Darian and Niara emerged back into the Divine Protection Universe. The moment they arrived... Darian's eyes widened.
He saw endless stars in every direction. Galaxies, planets... everything a vibrant universe should have—and even more. He felt an absurdly dense Qi, as if this were a high-level universe.
Before, based on what he had found and sensed, this universe had only been average, or slightly above average.
"Hehe... thanks to everything you left behind, the two of us worked really hard," Niara murmured.
"The two of you?"
Niara nodded. "Yeah, in some places, there were very ancient inscriptions talking about Qi gathering cultivation. Before... I caused all that chaos and destroyed everything in this universe, there used to be ordinary cultivators here."
She turned to Darian and smiled. "But even with some basic knowledge, no one back then got anywhere close to the immortal level. She, though... Howlyn actually managed to create her own path. In the end, she broke through and became an immortal."
"After that, she helped me use my power better. So the two of us used everything you left behind and started rebuilding the universe really fast. Now everything looks beautiful and alive."
Darian listened, quite surprised. He had already prepared himself mentally to find out that some important people might have died. But fortunately, Howlyn had completely stood out, and thanks to her helping Niara, they made everything happen.
As for the dense Qi in the universe, Darian was sure that it was his father's doing. After the universe was saved, he must have helped this place a bit.
"After we finished everything... since I was alone with Howlyn and had nothing to do, that's when I got impatient and wanted to look for you. Then I remembered the temples, and I struggled to survive in the underworld."
Niara continued, a nostalgic look in her eyes. Darian sighed. All the Spiritual Guardians and Darian's allies had been taken back to their own universes. And without Darian, she couldn't go see them. After millions of years... with nothing to do but wait, even Darian felt like he would've gone crazy. So what she did felt natural and obvious.
After that short conversation, Darian wanted to see this universe with his own eyes.
Niara held his hand happily and showed him everything. Both of them were immortals, and with a thought, they could bend space and cross the universe in seconds.
They visited the old academies. All of them had now changed fields, becoming cultivator academies. On top of that, millions of branches had been built.
All the primitive races Darian had brought in the past had already spread and multiplied across the universe. An absurd and varied number of Divine and Demonic Beasts existed everywhere.
It was also extremely rare to see a Chromaraic nowadays. As generations passed, depending on the environment, that primitive race would quickly mutate and give rise to the known humanoid races.
The only thing Darian saw that was identical to before were the Heavenly Elemental Spirits.
Now, with this universe becoming something high-level, naturally, many of them appeared everywhere.
Howlyn, who commanded all the millions of Shadows of Heaven academies spread across the universe, was like an immortal Empress who governed and dictated laws to everyone. Because of that, she did everything she could to find them and protect them, not allowing cultivators to harm that race.
That way, the Heavenly Elemental Spirits became special entities, living and growing properly, in relative safety.
As for all those thousands Darian had known... even though the race had a long lifespan, they had all already died. Not just them, but also the other Chromaraics from the Divine Seven-Star Sect, or the Mannaz from the universe he knew—all of them had already died.
Fortunately, they had long and peaceful lives. Niara made sure of that.
After some time, Darian and Niara arrived at the central planet of the universe. It was none other than where the first Shadows of Heaven Academy had existed: the planet Shadowheart.
It was night, and they approached a sacred and untouched forest, right behind the massive academy.
Darian took a deep breath, moving forward subtly. Then he stopped.
Deep within the forest, atop a mountain, a black figure stood, looking out over the vast expanse ahead.
It was a wolf with black fur. Its silhouette blended perfectly with the darkness, making it almost invisible, except for the two crimson beacons burning in its eye sockets. But... it radiated an immense aura of melancholy and emptiness.
Unlike Niara, who could at least leave the universe and try to reach somewhere else, Howlyn could only stay there, living forever without much purpose. Everything that happened in the mortal world, she had already seen countless times. Nothing was interesting or challenging anymore.
Her life was an endless repetition. Living forever wasn't exactly something amazing once you reached that point. Fortunately, she had a reason to endure... waiting for Darian to return.
Then...
Suddenly, the light in her eyes flickered.
She was stunned for a few seconds, then started looking around. She was searching for something different, because she felt a strange and faintly familiar fluctuation.
Until... her gaze stopped at a fixed point on the horizon.
There, she saw Darian silently looking at her.
"..."
She couldn't react, because instinctively—even though he had changed a lot—she recognized him.
Darian smiled. "You've changed a lot over time. But your solitary and reflective nature is still the same."
"!"
Suddenly, her whole body lit up. Still wrapped in light, she shot forward like a bolt.
A humanoid female figure, exactly like the one he knew, appeared right in front of him.
Darian waved. She ran forward and hugged him tightly with all her strength, burying her face in his chest without saying a word.
He gently stroked her head. "I'm back. You did a great job."
