Beyond the Eternity

In a secluded part of the Void Mansion...

Two individuals faced each other, their contrasting expressions painting a vivid scene.

One lay sprawled on the cold floor, frozen due to shock and disbelief. The other stood tall, his posture relaxed, a faint, nonchalant smile curling at his lips.

The woman, dressed in a pristine suit, looked entirely out of place amidst the unsettling atmosphere. Strands of her disheveled hair framed her pale face, while her trembling eyes betrayed the storm of emotions within her.

Apart from the unmistakable look of pure terror and trauma etched on her face, she appeared free of any injuries.

In stark contrast, the man standing before her seemed utterly unfazed.

Despite having engaged in a life-and-death struggle, his appearance was immaculate, suspiciously so, as if their deadly encounter had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

Wearing all black, his long crimson coat, flowing to his thighs, only enhanced the composed and mysterious demeanour he exuded.

But if someone had been present a few moments prior, they would have immediately noticed something strange.

The most important question was "How he was still alive?"

Moments prior, he had been consumed by near-inextinguishable flames. Surely, someone who was consumed would have burned to death.

But, somehow, he revived himself and began to torment Superbia. Even then, he continued to burn, yet at the moment, he seemed like he hadn't been engulfed in flames.

Unburnt. Unscathed. Nonchalant.

"Ahh..."

Superbia's mind recoiled from the impossibility.

The man standing infront of her was definitely the same person who had been strangling her neck with a cruel, twisted passion. Even so, she refused to accept that reality.

Why was he unharmed? Hadn't she watched him burn? How was this reality?

Her lips trembled, words falling from them in a low, fractured whisper.

"How..."

Kim Jakga tilted his head slightly.

"Sorry, did you say something? If you want to speak, then speak louder."

Superbia flinched at his casual demeanor, as if her terror were a mere inconvenience to himn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her voice cracked as she tried again. "H-How are you unharmed? No... Why are you..."

Kim Jakga blinked, his head tilting further, almost like a predator feigning curiosity before striking.

"Why am I what?"

To anyone watching, he might have seemed oblivious to the storm spiraling within Superbia's heart, the way her thoughts tumbled over themselves, desperate to make sense of the impossibility.

But the faint, mocking curl of his lips said otherwise. Kim Jakga knew exactly what he was doing, and he savored every agonizing moment of her despair.

"Ah," he murmured, as though a sudden thought had just occurred to him.

With a casual, yet conversational voice, he continued,

"You must be wondering why I'm unaffected by the black flames. And how I managed to negate every one of your attacks so effortlessly, isn't that right?"

He paused for a moment, then shrugged, as if the answer were the most inconsequential thing in the world.

"Honestly, it's not that big of a deal," he said nonchalantly. "I mean, no matter how strong an attack is, even if it had the power to kill immortals, it's completely useless if it doesn't hit its target."

His explanation was delivered simply, almost kindly, like he was trying to help her comprehend the truth.

But Superbia's expression told a different story.

From her wide eyes, trembling lips, and furrowed brow, it was clear she didn't understand anything he said. Or rather, she couldn't comprehend the words he spat out nonchalantly.

She stared at him as if he had spoken in a language she couldn't even begin to understand.

Seeing her reaction, the corners of Kim Jakga's lips twitched happily.

"You still don't get it? Well, I suppose most people see the answer even if it's right infront of them."

Superbia did not say anything. She continued to look at him like she was some lost child.

"Really now," It was almost like he was chastising her. "I thought you would've known this already. If anything is consumed by the black flames, it's incinerated without a trace."

He continued like a teacher lecturing a student,

"Of course, you can slow down the destruction process with 'Spirit Power,' or you could negate the damage completely by cutting off the affected area."

He added,

"Even so, if your entire body is consumed, then there's no hope for salvation. That's why gods fear and hate the demon race so much."

