Ch 139 – Divine Soul: Attaining Enlightenment

It was simply an endless plane of white, with no source of light to be seen yet it still remained fully illuminated. It felt like it was a place that shouldn't exist, it felt out of place. And yet, in the white void that felt otherworldly remained thousands of people wearing white, priestly robes. Their bodies were all pointed in one singular direction, towards a masked man floating in the middle of the air as they surround him in a circular manner.

The masked man's appearance can be considered suffocating to be near at. Their eyes were cold and an eerie black, they also wore a white robe from neck to toe. His body silently floated still in midair, as if he was simply a statue that looked eerie to glance upon.

And yet, the cloaked figure all around the white plane looked at the still figure in midair with devotion and worship. Their eyes were not of a normal man, nay, it was similar to an obsession with the figure, as if they were looking at a God and not at a simple man.

All of them murmured strange passages of words akin to prayers or holy hymns. Many sang, many murmured, and many prayed from the depths of their heart, it was similar to an occult-like gathering.

As if their prayers were taking in a physical form, they watch as golden threads slowly slipped out of their heads and floated towards the still masked man in the air. Seeing that supernatural phenomenon, their prayers became louder than ever before as if causing a tidal wave of prayers to form.

From their heads, more and more golden threads formed, all of which were directed towards the masked man in the air. If an outsider were to witness this very moment, they'd instinctively go down on their knees and pray, as a divine aura slowly erupted from the masked figure.

And from all those golden threads, the most astonishing one was coming from a kneeling, golden-blond-hair woman at the very front. Her head was bowed down to the very ground, and her body was trembling from unknown emotions. And yet, her thread of golden light shone brightly like a bright star amongst a sea of dirt. It was simply incomparable to the others in the white void, and yet, not felt the energy to be jealous of her and continued to pray devotedly.

As minutes passed, the golden threads became denser and more in numbers, while the divine aura emanating from the masked figure continued to get stronger. The swarm of prayers became one as if they were connected by a strange force that made them move in synchronicity.

"It's time."

At that moment, the white void suddenly came to a sudden halt. The prayers stopped, the sound of murmurs disappeared in a mere instance, and the golden threads swirled around the masked figure continuously.

If one were to look at the sky at that very moment, one can see it turning pitch black, as if a strange force was encroaching upon the white plane. Many cried out in shock, yet none felt hostility, it was as if it was simply an expected outcome.

As the black sky continued to expand endlessly, the air in front of the masked figure started to dilate, as if an otherworldly being was entering their plane of existence. At first, one can see the air suddenly have a small dot colored dark purple, and that dot rapidly grew bigger, until it was bigger than the masked figure, and it finally stopped.

"You're finally here, darling."

"Indeed I am."

The masked figure and an unknown voice with an unknown source spoke with each other, their voice was dipped in love, yet the spectators couldn't help but feel a chill crawl up their spine. Yet, even with those conditions, they hurriedly continued to chant their prayers and direct their thoughts to the masked figure.

"A Limitless Mind to store and understand the secrets of the universe."

"And a Divine Soul that can connect the minds of infinity with one another."

"A vast library of knowledge."

"Given to scholars who venture onto the unknown."

"To gather."

"And to share."

"To understand."

"And to allow others to learn."

"A Mind without limit."

"And a Soul that connects all."

"Knowledge can be learned."

"And we are the ones who give that gift."

"Scholars who study."

"Scholars who learn."

"Scholar who earn knowledge."

"Knowledge we too, get to explore."

"To know."

"Is to learn."

"For Knowledge is Power."

"And Power is a means to gain Knowledge."

As their words rang through the white and black void, the reality around them swirled with a strange power. As the golden threads expanded and became innumerable in numbers, the body of the masked figure shattered into countless fragments of gold.

Purple and Gold, two colors of dazzling beauty spun in the air, orbiting around each other like two celestial bodies. As if the sphere of dark purple was a black hole, the golden threads and shards slowly swirled around the dark purple sphere like a vortex, slowly getting absorbed at a fast rate.

A Limitless Mind that understood the secrets of the multiverse. A Divine Soul that is connected to countless beings. Two figures of unknown intentions slowly fused with one another, one was dark purple, and one was radiant gold.

Every time a golden shard was absorbed by the dark purple sphere, an explosion of golden light illuminates the entire area, causing the golden threads of light to expand and become denser. In spite of all the commotion, the worshippers remained silent, kneeling down on the ground and muttering their prayers.

At that moment, none of them dared to open their eyes, for they might see something that could spell the end of their lives. It was simply a notion that unknowingly entered their minds, yet it remained like a brick wall, unable to be forgotten nor broken.

And so, they simply kneeled. They simply thought of their God and worshipped God with all their might. No matter what they hear, no matter what they felt, even if their bodies were pressured by the suffocating feeling of being near two Gods, they didn't waver in the slightest, for this was their resolve to follow their God to the very end.

Whatever may happen, they'll willingly put their lives at risk to see their grand goal, their collective dream, come to fruition.

"To those willing to learn, to those willing to spread the word of knowledge, to those willing to spend their lives vying for the secrets of the universe! Open your eyes! Open them and be part of me!"

As a voice both male and female rang in their mind, their body trembled in excitement at what lies ahead of them. Did they do this for power? Did they do this for fame? For wealth?

