Awalnya, kejadian yang kacau dan menakutkan itu tak lama berubah menjadi pesta. Emosi ekstrim, apakah positif maupun negatif, mengantarkan pada hasil ekstrim. Jadi wajar saja, saat ketakutan untuk nyawa mereka menghilang, kegembiraan karena berhasil menghindari maut memegang kebanyakan tamu. Dengan Lex, Fenrir, dan si elf memberi contoh, hanya logis jika yang lain segera mengikuti.
Di atas awan, Cassandra mengabaikan suasana meriah di bawah, karena fokusnya sepenuhnya tertuju pada kehancuran realm.
Dia memahami jauh lebih baik dari orang lain apa yang sebenarnya terjadi, itulah mengapa dia tidak mengizinkan diri sendiri bahkan sesaat pun untuk santai. Ini kesempatan sekali seumur hidup, bahal bagi yang abadi, sehingga dia tidak bisa melewatkannya.
Yang dilihat orang lain hanyalah meteor api jatuh dari langit, tapi dia melihat hukum-hukum yang menahan Inn tetap utuh sedang diurai, pelan dan sistematis. Api itu hanya layar asap untuk menyembunyikan apa yang benar-benar terjadi di bawahnya.
Bahkan dengan sejenak renungan, dia bisa mengidentifikasi mengapa Innkeeper melakukan hal seperti ini. Pada dasarnya dia menghapus semua jejak Midnight Inn dari tempat ini, sehingga di masa depan, jika siapa saja tersesat ke sini, mereka tidak bisa mengintip rahasia Inn.
Layar asap itu hanya efektif karena api yang menyebar dari meteor itu sendiri memiliki sifat destruktif, memudahkan seseorang percaya bahwa semua jejak telah dihapuskan oleh api. Kebenarannya, dia membuatnya sedemikian rupa sehingga bahkan mengintip ke masa lalu, atau melakukan semacam divinasi kuat di tempat ini, tidak akan menghasilkan apa-apa.
Dia juga melihat proses itu sengaja diperlambat, entah kenapa. Dia tidak mengerti alasannya, tapi lalu lagi, bagaimana dia bisa benar-benar memahami segala hal yang dilakukan seorang Dao Lord? Cassandra hanya mempelajari semua yang dia bisa di sekelilingnya.
Penghalang isolasi yang mengelilingi tidak hanya dia tapi juga semua orang lain sangat menarik juga karena dia tahu itu melayani tujuan lain. Hanya saja tujuan lain itu belum terungkap.
Di bawah, permainan berlanjut selama meteor terus jatuh. Baik kultivator dengan umur panjang, maupun anak-anak kecil yang pertama kali merasakan buah kehidupan yang manis, keduanya tak punya batas betapa banyak mereka bermain. Sayang bagi mereka, ada batas pada meteor.
Akhirnya, saat seluruh permukaan Inn diliputi api, dan air seluruhnya menguap serta tanah menjadi keras, seperti ubin yang dibakar, meteor berhenti jatuh. Tapi saat itu, tamu dan pekerja sudah berkumpul jadi satu kelompok besar, karena keanehan situasi membuat mereka agak tidak aman.
Banyak tamu tak bisa menahan tanya jenis renovasi apa yang sedang berlangsung, atau kapan mereka diizinkan pergi. Tapi pekerja tidak punya jawaban nyata. Lex hanya memberi mereka informasi terbatas, bukan karena dia tidak percaya, tapi karena dia ingin ini menjadi kejutan bagi mereka seperti orang lain.
Beberapa tahu lebih banyak dari yang lain, tapi akhirnya mereka tidak bicara banyak. Akhirnya, semua yang bisa mereka lakukan hanyalah mengingatkan instruksi Innkeeper. Sebelum semua ini dimulai, dia menegaskan bahwa bagi yang bermata tajam, ini bisa jadi peluang besar.
Sebagian Lex sedikit khawatir. Lagipula, dia baru membaca beberapa notifikasi yang bilang realm akan butuh beberapa juta tahun sebelum mampu menopang kehidupan. Meski Mary bilang perbedaan aliran waktu akan mengurangi waktu aktual yang dialaminya, ketidakpastiannya membuat saraf gugup.
