The old man meant more to Damien than even he realized.
After all, the guidance this old man gave him during his time in the Abyss, and the semi-frequent visits the old man made over the decade Damien spent traveling, were both integral in different ways.
The visits allowed him to keep his sanity. He wouldn't have gone insane in the Abyss by himself, but his mentality would've taken a hit.
The company he gained through the old man's presence when he was in a place more dreary than anywhere else was something he appreciated heavily.
The advice allowed him to reach his current heights. If it wasn't for the old man, he wouldn't have been able to understand the secrets of tethering so quickly.
Yes, he would have still died on Al'Katra regardless, but what about what came after?
Would he have been able to gain anything from his stay in Nonexistence?
Would he have been able to rapidly make progress on the Ancient Battlefield and carve a place for himself there?
Sure, Damien Void wasn't someone who could be inhibited by many things, but the speed at which he accomplished what he accomplished and reached his current stage of Divinity was deeply related to this old man.
They had been conversing for a while now, but their conversation lulled when they got past the small talk.
Damien was grateful to this old man for a lot of things.
So if he could, he wanted to do something for him.
The problem was that the old man refused, and fate itself didn't allow him to hold a say in this matter.
He poured them another glass of spirit wine and sat there, looking into the Abyss and swishing the drink in his cup.
The two of them sat in silence for a long time.
They had a mutual understanding of each other's position.
Damien realized this old man's identity only after he found himself in the Void. Once he had that knowledge, he couldn't just stay still. He had to talk to the old man at least one more time.
Because he would be gone soon.
Regardless of what Damien wished to happen, the old man would not last much longer.
The mood fell in a way he couldn't explain.
"Your steps are light," The old man suddenly said, but even then, Damien understood his meaning.
"What can you do? When you live a life like mine, walking wherever the wind guides you, your steps naturally become light," He replied with a sigh.
The old man looked into his eyes as if trying to peer into his soul.
"But…are your steps truly as light as you claim they are?"
Damien's face stiffened. His grip on the wine bottle trembled lightly before returning to normal. As if nothing happened, he calmly poured himself another glass while answering the old man.
"Old man, I have no idea what you're talking about. Does there exist anything in this universe that can add weight to my steps?"
"Perhaps not this one…" The old man responded with a mysterious smile on his face.
"To be free and unrestrained, isn't this the ultimate dream of every man? It is a mystical fantasy anyone can imagine, however, there is a reason it is known as a mere dream. To truly achieve such a lifestyle means having to struggle through tribulations unlike any other."
The old man took a sip of his wine, his gaze returning to the scene of the swirling Abyss before him.
"If you wish to carry a burden, it is no longer a burden. If you live as you please while accepting the struggles that come along with it, aren't you already free and unrestrained? What can restrain you if your beliefs are strong enough to oppose any force?
"Young man, I have seen your struggle, and even if nobody else will, I shall acknowledge your effort. Your next destination is nothing like the scene you've become used to. People will no longer look at you in reverence and fear. You will once again become a speck of dust among many. If you wish to endure that atmosphere once more…then do so after making sure you leave no regrets."
Damien sighed.
His gaze shifted to where the old man was looking, at the scene of the universe he called home…
Decaying while its people remained unawares.
Damien's gaze was placid.
He wanted to think his emotions towards this place had dulled. His women, his friends, his family, even the universe's remaining worlds, all of them had become part of the Sanctuary already. If so, what was there left for him to mourn?
But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he simply couldn't.
Especially with his current standing, seeing the Universe Core's decrepit state was painful, and even more painful was the realization that he couldn't stop its decay.
"You're a really troublesome old man, has anyone ever told you that?" He spoke exasperatedly.
"Kuahahaha! You say that as if there was ever another person who could talk to me!"
"And perhaps you're the only person I've ever been able to speak so freely to."
The old man's laughter stopped as Damien turned to look at him.
"Are you certain this is how you want to end things? Do you not feel unresigned?" Damien asked.
The old man smiled wryly. His eyes clouded over as if he had sunk himself in reminiscence.
"The fact that I can feel unresigned is enough to justify my ending. My existence is already against the Universe's Will, however ironic that may be. Is there a better way to end this bleak life than this?"
Damien bit his lip as complicated emotions filled his heart.
"Even if you can accept it, I cannot. What's the point of telling me to leave without any regrets if you already know that such a feat is impossible?"
But the old man shook his head in response.
"That is not your regret. Even if things proceed according to natural order, you will not regret it, only feel that it was a shame.
"Your steps are light, but the weight of the world rests on your shoulders. What harm is there in adding a single pebble on top of that? Even if you yourself do not feel the need to do it, please take it as this old man's last wish and at least try."
Damien sighed again. This old man had a talent for making him sigh.
"Old man, until the end you were a pain."
There was no response.
Damien didn't have to look over to know that the old man was no longer sitting at the table across from him.
He was silent, his expression unchanging, as he watched the Universal Core dull, its spirituality leaving it.
He didn't want to show weakness here.
The old man wouldn't want him to mourn.
"Until the end…"
Damien choked on his words.
His fist slammed into the table, turning it into fine powder in an instant.
"Very well. Because it is your will, I shall follow. In remembrance of the final wish of an old friend, I'll follow your words. But, old man..." Damien let his voice fade out, not bothering to finish his words.
The old man could no longer hear him anyway.
Damien turned away from the growing Abyss encroaching on what was once Grand Heavens Boundary. His eyes carved the image of this small and rickety, yet warm and comforting cabin into his memory for the final time.
And then, his figure vanished. The old cabin crumbled, following its owner even in death.
The only vestiges left of the old man's existence were the memories in Damien's mind.