No, they did this for they followed their cause to the very end. They were people willing to learn, to see what the universe hides from them and learn of its secrets. Scholars, researchers, students, they are beings who simply want to attain the thing called Knowledge.

And so, with their heads slowly being removed from the white ground, they tremblingly pointed their faces with closed eyes towards the air. As if pressing the trigger of a gun, they let go of their worries and opened their eyes, and there it was, they were finally greeted by… Nothing.

No, the thing they were looking at was simply incomprehensible to the human mind. One can still observe the golden threads emanating from their heads being directed towards the middle of the air, onto an entity they simply can't wrap their heads around.

And yet, even if they saw nothing, a horde of information slowly seeped into their minds as tears dropped from their eyes. The secrets of life and death, the truth of the world they live in, the unknown laws of magic, the cycle of reincarnation, the rivers of time and seas of death, as if a spark was lit upon a blazing inferno, they all silently absorbed the knowledge given to them silently.

As if coming to a consensus at the very same moment, all of them silently stood up from their kneeling position. At that moment, their eyes were cold and apathetic, as if they had learned secrets they shouldn't have learned, but now, it has already happened, and they didn't feel an ounce of regret.

*Zwoop*

The first strike appeared, a lance of golden light flew through the air and impaled a frail woman in the chest, ending her life in a single second. As if starting a fire that devoured an entire forest, the first attack drove the thousands of people in the plane of black and white into madness.

Elves used spirit magic, humans used Classical Magic, some Demihumans entered their Primal Form, and some even activated their Ancestral Markings. Chaos, bloodshed, death, a cruel scene played out as the golden threads silently hovered in the air, silently spinning around an incomprehensible entity.

Balls of flames, spears of wind, kicks that caused craters to form on the white ground, ginormous dragons rampaging around the air, freezing domains of ice that caused a snowstorm to appear, it was simply a scenery of beauty at that very moment for those fighting.

To be so near death's door, yet none felt fear at the notion of death. For they knew what lies ahead upon dying, for they knew what lies ahead upon living, they simply… knew. And by knowing what will happen, it gave them a sense of security, a sense of relief, a feeling so strange that words can't describe the euphoria they were all going through.

Life, death, destiny, fate, karma, at that moment, concepts so vast and wondrous that they can't comprehend, were finally understood. It felt freeing, to be away from invisible grasps that held them back, at that moment, they were truly free.

'So, this is enlightenment.'

At that moment, two humanoid figures slowly appeared in the air, far away from the chaos ensuing on the ground below.

One was a young boy with dark purple eyes, raven black hair, skin similar to pure white snow, and lips like cherry blossoms. The word that can best describe him at that moment was 'beautiful'.

On the other side, one can see a tall man slowly forming from the ground up as golden shards gathered. A featureless white mask, a bundle of black hair, eerie black eyes, wearing a white robe. A divine aura emanated from the masked figure as if one would instinctively respect the figure just by looking at him.

'Back in my original world, I simply lived a life wallowing in darkness.'

'Not knowing anything, nor what I should do.'

'A life full of pain, tragedy, loneliness, despair, a life a simple child wouldn't normally experience.'

'Then I got transmigrated to another world, starting my journey as I gained my first bout of enlightenment inside the stomach of a Titan, allowing me to be reborn anew.'

'And finally, after many trials and tribulations, I finally now know the answer.'

'The answer I've been searching for throughout my life.'

'To know is to be free from worries. To never live in that darkness once more. To finally live in a world of light.'

As the two's thoughts come to a halt, they slowly descended down to the ground and arrived at the last living being inside the plane of black and white. A girl wearing a white robe, with golden blond hair and ocean blue eyes. Her skin was filled with cuts and bruises, along with bits of flesh and brain matter. She was completely bathed in blood, yet her face was full of devotion upon seeing the two arrive before her.

"Holly Grandestine, the Saintess of the Holy Church. Now, you shall be appointed as the Librarian of the Akashic Library."

With a wave of the purple-eyed boy's arm, the world around them rapidly changes. The ground of white and the sky of black collapsed, shattering into oblivion as it rapidly changed, forming into a library with endless bookshelves and endless floors.

At that moment, the bloody body of Holly Grandestine was surrounded by a whirlpool of golden light. Her tattered white robe turned into a frilly white dress, her messy golden blond hair turned flowy and curly. Her rapidly dilating blue eyes resulting from the influx of knowledge turned serene.

As if being reborn anew, Holly Grandestine bowed her head respectfully and said, "I, Holly Grandestine, the Librarian of the Akashic Library—holder of all knowledge that exists and will exist—shall protect this library with all my might, and help spread our knowledge."

With that, the two godly beings in front of her silently nodded and opened a golden portal into which they silently disappeared, leaving her all alone as she silently walked through the endless library, for this marks the birth of the famous Librarian of the Akashic Library, Holly Grandestine.

AN: This chapter has 2186 words.

Dun dun dun, a small hint to Braun's past?! More questions found, more mysteries to be solve! Who was Braun? What was his original world like? What kind of life did he lived? Is his name even real?! Is Freidrich Braun simply a fake alias taken by him because AOT has german-like names?!

Never considered that, did you?! Yes, from the very start since Volume 1, he only revealed his name to be Freidrich Braun when he finally reached Marley! KAKAKAKAKA! I'M TRULY A GOD OF FORESHADOWING IF EVEN HIS NAME WASN'T REAL!

(August 29, 2022 – 278th day of writing)