The «Black Flame» was among the most terrifying demonic powers, born from the depths of the Tree of Death, Qliphoth

Regardless of one's origin, whether mortal, immortal, or divine, if you were ever caught by those flames, the only course of action was to kill yourself so you could have a fast and merciful death.

Immortality alone was meaningless unless you possessed multiple layers of Immortality which operated under different laws like the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Alternatively, one would need to ascend to a higher plane of existence, such as the Divine Constellations, whose immense divinity could nullify the flames' destructive effects.

Constellations in the lower sequence had no chance of surviving the «Black Flame.» The past war between Saints and Demons had only deepened the hatred for the demon race.

Finally, Kim Jakga said,

"So, if I was truly consumed by those flames, tell me, why am I still standing here? Naturally, the only answer is that I was never hit by those flames."

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!"

Overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of it all, Superbia let out a furious roar. She had already been at her wit's end, but now the final thread holding her composure together had snapped.

"ARE YOU SAYING YOU WERE NEVER HIT BY MY FLAMES? TH-THAT'S... THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! YOU WERE DEFINITELY HIT! I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES! THERE WERE NO TRICKS OR ILLUSIONS! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FOOLING WITH SUCH BLATANT LIES?!"

Her voice trembled with a mixture of disbelief and fury as the words tumbled out in a frantic rush.

"I watched you burn, watched you writhe in the inferno! The flames consumed you! You were reduced to nothing but ashes! How could you—How could you still be standing there? I—I won't accept this! This makes no sense!"

Her mind struggled to reconcile the chaos unfolding in front of her with the reality she had witnessed just moments before.

It was as though she was drifting between two realities, one a truth she couldn't deny and the other a fiction she couldn't escape.

The line between them blurred, and she felt herself teetering on the edge of madness.

"You think I'm blind? You think I'm just going to accept whatever insane explanation you give me? NO! I saw you burn! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"~ ~!!" Superbia began to grind her back teeth.

"This isn't some twisted game! If you weren't burned, then WHY—WHY DID YOU LOOK SO MUCH LIKE YOU WERE?!" She pointed accusingly at him, "YOU HAVE TO BE LYING! THERE'S NO OTHER EXPLANATION! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, AND YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A FOOL OF ME!"

Then, without warning—

"Be quiet."

Kim Jakga interrupted her outburst with a single raised finger.

"Compose yourself. Do not raise your voice at me."

Still maintaining that faint smile, his words came out so cold that one would wonder if he was the same person who had been speaking nonchalantly before.

"Ah..." she trailed off.

That solitary gesture was enough to silence Superbia instantly. As if an invisible hand had taken hold, her words caught in her throat.

She tried to speak, her mouth moving several times like a fish out of water, but nothing came out, each attempt swallowed back down her throat.

Paralyzed, Superbia couldn't even look away.

Her entire body was locked in place by an overwhelming dread.

She didn't know what Kim Jakga's power truly was, but in that moment, to her, he was an unspeakable horror who had sealed all her attempts and trump cards without breaking a sweat or getting a speck of dirt on his body.

And that finger.

That solitary raised finger.

It was as if the weight of the universe rested upon it, forcing her into submission. It was natural that she would be afraid of that single finger.

Looking at the frightened Superbia, Kim Jakga maintained eye contact and spoke calmly,

"You claim to have seen me burned by flames with those eyes of yours. Naturally, that would be the case, and you would believe that story as the truth. However…"

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

"You only perceived such a story because I allowed it."

"Wh-What..."

Superbia trembled,

"How could that be? An Illusion...?"

"You're on the right track, but you're also mistaken. Not completely wrong, but far from the full truth. Since it's clear you won't able to figure it out on your own, let me enlighten you."

His vibrant green eyes seemed to radiate an aura of divinity.

Kim Jakga did not move from his position.

He simply stared at her, maintaining his comfortable distance, and continued to do so even as he began to speak.

There was no need to fear a surprise attack from the enemy as his victory had already been announced.

