System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!-Chapter 494 - The Greatest Blessing

The lively noise from the garden... laughter, hurried footsteps, and Alice’s distant protests as her mothers dragged her away, slowly faded into the background.

Only the rustling of leaves and the faint chirping of insects remained, settling over the gazebo like a thin veil of calm.

Marzuki exhaled long and quietly.

"...You’ve changed, Fik"

Taufik lifted his gaze, one eyebrow arching. "Hm? In what way?"

Marzuki leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting toward the sky.

"When you first returned... you were different," he said, voice low. "Quiet. Heavy. As if you were carrying a storm behind your eyes." A pause, soft but weighted. "But right now... I saw something else. Calmness. Confidence. Even warmth"

Taufik chuckled. "Are you saying I wasn’t warm before?"

"I’m saying," Marzuki replied with a faint smile, "that the son who left this world isn’t the same man who came back"

Taufik didn’t deny it. He simply looked outward, toward the tree line, his face unreadable in the soft daylight.

"...Maybe I am," he murmured. "Maybe I’m not"

Marzuki studied him quietly before speaking again.

"Fik... what happened in that universe? You mentioned the Apocalypse, the Gods, their boredom... I understand the logic, but what I don’t understand is the weight behind your voice"

Taufik stayed still for a few seconds.

Then he breathed out slowly.

"...I saw too many worlds dying, Father. Too many people begging for help I couldn’t give. Too many gods who treated creation as a toy"

His tone wasn’t angry.

It was tired.

Deeply, quietly tired.

"But," he continued, "I also met people worth protecting. Worth returning home for"

Marzuki’s eyes softened. "Including Alice, Aksara, and the others?"

"And you," Taufik added lightly.

Marzuki looked away immediately, pretending to adjust glasses he wasn’t even wearing. "Hmph. You say that now because you’re older"

Taufik smiled... small, real, and warm.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The breeze brushed past the curtains of the gazebo, carrying with it the faint scent of blooming flowers.

Then Marzuki broke the silence again.

"...Fik"

"Hm?"

"There’s something you haven’t told them yet, is there?"

Taufik didn’t respond.

He didn’t need to.

The silence itself was an answer.

Marzuki sighed quietly. "...Will it endanger them?"

"No," Taufik said immediately.

Then, after a heartbeat: "... Not directly"

Marzuki’s shoulders slumped. "Then indirectly?"

"...Yes"

Marzuki rubbed his forehead with a groan. "Of course. Of course, it’s never simple with you. Just when I thought we’d finally get a peaceful year"

Taufik laughed softly.

But his eyes remained sharp.

"It’s just, you know, as I kept wandering from one universe to another, the veil... the barrier that should be impossible to pass, grew thinner," Taufik said slowly. "Soon, it may as well not exist"

Marzuki’s breath caught.

Taufik continued.

"... Every universe I entered... every god or higher being I fought, killed, or escaped from me... they can follow that thinning trail. Some already have"

"...Once you killed?" Marzuki echoed. "Can they come back to life?"

"They don’t come back," Taufik explained. "They’re reborn. New body, new form... but the same memories. That’s how the law of existence works. And I can already feel it..."

His gaze drifted upward, as though sensing something beyond the stars.

"... there’s a ripple in this world, Father. Something moving beneath the surface. It has nothing to do with Demons, Hell, or the cult inside the Academy"

Marzuki’s throat tightened. "Then what is it?"

"Something different," Taufik tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Something that shouldn’t exist in this universe at all"

Marzuki swallowed. "...Them?"

Taufik nodded once.

Silently.

Marzuki steadied himself. "Then... can you handle it?"

Taufik finally looked him directly in the eyes.

"I can," he said. "But the real question is... will I have to?"

Marzuki frowned. "Meaning?"

Taufik leaned back, his gaze shifting toward the horizon glowing faintly with the last light of day.

"Well..." he said, voice dropping into something deeper, colder. "The universe always balances itself"

Marzuki inhaled sharply. "...You mean someone else will stop them?"

Taufik didn’t answer right away.

But when he finally did, a shadow flickered behind his smile, brief, but unmistakable.

"...They will"

--------

- Night at Saranjana Kingdom, The Garden of D’Archy Castle

Night settled gently over the Kingdom of Saranjana, draping the land in a cool, luminous glow.

In the vast garden of D’Archy Castle, lanterns floated in the air like drifting stars, casting soft, warm light across the celebration.

