NOVEL NEXT Chapter 258: A way ?
For a very long time, Shera slept peacefully.
The thoughts of war, the burden of representing humanity, and every weight on her heart vanished.
Her face could finally be seen clearly, beautiful, just like when Void had first laid eyes on her.
"Argh…"
Shera yawned, stretching her body. Cracks echoed as her bones popped, and she smiled.
Finally, she felt refreshed. The clouded haze in her mind was gone. She could think clearly again. What she had unknowingly lost for years had returned—peace.
She looked around her cabin.
A table, a chair, a stool. Everything was simple, yet nothing lacked comfort.
For years… I never knew sleep could be this beautiful, Shera thought with a relieved expression.
Afterward, she stepped outside.
A serene forest greeted her. The cries of animals, the thriving ecosystem, it was all breathtaking.
She touched the leaves, hugged the trunk of a giant tree, and gazed at the river. Butterflies landed on her palm, drawn to her presence.
For once, she let go of her obsession with becoming stronger. She felt alive again—like the young Shera from years ago.
Sometimes in life, when you keep trying and trying but remain stuck, the answer is to let go. To see the world. To explore. Maybe… just maybe, that's where the answer lies.
Shera was right. She had unknowingly found what she had been desperately seeking.
On a tree at least fifteen meters tall, Shera lay down on her back, her face turned to the blue sky. Birds and insects gathered beside her.
Then, suddenly, Shera sat up. The animals scattered in fright, but she paid them no mind.
She laughed out loud, she finally understood.
"I can't grow stronger in this universe… because this is its limit. To advance further, I must break through the universe itself!"...., she said with excitement.
Her beauty, once praised as the greatest in the universe, shone once again. Her hair clung to her body, her oval face lit by a radiant smile. Her rosy-blue eyes gleamed, brightening the world around her.
Shera sat cross-legged, closing her eyes. Her chest rose and fell until her breathing slowed into a steady rhythm.
Then the environment shifted.
Animals turned their heads toward her as a vast surge of energy poured into her body. It spread from her surroundings, then across the planet.
Powerhouses across the world trembled, fear gripping their hearts.
"Is it… a beast? Or a human?" they whispered, panicked.
But beyond the planet—across the galaxy, across the entire universe—every powerhouse was left speechless. All the energy of the universe seemed to converge into one point.
"Who could it be…?" one muttered, disbelief in his voice.
"That's Shera," came a calm reply.
It was Meka—Shera's rival. He had once chased her endlessly, not just in battle but in love. In the end, he gave up—not on her, but on himself.
He could never surpass her. He would forever remain the second strongest being in the universe.
And now, Shera seemed to move again, beyond even the sovereign realm.
The energy drained rapidly as Shera forged her path forward. Everything seemed clear. She was confident she could do it.
But then—
Cough!
Blood spilled from her lips, staining the tree branch beneath her.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"How…? What went wrong?" she asked, frowning.
Yet she couldn't give up. She closed her eyes again, determined to find the answer.
Her consciousness drifted away from her body, pulled into a place she had never seen before.
Orbs floated around her, bound by chains, each connected to a shapeless core of energy.
The energy pulsed weakly, like a nearly dried silver well.
"Where am I?" Shera whispered. Her body was transparent—her form ghostly. She felt as though she had entered a forbidden zone.
"At the core of the universe."
The voice was feminine, mechanical, echoing around her. Shera spun around, searching for its source—until her eyes settled on the shapeless energy.
"The core of the universe? Why… what are you?" she asked, confused.
"I am the consciousness of this universe. And you stand within its core. The orbs you see are its laws."
A surge of knowledge entered her mind—the truth of laws, the structure of a universe. Shera groaned under the weight of it all.
And then she saw it.
The orbs were cracked. The universe's origin well—almost dry.
Her translucent body shook.
What does this mean?
The truth was terrifying. Their universe was finished. Dying.
"Those two beings that fought… they were not ordinary. They were above even me. Their battle destroyed our foundation, leaving us with nothing but false hope. Time itself shattered—that is the only reason we still exist. But soon, it will be corrected. And when it does… we will be erased."
The cold voice shook Shera to her very soul.
What? How? Why?
The truth crushed her. Their destruction was unavoidable. The joy of finding an answer turned to despair.
The consciousness of the universe watched as its strongest being struggled. But it knew… there was no path forward.
"How long…?" Shera finally asked, her voice heavy. She already knew the answer, from the cracks in the laws.
"Fifty years."
The cold reply struck her like a blade. Shera's will trembled.
"…Take me back."
Her voice was low, barely above a whisper. If she had physical eyes, they would've been blood-red.
The universe's consciousness fluttered. Then, obeying, it returned her.
"…I'm sorry."
Now the mechanical tone was gone. For the first time, emotion laced the voice. Because even a universe, at its core… was a living being.
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Sorry for the irregular updates or one chapter per day, really I felt I could do more just sometimes we battle with things in reality too.
Am really sorry for that guys thanks for sticking around I will push myself and do more alright.
Thank you and enjoy this novel and also I want to try and write another novel.too just that there's no inspiration that I like.
You get, like there's idea but most of them are not like calling to me like that hopefully I will see soon.
But.on this I am back I hope.and I will work
harder to post at least two chapters per day.