Everything remained the same yet different. A blink was all it took for Herta to see herself surrounded by the void. It was filled with countless silver lines that formed a white grid. In front of her was a literal path made of pure white light.
An urge to walk forward emerged from the depths of her mind.
Without apprehension, she began walking towards the end of this path.
"Hm. Is it setting up for a meeting? How… humane."
Aeons were known for being unpredictable. Most are used to them giving out visions no less confusing than the world's trickiest riddles.
Nevertheless, there wasn't truly a "tricky" riddle in Herta's dictionary.
The Fourth Cosmic Conundrum for instance.
It proposes the question whether the universe was predestined or not.
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes, but the existence of Aeons is an exception.
One of the most renowned scholars of the Intelligentsia Guild—another organization focusing on scientific studies and likes—discovered that there was a certain wavelength that appeared every thirteen minutes.
Its purpose was unknown at first. Despite the Intelligentsia Guild's full-blown efforts, it remained unknown. This was the reputation behind the Fourth Cosmic Conundrum. Once solved, it would press the progress of the universe forward.
Nearly a hundred Amber Eras later (i.e., 7,600 to 24,000 Earth Years), Herta stepped up and solved it herself.
It was discovered that the world has a predetermined state. If left alone, it would head towards that same future. No matter what anyone does, it will proceed as usual.
The only exception to this were the Aeons. Their existence itself transcended worldly logic. They are the ones that exist outside the scope of rationality.
As such, their existence prompts the universe to stray from the predetermined future. That was where the wavelengths came from—they represented the stability of this predetermined future.
When the wavelengths has low and smooth curves, it shows the stability of that future;
When the wavelength has high and sharp curves, it shows that the predetermined future is lost.
The birth of a new Aeon five days ago caused that wavelength to become a chaotic mess. It was a scenario never seen before.
The vast universe recorded events that go way back to the beginning of the Amber Era, which was a few hundred thousand years in Earth's time.
Throughout that lengthy history, there was only one instance where it showed exactly that. Unfortunately, an explosion occurred in her laboratory, preventing her from truly discovering its nature.
"Finality's influence… A paradox between existence and non-existence."
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It was unknown how many steps she took. Her special cognition she prided on actually lost count of it.
Herta realized this flaw and nodded to herself.
"As I expected. There is a distance from them."
Instead of being daunted, she expressed her curiosity.
For a long time, there was only one project that took up her time. Herta considers having answered the rest. The inexplicable and hundreds of Earth-years long studies were done by her hands in less than a month. That was what earned her reputation as a great genius.
This gift came with a price, however.
'There are no more questions left…'
Herta felt how it was to be stumped. She could not see any kind of progress in her future.
Looking back to her accomplishments, she seemed to have answered the unanswered Cosmic Conundrums. Since then, any questions that took her attention only lasted for a week at best.
The joy of uncovering secrets and mysteries were long gone.
That was when she had a realization:
'If there are no more problems… I shall make one myself.'
That was how she came up with her current project related to Aeons themselves.
"Hm."
Herta looked downwards and saw her own reflection. The reflection smiled at her on its own, causing Herta to show off a smug smile as well.
In an instant, she found herself sitting on a fancy wooden chair. Her surroundings turned into a grassland planted with numerous sakura trees. On her feet are flowers in full bloom.
Clang.
The sound of a teacup being lifted from a saucer resounded.
It was unknown as to when a man sat opposite of her. He bore excellent qualities as a human. His golden pupils emitted a charm found on people who immerse themselves in pursuit of knowledge.
His short dark blue hair swayed even when there wasn't any wind. The eight-pointed halo atop his head added an aura of elegance around him.
The man took a sip of the tea, all the whilst reciprocating Herta's silent gaze. Even when the former placed his teacup back to the saucer, she remained silent while staring at him.
"First time seeing a human?"
He could not help but ask.
"Oh. You are speaking in human words."
"Do you want me to talk like this?"
The man proceeded by moving his lips silently. He said nothing, yet his words reached her ears.
"{I am not like those old-fashioned guys.}"
"I suppose so."
Herta nodded while playing around the teacup's mouth with her right thumb. She then proceeded to drink it in one go.
The warm sensation of the tea rode down her throat.
It did absolutely nothing.
At least that's what her perception fed back. Knowing Aeons, Herta knew she could not fully trust it.
"I served this tea twice. I won't say its effects, but I can guarantee it'll be of huge help." The man, Aleph, spoke. "I already saw your probability of stepping onto my Path. It's one of the highest out there."
Herta dismissed an Aeon's claim nonchalantly—as if such results were expected from her.
This kind of narcissism caused Aleph to let out a brief chuckle.
"I wonder what went wrong with Nous' head… or rather, eye. Aha would rather pick you up, but I know you won't even care about them."
Each of Aleph's words were spot on. Herta could not help but become even more interested in the Aeon in front of her.
If her thoughts were correct…
"Yes. That's the answer to your question." Aleph let out a smug look.
"Why?"
"Because I am built different."
"..."
Hearing these familiar words, Herta felt what it was like to speak with someone as annoying as her.
*****
A/N: We'll be going with how Aleph manages his Path in the next chapter. Anyways, this exact interaction happened once with Gojo. It's fun writing characters meeting their rivals in terms of annoyance level, lmao.