When Linde returned to the laboratory deepest in the Starfire Base, the tranquility born from his wandering and epiphany brought no warmth, but instead settled into a bone-chilling cold decisiveness.
The familiar metal walls and flowing energy beams of the laboratory now seemed to him as a pale backdrop to his final farewell to his individual life.
He stood before the observation window, gazing one last time at the night sky over the continent of Til from the perspective of an "independent individual." In the distance, the ethereal glow of the Eversong Forest seemed like a dream; the orderly lights of Blackrock Territory, symbols of the order he had created; and further north, the all-consuming, eternally vast expanse of the ice plains…
These scenes are no longer coordinates on a map or a "responsibility" that he needs to painstakingly protect.
They are like his own pulse and breath, deeply imprinted in his soul, constituting the entire meaning of his existence.
The memories of the transmigrator's past life have long since faded and become blurred, sealed away in the most remote corner of their consciousness, as light as dust.
The hardships of building Blackrock Territory from scratch, the thrill of battling the gods, the loneliness of traversing the sea of stars, and the rise and fall of civilizations and the resilience of life in the face of adversity that he witnessed along the way... these are the "time" that truly flowed through his life, a part of his very being.
The continent of Tiel was no longer a foreign land, but his only and his entire world.
"To become a bridge...to become a furnace...and ultimately, to become the foundation itself."
He muttered to himself, his voice echoing slightly in the silent laboratory.
Deep within his purple eyes, the last trace of complex emotions belonging to the specific individual "Lind Truk"—the bond with his family, the regret for his unfinished work, and even a primal resistance to the impending annihilation of his own existence—was like a candle flickering in the wind. In the storm of absolute rational will, it suddenly went out, cooled, and solidified, ultimately transforming into a pure, almost inhuman light of will, cold and constant.
He finally understood completely. No matter how ingenious the framework was, no matter how much external power was gathered, as long as the core of the "All-Encompassing Star Pivot" was still a "creation" external to this world, it would always be separated by a pitiful barrier.
It may be eroded by higher-dimensional rules, logically broken by internal malice, or, in the most subtle way, irreconcilably alienated from the chaotic yet vibrant collective will that has evolved over millions of years on the continent of Tyre.
Only he—a being who possesses both the essence of light and shadow, whose soul resonates deeply with the mountains, rivers, and joys and sorrows of all living beings on this land, and whose will, tempered by the slaying of gods and the sea of stars, is capable of bearing countless complex thoughts—
Only by completely abandoning its independent form and fully merging with the system, becoming its absolute and indivisible "core" and "rules" itself, can the ultimate ideal be truly realized: a living, growing "shield of the world" that is inextricably linked to the continent of Til.
This is not a sacrifice.
Sacrifice means loss, it means the distinction between "he" and "it".
No, this is the destination, the ultimate extension of will, the complete sublimation of existence, and also... an absolute "control" that transcends the concepts of having and losing.
He will no longer "possess" power, he is power; he will no longer "protect" the world, he is the cornerstone upon which the world continues.
He called upon his family and core followers.
Instead of choosing a solemn and dignified council chamber, he opted for this laboratory, which was filled with his personal aura, covered with traces of his research, and had witnessed his countless moments of contemplation and breakthroughs.
Every energy mark here, every unfinished data model, is like a rubbing of his past life.
When the family members walked in, the constant low-pitched energy flow in the laboratory seemed to pause for a moment.
They seemed to sense an irreversible end from the overly calm air and Lind's figure, which stood tall like a solitary peak with his back to them, yet seemed about to blend into the background.
Alice's hands clenched the dark hem of her dress silently, her knuckles turning white.
Roy and Allen stood ramrod straight, but their young eyes betrayed a deep-seated unease and fear. They pressed their lips together tightly, as if afraid that any extra sound would break the unsettling calm.
Astaire's face was like weathered rock, every line etched with solemnity, only his slightly constricted pupils revealing the turmoil within him.
Like ancient weapons sensing the final moment, Nazra and Leonis stood silently on either side, their auras restrained to the extreme, their eyes fixed on Lind, as if trying to etch his final form into their souls.
