The place Zara and Alea went to after reaching the Beast Domain, the place that held "that thing" they'd been searching for, was also the place that could save Beast Emperor Star.
That place was a hidden realm, but it was incorrect to label it as such. It was far too complex for such a definition.
That place was like an alternate reality. It was a place that held secrets far beyond what the universe contained.
But it couldn't be accessed by just anyone.
Zara and Alea were special. Not only because of their connection with each other and the Divine Emperor, but because of their unknown mothers.
The beast bloodlines they held were far more potent than the usual bloodline, which allowed their growth and facilitated their improvement through their opposing lineage.
If it wasn't for those strong bloodlines, they would've been consumed by their Demonic Providences from the start.
Nevertheless, they made it to this point through countless struggles and managed to gain the right to enter that world.
And through it, they learned a great deal about themselves.
Currently, they sat side by side, cross-legged and deep in meditation.
In their minds, shadows of figures roamed around them, each of them holding significance to their lives.
Zara was calm as she watched them move.
They seemed motionless yet active, unable to move on as if they were waiting for someone to find them.
These shadows were calling to her, telling her it was her time to join them.
But she refused.
They did not receive her emotions well.
They raged and screamed, they condemned her for abandoning them, they cried out in agony as her choice cut off their paths.
However, she did not budge.
'These people…'
These shadows of the past were not meant to leave here.
Unless the people they were waiting for came, they would be trapped here for eternity.
Unfortunately, she was not their hope.
She was here for only one person.
The shadow of a woman, far away yet closer than anyone else, sat alone and withheld the extreme feelings in her heart.
That woman stood out.
She didn't seem to want to pass her will to the next generation. She seemed to be hiding from it, as if doing so would cause a change she did not wish to see.
But…
'I came here for answers. I will not leave without them.'
Zara approached that woman silently and sat beside her.
"Must it be so?"
The voice was ethereal, laced with darkness, barely existent.
"It must. Otherwise, I will never reach the heights I wish to see."
Zara answered it earnestly.
This wasn't a matter of righteousness or anything of the sort. This was a selfish road she took for the sake of her ambition.
"Is it not better to remain idle? Will life not be more peaceful in comfort?"
"It will not."
Zara almost scoffed at the hilarity of the question.
"Life is not so forgiving. The second you believe you have attained comfort, it will bring misfortune as if to remind you of its cruelty. Unless you have the power and determination to stand against that fate, what can you do besides accept misfortune and suffer?"
The universe was dying. Without power, one would only become a number amongst the trillions or quadrillions of common people who had already lost their lives and families to this war.
She had no desire to be one of those people.
And more than anything…
"The horizons he sees are too far above the ones I can imagine. I don't want to fade into mediocrity while he leaves me for those horizons. I will never be useless again."
Damien Void.
That man was her only family before she met Alea, and despite the blood relation she held with her half-sister, he was still the one she viewed as family first and foremost.
That man was not just an older brother to her, but a father figure. He was the one who brought her out of the darkness, gave her purpose, and guided her into becoming the strong woman she was today.
She knew he wanted the best for her. He would be satisfied as long as she was happy.
But she did not want to disappoint his expectations.
She wanted to become someone he could be proud of.
And for that…
"Mother, please stop hesitating. This strength, I will not allow it to consume me."
The shadow woman flinched.
She shakily turned her head to the woman sitting next to her, the woman who she didn't get the chance to see grow.
"I cannot see you hurt…"
"Pain is also a part of life. It will come regardless of what we wish, but I will overcome it all. Then, what is pain other than a stepping stone for my growth?"
It was hard to see it.
No, it couldn't be seen, but it could be felt.
A tear streamed down the cheek of that shadow.
It was terrible.
As a mother, to see her daughter at such a level, unknowing of what she went through to reach it…
Pride was definitely present, but it hurt more than anything else.
"I am sorry. I am truly sorry…"
She could only apologize.
She had no control over life and death. Their separation was a matter of inevitability.
But she felt extreme sorrow at the current state of things. She regretted leaving her daughter behind more than anything else.
However, Zara didn't feel the same.
She smiled warmly, an expression rare to see on her face.
"There is no need to be. I have people around me who care for me and support me. I will not falter or fold, no matter what is thrown at me. So…"
She stood up and held her arm out.
"…watch over me from now on. I will show you the woman I have become, and the one I seek to be."
The shadow glanced at her hand hesitantly.
A sigh left her mouth.
"It seems…I cannot change the flow of Fate."
She reached her hand out and carefully held onto Zara's.
"My daughter, no matter what happens from this point forth, do not lose yourself. Please, do not lose yourself."
Zara nodded seriously, and before she could say anything else, the shadow before her disappeared.
It coiled around her arm and expanded to cover her entire body before sinking into her skin and becoming a part of her.
VOOM!
Her bloodline suddenly burst with power.
The uncontainable Demonic Providence that had forced her to teeter on the edge of insanity for so long was suppressed directly by a looming darkness engulfed in flames.
It was a heaven-defying process, but it happened in a mere instant.
When Zara opened her eyes again, that space no longer existed.
Those shadows returned to the darkness, awaiting the day their rightful heirs appeared.
She looked to her side, noticing Alea, who was also soon to awaken.
And she looked to her front, where nothing existed besides a single podium.
This place…
This place was the Divine Beast Sanctuary, the cemetery that held their spirits when they passed.
This was the place where her mother's soul waited for an eternity for her to appear, and this place…
…it was the answer to many of the problems that had been plaguing her.
