Varvatos soared through the edge of all things — a place unrecorded by even divine tongues, beyond dimensions, where the last breath of creation ended and nonexistence ruled.
There were no stars here. No time. No up or down. Just endless spirals of nothingness that devoured sound, motion, memory.
Each step Varvatos took was not a step, but a force of will—warping the very absence of space around him. He floated past dying echoes of lost universes, remnants flickering like smoke, snuffed out before their gods could weep for them.
The fabric of the multiverse thinned. There, in the place where silence had forgotten itself, something stirred.
A sensation—neither cold nor hot, but hollow—ran through Varvatos' essence. It wasn't pressure. It was removal—as if his very being was being gently peeled away, as if the concept of Varvatos was being erased by proximity alone.
And then… he saw it.
A presence.
No form. No light. A silhouette darker than void, towering yet without shape, stretching across the metaphysical horizon like a dying god's final thought.
It was Noctis Nihilo.
A voice slithered across the void, not through sound but through truth. It did not speak in words. It spoke in concepts, in primal messages etched into the bones of reality.
But Varvatos understood.
Noctis Nihilo:
"A god walks where no god should."
Varvatos stood firm, golden runes flickering faintly on his skin. His presence alone reignited what little laws still lingered in this part of the cosmos.
Varvatos:
"I came not to threaten. But to understand."
Noctis Nihilo:
"Understanding is the lie of those not ready for annihilation."
Varvatos narrowed his eyes. His voice rang, echoing with celestial command.
Varvatos:
"You've erased thirteen universes. You speak in absolutes and remove existence like it's a sickness. Why?"
A long pause.
Then… a ripple.
A glimpse.
A flash.
In that moment, Varvatos saw it—not through eyes, but in raw intuition. He witnessed the Path of Nihilo: born not of hatred, but of a vision—one that saw all creation as corruption, an endless cycle of suffering, rebirth, and decay. To Nihilo, annihilation was purity.
Noctis Nihilo:
"Existence is a disease. I am the cure."
Varvatos:
"Existence is growth. Struggle. Change. Without it, what are we?"
Noctis Nihilo:
"Free."
Varvatos stepped forward. Each movement radiated divine resistance, his aura forming a sphere of creation around him—defiant, luminous, alive.
Varvatos:
"Freedom without self is oblivion. That is not salvation."
For the first time, the void rumbled. It was not sound. It was concept. A pulse of rejection.
Noctis Nihilo:
"You will try to stop me."
Varvatos:
"I will do more than try. I will remind you of what lies beyond destruction. I will defend my universe, and if need be, I will end you."
Noctis Nihilo:
"Then I will come… and you will watch everything unravel. Your stars will die screaming, your gods will fall, and you will be last."
Varvatos clenched his fist. His aura flared—now glowing with the emblem Veldanava had gifted him. It pulsed once, then faded back into his soul, hidden but waiting.
Varvatos:
"Then let this be the first and last time we speak peacefully. Next we meet… I will bring with me the will of every soul that dares to live."
Noctis Nihilo's presence flickered. And for the briefest moment, Varvatos felt it — acknowledgment.
Then…
Silence.
Noctis Nihilo vanished into the darkness, like a breath never taken.
Varvatos turned back, divine threads weaving once again to reconnect him with the known universe.
The path home would not be easy. But his message was clear now. War was not coming.
It was inevitable.
He whispered to himself:
Varvatos:
"The gods must rise… or all will fall."
Back in the Cardinal World.....Walpurgis of Shadows....
The grand chamber of Walpurgis—an ancient convergence of thrones carved from the bones of forgotten gods and encircled by swirling cosmic energies—had never known such silence.
A vast round table of obsidian glass sat in the center, reflecting the forms of the assembled Demon Lords. Above them, a swirling halo of dimensional magic sealed them away from mortal eyes. This gathering, unlike any in the past, was heavy with an air of grim purpose. Gone were the games of politics or smug banter—today, there was only a singular thought that weighed on every soul:
Survival.
Guy Crimson, the one who called this Walpurgis, sat with his usual elegance—crimson eyes glowing faintly. His expression, however, was grave.
Around him sat the ancient and mighty:
Milim Nava, fidgeting impatiently, yet alert.
Luminous Valentine, poised and calm, her eyes sharp as daggers.
Draguel, arms crossed, ancient as time, quiet and observant.
Ramiris, nervous and tense, hovering in the air.
