Chapter 127: Fire Thieves, The Origin of the Gravekeepers
As Rast stepped into that twisted vortex, the scenery around him began to spin wildly.
When the distorted light and shadow finally froze again and became clear, what entered his view was already a vibrant and lively world.
It was a vast courtyard, where clusters of lush green plants stood tall, blooming in vibrant colors and radiating waves of rich fragrance.
In the air, the aura of mana and vitality mixed together, almost condensing into a tangible presence, bringing the meaning of “abundance” to its absolute peak.
However, if one looked beyond the flourishing courtyard, beyond this land of abundance, a completely different sight would come into view.
It was an illusory boundless sea, with twilight rising and falling alongside the waves, assimilating all the light of the world into that oppressive, dusky yellow halo.
Twilight turned into giant waves, crashing against the boundary of the fertile domain, where yellow and emerald green lights corroded one another before both vanishing into nothingness.
“Abundance” and “Death God”, life and death…
These were two entirely opposite sequence stairways, two completely conflicting forces touching upon the very roots of the world’s laws, now clashing together.
Emerald light faded away, while the dusky yellow waves surged again… this cycle repeated endlessly.
Had Rast not stood within the realm of vibrant life, he would’ve long been swallowed by the tides of dusk.
“You are now inside the remains of that Death God — within the ‘Divine Remains’.”
“Of course, using the terminology of your Sixth Era civilization…”
“This place is the origin of the Underworld — ‘Abyss’, or rather, the ‘Nether Abyss’.”
An old and gentle voice rang out.
Though the voice was clearly audible, its direction could not be discerned, as if it came from every corner of the abundant courtyard.
“Do you see that illusory dusky yellow ocean?”
“That is the blood flowing within the divine body of the deity who ruled over death.”
“Even though the Death God had fallen many eras ago, and more than ninety percent of the power in the remains has already faded with the passage of time… the divine power and rules left behind in the corpse are still not something you can withstand.”
“If not for the protection of my domain of abundance, even a single drop of blood from the remains — one that has lost most of its divinity and power — would be enough to fully assimilate you… transforming you into a being like those dead within the city atop the Nether Abyss.”
Rast looked around, only then noticing the old man with white hair and beard, a peaceful face.
He stood in the center of this fertile courtyard, with no trace of power leaking from him, appearing no different than a gardener trimming plants with shears.
If Rast had not personally witnessed the clash between this legendary Gravekeeper and Sisel, he would’ve easily mistaken the old man for a true ordinary person based on aura alone.
“Thank you… for your assistance, Lord Gravekeeper.”
Rast bowed respectfully.
“There’s no need for such pointless formalities before me.”
“Every path of legend is a unique, unreplicable miracle.”
“And anyone capable of finding their own legendary path must be someone with firm resolve.”
“Such seeds of legend—how could they easily bow to others? Even if… you are now facing a true legend.”
The white-robed old man, who looked like a gardener, gazed at Rast, his aged voice sounding once again.
“Just call me by name.”
“My name is — Noah.”
“Noah… sir.”
Rast spoke again, but his tone remained respectful.
“No matter what, you saved my life.”
“If you hadn’t intervened just now, a legendary being harboring killing intent against me would’ve made sure I had no chance to survive.”
“Though that may be true, weren’t you actually gambling on me stepping in?”
Noah’s faint chuckle interrupted Rast.
“If not, then what difference is there between your actions and suicide?”
“However, you do seem to be a natural Gravekeeper.”
He paused slightly.
“From your soul… I sensed traces of ‘wear’.”
“You are someone who has truly endured a long span of time, who has felt your spirit and soul erode and decay with the passage of time — an immortal.”
“Only immortals who have personally experienced temporal erosion can truly understand the ‘eternity’ that we Gravekeepers pursue.”
“If not for your ideology aligning so well with the Gravekeepers, coupled with the fact that you’ve opened your own path of legend, possessing the potential to ascend to legend…”
“Then, I wouldn’t have chosen to save you just now, but would’ve let you be burned to ash by Sisel’s blazing sun.”
Noah turned back, overlooking the turbulent, illusory yellow sea.
“Rast.”
“Your understanding of the ‘Gravekeepers’ is still shallow, isn’t it?”
“Mm.” Rast nodded.
“All I knew about the Gravekeepers before came from my covert investigations at the Shoreguard headquarters, as well as the bits of intelligence Sisel inadvertently leaked…”
“But the secrecy of that information was extremely high, and even after putting in all my effort, what I managed to gather were only fragments.”
A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes: “All I know is, compared to the Shoreguards under Sisel’s leadership — who blindly rushed to their deaths without regard for consequence —”
“What the Gravekeepers pursue as ‘eternity’… aligns more closely with my current beliefs.”
Determination appeared in Rast’s eyes: “To be honest with you, Lord Noah, I was once trapped in a place for several hundred years straight.”
“In that cycle of time where aging was impossible and progression could never happen…”
“I personally experienced what it was like to have my spirit and soul slowly ground down by endless time, how my self eroded and collapsed as the years slipped by — it was truly hopeless and terrifying.”
The resolve in his eyes transformed into a deep fear: “Since then, I understood —”
“Compared to existing eternally and unchanging in this world, ideals, beliefs, mundane morals, laws, and personal emotions…”
“Love, familial ties, friendship… all of these, are things that can be discarded.”
