers of the Celestials.
The rulers could just ignore the lower universes, but some feared that if those universes collapsed all of a sudden when they were not paying attention, the Celestial realm would be next. Some others wanted to simply ensure that if their home universe ever needed help, it would receive it, since they would eventually forget about it.
Moreover, if the lower universes were left unwatched, corrupted Celestial beasts and non-living entities born from dark natural laws would emerge and wreak havoc.
Therefore, the Guardians of Nature were tasked with monitoring the lower universes and killing these corrupted Celestial beasts the moment they sensed their presence. It was like nipping a potential threat in the bud before it could even blossom.
On the bright side, these Guardians would also sometimes go and assist whenever a lower universe needed help if they thought the situation required their intervention.
They could be easily contacted through the Celestial Spirits, conscious beings made of pure spiritual energy, stationed at the Grand Gates in each lower universe. These Gates served as the sole passageway for newly ascended Celestials to Celestial realm.
This knowledge was transferred to every young universe when it was born into the cosmos through a natural link.
That's why their job was created.
Amidst the specks of light, suddenly, a faint, distant light buzzed like two others.
The ancient beings in robes all glanced at the buzzing lights, which was an indication that those universes wanted their help.
The first two lights were huge, but the last one was very tiny. One of the older women frowned, seeing the tiny light. Her ethereal voice had a magnetic allure as she spoke.
"Isn't that one of the small universes which was considered a blank light long ago? Why are they contacting us after so long?"
The words 'Blank Light' hung in the air, drawing the attention of the other ancient beings around her. This term was reserved for those faint specks of light connected to lower universes that had failed to produce a Celestial for a millennium, meaning they had lost the ability to produce one.
An old man's contemplative voice echoed.
"A blank Light? Someone is calling for help from such a universe... how did they get the power to contact us with a Celestial Spirit? The spirits aren't weak. So, it's very unlikely a universe that hadn't produced a Celestial for so long would have anyone powerful enough to control one of them."
"Did they employ an ancient technique, array, or entice the spirits with something, since those little creatures are greedy?"
Another old man sighed beside him.
"Just check what the problem is. If it's something serious, one of you should go handle it. I will check the other two lights to find out why they're contacting us through the spirits, even though they're strong."
With a nod, the woman who had spoken earlier closed her glowing brown eyes. Her consciousness, something even Celestials should cherish, was split, and a small piece of it entered the distant, tiny buzzing speck of light to hear the person contacting them.
She spoke directly into the consciousness of the 'Will of the Universe' contacting them through the spirit, her voice calm.
'What has occurred for you to contact us?'
Her frown deepened. She didn't receive any answers since the one contacting her could not communicate with her, as they were not strong enough to send their voice so far.
They sent what they wanted to convey through thoughts that entered her mind.
Even the thoughts were fragmented, as if the person was forcing the spirit to talk to the Guardians through the link. Ultimately, they only conveyed a few thoughts before the weak connection was severed.
The woman struggled to piece together the fragmented thoughts, finally grasping their meaning. Three lines appeared in her mind, each one sending a shockwave through her.
The first line read.
'The balance of life and death has been completely destroyed here.'
The second followed.
'Every Celestial spirit has been consumed except one they are contacting with.'
The final line, stark and chilling, declared.
'All of this is done by a dark being who had ascended to the peak of Celestial rank.'
The woman's eyes snapped open.
"Impossible!"
Her booming voice startled the others. Another older woman nearby frowned.
"What happened?"
The first woman didn't speak. Her silence was more powerful than words. Her eyes, sweeping across the gathered Guardians, and they learned everything she just had.
One of the strongest among them, an old man with a long white beard, stood up.
"I am not sure how truthful the one who contacted us was, because if a dark being truly has reached the peak Celestial rank, the rulers should have known."
He broke the space before him.
"But let's not take any chances. The last time a peak Celestial dark entity appeared, the Celestial realm was shaken."
"Two of you come with me. The rest wait for our words. If it's truly a peak Celestial dark entity, we need to inform the rulers. But if not, then we will handle it."
Another old man stood up behind him. He had slit pupils with blue specks. He was the most obsessed with nature among them.
"The one who dared to harm nature. I will end that individual. It doesn't matter if they are a dark being or not. They've broken the rules of nature and should be punished."
No one said anything to him. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. A small old woman joined the two old men, and the trio vanished into space, heading straight toward the small, lower universe that had just contacted them.
They were so fast that in a moment, the three ancient beings were floating amidst the countless glowing gates leading to the lower universes, surrounding a bridge.
Now imagine the three ancient Guardians' shock when they found the glowing Grand Gate leading to the lower universe they were heading to, sealed from their side.
It was clear that someone from the Celestial realm had sealed that Gate.
The strongest among them roared.
"Who dares to seal this gate! Even if the universe connected to it has been termed as Blank with no potential to produce any Celestials, no Grand Gate to the Celestial realm should ever be closed!"
"At least not from our side!"
The newly-ascended Celestials in the area, who had arrived from many other universes, froze at his loud words. His voice carried a power they had never encountered.
The old Guardians set aside the matter of the sealed gate and first broke the seal.
The glowing gate, which had been sealed for thousands of years, trembled and once again opened with a clicking noise.
The three Guardians vanished into it. They would first handle the dark Celestial entity in this universe, then they would find and punish the one who had sealed this gate.
Yet, they found no dark entity, which they had thought would be a corrupted beast.
Instead, the Guardians found a Dark Celestial, someone who had merged with dark energy and the power of darkness.
He wasn't a monster. After all, many Dark Celestials who chose to learn dark laws of nature and merged with them existed in their realm. However, his bleeding obsidian eyes told them he was something far worse.