Memory of Heaven:Romance Written By Fate Through Beyond Infinity Time-Chapter 409 On the Verge of Aspiratum — The Beginning of a Journey into Originless Time

Chapter 409 - 409 On the Verge of Aspiratum — The Beginning of a Journey into Originless Time

After the final explosion of light from Joanna's magic, after the Titans disappeared, and Chronos was torn apart by an indomitable will, everything seemed to have come to an end. Yet, within the stillness of this shattered reality, something stirred.

It was not a creature.

It was not a god.

And it was not even time.

It was Aspiratum.

As if born from deep emptiness, Aspiratum is a whisper of darkness that manifests in the heart of suppressed fears and hopes. Forever trapped in the breath of the world, it creates profound experiences for every soul that touches it, inviting them to feel the dilemma between creation and void.

Rui stood amidst the ruins of the altar of time, grasping the last light-filled hourglass belonging to Joanna. Her breath was slow, but it was not air she inhaled—rather, it was the pulse of the world. An unfamiliar thrum, not originating from Omega, Alpha, or any known dimension.

From the cracks in the ruins, dark shadows floated, as if watching, waiting for the right moment to surface. The sky transformed. The stars that had returned were now dimming one by one, as if snatched away by something older than light.

And from beneath the earth, which Omega had repaired, emerged circular fissures—forming an incomplete spiral. Within it, a proud rumble resonated, shaking the souls abandoned in that uncertainty.

Omega, standing not far away, trembled.

"He... awakens."

Zeus turned. "Who?"

In Omega's gaze lay remnants of forgotten fear, as if he recalled the age when this world was first touched by light. Omega lowered his head.

"Aspiratum."

"It is... the will before there was will, a rejection of all possibilities that ever existed. Aspiratum does not seek to create, but rather serves to erase the meaning of creation itself, rendering it into a state of meaningful absence."

In the darkness of the tranquil night, Rui felt something even Qayin could not disturb. A voice that lacked direction. Not left or right. Not up or down. Like an echo from the unconscious, that voice explored Rui's thoughts, transcending the boundaries of reality and carrying with it everything she had ever wanted to forget.

"Rui... child of the Spiral and the broken blood, caught in the conflict between existence and emptiness..."

"You... walk too close to the origin."

"Do you want to know... why the world must have will?"

Rui closed his eyes. The world seemed to fade away. Even the breath of Zeus and Omega felt distant. Only emptiness remained.

"In that emptiness, there is a subtle vibration echoing, as if the wind from another world brushed against her skin. She felt a faint presence, perhaps the spirits attempting to reach out to lost souls, igniting a profound curiosity within her."

"Show me."

Rui began to walk.

Not forward. Not downward. But inward.

With each step, it was as if he passed through the veil of reality, penetrating the boundary between the real and the unreal. The space around him flowed like water, reshaping every corner with colors and sounds that were undefined.

Before him, a reverse spiral path unfolded, carved from the veins of the world. This path was invisible to anyone except those who bore contradictions within their souls: existence and denial of existence in a single breath.

The surroundings of the path opened like brocade, delicately adorned by morning dew that radiated a soft light, as if nature itself reminded him of the beauty and fragility of life.

Zeus was about to pursue, but Omega held him back.

"Let him be."

"If he returns... then he brings the truth. If not... then the world will remain unaware of what it should not know."

"Rui's steps take her to a place that should not exist; a realm where layers of reality pile up like dust suspended in dim light, each step generating echoes that awaken dormant shadows from the darkness, making each moment feel precious and laden with meaning."

A place where time has never begun.

A place where the Spiral has never been written.

A place where will has yet to be named.

This is the space referred to by the timekeepers as:

"Time Without Origin."

"Its indescribable form, the floor made not of earth but of failed memories, blurs the boundary between the real and the imaginary; each breath of air carries a biting silence. Yet, oddly, you can still breathe—as if that breath is merely an illusion, deceiving yet offering hope."

Sound is not heard, but you understand, as if your own thoughts are whispering. Among the shadows wandering in this emptiness, something formless chases you, calling softly and mysteriously.

"Rui gazed at her own shadow, but what she saw was a self that never came to be; a figure that should not exist, yet so real in the blurred perception. Every detail of her face conceals secrets unspoken within the long history of existence, becoming a symbol of lost opportunities."

He walks among the nameless pillars that hold canceled possibilities, as if his steps etch a trail on the unfinished pages of time:

A world where Joanna never saved Omega.

A world where Rui becomes Chronos, the wanderer destined to safeguard time from unpredictable twists.

A world where there is nothing but eternal silence, seeping into the soul and demanding understanding.

In one of the mirrors of time, Rui sees her own version weakly sitting beneath the withered Spiral tree, its branches resembling hands collapsed in endless sorrow. That version gazes at her, its eyes radiating a dim glow, as if inviting Rui into a deeper darkness.

"You have come a long way to seek the origin of will?"

"Do you think that origin gives you answers? No," it replies softly, its voice muffled as if trapped by an unseen dimension.

"I... am you, if you give in to Qayin. If you become emptiness."

Rui gazes at her, calm like the surface of a lake undisturbed by the wind.

"Then I will keep walking, even if there are no answers," she says, her voice soaring like a mantra to the unseen sky; within every word spoken lies a vibrating determination, creating waves of inner resolve that symbolize an endless search for the unimaginable—something that might just change everything.

"At the end of the spiral path, a translucent giant emerged, neither human nor creature; it was composed of numbers, light, and shadows intertwining harmoniously. A soft whisper reverberated in the air, like a melody reflected from every particle of light and darkness, creating a symphony that stirred the soul."

"I am the Guardian Before Origin."

"I safeguard the Aspiratum."

"Only those who reject all desires... may pass through the gate."

"Show me... that you dare to perceive the meaning that even time is reluctant to behold."

"Rui stood before the final spiral gate, his breath trembling in the silence laden with significance; mysterious shadows danced around him, as if this world were a stage for the gods performing their eternal play, waiting for the moment when truth would be revealed and hope reborn."

Rui knew: with one more step, he could lose his name, body, and even the meaning of his existence. Yet he smiled, that smile being a ray of hope amidst the darkness that awaited.

"If the world has ever endured because of light... then this time, let me sink into the darkness... to ignite a flame that no one has ever known." The weight of his words was teasing, like a drop of morning dew falling on a leaf, shattering the silence with unforeseen beauty.

And he took a step, each stride unleashing waves of energy that drifted through the void, as if the space pulsed with the power of hope and courage.

Towards Aspiratum.