"W-what…?"
To say Cassandra was shocked would be an understatement. The woman's brain was broken then and there. What she just heard didn't make any sense!
Alex remained silent, waiting for the catwoman to process his words. It was a heavy realisation every veilwalker was bound to know eventually.
However, hearing it before experiencing it was a different story, especially when it came from someone like Alex.
After several long minutes that felt like a lifetime to beings at their level, Cassandra refocused on Alex once more, her expression one of clear confusion. She heard, but she did not understand.
"W-what exactly are you talking about, Alex?" She asked, this time with a serious expression. "What do you mean there is no grand purpose?"
"It's exactly as I said…" Alex replied coolly. "The multiverse? Living beings? Everything that we know and aspire to be is pointless in the grand scheme of things. This is something you will understand if you bond with a universe core.
"We are nothing, Cassandra. Our identity, our goals and dreams have no meaning at all. I am a human, a son, a lover, a friend, a veilwalker, an instructor…
"These are some of the things you could say I am, Cassandra. But… merging with a core will tell you otherwise — it's all a fallacy."
"..."
The cat was still not making sense of what Alexander was saying. The more he spoke, the less sense he made.
"Didn't you just say achieving godhood is about understanding our place in the universe, accepting who and what we are to be acknowledged by the universe?"
"I did…" Alex chuckled softly. "But you weren't listening, Cassandra. That path is for normal beings. Perhaps it is a mechanism of the universe to make sure no one rises above a certain strength level, but that path is not for us — it's not for veilwalkers."
Cassandra gulped, her core pulsating rapidly. The revelation was making the energies in her inner realm churn chaotically. These were some truths that were not meant to be known, and she was right.
Anyone else not a veilwalker would not be capable of grasping whatever Alex said, regardless of how well he explained it. It was an impossibility. Even with this information, Alex wasn't done.
"Before the calamity hit every universe out there, no being, no matter how powerful, could tear open a veil to the true void. It wasn't meant to be done.
However, after 'that' happened to the multiverse core, the fabric of every universe became capable of being breached."
The catwoman swallowed again, the feeling in her being growing more and more chaotic. To think everything is for nought was hard to accept.
"So you're saying bonding with a core teaches us all this and pushes the ascension to godhood?" Cassandra summarised, and Alex nodded in affirmation and added.
"Being a veilwalker is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. There has never existed any being like us. We were created out of necessity, Cassandra."
"Then what is the point of everything I did to get here if there is no point?!" The catwoman suddenly roared angrily, getting to her feet.
"You're telling me I have to grasp everything about myself and the laws to reach this level, and at the same time telling me none of it matters?! How does this make sense?!"
Alex understood her sudden outburst. Honestly, it felt like a scam. But that was exactly what made self-ascension an impossibility. He had a few guesses about why this was the case, but had no proof to back his thoughts.
Looking at the heavily breathing woman who was trying to make sense of what she heard, Alex couldn't help but feel slightly bad for her. After all, what she needed to do afterwards was going to be the hardest part.
"I'm sorry, Cassandra." Alex said with a sigh. "But this is what every veilwalker would eventually come to know once they bond with a core. It's a difficult thing to accept, and also why it's almost impossible to ascend on your own. Knowing and accepting aren't the same thing."
The catwoman let out a heavy sigh and sat back down, her expression turning dull. All her hard work up to this point was useless! How is that acceptable?!
"Do you still want to know how I achieved self-ascension?" Alex asked, making Cassandra lift her head to look at him.
"Does it even matter…?" She shot back tiredly. "Like you said, everything is pointless."
"Exactly…" His response confused her for a bit, reigniting her curiosity. "To self-ascend as a veilwalker, you must let go."
"..."
Cassandra was momentarily taken aback. She tilted her head, waiting for Alex to explain.
"You must accept that you are nothing, and nothing you shall return. You must let go of who and what you are, Cassandra. You must let go of your identity; you must forsake everything that is you in the truest sense of the word. You must become nothing…"
"Nothing…"
The cat muttered softly, feeling her core pulse once more, the energies within her inner realm churning even more chaotically.
"What does that mean…?"
She asked a second later, her entire being trembling and disturbing the surrounding energy in the blank space. Something told her it wasn't going to be easy, and that gut feeling came true.
"What I'm saying is…" Alex paused dramatically, observing the cat's nervous expression. "You must die, Cassandra."
"!"
The cat rose to her feet once more, a powerful wave of energy rippling out of her body. She couldn't control her chaotic energies at that moment. What she heard was ridiculous!
"You're messing with me, aren't you?" She asked nervously, still in denial.
However, Alex didn't respond, staring at her calmly. There was nothing that said 'joking' about what he just said. He was damn serious.
Ba-dump
Her core thumped like a heartbeat. If what Alex was saying was true, then it meant…
"I died, Cassandra." His reply confirmed her thoughts. "I realised this truth in a difficult situation. However, dying has to be an acknowledgement done by yourself, not in a fight where your life is about to be snuffed out.
"You must make your core accept this truth and let go — you must destroy your core in that truth."
While his situation could be said to be in a battle of life and death, he made the acknowledgement in that moment, changing the aura he gave off.
This was what made the veilwalkers panic and drove them to kill him. However, Alex had already accepted the truth by then, making their action a helping gesture instead of self-sacrifice.
Cassandra stared at Alex like he was crazy. There was no way she could do something that insane! To go through all this pain just to let it all go? She's heard better jokes!
But Alex's expression said otherwise.
"You're serious…"