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[Tree] Chapter 504: Tyrant of the Void
🕑 Added 2025-08-27 14:34:07 +0000 UTCAs Stella was caught up in the situation from the start by everyone present, her excitement after hearing Elaine's big news regarding her expecting twins soon twisted into rage.
"We just don't know what to do," Elaine said, her head hung low. "One of us will inevitably be sacrificed. Of course, I'd rather it were me over the child."
"No... Elaine..." Douglas said, barely holding back his tears. "I can't lose you. Not to that monster."
With barely contained bloodlust, she turned to glare at the reason: Morrigan. She stood at the side, seemingly detached as if her daughter's misery had nothing to do with her. Almost as if it were an inevitable cycle that couldn't be stopped.
If there was one thing Stella despised, it was feeling powerless against cycles set in place to benefit those who were stronger. Perhaps this is what it means to be a Crestfallen, but she wanted to tear it all down. One day, the Origin of Rebirth, but for now, she would start with the Origin of the Void.
"Do you have anything to say in your defense, Morrigan? You have made contributions to the sect that are hard to overlook, but this isn't fair to Elaine." Stella said with barely restrained anger. She had been hoping for a joyful return to Red Vine Peak, and this is what she got. "Can we really not reach a solution here?"
Morrigan shrugged. "There's nothing to be said or done. I already devised a solution to my problem eons ago, and it will continue on."
Stella cooled her rage and presented an option. "Fine. What if we bound your soul to the All-Seeing Eye's afterlife? Wouldn't that be better than the eternally cold and lifeless void?"
Something stirred in Morrigan's expression. For the first time ever, the woman showed a new emotion. Fear.
"What's wrong?" Stella asked. "Not an idea you're too keen on? We can try to come up with solutions—"
Morrigan's eyes widened, and she vanished as she escaped into the void.
Stella closed her eyes and sighed. Morrigan had been both helpful and a constant headache due to her carefree attitude and refusal to sign any loyalty contracts. The problem was, now that Morrigan knew they had a way to effectively imprison her away from reality in an alternate afterlife, there was no telling what lengths she would go to for survival.
Her eyes opened, and she said with an ice-cold tone. "Khaos, restrain her."
"As you wish, princess," Khaos said and moved so fast the Ent was nothing but a blur. Once she reached the spot where Morrigan had been, Khaos tore through reality with her claw and yanked Morrigan out of the void as if she had been hiding behind a curtain.
"What?! How?" Morrigan yelled as she was thrown to the ground. Khaos pressed her foot on Morrigan's back and secured her neck to the floor by imprisoning it between her claws, which she struck into the rock.
Stella walked over as she munched on a void fruit. Her Nascent Souls barely felt the strain as the void shield materialized around her. While Khaos could easily restrain Morrigan as their gap in cultivation was too vast, there was no stopping Morrigan from launching an attack at Stella.
"Can you call Kaida here?" Stella asked Ash.
"Sure, but what do you need him for?" Ash's hundred overlapping voices echoed in her mind.
Stella looked down at the woman struggling under Khaos's foot. "I'm going to put an end to the void's tyranny," she said simply.
"Like hell you will," Morrigan roared with laughter. "I'll kill myself before I let you bind me to that place."
"The reason you're not willing to consider other options is because you've already bound your soul to Elaine, right?" Stella said, crouching before the woman, if she could even be called that. "Don't look so surprised, I figured it out. Elaine has rose gold hair, yet the rest of the Voidmind family has black hair. When you switch to your true form, your hair is rose gold, isn't it? The reason you and Elaine share the same hair color is that you have marked Elaine as your next vessel, right? Should she die, it would move on to one of her unborn twins."
"Stella," Elaine asked hesitantly, "She is still my mother, is this level of force necessary?"
Stella sighed. "Elaine, while this thing might technically be your mother, you should see Morrigan for what she really is—past the human facade. She is an affinity given consciousness that wears human skin. She doesn't care for you because you're her dear daughter; she cares because you are her carefully nurtured vessel. Do I need to remind you that because she's stuck at the Star Core Realm, it's not a matter of if she dies, but rather when? If you go on to reach the Nascent Soul Realm and escape the shackles of time, it will be Morrigan who becomes your grim reaper."
Elaine winced. "So you're going to kill her?" she asked in a mouse-like voice.
