Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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"Greetings, Paragon."

Cedric nodded to the guards of the Void Collection Site before striding past them with his sons trailing behind him. The guards maintained their disciplined look even though they were inwardly surprised to see that this respected Paragon brought strangers into this place.

But, considering that these strangers bore a close resemblance to him, they immediately realized that these must be the Paragon's children, and from auras being at the peak of the Grand Solar Sage Realm, it suddenly makes sense why he brought them here.

Of course, they wouldn't say a word about this. They'd probably discuss it in hushed voices off shift but definitely not now, lest they provoke the ire of the Paragon.

Godwyn, Gilderoy, and Gerald marvelled at the site. They saw this place from a distance while they were still on the ship, and even from there, they could feel the strictness and the solemn atmosphere of the place, even more so now that they're here.

They knew that this place follows a strict order, and everybody here will not tolerate those who do not follow the rules. The lightest punishment was immediate death.

The tension was heavy, and the overall situation was understandable given what they do in this place.

Their father told them that this was one of the many Void Collection Sites the Border Patrol Office established not too long ago. Its purpose was in its given name: Void Collection.

The Void Collection Sites were, in fact, used to be holes and tears on the Scarlet Division Wall—the very first line of defense of the realm against the void. These holes and tears used to bleed out void into the realm, and they appeared because the wall was being constantly eroded and attacked by the void and its creatures.

Under their father's lead, most of these places were either sealed or turned into Void Collection Sites to support the Ancient Chaos Alpha Project participants.

Now, they're here to benefit from it, but of course, it's not going to be easy.

Following Cedric's lead, they passed through several gates and seals. Each gate was made using the finest and toughest metals known to the alliance, and each seal was as complicated as the concept laws themselves.

From here, it's clear that everybody here was determined to not allow even a speck of void to get out of this containment site, and there is a very good reason for that.

After going through winding corridors and hallways, they eventually arrived at where the next step of their cultivation will take place.

"Alright, here we are."

Their father gestured at the room, and the boys were stunned by what they saw.

The room was wide, and they sensed that it had been expanded through spatial manipulation since it was definitely way bigger than the whole site itself. There were only two colors that dominated this room, and that's black and white, with the latter being the most dominant one.

Whether it's up, down, left, or right, they mostly saw white. Pristine and pure white. From the tiles, tools, machines, other equipment, etc. It's strange, but there must be a good reason why the room was designed this way.

They also saw several hollowed-out platforms all over the room, and in those hollows were pools of dark and viscous liquid that moved as if it were alive. Sometimes, the liquid will spike, turn into strange shapes, or form a wave. It's random and unpredictable, but it shows that this black liquid was truly strange.

Each of these pools was contained in a sealed dome, which was fortified with seals, preventing them from getting out. No matter how wildly the liquid thrashed and crashed against its prison, it had no effect on it.

The boys also saw large tubes on the walls; these tubes also contained the same black liquid, and they too were fortified with a litany of seals. These tubes were connected to the ceiling and the floor of this room.

More importantly, though, the boys saw that they were the only ones who were here for the same purpose. In fact, there are already a few people inside the hollowed-out platforms. They saw them sitting cross-legged inside the sealed domes with deep frowns as the black liquid acted strangely around them, but it sure looks like they're absorbing it.

The concept of absorbing this thick and strange liquid sounded so wrong to the boys, though.

Cedric looked at his sons and saw them glaring at the void like it owed them big money and it insisted on not paying. Yeah, that's usually how people react whenever they see the void for the first time.

It's understandable. After all, the Void is the antithesis of life. The children of the Primordial Chaos are living creatures; his sons were no different, and every living creature feels the same way towards the void. This is something that's embedded deep into their genetic makeup, one that will automatically be triggered, regardless of any circumstances, whenever they're exposed to the presence of the void.

'They must be doubting the entire process now,' Cedric thought to himself. And honestly, he couldn't blame them for that. Even he couldn't deny that the process sounded really sketchy, after all.

"So, what do you think? Up for the challenge?" Cedric asked his sons, hoping to get some verbal reaction from them.

"It's weird. My instincts are screeching at me and refusing to cooperate." Godwyn grumbled as he tried his best to regain full control over his body.

"Same," Gilderoy droned. "The idea of going anywhere close to that is..."

All three of them collectively flinched after he said that, a sign that their survival instincts were truly trying to overpower them.

Cedric chuckled. He can't blame, truly. In fact, seeing them was strangely comforting. Had they been completely fine or completely neutral at their very first exposure to the void, Cedric would seriously consider if his sons had been possessed by some void creature.

"Well, I just want to remind you that you can still back out. I promise I won't be disappointed or anything. Whether you go up there and subject yourself to this torment is up to you. This is your cultivation; you're in charge, so you decide."

This will be the last time Cedric will say this. Whatever it is they choose to do afterwards, Cedric will accept it wholeheartedly.

"No backing out. We've already come this far. Let's get this show on the road." Godwyn took charge and marched towards the nearest hollowed platform.

Gilderoy and Gerald didn't say anything. They just looked at each other and nodded before choosing their respective places.

Seeing this, Cedric nodded. He knew how difficult this must feel for them since they're quite literally waging war against their primal instincts. The fact that they could march closer to those ponds of void was a huge act of perseverance and a great display of their iron will.

'They'll be fine,' Cedric muttered to himself.

"Press your palms on the pads next to the dome to create an entrance. Go in, and follow the instructions. Don't be complacent," Cedric reminded them as he took a seat.

His sons did as they were told. They entered their respective domes, and shortly after that, a voice prompt sounded in their ears, telling them what to do first.

When they pressed their palms at the scanner, the machines already sensed their cultivation levels, and the program suitable for people like them had been launched.

The first step of the program was the preparation stage. Here, they will go through three steps: void exposure, refinement practice, and spark searching. This was an important step. Nobody can just skip it and hope for the best. Not everybody will be as lucky as Cedric.

This step alone will take some time, which Cedric himself knew, given that he was literally the one who established this whole thing, so he made sure to have his sons vacate their schedules for the next five years, just in case they needed more time.

Since they're not in the Transitional Realm yet, the next step for the boys was to go through their regular refinements first, which meant that their many years of practicing the Cosmic Furnace Spell were finally being put to the test.

The system reminded them that, to ensure the greatest chance at successfully landing at the Void Refinement Realm, they must have great mastery over the Cosmic Furnace Spell, something that the boys wouldn't have to worry about.

Once they have gone through the refinement of the five fundamental elements—lightning, space, time, life, and death—the void pool beneath them will be unleashed, replacing the karmic refinement with void refinement instead.

The system warned the boys to take their time and remain clear-headed once they reached this step. The system will monitor their conditions during the breakthrough, but it will only interfere when things are truly not looking good for them; it won't save them from the torment since they're the ones who chose to enter this place.

After telling them the entire process of the program, the system asked them if they were ready to begin. And despite their instincts roaring at them to stop, the boys gritted their teeth and decided to push on.

'Good luck, boys. I'll be watching over here. No need to be afraid. None of you will die under my watch.'