Noah Vance : The Mortal Who Judged a Paradox

"Don't worry, I won't leave you unanswered…" Noah chuckled. "Let me show you something more interesting!"

"Zepharon, deny the permission you granted Nyxil!"

"Okay…" Zepharon willed.

"Yeah, it's done. I have denied it," Zepharon confirmed.

"Great! Now, Nyxil, take this jar into you again."

Nyxil did as instructed.

"Perfect. Now, try bringing it back."

Nyxil focused, but nothing happened. "No… I can't do that. I tried," Nyxil admitted.

"Haha, I know, I know! Now, wanna see some real magic?" Noah grinned.

Noah leaned forward, his grin widening.

"Nyxil, you claim that whatever enters your nothingness will never exist again—its absolute end. Right?"

"Yeah," Nyxil responded, his voice steady.

"But… what if something doesn't get in your nothingness?" Noah's eyes glinted with amusement.

Nyxil's dark gaze flickered. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple," Noah said, tapping his finger on the table. "Nyxil, try taking Zepharon into your nothingness… but before that—Zepharon, don't grant yourself permission to enter nothingness."

Zepharon's emerald eyes locked onto Noah for a moment before his voice echoed, calm and absolute.

"Permission denied."

Nyxil's presence shifted, the void stirring as he willed Zepharon into nothingness. Yet…

Nothing happened.

Zepharon remained where he stood—unchanged, untouched.

Noah leaned back, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Looks like even nothingness can be denied."

Noah burst into laughter.

"Haha! I knew it!" he said, eyes gleaming with excitement. "If Zepharon's permission can turn your absolute nothingness into a mere joke, then it's no wonder that same permission can make a joke out of your very existence as nothingness itself!"

Nyxil's expression darkened as he processed Noah's words.

Noah continued, grinning. "Think about it! If he wanted to, Zepharon could just take away all your powers with a simple command—"

Noah turned to Zepharon dramatically, raising a hand.

"Just say it, Zepharon! I don't allow it!"

Nyxil frowned, clearly puzzled. "So… does that mean Zepharon is superior to me?"

"Nope, not at all!" Noah said, laughing.

Both Nyxil and Zepharon stared at him, equally amused and confused.

"What…?" Zepharon raised an eyebrow. "Then what does all this mean?"

Nyxil crossed his arms. "Yeah, if he can just take my powers away like that, doesn't that make him stronger than me?"

Noah smirked. "You're thinking about it all wrong. Strength isn't just about power—it's about control. And that's where things get interesting."

Nyxil and Zepharon exchanged glances, now even more curious.

"Alright, listen up," Noah continued, his grin widening. "Let me show you why none of this is as simple as it seems."

Let me put it in a simple way… "Nyxil, try taking me into your void," Noah said.

Nyxil's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Noah, are you insane?! There's no way back once you enter the end of everything—my void!"

"Haha, I know, I know. Once I go there, I'll simply never exist, with no way back, right? Just a minute."

Noah leaned in and whispered something into Zepharon's ear. Zepharon's expression changed for a moment before he nodded.

"Okay, I'm ready," Noah said, stepping forward. "Take me into nothingness—where not even my consciousness will exist, where even my very existence will be erased."

Uncertain and hesitant, Nyxil stared at him. "Are you really sure…?"

Noah just smirked.

Taking a deep breath, Nyxil willed it.

The moment Noah was consumed by the void, an eerie silence fell. He was gone. Not dead. Not erased in the normal sense. But as if he had never been there in the first place.

"Noah? Noah??" Nyxil called out, his voice trembling.

Regret filled his expression. I shouldn't have listened to him... He clenched his fists. "Why did he do this?!"

His gaze snapped toward Zepharon. "He said something to you, right? What did he say, Zepharon?!"

Before Zepharon could answer, a familiar voice echoed from behind.

"Ah, well, I just told him to grant me permission to return from the void without my will a few seconds after you took me in," Noah said casually.

Nyxil froze. Slowly, he turned around.

There stood Noah, completely unharmed, a cheeky, proud smile plastered across his face.

"Wait… Noah!" Nyxil's mind raced. "Doesn't this mean Zepharon is superior to me in every way!?"

"Haha, nope, he's not," Noah said with a grin.

"But how?! You just proved it twice!" Nyxil argued, frustration evident in his voice.

Noah chuckled. "Lol, he's not. It only worked because we're here, on Earth, in the mortal realm—where the concept of time matters. Zepharon brought me back in a few seconds because he granted me permission before I was consumed by your nothingness. But in your realm—beyond everything—where time doesn't exist? That trick wouldn't work at all," Noah explained.

"So… I am the most powerful in our actual realm?" Nyxil asked, his confidence rising.

"Nope, not at all!" Noah replied instantly, leaving both Nyxil and Zepharon completely puzzled once again.

"How?" Nyxil asked, still trying to wrap his head around it.

"It's simple! Zepharon just has to give permission for time to exist in your… whatever realm it is. Haha!" Noah laughed.

"Wait… then that does mean Zepharon is superior to me!" Nyxil insisted.

"Agh, Nyxil, just calm down! I told you, he's not," Noah said, shaking his head.

"But—"

"I'll explain it properly later. But for now…" Noah stretched and yawned. "Let me eat something first. I'm just a mere mortal who gets hungry, you know."

And with that, Noah casually started making instant noodles, completely unfazed by the deep cosmic discussion they were having.

"Wanna have some?" he asked with his usual cheeky smile.

As Noah slurped his instant noodles, he sighed in satisfaction. "Ahh, instant noodles are the best! You guys are seriously missing out on so many things, man!"

Zepharon and Nyxil just stared at him, stunned. A mere mortal had just defied the laws of existence, toyed with the concept of nothingness, and now… he was casually enjoying a bowl of noodles like nothing happened.

It was in that moment they both silently acknowledged—choosing him to judge the paradox was the right decision.