"Don't sound so worried. Death is hardly something Morrigan hasn't experienced before. I'm just going to be trapping her in The Grove of Eternal Rebirth so that she can never reach you until we can figure out a better solution—ah, he's here." Stella stood up and gestured for Kaida to come over. The Celestial Ink Dragon floated through the air and raised a brow at the scene.
"Kaida, can you bind Morrigan's soul to the All-Seeing Eye's afterlife?" She looked down at Morrigan and saw the terror in the woman's eyes. Stella smiled. The woman who thought herself invincible had finally met her match.
However, Kaida shook his head. "I can't."
"Why not?" Stella frowned. This was the one and only plan she could come up with that saved everyone involved.
The dragon glanced at the pinned woman. "Her void Qi makes interacting with her soul difficult."
"Mhm..." Stella rubbed her chin. That's when she felt some movement on her head. Maple perked up and, with a swift motion, leapt into the air. In a flash of white fog, Maple turned into his human form: a small androgynous child with a giant white tail that curled around his body. It had been a while since Stella saw Maple in this form, and he looked more mythical than before. Had he gotten even stronger?
"I can help expose her soul," Maple said, his eyes of golden honey staring up at Stella. "But I want to eat it after you have finished binding it."
"Um," Stella blinked, taken aback by that last request. She then remembered who she was talking to—a Worldwalker, a being barred from entering reality for a very good reason. Because there was nothing they wouldn't eat, including reality itself. With the usually sleeping Maple getting involved, Stella's little rage-induced plan seemed all the more real.
"Before we go ahead with this plan, is anyone opposed?" Stella asked the group. "Personally, I deem Morrigan's current attitude unnerving and a constant threat to the Ashfallen Sect. Now that we possess our own afterlife, we don't have to fear killing Origin's anymore. However, I've come to learn that I can overreact, so I'll let you all decide."
"Well said, Stella. I share a lot of your concerns, and they have been reinforced now that Morrigan has shown her true colors," Ash said through the looming shadow lich. "In an effort to protect Elaine and her child's future, I'm in favor of this plan. However, I believe the decision should ultimately be up to Elaine, as she is the most affected." Anubis turned to look at Elaine. "What do you wish for? Should Morrigan be bound to the Grove of Eternal Rebirth? The choice is yours to make, Elaine."
Elaine gulped. Her face was ghostly white, and her hands were trembling. Even with Douglas trying to comfort her, she seemed unable to say anything. Everyone's attention was locked on her, including Morrigan, who was still struggling.
"I..." Elaine began, but trailed off. After trying and failing to give an answer, she looked toward Stella with pleading eyes.
Stella nodded, understanding what she wanted.
Elaine understands from a logical point of view that killing Morrigan is needed to save herself and her child, but she also doesn't want to be the one to give the word to execute her own mother and imprison her in a new afterlife. Looks like the role of a villain falls to me again—not that I mind it.
"Do it, Maple," Stella said, "and once bound by Kaida, her soul is yours to eat."
"You bitch," Morrigan hissed, glaring at Stella. "You're going to regret this."
Stella crossed her arms. "I don't think I will."
"You shouldn't see this," Douglas said, raising his hand to cover Elaine's eyes.
Yet despite her trembling, Elaine pulled Douglas's arm down and shook her head. "I need to."
Maple approached and, like dunking one's hand into a pond, his fingers, followed by his hand and arm, effortlessly glided through Morrigan's clothes and skin. Morrigan screamed like a banshee and thrashed around under Khaos's foot. Unfazed, Maple reached around for a moment before pulling out a ball of void—Morrigan's soul.
Morrigan's eyes went wide, and she suddenly went silent, like a puppet with its strings cut. She wasn't dead, as her vessel kept on breathing and pumping blood. But it was now a soulless husk acting on instinct.
Kaida got to work. His scales detached from his body and floated into position around Morrigan's soul, which Maple was holding up. Once in position, the array was powered by a golden glow as it drew in the surrounding divine energy. What nobody could have expected was for Morrigan's soul to begin fighting back. Despite being at the Star Core Realm, it pulsed, and everyone stumbled back except Maple.