“I see.”
Noah looked at Rast and nodded slightly: “No wonder, your body doesn’t resemble that of a typical immortal with a long lifespan — it's still quite young…”
“But your soul, worn by time, bears marks that are even more fragmented than the average immortal.”
“This must’ve been a fateful encounter of yours… thanks to that, you managed to obtain eligibility to join the Gravekeepers several hundred or even thousands of years ahead of time — perhaps even an entire era early.”
Noah smiled indifferently, not questioning the credibility of Rast’s claimed time-loop experience.
Though rare, localized temporal distortion phenomena were not unheard of throughout the river of history… even Grey had once created a similar time loop in Frozenwater Town before she awakened her “Fate” sequence stairway.
To Noah, a legendary Gravekeeper who might’ve lived through multiple eras, such things were not beyond comprehension.
His gaze returned to the illusory, undulating yellow sea.
“In truth, the so-called ‘Gravekeepers’ are not the strict hierarchical military organization you imagine them to be.”
“It’s merely a group of like-minded individuals who came together for a shared goal.”
Noah’s aged voice suddenly took on a distant tone, like the hum of an ancient bronze bell.
“Life is a thing destined to end.”
“All things in existence follow the cycle of birth, growth, prosperity, decline, and eventual demise… this is a law of the world, inscribed deep into this realm since the beginning of creation.”
“This applies not only to ordinary life — even civilizations, even eras themselves, cannot escape this cycle.”
“Thus, just as civilizations flourished and prospered during their golden ages, they too must inevitably decline after their peak, stepping into life’s final stages… until they perish at the end.”
“And our duty and mission is to stand outside the long river of history… to witness the rise and fall of civilizations, the opening and closing of eras, and to carve these journeys into tombstones — to record and protect the traces of their existence.”
“Just as our name suggests — ‘Gravekeepers’.”
“To be the witnesses and scribes, to watch over the tombs of fading civilizations, the gravestones of bygone eras — that is the purpose of our existence.”
“However…”
Noah paused for a moment.
“In every era, every civilization, there are always anomalies.”
“Those who, after braving countless trials, suffering untold hardships, and finally ascending to legend — possessing the right to stand outside of civilization and time, to gaze upon all life from above —”
“Still cannot let go of mortal emotions, unwilling to compromise over fleeting illusions… vainly hoping, with their own power, to rewrite the fate of their civilization and era.”
“Trying to defy the inevitable end of their epoch.”
“But the birth and death of eras, the rise and fall of civilizations, are the most fundamental rules of this world — how could they be rewritten by the efforts of mere legends?”
“If a civilization in a certain era calmly accepts its own end, then the backlash from the world’s laws will be relatively mild… like falling asleep peacefully, reaching a gentle conclusion.”
“The old era ends, and a new one is born in its place.”
“With the seeds preserved from before, a new civilization quickly sprouts in the new era, growing again and allowing the cycle of civilization to continue endlessly.”
Noah’s voice remained calm.
“But if a civilization, after passing the critical point from prosperity to decline, refuses to face its end and chooses to resist…”
“Then the stronger its resistance — the more it deviates from its destined path, taking a drastically different route… by the time the final moment of the era arrives, the backlash will be equally overwhelming.”
“That is a judgment from the rules, a verdict from heavenly law, a cataclysm that annihilates all.”
“Before the heavenly law that shapes this world, let alone a few mere legends — even actual gods are nothing more than dogs ruled by its dominion over life and death.”
“And in the face of that apocalyptic catastrophe that erases all… the entire continent will be reduced to scorched earth and ruins.”
“On such barren wasteland, reigniting the spark of civilization becomes exponentially harder.”
“No one knows how many years of accumulation, coupled with immense luck, will be needed for a new civilization to sprout again after such total annihilation.”
“It’s even possible for humanity’s civilization to be completely cut off — an outcome that is not unthinkable.”
Noah withdrew his gaze, lowering his eyes to look at Rast before him.
“So, Rast, do you understand now?”
“Those legends who vainly try to rewrite their civilization’s fate may appear noble and just, shining brilliantly.”
“But in truth, they are nothing more than selfish individuals disguised in the name of righteousness.”
“To fulfill their own desires, to chase personal emotions… they place their dreamlike ambitions above the fate of all humanity.”
“Chasing that fleeting light during their own brief life.”
“Never once considering — when they fail, can they afford the price of that failure? And what of future generations? What price must future civilizations pay for their reckless decisions?”
“This is not courage — it is nothing but selfish, greedy indulgence.”
Within Noah’s aged eyes, a sudden chill flashed.
“Take the Shoreguards for example.”
“Now they call themselves the guardians of civilization, admired by the world, basking in flowers, glory, and applause.”
“But—”
“How many know…”
This legendary of abundance let out a faint laugh, tinged with subtle coldness.
“That the original founder of the Shoreguards, the first who built the organization, was actually nothing more than a traitor among our own ranks?”
“To chase that fleeting light, for those illusory dreams, no different from moths flying into the flame…”
“They betrayed the Gravekeepers, and even stole the ‘spark’ from within us, claiming it as their own, transforming it into the legacy of the Shoreguards.”
“Every successive leader of the Shoreguards has been nothing but a greedy thief—”
“A despicable ‘Fire Thief’.”
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