Lagipula, mereka semua cuma berdiri santai di lautan api yang nyata!
Sebentar, situasi terus begitu. Semua orang merasakan sesuatu mendekat. Sesuatu yang signifikan akan segera terjadi.
Lalu tanah retak. Awalnya hampir tak terlihat. Tapi lalu tanah mulai berdesir aneh, dan retakan besar muncul disertai ledakan.
Meski tamu kini sadar mereka tidak dalam bahaya, mereka tetap gugup.
Beberapa retakan besar lagi muncul, dan tanah mulai berguncang. Tepat sebelum semua orang terlalu gugup, Lex mendengar suara familiar di kepalanya.
Notifikasi Baru: Realm Midnight telah lahir. Memulai teleportasi.
Berbeda dengan semua kali sebelumnya, saat teleportasi Inn seamless, kali ini berbeda. Lex merasakan sesuatu melilitnya, membentuk lapisan tebal. Dia menggunakan mata kirinya dan melihat tidak hanya dia yang dililit energi khusus, tapi setiap tamu lain, serta semua bangunan Inn. Paling aneh, bahkan pintu masuk tak terhitung jumlahnya ke Minor realm dililit energi yang sama.
Semua yang merasakan energi itu jadi tenang, karena tahu sesuatu akhirnya terjadi. Lalu lingkungan mereka berubah, dan mereka semua berdiri di platform tak terlixa. Jauh di bawah, di kejauhan, yang dulunya Midnight Inn terlihat.
Semua menyaksikan dalam diam saat tanah terus runtuh ke dalam dirinya sendiri, dan geografi berubah total. Api berubah warna dari emas ke ungu, lalu biru, dan akhirnya hitam, tidak meninggalkan apa-apa di jejaknya, bahkan tidak abu.
Lex menduga dia akan menyaksikan kelahiran lubang hitam, karena awalnya terlihat tanah menderita peningkatan gravitasi. Tapi ternyata, itu cuma dibakar sampai tidak ada lagi.
Saat api hitam menghilang, tidak ada apa-apa. Sejenak, mereka dikelilingi kegelapan total.
Lalu lingkungan berubah lagi. Mereka masih di platform tak terlihat, tapi jauh di bawah ada massa daratan baru - yang tidak pernah mereka lihat.
Terlihat seperti batuan tak berujung mengambang di angkasa, kecuali batuan itu begitu masif sehingga tidak ada angkasa yang terlihat di bawah mereka.
Notifikasi Baru: Semua tamu akan diisolasi dari aliran waktu selama realm selesai stabil.
Aliran energi emas, terlihat mata telanjang, seolah muncul dari udara sendiri, dan mulai menyiram batu masif itu. Semakin banyak aliran energi muncul, semuanya dalam warna cerah yang belum pernah dilihat atau dibayangkan Lex.
Seperti seni, kalau seni tidak bisa dilihat tapi terasa langsung dari jiwa, karena dia merasa bukan melihat warna tapi merasakannya.
Cahaya, begitu menyilaukan sampai mengancam membakar otak Lex sendiri, menutupi daratan sementara Lex terus menyaksikan. Lagipula, dia masih di bawah perlindungan sistem!
Batuan pecah jadi fragmen begitu kecil sulit dilihat, tapi tiba-tiba pandangan mereka berubah, atau mereka jadi lebih dekat ke fragmen itu, dan Lex sadar bahkan fragmen yang-
terlihat sekecil itu sebenarnya sangat besar.
Dia tidak mengerti seberapa besar, karena tidak punya skala banding. Dia tidak tahu seberapa dekat atau jauh. Untuk all dia tahu, setiap fragmen bisa seukuran sistem bintang, atau bahkan galaksi.
Realita berubah di depan matanya, padatan kehilangan arti. Fragmen batuan jadi cairan, lalu energi, lalu jadi hal lain. Lex kehilangan semua konsep apa yang dia lihat, dan saat dia melihat sekeliling, dia temukan hampir semua orang selain dia dalam linglung.
