noveltune Chapter 202 — The Voice Beyond Light
Chapter 202 — The Voice Beyond Light
Another day passed in the Zeroth Expanse.Although the city was still under restrictions because of the recent incidents, life was slowly returning to normal.
The gates remained heavily guarded, but the number of hunting teams venturing outside increased with each passing day.
At first, only the highest-ranked adventurer teams had been permitted to leave the city. After several successful expeditions returned safely, the others' confidence gradually recovered.
The fear that had once gripped the entire Expanse was beginning to fade.
Even the name that had thrown the city into chaos...
Tenebris Revenant.
Its terror was slowly becoming a memory instead of an immediate threat.
Far beyond the city walls, deep inside the forest, a Great Eagle descended from the sky and landed silently beneath the cover of towering trees.
A cloaked figure stepped off its back.
The instant Evan's feet touched the ground, the Great Eagle melted into his shadow and disappeared without leaving behind the slightest trace.
Removing the mask covering his face, Evan took a slow breath before looking toward the distant city walls.
"...Finally."
"It took almost an entire day, but I'm back."
The return journey had taken much longer than he had expected.
The final beast he had hunted lay more than five hundred kilometers away from the city. During the past three days, he had wandered from mountains to forests in search of stronger prey, never realising just how far he had travelled.
His gaze swept across the endless wilderness stretching between himself and the city.
'For the smallest Expanse... this place is still large enough to lose yourself in.'
Fortunately, Arven's abilities had provided him with a complete map of the Zeroth Expanse. Otherwise, even returning to the city would have wasted several more days.
Without delaying any longer, Evan started walking toward the walls.
After only a few steps, his ears twitched.
Footsteps.
Not one.
Several.
His expression remained unchanged.
In the next instant, his body vanished from the ground as he leapt onto a towering tree. Hidden beneath the dense branches, he silently observed the forest below.
The footsteps grew closer.
Instead of enemies, however, a group of adventurers rushed into the area.
There were seven of them.
Their equipment suggested they belonged to different backgrounds, and among them, Evan could only inspect the levels of three. All were around Level 50, while the remaining members either possessed concealment abilities or were from other cultivation paths.
The group scanned the surroundings anxiously, clearly searching for something.
Evan narrowed his eyes and quietly listened.
"Are you sure the eagle landed around here?" one of them asked impatiently. "That thing had to be at least Level 90. If we can hunt it, we'll make a fortune."
The scout frowned as he searched the surroundings once more.
"I'm certain. I sensed its aura from several kilometers away. It landed somewhere around here... but then it suddenly disappeared. It's like it vanished into thin air."
A man carrying a long staff snorted.
"Or maybe you imagined it. Beasts don't simply disappear. Either it flew away before you brought us here, or it's hiding nearby. Spread out and search."
The others nodded before scattering into the forest.
Only after they disappeared from sight did Evan silently drop back onto the ground.
He watched the direction they had gone before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"So things are finally returning to normal."
"Even teams at this level are beginning to hunt outside again."
"Looks like it's time for me to leave."
Without another word, he disappeared into the forest, moving so quickly that only a gust of wind and scattered leaves marked his passing.
...
The towering walls of the city soon came into view.
Nothing had changed.
Guards continued patrolling every section with unwavering vigilance, while detection formations shimmered faintly across the walls to prevent anyone from slipping through unnoticed.
Evan calmly waited for an opening.
The moment two patrol routes crossed, he slipped through the narrow gap without making the slightest sound.
Seconds later, he was inside the city.
Unlike the silent streets he had left behind days ago, the city had regained much of its former life.
Merchants had reopened their shops.
People once again filled the streets.
Conversations echoed through the roads as if nothing had ever happened.
Evan quietly observed the bustling crowd.
'Hah... the world never stops for anyone.'
'A hero may fall. A legend may die. People mourn, grieve... then continue living.'
'That's simply how life works.'
For a brief moment, old memories surfaced in his mind before quietly fading away.
He pushed them aside.
Leaping onto a nearby rooftop, Evan crossed several buildings with effortless movements before arriving near the city's central district.
The towering structure stood proudly at its center.
The Tower.
The only gateway connecting the Expanse to the outside world.
Within minutes, he reached the crowded entrance.
People constantly moved in and out of the hall, yet strict regulations remained in place. There were no shops, resting areas, or unnecessary facilities. Anyone entering either came to travel or complete official business.
Dropping into a quiet alley, Evan adjusted his cloak before calmly blending into the crowd.
No one paid him any attention.
His mask concealed half his face, making him just another ordinary adventurer passing through the hall.
Step by step, he approached the portal chamber.
At the center of the room floated a massive spatial gate, ripples spreading endlessly across its surface while the surrounding space twisted ever so slightly.
Evan stopped for only a brief moment.
He looked back toward the city one last time.
His stay here had been short.
Yet in just a few days, he had overturned the fate of an entire Expanse.
Kael's destiny had changed.
The legend of Tenebris Revenant had been born.