Stella clutched her chest and felt a cold sweat break out as her vision blurred slightly. She had experienced bloodlust and soul pressure plenty of times, but this was different. It was as if Morrigan had shed a portion of her memories and life experience, overwhelming the array and literally shocking everyone else's souls in the process. It was like the roar of an ancient monster awakening from a bygone era.
"Everyone should get back," Kaida said as his golden eyes narrowed. "This is going to get ugly. A soul that has likely experienced the cycle of reincarnation a thousand times won't accept such a forceful change quietly."
Stella didn't need to be told twice, as she never expected a Star Core Realm soul to make her break out in a cold sweat. Kaida increased the power of the formation, and spinning golden runes began to encapsulate Morrigan's soul. Like a self-peeling onion, Morrigan continued to shed parts of herself in an attempt to overpower the formation. Just as things seemed to be going well, the air suddenly shifted. A chill like no other seeped into Stella's bones despite the distance.
"Is she... preparing to go supernova?" Stella asked. It was the one way Morrigan, or any Origin, could always win. It's the reason they couldn't be imprisoned or trapped and were so feared. Should the need arise, they could always resort to self-destruction to force themselves to enter the cycle of reincarnation. Only to be reborn in the body of a random cultivator somewhere in the nine layers of creation that shared their affinity—except Morrigan, whose only options were Elaine and her child...
The soul cradled in Maple's hand began to slowly condense like a forming black hole.
"Elaine! Get closer to Morrigan," Stella said.
"What?!" Douglas shouted angrily.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I want to call Morrigan's bluff!" Stella shouted back, masking her voice with Qi. "If she truly does kill Elaine and her twins, she will be sent to the void, never to return. Don't worry, I will pull Elaine away from here at the last second if Morrigan really does go through with it. The rest of you get out of here!"
Portals tore open, and Ashlock began forcefully floating Douglas, the Redclaw Grand Elder, and the others through them. The fact that none of them could put up any resistance showed just how far Ash's cultivation had risen.
"I'm sorry, Douglas," Stella whispered under her breath as she gently pushed Elaine forward. She could feel Elaine shaking through her hand, which was planted on her back. "Elaine, relax. You trust me, right?"
"For most things, no," Elaine admitted, her voice strained. "But for crazy shit like this? I'd trust your judgment over mine."
"That's the spirit," Stella grinned as both of them got within the formation, and she could feel the power of the formation spiking to match the deterioration of Morrigan's soul.
Kaida's long body began to shrink as he shed more and more scales. The formation soon doubled and then tripled in size. At this point, Stella couldn't even see Morrigan's soul through all the golden spinning circles, but she could certainly still feel the impending supernova.
Her hands twitched as the soul continued to close in on detonation. The formation had now consumed half of Kaida's scales and was immense. Golden rings spun in the air at differing speeds as runes flashed in and out of existence.
"How's it looking?!" Stella hesitantly shouted. "If even a bit of Morrigan escapes, she might be able to reincarnate into Elaine."
Kaida grimaced from beyond the formation. "There are still so many layers to peel before getting to the core. No wonder Origins take time to reassimilate with their memories; this is too much. No being should be tortured to experience this many lives."
"Mother... I'm sorry, but I want to live my own life," Elaine muttered to herself, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"We aren't killing her forever," Stella reassured Elaine. "She's an Origin, that's not even possible. All we are trying to do is prevent her from entering the heaven's reincarnation cycle."
Kaida glanced at them. His captivating eyes hinted that he had uncovered a profound insight. "Morrigan might not accept it yet, but we are saving her from herself. While true death will never be possible for an Origin, she should find some relief in Ashlock's Eternal Grove of Rebirth. This really is the only option to put a tentative end to the Origin of the Void—as brutal a solution as it is."
Stella nodded and watched in silence as the glowing formation continued to expand all around her and Elaine. Yet even she could tell the supernova was about to reach the tipping point, and the process was far from complete.
Is Morrigan really going to send herself to the void just to get back at us? No, I believe I know what type of person Morrigan is, and she would never do that, Stella thought as she continued to stand her ground beside Elaine. However, both her Nascent Souls were humming with power, ready to pull Elaine to safety at any moment.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Ash said to her. "But I also don't have a better solution to offer."
"It's going to be fine, Dad. Just trust me, okay?"
There was a long pause. "Fine. I trust you. Just don't die on me, okay?"