"My power is 'The Joker'. As the name suggests, It is a power that allows me to control people, or, to be precise, it grants me control through the manipulation of one's senses."

He continued,

"Regardless of race, whether monstrous terrors, gods, demons, or humans, all living organisms share five primary senses. These senses are the foundational parameters of the 'Body,' which we call the vessel of the Soul."

He held up a single finger, ticking off each sense as he listed them.

"Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste and Smell."

Then he pointed that finger directly at Superbia.

"If all five senses are manipulated simultaneously, an illusion of any situation can be created. I could make a butterfly appear as a dragon or turn a sea of water into an endless steam of blood. And to those trapped within, the falsehood becomes indistinguishable from truth."

The faint smile on his face turned chilling, infused with an unmistakable cruelty.

"That is the true nature of my power. Everything you saw, everything you believed —you only experienced it because I allowed you to."

As if to stab a dagger deep into her heart, he said the following words with an icy, cold voice:

"From the very moment you fell under my spell, your life was already forfeit. I could have ended it at any time I desired, but you see, even now, if you tried to strike at me, your efforts would be in vain. Using your own words, even if you were given thousand attempts, you'll never reach me."

Even then,

"From this moment onward, until the very end of your miserable existence, you will remain bound by this spell. Forever. For Eternity."

There was no response.

Even after processing all that information, Superbia did not move, speak or scream. No, she couldn't move even if she wanted to.

Every command her mind sent to her body was met with an invisible wall, each attempt dispelled before it could take root.

Her heart had been consumed by an overwhelming terror beyond comprehension, and her mind had shattered under the weight of despair.

Her fighting spirit was utterly crushed, as she realized, somewhere, deep in the core of her being, that she stood no chance against the man before her.

If he could conjure any scenario he wanted through Illusions, then what point was there in fighting?

For all she knew, everything she was experiencing now, this humiliation, this terror, could be another illusion left behind to mock her.

Perhaps the man himself had already left.

After all, there was no reason for him to linger and waste time on someone as insignificant as her.

She had failed her mission. No, failure wasn't even the appropriate word. She had abandoned her mission to save herself.

That alone was an unforgettable sin.

By forfeiting her participation rights, she could no longer harm him and act as a threat to his existence. In turn, he could no longer harm her either.

But that realization offered no comfort.

She had acted out of desperation, choosing to preserve her life rather than endure the indescribable pain she had faced.

Was there any value in continuing to exist for someone whose mission was their very purpose?

By forsaking her mission, she was as useless as a discarded doll that had no use or purpose. She was more concerned by her 'abandoned mission' than the fact that she had been defeated.

"...." Find more to read at empire

At that moment, the remaining spark of light within her eyes finally faded, leaving them empty and dull, reflecting the void that had consumed her soul.

The last vestiges of resistance dissolved from her mind, heart, and body. Simultaneously, an invisible dam shattered within her, releasing a torrent she could no longer suppress.

Few seconds later,

A dark stain spread across her pants as a warm, colored liquid flowed from between her legs in her crouched position, pooling on the floor.

The sound of it pouring out and spreading rapidly echoed faintly, accompanied by the unpleasant, acrid smell that quickly filled the corridor.

Though slow, the steady flow, coupled with the foul stench, was impossible to ignore, quickly drawing the attention of the other party.

"Huh? What the...?"

Kim Jakga muttered, confused.

At first, his bewilderment was directed at the unfamiliar liquid pooling on the ground. But as he narrowed his eyes, the identity of that unknown liquid became clear.

He growled,

"Ughh... This damn woman..."

His previously composed expression contorted into one of disgust. He instantly became uncomfortable and soon recoiled, taking a step back to distance himself from the unpleasant thing.

Even as he tried to distance himself, the unpleasant smell still lingered like a shadow, clinging stubbornly to the air and thus, making escape impossible.

Superbia, the Flame of Pride and the oldest among the Seven Flames, had soiled herself!