A party was underway.

Long tables lined the garden, each one overflowing with dishes from countless cultures, drinks that shimmered, fruits that glowed faintly, spices that carried warmth on the breeze.

Humans and non-humans mingled freely, their voices blending into a tapestry of laughter, chatter, and music.

The towering World Tree shimmered in the background, its branches glowing faintly with pulsing runes, bathing everything in a serene, golden-green light.

It made the whole scene look like a festival held at the center of the world.

At one of the largest tables, Taufik sat quietly.

Except he wasn’t alone.

He was surrounded, by people he knew, people he had fought for, laughed with, saved, or simply crossed paths with in the early days of his journey.

Faces from the past.

All gathered together.

To him, it felt... surreal.

Across from him sat the Dragonkin, their eyes sharp and wild even in relaxation. The Red Dragon himself, in humanoid form, lounged with arms crossed, occasionally letting out a deep rumbling laugh that shook the wine glasses on the table.

"It’s been ages, Master!" the Red Dragon King boomed, slapping the table hard enough that a few nearby elves flinched. "I never thought I’d see the day you’d sit still long enough for a party!"

Taufik smirked faintly. "I could say the same. And it seems you’ve changed as well, huh?"

"It’s all thanks to you, Master," the Red Dragon king said proudly. "I will never stop being grateful for what you did for the Red Dragons"

Nearby, the Vampires raised their glass toward Taufik in silent greeting, their pale fingers elegant, their crimson eyes amused. The younger vampires, some looking like nobles, some more savage, watched with fascination and respect at him, at their Progenitor.

Members of the Tribes from across the world exchanged lively stories, pounding their chests with laughter.

The Magician Families wore robes adorned with intricate sigils, several of them staring at Taufik like he was a living myth... well, he was to them.

From the Japanese clans, warriors in traditional attire bowed politely every time they met Taufik’s eyes.

And many more...

Elves with silver hair that glowed faintly under the World Tree’s light.

Spirits whose bodies shimmered like air.

Beastfolk with bright eyes and twitching ears.

They were all here.

People he knew.

People who once accompanied him on a journey that felt like a lifetime ago.

People who followed, admired, or simply believed in him.

Tonight, they gathered not as factions or races...

...but as family.

A found family.

Taufik leaned back slightly, eyes drifting across the crowd. Everywhere he looked, he saw fragments of his past, some bittersweet, some warm, some painful, but all of them his.

A soft smile touched his lips.

"Quite the gathering," a voice said beside him.

Marzuki sat next to him, arms folded, surveying the scene with an expression caught between awe and exhaustion.

"Are all these people... really because of you?"

Taufik’s smile didn’t fade.

"Not because of me," he said softly. "Because of what we built. Together"

A cheer suddenly rose from another table where Aksara was being poured drink after drink by a group of beastfolk warriors who were convinced they could outdrink a king.

Alice was nowhere to be seen, likely having escaped her mothers after being forced to help organize the event. Meanwhile, his other children were gathered with the younger generation.

Everything felt alive.

Warm.

Deeply human.

The kind of peace Taufik never expected to have again.

He closed his eyes briefly, feeling the breeze brush past.

But beneath all the laughter and lights...

...he could also feel it.

The ripple.

The subtle disturbance in the fabric of existence.

Something ancient.

Something familiar.

Something he wished had stayed dead.

Taufik opened his eyes again, smile unchanged.

Tonight was a celebration.

Tomorrow... the universe would move again.

But for now... he allowed himself to breathe.

Allowed himself to belong.

Allowed himself to be home.

Taufik once again let his gaze wander, toward his family, toward his friends, toward every face that had shaped his journey.

And once more, the thought rose quietly within him.

All that destruction.

All those battles.

All the killing he had done in countless universes.

All the struggle... ’...It wasn’t in vain’

With that conviction settling in his chest, Taufik rose to his feet. Instantly, the noise faded. Conversations halted.

And every pair of eyes turned toward him.

"...First of all," he began, voice steady but warm, "I want to thank all of you for being here tonight. Despite all the chaos and all the changes... I’m relieved, truly relieved to see that none of you were affected"

He let out a small breath, something between a laugh and a sigh.

"Some of you might think my life has been full of blessings. But to me... knowing all of you is the greatest blessing I’ve ever received"

He lifted his glass slightly.

"The night is still long, so let’s enjoy it to the fullest... Cheers"

....

...

..

.