Hanya sangat sedikit yang masih jelas, seperti Cassandra, beberapa iblis, Z, dan beberapa tamu terkemuka lainnya. Bahkan seperti Anita dan Qawain, dua immortal, termakan linglung saat menatap... apapun yang terjadi.
Dia menatap kembali ke bawah, bertekad menghafal semua yang dilihat, meski tidak mengerti. Semua bercampur, seolah dalam panci pencampuran. Pada titik tertentu, Lex sudah tidak yakin apakah dia benar-benar melihat, atau pikirannya hanya menciptakan gambar abstrak dalam upaya sia-sia menempelkan kembali apa yang terjadi di sekelilingnya.
Satu-satunya hal, dia sadar, yang terasa familiar, adalah waktu. Waktu terus mengalir, meski dia yakin itu mengalir jauh lebih cepat dari yang bisa dia persepsikan. Mungkin, yang dirasanya satu detik sebenarnya seratus ribu tahun.
Lalu, pada suatu titik, semua warna keberadaan menghilang, mengembalikan segalanya ke kegelapan separuh detik, sebelum menghasilkan ledakan masif. Lex tidak merasakan gelombang kejut, dan tidak melihat ledakannya. Dia hanya melihat putih, dan sebagian darinya tahu bahwa dia baru saja mengalami, sampai tingkat tertentu, peristiwa tertentu yang terjadi sebelum big bang yang diduga menciptakan Origin realm, paling tidak oleh manusia di Bumi. Sekarang, sekarang dia mengalami big bang itu sendiri.
What started out as a chaotic and fear inducing event soon turned into a party. Extreme emotions, whether positive or negative, led to extreme results. So naturally, when the fear for their lives elapsed, the elation of having avoided death gripped most of the guests. With Lex, Fenrir and the elf setting an example, it was only expected that the others soon followed.
Up in the clouds, Cassandra ignored the festive environment down below, as her focus was solely concentrated on the destruction of the realm.
She could understand a lot better than everyone else exactly what was happening, which is why she did not even allow herself a second to relax. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, even for someone immortal, so she could not miss it.
What others saw was simply fiery meteors falling from the sky, but she could see that the laws that held the Inn together were being unraveled, slowly and systematically. The fire was just a smokescreen to hide what was truly happening underneath.
Even with a mere moment of contemplation, she could identify why the Innkeeper may be doing things like this. He was essentially erasing all traces of the Midnight Inn from this place, so that in the future, if anyone stumbled upon this place, they could not peer into the secrets of the Inn.
The smokescreen was only even effective because the fire spread from those meteors itself had a very destructive property, making it easy for one to believe that all traces had simply been erased by fire. In truth, he was making it so that not even peering into the past, or conducting some kind of powerful divination in this place, would yield any results.
She could also see that the process was being artificially slowed down, for whatever reason. She could not understand why that would be, but then again, how could she truly understand everything a Dao Lord did? Cassandra was merely studying everything that she could all around her.
The isolating barrier that had surrounded not only her but also all the others was especially interesting as well because she could tell that it served some other purpose. It was just that the other purpose had yet to be revealed.
Down below, the games continued for as long as the meteors fell. Whether it was the cultivators who had incredibly long lives, or the young children who were, for the first time, tasting the sweet fruits life had to offer, they both had no limit for how much they could play. Unfortunately for them, there was a limit on the meteors.
Eventually, when the entire surface of the Inn was covered in flames, and the water had all evaporated and the ground had become hard, like basked tiles, meteors stopped falling. But by then, the guests and workers had all gathered together to form one large group, for the unusualness of the situation made them somewhat insecure.
Many guests could not help but ask what kind of renovations were going on, or when they could expect to be allowed to leave. But the workers had no real answers. Lex had only given them limited information, not because he didn't trust them, but because he wanted this to be as much of a surprise to them as anyone else.
Some knew more than others, but they ultimately did not say much. In the end, all they could do was remind them of the Innkeeper's instructions. Right before this all began, he did specify that for those with a keen eye, this could be a great opportunity.
