The World Devouring System

The Duke Family Dining Hall quaked violently, mimicking an earthquake's fury, yet the tremors came only once.

"What's going on!?" Valerius got up from his chair, alarmed.

If there was something Caelum especially liked about the Duke Family Dining Hall, it was the usage of glass instead of stone for the roof as well as one of the walls. Even from where he was seated Caelum could observe the changes that were happening outside the building.

The sky, which was a clear just a few minutes ago, was now suddenly filled with clouds. Not just that, these clouds were aglow with alternating waves of red and blue light, creating a mystical sight.

Some distance away from Wintram city, a massive whirlpool of energy descended from the Heavens. Even mortals who were incapable of sensing Qi could feel the raw energy which radiated from the direction of the whirlpool.

Powerful cultivators like Valerius and Elara on the other hand, were far more sensitive to Qi. The sheer magnitude of the power they sensed chilled their spines. Valerius was the first to snap out of his stupor.

"This aura… it is similar to what happens during the formation of a Chaotic Rift! For a rift so powerful to be forming so close to Wintram, this is either a huge blessing or a huge curse. I must go investigate."

Saying so, Valerius flew out of the dining hall and rapidly made his way towards the place where the Rift was forming.

Caelum was also extremely curious about what was happening. He had a basic understanding of Chaotic Rifts from the Original's memories but the sheer grandeur of the phenomenon that accompanied this Rift's creation was more than enough to completely overturn his 'basic understanding'.

He then turned towards Elara who was looking alternatingly in the direction of the rift and in the direction of her children. It seemed like she too was considering leaving her kids behind to go check out the rift, much like Valerius! That wouldn't do!

"Mother, can you take us along with you to go see the Rift?"

Caelum had already noticed the burning curiosity in Lyra and Elias' eyes, so he requested on their behalf as well. Elara was a bit taken aback by Caelum's request. Her first instinct was to refuse – it was a far too dangerous proposition.

But then she remembered, this was the first request Caelum had made after waking up from his coma. Oh, what to do, what to do.

After giving it some thought, she finally made a decision, a compromise.

"Sigh. Fine, I'll take the three of you with me, but we will not be getting anywhere close to the rift. We will just go get a clearer view from a safe distance, understand?"

"That works for me." Caelum nodded.

"And me!" Lyra chimed in while Elias merely nodded his head.

Having come to a consensus, Elara wrapped her three children in her Qi and flew out of the dining hall.

'I'm flying, I'm actually flying! This feels so different from an airplane or a helicopter.' Without any chunks of metal obstructing his view, Caelum got a clear view of the land no matter which direction he looked. During the first few seconds of his flight, he was able to witness the sprawling streets of Wintram in all their glory.

The city felt so similar, yet so different from the metropolitan cities he was used to. He could make out various strange looking buildings and grand estates from high up in the sky. What an exhilarating feeling! Alas, Caelum's joy was short lived.

Elara was continuously accelerating and soon her speed reached a point where the surroundings turned into a blur in Caelum's eyes. He could not even feel the wind upon his face since Elara's barrier of Qi protected them from the elements.

Caelum began looking forward to the day he would be able to fly on his own.

Soon, Elara's group perched atop a cliff, a safe distance away from the actual rift. Wintram city was already some kilometers away. From the group's position, Caelum was able to get a clear view of the rift's birth.

A tornado reaching into the heavens glowed with hues of red, blue, and gold, drawing energy from above into its base—an enigmatic gray portal. Dozens of esteemed cultivators from Wintram hovered nearby, encircling the portal and pondering what lay beyond. However, none ventured inside—it appeared they couldn't breach its threshold just yet.

Caelum's eyes hungrily took in the beautiful spectacle before him, watching the whirlpool of energy spiral from bottom to top. High above, clouds twisted and twirled around the grand phenomenon. He had never felt so small, so insignificant in his life. Yet, he was deeply mesmerized by the captivating scene captured by his gaze.

'This world is filled with so many wondrous things… How many of them will I be able to witness and experience in this lifetime? Cultivate... I want to start cultivating - I want to be strong.'