450 Acciden (2/2)

To Indian ascetic monks, the world was divided into three realms—the Kāmaloka, Rūpaloka, and Arūpaloka.

The Rūpaloka was the world of form while the Kāmaloka only existed in concept in the aether world. It was a mysterious realm that could only be observed through aether.

The Arūpaloka, the formless and colorless world, stood between the two. It was like a blank space between them. There was neither form nor aether. There was only nothingness.

Apparently, true salvation and freedom existed there. Countless ascetic monks voluntarily went into nirvana just to experience this impossible existence in the moment between life and death. However, under the influence of something, all aether had sunk into silence. It was like an impossible 'vacuum.'

Though they were very different, Albert still felt fear after thinking of the details and distance. He finally thought of what this emptiness was.

It was an aether dream.

This was the music score that had been lost for centuries…the Wyrmrest Enchantment!

”Open the star map! Show me all the musicians in the Sacred City!” Albert jumped up. Clenching his jaw, he was frantic and angry. ”Let me see what b*stard dares to disregard the Sacred City's rules and experiment consequences!”

The silver projection instantly changed. A vast starry sky appeared in the darkness once again. Countless stars shone and collided with blinding light. Each star represented a Resonance musician's source embedded in the aether world.

The complex stars wove amongst each other, covering the entire human world. The levels of Resonance, Disturbance, and Distortion were obvious. Above the Sacred City, there was a glorious light. It was the King of Red.

And in the faraway Dark World, there was a similar sun lighting the darkness and opening up a new territory. That was the King of Black.

Outside the clouds, there was a faint sun operating soundlessly. It was fleeting and difficult to track. That was the King of Yellow.

The large field of stars flashed by. Soon, it zoomed in until only the Sacred City remained. Countless dazzling stars hung in the darkness. They rippled in complex patterns and operated silently. Just the countless music theories made one's vision spin. The aether rose and crashed like tidal waves but were conformed to one frequency under the enchantment.

It was dizzying.

In the silence, the priest behind Albert looked up to observe. After looking for a while, he was stunned. ”Nothing?” There were no abnormal signs. Just as before, every source was a registered musician. No one was extra or missing. However, Albert continued staring at the countless stars. After a long while, he pointed at a spot. ”No, it's here.”

The priest followed his finger and saw a patch of emptiness. But just as he was trying to distinguish it, he saw a blurry figure amongst the aether waves. The source seemed to be a black hole hidden behind the clusters of stars. It was impossible to see. It could only be sensed by observing the other stars. As Albert moved, the blurry star's location was marked. It radiated with a terrifying vortex-like light that shot into all directions.

It was aggressive. It seemed to want to sweep all aether into eternal slumber. Amongst all the unmoving stars, only that source was moving.

Under the two pairs of confused eyes, it paced through the aether world, seeming to take a stroll among the stars.

”Who is it?” Albert muttered. He racked his brain. What strange creature had come from the aether world and caused a ruckus? Or was a secret school undergoing forbidden experiments?

In the next moment, the source suddenly disappeared. All aether was sucked into a vortex and disappeared as well.

The glow disappeared. It retracted all of its strength and hid into the stars again. It was difficult to find its traces by observing the other stars. All that remained was a taunting afterglow that dissipated into the dark nothingness.

After a stretch of silence, Albert raised his head. ”Nibelungenlied, you're here, right? Something so big has happened. I'm sure you know about it.”

No one replied in the silence. However, Albert continued to look up at the ceiling. He seemed ready to wait quietly until the end of the world.

After a long pause, an indifferent voice rang out. ”I was called forth by you, archbishop Albert. How may I help you?”

”Okay, old friend. Stop pretending.” Albert sighed. ”What just happened?”

”It was just an accident. No need to mind it.”

”Accident?” Albert furrowed his brows.

”Yes,” Nibelungenlied answered. ”The evolution of a musician's music theory caused the theory in the enchantment to be bloated. An endless loop caused the surrounding tuning instruments to lose control and cause an accident. The playing has been restarted and all operations are normal. There is no need to worry.”

Albert looked at the ceiling coldly and murmured, ”Hopefully.”