Divine Path System

He was right.

Even though she accepted his confession with apprehension, her fears were proven wrong.

She didn't understand why or how.

Isadora saw all relationships as a flame that would eventually die. But this man…he seemed unchanging even in front of time.

It made no sense.

The sandplate kept growing.

And somehow, this new relationship went through centuries already, even longer than all the time she had lived prior to Paradise.

But as unbelievable as it sounded, Isadora felt that their bond had only grown stronger.

There was no but or if.

Perhaps it's beacuse they supported each other as their own minds began to break down in the face of time.

Perhaps it was fear of being alone, perhaps the joy of being together.

Perhaps…

"You know…"

Varian and Isadora laid down side by side as they watched the clouds drift by.

"We might not get out of this world. I tried a lot and I failed every single time." He said with a sigh.

Even if his powers were stopped from growing, Varian should've cracked it in a few decades at most.

But this world was really evil. It somehow managed to destroy all the progress he made, erasing almost everything and pushing him to start from scratch.

It had happened countless times already. Even Varian had lost hope at this point.

Isadora interlocked her fingers with his and sighed. "It's fine."

"Yes!" Varian smiled, though his eyes looked teary. "I'm looking forward to spending an eternity together."

Isadora rested her head on his chest. "It's your honor, Knight."

"Hahaha!"

Varian gave up hopes but he did not give up trying. Everyday, he would meditate in hopes for the impossible.

At some point, the sandplate had turned into a small sand castle.

The grains had reached 8 million. Over 4 million days have passed.

Over 110,000 years.

And then the sandcastle grew big.

1 million years.

The two started to break down at this point.

The only thing that kept them sane was each other. And they feared their lover's mental health.

The Paradise System gave them a notification. It's the notification he saw when he first entered the world of Eternal Empress.

[Suicide Assist Window

End the pain, embrace the darkness and drown in despair.]

Varian and Isadora looked at each other.

They didn't press it.

[Update!

If one of you agrees to remain, the other can exit this world.]

"I will remain!"

"I will do it!"

Varian and Isadora looked at each other before sighing.

"You go out first. You can rescue me later. You'll get strong really fast." Isadora tried to convince him.

"No, you're at the peak of rank 9. You'll hit divine rank soon. You should leave first. Once you breakthrough, you can easily save me." Varian argued.

But they both knew that while they made sense in their arguments, those who stayed would die.

Even if Varian reached divine ranks in a few weeks, millions or perhaps billions of years would pass in this world due to its extremely distorted time flow.

Who would guarentee that Isadora would remain sane and not kill herself?

No, if they didn't have each other until now, they might have already done it.

The same went for Isadora. Even if she could reach divine rank in a few days, it'd already be millions of years here.

Varian might end himself.

If he didn't have that damn curse, he'd have already reached divine rank and broken out of this prison but…

"Fine. We'll get out together or die together." Varian said.

The sandcastle continued to grow.

Eventually, it was as tall as Varian and a meter in width and thickness.

How long had it been?

Ten million years? Hundred million years?

They had no idea anymore. And they didn't care at this point.

Varian wanted both of them to live. So, with a newfound purpose, he kept trying everyday.

Isadora too went into a deep seclusion, to increase the understanding of her powers.

Even though the progress they made was erased everyday, they kept at it like madmen.

Ironically, this insane act was the only thing that kept them from going really insane.

What they didn't know was that help would arrive from the outside.

*** *** *** ***

Miss Calamity, humbly speaking, thought of herself as an out and out genius.

No, really.

She wasn't very old, okay and she's already about to hit the divine ranks! At her age, even the empire's best geniuses would be at peak rank 8 or something.

And even a peak rank 9 would take a few hundred to a thousand years to go from peak rank 9 to divine rank.

'I am the greatest genius of this generation.'

That's not just her thought, it's the opinion of the Vita tribe.

And so, when she realized she had a chance of breaking into the divine rank using the divinity from forbidden places of Hortus, she was esctatic.

'Wohoo! I'll be one of the youngest divine rankers!'

"Oh, Sarah, are you also entering a seclusion?"

Noticing the Queen of Radiance, Miss Calamity asked with a curious expression.

"Yeah." Sarah nodded as she sat on a mountain peak a few hundred miles away from Miss Calamity. "Even though I let Isadora go, I want to join them if possible."

"Well, good luck!" Miss Calamity cheered her up and closed her eyes.

'A low rank 9! So cute! I bet she'll reach mid rank 9 by the time I end my seclusion.'

Miss Calamity closed her eyes and focused on sensing the divinity.

She was getting closer and closer to that 'wall' she'd have to cross to hit the divine ranks and then suddenly—

"Huh?"

Miss Calamity opened her eyes and saw the bright golden aura around Sarah surging up, as if oil was poured into fire.

'She reached mid rank 9 already? It's been what? 1 month?'

Sarah didn't even open her eyes and continued in the seclusion.

Shaking her head, Miss Calamity focused on herself.

She reached the wall and would have to cross it.

It'd be best if you could cross it in one go. Else, it'd get harder and harder until it becomes impossible.

'Alright, I'll have to prepare to breakthrough in one go.'

As she gathered her focus for the great task, Miss Calamity's brows jumped and she opened her eyes.

'Are you kidding me?'

Sarah reached high rank 9.

'One and half month! She's crazy! It's totally unreasonable!'

Shaking her head, Miss Calamity bit her lip and focused on charging herself.

She began to recall all the things she had realized about her path and envisioned reaching a higher level.

This 'understanding' would materialize in her inner world and would break that wall, allowing her to go further.

It's the most critical step before the actual attempt.

'Phew, I consolidated it!'

Miss Calamity sighed in relief and opened her eyes.

'Huh? Haaaah?!'

Sarah had reached the peak of rank 9.

'What the hell is this? Is this girl an actual divine ranker who's playing with me? High rank 9 to peak rank 9 in two months?'

It would make perfect sense if Princess Isadora had a friend like this.

B-But…

Miss Calamity personally sensed the unstable aura whenever Sarah broke through. Out of suspicion, she even checked her rank. She was really a low rank 9 at the start of seclusion!

'N-Never mind! I will…I will reach the divine rank!'

Gritting her teeth, she attacked the wall that seperated celestials from the divines.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Time passed in a blur and Miss Calamity felt her whole body ache. It was as if she had run for days without stopping without using any powers.

'Ahh! Yes! Yes! Finally!'

Like an eggshell cracking, the wall cracked and her aura transformed.

The origin of Miss Calamity underwent a great change and her power underwent an unimaginable shift.

The world, both outside and inside, changed completely.

She felt like an invincible being, able to destroy and create life as she pleased. The universe was available at the tip of her fingers.

All the living in Hortus were just a thought away from submitting.

She's so strong that everyone else, even the peak of rank 9 felt like an ant.

'B-But why…?'

Miss Calamity opened her eyes with a suspicious expression.

Sarah slowly stood up, the divine aura overflowing from was being withdrawn back and she gave Miss Calamity an encouraging nod. "Good job!"

"Y-You! You! What the hell…" Miss Calamity pointed a finger at Sarah, her lips twitching and hand trembling.

"Ah, I reached the divine rank." Sarah said with a plain expression and shook her head. "It'd have been much faster if Var was here."

Miss Calamity clutched her heart and slumped onto her seat. Looking at the sky with a blank gaze, she muttered. "L-Lie! Lie! My whole life was a lie!"

Sarah tilted her head and asked with a small smile. "I can feel their locations…they seem to be trapped somewhere. Can you lend me your help to fetch them back?"

"Ah, ah, yes, yes!"