Linde slowly turned around, his gaze like the most precise scan, yet carrying an indescribable calmness, as he slowly swept over each of their faces.
This gaze wasn't like a farewell, but rather like a final, most profound imprint of memory—the subtle lines at the corners of Alice's eyes, the increasingly composed features between Roy's brows, the unextinguished flame of creation in Allen's eyes, the new frost at Astaire's temples, the sharpness in Nazra's eyes, the unwavering resolve in Leonis's silence… These were the coordinates he held dear as a "human being."
"The plan has changed."
His voice rang out, as calm as if he were stating a physical law that had nothing to do with him, without any ripples.
"The ultimate core of the 'All-Encompassing Star Pivot' will be myself."
As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the laboratory seemed to be instantly sucked out, turning into a heavy substance that pressed down on everyone's chest.
Alice looked up abruptly, her azure eyes like the surface of a lake struck by an icy wind, instantly filled with shattered tears. She bit her lower lip hard, locking the sobs and pleas that were about to burst out of her mouth.
She knew him too well; beneath that calm tone lay a resolute determination more unshakable than the deepest abyss of weeping.
"Father!" Roy and Allen exclaimed simultaneously, their voices filled with the undisguised trembling and panic of young men, their faces drained of all color in an instant.
What they saw was a terrifying future where their father was about to "disappear".
"This is the most reasonable and the only solution that can guarantee absolute success."
Linde's voice, like ice breaking, clearly and coldly severed all their nascent attempts to hold on: "I possess the origin, understand the rules, and my will is strong enough to anchor the system. Only in this way can the Nexus coexist perfectly with the continent of Tyr, possessing the potential and resilience to cope with all future threats."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Astaire, his eyes filled with a sense of entrustment as heavy as a mountain.
“After I ‘disappear,’ you and Roy will be the rudder and anchor of Blackrock Territory. Follow the existing laws and maintain order, but you don’t have to stick to all my paths. Times will change, and the spirit of the Starfire Charter lies in ‘progress’ and ‘adaptation.’ What you need to do is guide it to grow, not turn it into a specimen of mine.”
Astaire's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He abruptly knelt on one knee, burying his head deep in his chest. The shoulders of this steely man trembled almost imperceptibly for a moment. When he raised his face again, his eyes held only a steely resolve forged in pain, and his voice was hoarse yet resounding:
"As you command, my lord. Blackrock Territory, live on forever."
Lind's gaze fell back on Alice and lingered for a moment.
Deep within those frozen purple eyes, something extremely subtle, belonging to "Linde" rather than "Foundation," seemed to ripple slightly, like the barely perceptible ripples caused by a tiny pebble thrown into a deep pool, so fast that one might mistake it for an optical illusion.
"Take good care of them, and take good care of yourself too."
These words, spoken in an extremely plain manner and without even a title, carry immense weight, bearing the last and most tender concern of a husband and father.
Alice nodded forcefully, almost with all her might, and tears finally broke free and slid silently down her pale cheeks. But she straightened her back, like the most flexible and unyielding bamboo in a storm, transforming all her fragility into a supporting force.
He nodded slightly to Nazra and Leonis without saying a word.
All gratitude, trust, and unfinished entrustments were conveyed in this silent exchange. The two followers bowed deeply, their foreheads almost touching the ground. When they rose again, their eyes held an unspoken, unwavering loyalty and a resolute determination that would last until death.
Finally, he looked at his two sons, and in the cold, unchanging gaze, a hint of the almost harsh expectation that belonged to an elder finally emerged.
"Roy, your path lies in governance and wisdom; Allen, your talent lies in creation and analysis. The future belongs to you. You don't have to live in my shadow, nor repeat my path. Go forth and forge your own paths, protect this home, this land. This is my final command, and also... my expectation."
"Father……"
Allen's voice choked with emotion, his purple eyes reflecting his father's fading figure, filled with incomprehensible pain and the bewilderment of being left behind.
Roy, his eyes red, nodded vigorously, again and again, as if trying to etch every word of his father into his bones. He pressed his fist against his chest and gave the most standard Black Rock salute, using action to replace verbal promises.
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