A part of Lex was slightly concerned. After all, he had just read a few notifications that said the realm would take several million years before it was capable of sustaining life. Although Mary had said that the difference in time flow will reduce the actual time he experienced, the uncertainty of the matter was nerve-wracking.
After all, they were all just casually standing in a literal sea of fire!
For a short time, things continued like that. Everyone could feel that something was approaching. Something significant was about to happen.
Then the ground cracked. At first, it was barely noticeable. But then the ground started to make strange noises, and then a major crack appeared with an accompanying boom.
Although the guests had, by now, realized that they were not in harm's way, they still couldn't help but get nervous.
A few more massive cracks appeared, and then the ground started to shake. Just before everyone became too nervous, Lex heard a familiar sound in his head.
New Notification: The Midnight realm has been born. Beginning teleportation.
Unlike all other times, when the Inn's teleportation was seamless, this time was different. Lex felt something wrap itself around him, forming a thick layer. He used his left eye and saw that not only was he being wrapped up in special energy, so was every other guest, as well as all the Inn buildings. The most bizarre thing was that even the countless entrances to the Minor realms were being wrapped in the same energy.
Everyone who felt the energy calmed down, as they could tell that something was finally happening. Then their surroundings changed, and they all found themselves standing on an invisible platform. Far below them, in the distance, what was once the Midnight inn could be seen.
Everyone watched in silence as the ground continued to collapse into itself, and the geography changed completely. The fire changed color from golden to purple, and then blue, and finally black, leaving behind nothing in its wake, not even ash.
Lex assumed that he may be about to witness the birth of a black hole, since it originally seemed that the ground was suffering from an increase in gravity. But as it turned out, it was just being burnt out of existence completely.
Once the black flames disappeared, there was nothing. For a single moment, they were surrounded by complete and utter darkness.
Then their surroundings changed once more. They were still on the invisible platform, but far beneath them was a new landmass - one that they had never seen before.
It looked like an ever-extending piece of rock, floating in space, except that the rock was so massive that so space could be seen beneath them at all.
New Notification: All guests will be kept isolated from the flow of time while the realm finishes stabilizing.
Streams of golden energy, visible to the naked eye, seemed to appear from the air itself, and began bathing the massive rock. More and more streams of energy appeared, all in vibrant colors the likes of which Lex had never even seen or imagined before.
It was like art, if art could not be seen but felt directly from the soul, as he did not feel like he was seeing the colors as much as he was feeling them.
Lights, so blindingly bright that they threatened to sear Lex's brain itself, covered the land while Lex continued to watch. After all, he was still under the protection of the system!
The rock broke into fragments so small they were difficult to see, but suddenly their view changed, or they appeared closer to the fragments, and Lex realized that even those so-
perceived miniscule fragments were absolutely enormous.
He could not understand how big they were, because he had nothing to scale them with. He did not know how close or far he was. For all he knew, each fragment could be the size of a star system, or maybe even a galaxy.
Reality changed in front of his eyes, as solid lost meaning. The rock fragments turned into liquid, and then into energy, and then into something else. Lex lost all concept of what he was seeing, and when he looked around, he found that almost everyone besides him was in a daze.
Only very few still seemed to be lucid, such as Cassandra, a few devils, Z, and a few other notable guests. Even the likes of Anita and Qawain, two immortals, were caught in a daze as they looked at… at whatever was happening.
He looked back down, determined to memorize everything he saw, even if he couldn't understand it. Everything was mixed together, as if in a melting pot. At a certain point, Lex was no longer even sure he was seeing things, or if his mind was just creating abstract images in a futile attempt to piece together what was happening around him.
The only thing, he realized, that seemed familiar to him, was time. Time continued to flow, though he was certain that it was flowing much faster than he could actually perceive. Perhaps, what he felt as one second was actually one hundred thousand years.
Then, at some point, all the color in existence vanished, returning everything to darkness for a fraction of a second, before resulting in a massive explosion. Lex did not feel the shockwave, nor did he see the explosion. He only saw white, and a part of him knew that he had just experienced, to some degree, certain events that happened before the big bang that was theorized to have created the Origin realm, at least by humans on earth. Now, now he was experiencing the big bang itself.
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