The Prime Shadow and Guildmaster sat in curious silence, letting John explain the events of how he arrived at this world. They would occasionally ask questions, or ask for clarifications, but for the most part just listened.
Their expressions changed several times, ranging from curiosity, to amusement, to disbelief. Their strongest reaction had come when John had revealed the existence of the Asura, and the reason for his escape.
"And that's how I found Zuri's hideout, which eventually led me here," John said, wrapping up his long, detailed story. He had kept out the most important secrets, but had explained enough that the two men had a good grasp of the events that led him here.
Silence filled the room for a long time, before the Guildmaster sighed deeply.
"To think Asura's still exist in this universe," he said, almost unable to believe it.
"It's not unheard of," the Prime Shadow said, "but for one to live this long, this boy can only be from a fringe world. For you to have your level of talent from a fringe world, there seems to be a lot you're leaving out of your story, but that's alright. Everyone has their secrets."
"I've answered your questions," John said, mind burning with questions he needed answers. "Now I think it's time you answer some of mine."
The Guildmaster raised an eyebrow at John's overzealous attitude, while the Prime Shadow hummed with amusement.
"Alright," the Prime Shadow said. "Ask your questions."
"What is a fringe world?" John asked, getting directly to his first question. He had no idea how to get back to his homeworld, but maybe the answer to this question would help him.
"Do you know anything about the world structure of this universe?" the Prime Shadow asked, to which John shook his head.
The Prime Shadow nodded, then waved his hand outwards. Qi flowed from it, swirling in the air above John, coalescing to form a miniature world.
"This is the Nine-Dao World," the Prime Shadow said, then added more Qi to the three-dimensional image. The Nine-Dao world shrunk in size and other worlds appeared, as if the image was being zoomed out of. More worlds appeared by the dozens, then hundreds, dotting the image like stars above John's head.
John's eyes widened as he watched more and more worlds appear, until they were too small and too many to count. It was like grains of sand flowing above his head, stunning him completely.
The image eventually stopped moving, forming a sphere in the air several dozen yards wide, dotted with countless tiny worlds, containing hundreds of thousands, or perhaps, even millions of worlds.
"This isn't entirely accurate, but its good enough for a brief explanation," the Prime Shadow said, then pointed to the very center of the massive sphere. "This is the universe, or at least what I know of it. In the very center are the Hegemon Worlds, Great Worlds, and other pinnacle worlds that dominate all of creation."
His words stunned John completely, who felt as if he were nothing but an ant at the moment.
"As one stays from that center, the natural Qi of the universe lessens, and worlds become lower and lower in potential, with some exceptions here and there," the Prime Shadow continued, then pointed to a certain part near the exterior of the massive sphere, only a foot away from its edge.
"This is approximately where our world, the Nine-Dao World, is," he said, his words stunning John once more. There were thousands, tens of thousands of worlds between those Hegemon Worlds and this one, a gap so vast he couldn't even comprehend it.
"Our Nine-Dao World is close to the edge of this sphere, and as a result, the natural Qi of the universe here is rather thin," he said. "When compared to the worlds existing at the center, its a night and day difference."
"How…" John muttered, lost in chaotic thought. He had gone from knowing next to nothing about the universe outside his homeworld, to learning that compared to what was out there, his homeworld was nothing more than a speck of dust. As if wanting to add to the shock, the Prime Shadow changed the image slightly, expanding it even further.
The massive sphere of worlds grew smaller, and an endless sea of dots appeared around the sphere, as if encompassing it.
"Outside this sphere, which you can consider the known universe, is the void of death," the Prime Shadow said.
"Void of death?" John asked, still trying to process everything he was told and shown.
"The name is one inherited from an ancient time, an ancient war," the Prime Shadow said, his expression hardening. "The war with the Asuras!"
The Prime Shadow paused for a brief moment, as if to let John process it all, before continuing.
"I don't know much about the ancient war, as it was before my time, but the war was the most devastating war to ever touch this universe," the Prime Shadow continued. "From what I've been told and read, the universe, or the worlds you now see, were far more plentiful. When the Asura's waged war, they enveloped the outer worlds first, consuming them, destroying them, until nothing of them was left, not even the world themselves. These smaller dots surrounding the sphere of known worlds are fractured remnants of the worlds that fell in that ancient war, now drifting in space around this sphere, an ever-constant reminder of the Asura's devastation. Devastation that completely destroyed more than fifty percent of the worlds that existed in ancient times."
John breathed in deeply, calming his mind as best he could. He knew about the ancient Asura war, mostly from what it had done to his homeworld. He never knew that war had such a wide reach. His mind raced with chaotic thoughts, making him almost unable to focus at all. After a short while, he breathed in deeply, and calmed his mind as best he could. Chaos still swirled within, but he could maintain his composure once more.
The Prime Shadow nodded, impressed at how quickly John took in all this information, then continued. He pointed to the chaos that surrounded the sphere of countless worlds; the fractured remnants of ancient worlds now reduced to stone and dust.
"The Asura's expanded their Void of Death until one day, the war ended," the Prime Shadow continued, then gave John a pointed look. "And don't ask me exactly how or why it ended, as even I don't know the truth of that matter."
John forced down the question he was about to blurt out with great disappointment. The Prime Shadow continued, pointing to the Void of Death that encircled all the worlds.
"When the war ended, so did the destruction, for the most part at least," he continued. "Within this place of destruction, this Void of Death, exists some worlds that were barely able to escape their utter destruction before the war ended. Worlds that were ruined to the brink of annihilation, and now exist at the edge of what is considered the new universe, where parts of space still remain shattered from the ancient war. This is where your homeworld, no doubt a fringe world, exists."