Leon Cromwell, proud and analytical, his fingers tapping rhythmically.
Carrion, stoic and composed, arms folded in contemplation.
Frey, her wings draped behind her like a cloak of storm clouds.
Dino, reclining lazily—though even he looked focused.
Clayman, visibly uneasy, but unusually silent.
The chamber's torches dimmed to a whisper of light as Guy spoke.
Guy Crimson:
"This Walpurgis is unlike any we've held. There is no war of territory. No betrayal to discuss. No gods to please. Only a warning… and a choice."
The others leaned in, the air becoming still.
Leon:
"A warning from whom?"
Guy:
"From Varvatos."
At the mention of the name, several eyes widened. Others exchanged glances.
Milim:
"Old man Varvatos? He actually left Nyvaris?"
Luminous:
"Then it must be serious."
Dino, straightening for once:
"What could be so bad that even he stirred?"
Guy:
"He told me a name. One I had never heard before. One not recorded in our history or even the World Scriptures."
He paused, letting the gravity set in.
Guy:
"Noctis Nihilo."
The chamber fell utterly silent.
Ramiris:
"W-What kind of name is that?! Sounds cursed!"
Draguel:
"…I have never heard that name, and I have lived through every cycle of this world's rebirth."
Frey:
"So what is it? A god? A monster?"
Guy:
"A mistake. A secret buried by Veldanava himself."
He stood, his crimson cloak flowing like liquid blood as he moved closer to the table.
Guy:
"Long before Veldanava created our world—before time, before angels, demons, or mortals—he made one thing. A being of perfect nothingness. A creature not of light or shadow, but pure void. A concept stripped of all empathy. That being was… Noctis Nihilo."
He gestured, and the floating sigils above the chamber flared to life, showing a vast cosmic silhouette devouring starlight.
Guy:
"Veldanava cast it into the abyss of Oblivion, locking it where not even gods could reach it. But now, it has awakened."
Clayman, swallowing hard:
"If Veldanava locked it away… why is it back?"
Guy:
"Perhaps it never truly slept. Perhaps it waited. Whatever the reason, it has returned. And it has already begun—erasing universes. Not conquering. Erasing. Gone. As if they never were."
Milim:
"…Wait, wait—universes? As in plural? Like… whole other dimensions?"
Guy:
"Yes. And if patterns hold, ours may be next."
The chamber rumbled subtly. Not from magic—from fear.
Carrion:
"Then what of Varvatos? If he knows this much, surely he can stop it."
Leon:
"He's the strongest being this world has. Maybe even the only one on par with the gods. Isn't this his responsibility?"
Guy, slowly nodding:
"He's the only one who can stand against Noctis Nihilo. He's already gone to the outer boundary of the universe, to find the source. But he believes… Noctis does not come alone."
Luminous:
"…An army?"
Guy:
"Exactly. Varvatos warned me—if Noctis decides to erase this universe, he will not come quietly. He will send his children, his echoes, his twisted legions. They may already be marching this way."
Frey, frowning:
"Why didn't Veldanava intervene?"
Guy, voice deepening:
"Because this is our universe and it is on us to defend it, Veldanava gave us life, powers and a world, i think that is more than enough."
A long, tense silence.
Dino, finally speaking:
"So it's up to us."
Ramiris, pale:
"W-We're not ready for something like that! I mean… this isn't some rogue demon or stray dragon!"
Draguel, steady as stone:
"Then we become ready."
Leon:
"I agree. If Varvatos is confronting the being itself, it falls on us to deal with whatever Noctis sends here."
Milim, slamming a fist onto the table:
"Good! Let him send his army! I'll smash them to pieces!"
Guy, smirking faintly:
"I expected nothing less. But this is not a battle we can take lightly. We must call back all our forces, unite our knowledge, and strengthen our defenses. We'll prepare each region as if war were inevitable."
Luminous, nodding:
"I'll have Ruberios reinforced. My knights will be ready."
Draguel:
"The depths of the mountains will stir once more. My kin will answer."
Frey:
"The skies will be ours."
Dino:
"I guess naptime is over…"
Guy:
"We don't know how long we have. Days. Weeks. Maybe months. But one thing is certain…"
He looked at each of them, eyes glowing with firm resolve.
Guy:
"Walpurgis will not be just a council anymore. From this moment on… we are the vanguard of this universe. The first wall between Nihilo's abyss and the light of creation."