And those ripples would continue spreading long after he was gone.
Without another thought, he turned back and walked into the portal.
Space distorted around him.
The world dissolved into light.
Then...
Everything disappeared.
...
The next moment, Evan found himself standing once again within the endless void where he had first arrived.
His body stabilised almost instantly as the familiar darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
"So this is where I appear every time I travel between Expanses..."
He glanced around thoughtfully.
"It's not exactly convenient... but it definitely has its advantages."
As expected, a familiar translucent screen slowly materialised before his eyes.
─────────────────────────────
◆ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ◆
[Host has entered:
[Sub-realms detected within the current realm.]
[Please select a sub-realm to enter:]
1. Zeroth Expanse
2. First Expanse
3. Second Expanse
4. Third Expanse
5. Fourth Expanse
6. Fifth Expanse
7. Sixth Expanse
8. Seventh Expanse [????]
⟪Ascension Hall⟫
─────────────────────────────
Evan's gaze settled on the final option beneath the list, and the corner of his lips rose slightly.
"Hm... there you are."
Without a second thought, he selected it.
The moment his finger touched the panel, space rippled around him.
His body dissolved into countless streams of light before the world disappeared completely.
...
A strange warmth enveloped him.
It wasn't hot or cold. It was simply... comforting.
It felt as though his entire existence had been submerged in an endless ocean of calm, tempting him to close his eyes and remain there forever.
Evan quietly observed the sensation instead of indulging in it.
'So this is what direct transportation feels like...'
In his previous lives, every visit to the Ascension Hall had been arranged through temporary portals prepared by Expanse. He had never possessed the authority to access it directly.
This was his first time entering through the system itself.
The Ascension Hall.
Also known throughout the worlds as the .
It was the sacred place where every warrior, mage, and cultivator challenged the limits of their existence before advancing to the next stage.
Strength alone wasn't enough.
Every ascension required a trial.
The result of that trial determined one's foundation, talent, and future potential. A single grade could influence an individual's entire path of growth.
And now...
For the third time across all his lives...
It was finally his turn once again.
...
His eyes slowly opened.
Evan found himself lying on smooth white stone.
He immediately pushed himself up and scanned his surroundings.
The first thing that entered his vision wasn't the hall...
It was an enormous gate.
The gigantic doors towered dozens of meters into the air, making him appear no larger than an ant standing before a mountain.
Ancient patterns stretched across its surface with flawless precision.
Golden veins intertwined between countless divine runes, while gems of every imaginable colour shimmered within the structure itself.
Each crystal radiated an aura so pure that even looking at them for too long made one's mind instinctively calm.
For a brief moment...
Even Evan couldn't help but stare.
"So this is the true entrance..."
His voice carried genuine surprise.
Before he could admire it any longer, Arven's familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"What happened? Never seen craftsmanship worthy of admiration before? Just what kind of miserable lives have you been living?"
Evan merely glanced sideways.
"I was just thinking."
"In my previous lives, I was transported directly inside the Hall. This entrance never existed for me."
His eyes returned to the colossal gate.
"So... everything lies beyond this?"
Without waiting for an answer, he walked forward.
The closer he approached, the more overwhelming its scale became.
Standing before it now, he truly resembled a speck of dust before a divine monument.
One couldn't help but wonder how much force would be required to move something so massive.
Evan slowly placed his palm against its surface.
The instant his hand made contact...
Brilliance erupted.
Golden light burst from every engraved line across the gate.
The entire structure trembled before the colossal doors slowly swung inward without making the slightest sound.
Light flooded outward like an endless tide.
It swallowed Evan completely.
He instinctively narrowed his eyes against the overwhelming radiance.
Yet the light refused to fade.
Instead...
It seemed to grow brighter.
Then—
Arven suddenly spoke.
His tone was calm.
Far calmer than usual.
"Evan."
"I have something I need to do."
"For now... don't reveal anything related to me."
"Or your second system."
"No matter what happens... don't use either of them."
"I'll return before you even realise I'm gone."
Before Evan could ask a single question...
The connection vanished.
Silence.
Complete silence.
"...Arven?"
No reply.
His presence had disappeared entirely.
Evan's expression became serious.
Arven had never spoken like that before.
Whatever had made him leave...
It wasn't something ordinary.
Even after the light gradually weakened, Evan kept his guard raised.
His instincts warned him not to lower it.
Something...
Someone...
Was waiting beyond this gate.
As the radiance finally dispersed...
A voice echoed through the silent hall.
A calm voice.
A familiar voice.
"It's been a while..."
"...Evan Windstone."
Time seemed to freeze.
Evan's pupils contracted violently.
His heartbeat skipped.
That name...
No one in this world should have known that name.
Not here.
Not ever.
His breathing unconsciously slowed as countless possibilities flashed through his mind.
Impossible.
There was only one place that name belonged.
His previous life.
With his guard instantly raised to its peak, Evan slowly lifted his head toward the owner of the voice.
The moment his vision cleared...
His expression froze.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
"You..."