Niara smiled. This new Howlyn had been born and raised with Darian as her father figure, as well as her greatest inspiration.
After a few minutes, she slowly let go of him, then looked into his eyes, tears flowing like a torrent. From start to finish, she didn't say a single word.
Darian sighed as he noticed it. She had become much quieter and more apathetic than he remembered. Howlyn really needed a job and a purpose, something that would make her feel alive.
After a few seconds, Darian's gaze changed. He thought of something and spoke softly:
"I can see you look bored. Since everything here is already perfectly built… don't you want to visit other universes and work there too? Niara must've told you. All universes are different from each other; they can even be completely opposite to everything you've ever seen. I'm sure you'll never get bored."
Howlyn moved her lips slightly, a smile forming. "If the Master needs me, I'll work to make everything perfect."
Darian looked her in the eyes. "It's not exactly me. But my father will definitely be excited to have a missionary as efficient as you. If you accept this job, you'll never run out of things to do. Besides that, as one of the rewards for your service, you'll gain more power and freedom to travel between universes. I don't know what my future will be, but we can always stay close. Is that what you want?"
Her heart started beating like a drum, and her eyes trembled, full of excitement. "Yes!"
Niara smiled, happy for her. As for Darian, he slowly extended his hand and touched Howlyn's forehead with his finger.
He took a deep breath… then activated his Celestial bloodline.
In seconds, a small multicolored mark was imprinted on her soul.
Heaven's Will couldn't just take anyone at any time and turn them into a missionary. There were many requirements according to the laws, and even if he found the best possible person, he would have to wait for the right moment. But Darian didn't have that problem — all he had to do was place his mark, creating a channel through his bloodline to his father.
"With this, my father will be able to contact you. As soon as he has a job, he'll…?"
He stopped, seeing Howlyn's eyes change as she stared into the void, stunned.
"A green window popped up?" Darian asked.
She turned to him and nodded. "It says I received a mission."
"That was fast. Looks like my father was really eager to have you. Anyway… you just need to accept it, and you'll be taken somewhere else. Then you'll receive the information about your objective. At the end, you'll earn 'points' with Heaven's Will, which you can exchange for things that will be listed to you."
Darian explained calmly. He knew all of this because his father replicated exactly the same system he once received from the ancient Heaven's Will. Of course, he made many adjustments, and not all his missionaries got something like this.
"Master… will I see you again?" Howlyn asked seriously.
"Of course. When you finish your missions, my father will give you the option to come to me. That way, we can spend some time together until you're satisfied."
Hearing that, her eyes shone like stars.
"I'll just leave things here organized," Howlyn said quickly. Even though she wanted to stay with him a bit longer, she knew Niara was the one who most wanted to be alone with him.
Darian nodded. Then Howlyn turned and shot off. Now… she radiated a warm, lively aura, like a completely different person from a few minutes ago.
"Hehe… she's a tireless workwoman," Niara murmured, holding Darian's hand.
He turned to her and nodded. At that moment, Niara's gaze locked onto him, shifting slightly into something he knew very well. Her breathing changed, and something she had been holding back inside her all this time started to surface.
"This universe… time flows very slowly, so it's fine if we stay for a few days…" Darian murmured, but Niara cut him off.
"Don't even think about just that."
Darian felt a chill run down his spine. She clearly wasn't going to let him leave before she was satisfied. The problem was… that was something absurdly difficult to achieve.
She didn't hesitate and waved her hand. The space in front of them opened, then she pulled him inside.
On the other side.
They arrived at a small planet, covered in untouched nature. It was a place that made Darian's heart warm, filled with nostalgia.
That was like their home. A place where no race could enter or settle. Even the nature there only existed in its simplest form. It was where they first came together — and then countless more times after that.
Niara didn't let him admire the place for long. She pulled him into the simple house and closed the door.
After that, she devoted herself to exploring and getting to know every inch of the new Darian. And both of them had all the time in the world to make up for lost time.
***
Weeks passed. Months. A year.
On that day, when the first rays of sunlight came through the window, Darian opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of the house.
He took a deep breath, feeling softness, warmth, and a comforting scent pressed against his body.
Almost all his days were… intense to a frightening level. But at the same time, he wished he could stay there forever, even as Niara became more and more strange and creative every day, to the point it scared him a little.
Lowering his gaze, he saw that woman buried against his chest. Then…
"?"
She was awake, but letting out sniffles that sounded painful, as if she was… crying?
Darian was startled. Then he moved his arms, gently supporting her.
When she lifted her head and turned toward him, he saw her face twisted, tears flowing nonstop.
"What happened?" Darian asked, stunned.
Niara swallowed hard. Then she took a deep breath, calming herself. In a few seconds, her lips moved. "I… we… did it…"
Darian became even more confused. "Did it?"
Niara nodded, seeing his confusion. Then a wide, radiant smile bloomed on her tearful face.
"I… I'm pregnant."