"Nobody is going to die," Stella insisted. "Only a monster—"
Elaine suddenly collapsed to her knees.
"Hey! Elaine? Are you all right?" Stella said, shaking the woman when she felt her breath suddenly stolen from her as the world vanished around her. Blinking, she surveyed the darkness around her. It was the void. However, she wasn't alone in here.
Morrigan's body was sprawled out before her, with millions of hair-like ethereal threads connecting it to the soul that Maple was holding.
Stella positioned herself before Elaine to shield her from anything that might happen while taking in the situation. Before she could ask Maple or Khaos, who were also there, for an answer, golden lightning flashed through the void, striking the threads, turning them to ash, and searing the surface with a runic mark. As the ash floated past, she breathed in, and her eyes widened as hundreds of memories flashed through her mind, causing her to collapse to her knees, much like Elaine. In an instant, she had experienced a hundred years. While a few random memories lingered, her brain rejected most of them, perhaps in an attempt to maintain her sanity.
"What was that?" Stella said through gritted teeth as her head pounded.
"Oh?" Maple glanced at her, "You let Morrigan drag you in here?"
Stella snorted. "I hardly had a choice in the matter. What are those threads?"
Maple gazed at the strands of hair that connected the body and soul and began to explain, "Most cultivators have to forget and discard a part of themselves when they switch bodies, especially when they die as the heavens cleanse the soul, but Origins don't. Once reincarnated, their soul reconnects to their pasts through their affinity. Each one of these perfectly preserved strands represents a life Morrigan lived. You know, when you humans cultivate the heaven's whispers? It's echoes from these past lives you're hearing."
Stella couldn't even begin to count how many strands there were, and just a single one had encapsulated a hundred years. It was truly breathtaking to witness Morrigan's existence in such a quantified way.
Maple ran a hand through the strands, but was unable to touch any of them as if they were an illusion. "Morrigan is expending her past lives to fight against the array while she prepares to go supernova."
"That's crazy," Stella muttered. "Throwing away hundreds, if not thousands, of years' worth of memories and life experiences..." It was an inconceivable sacrifice to her, a person who hadn't even lived for two decades yet. "But I suppose when time is an unlimited currency, it's understandable to expend it to try and protect her future."
The sheer power emanating from the soul showed it was at its zenith and would go supernova at any second.
"It's hopeless," Maple said, pulling the soul closer to his mouth. "I should eat her before you die in the explosion."
"No, wait," Stella said. Balling her fist, she looked at the trembling Elaine and then back at Morrigan. "I don't believe she will go through with it."
Stella looked up at the seemingly infinite number of strands. That wasn't the number of lives one could live through without a deep fear of something. And for Morrigan, it was the void.
"Morrigan," Stella stepped toward the soul. "Stop fighting... You don't have to be scared anymore. If you work with us, you will never have to fear the void again."
***
Ashlock nervously watched the scene unfold. For some reason, Stella and Elaine had dropped to their knees, their expressions vacant as Morrigan's soul continued to compress and threaten to go supernova.
"I promised to trust her," Ash reassured himself. It was the only reason he hadn't gone in there and stopped the whole thing. Of course, there was also the issue that if Morrigan was to go through with it, even if he devoured her soul before she entirely blew up, Elaine's soul would be taken over.
Origins really were tricky to deal with—especially one as devious as Morrigan.
Ashlock had the system tracking the situation, but it was only giving him bad news.
[Morrigan's soul has deteriorated 97%]
[Morrigan's soul has deteriorated 98%]
[Morrigan's soul has deteriorated 99%]
Ashlock was about to act when Stella and Elaine suddenly seemed to regain consciousness. Breathing in deeply, they scrambled to their feet and got away from the soul.
Did that mean Morrigan's soul was going to blow, and they failed?
"Stella—" he called out.
She raised her arm, as if telling him to stop.
"It's going to be fine!" Stella called out confidently. "She doesn't want to live in fear anymore."
That's when Ashlock heard a resounding gulp. Standing there, licking his fingers, was Maple. Morrigan's soul was nowhere to be seen.
[Origin of the Void has been successfully captured in the Eternal Grove of Rebirth]
[Your comprehension of the void has increased]
"She's secure in my afterlife," he informed Stella and Elaine.
Elaine helped Stella to her feet and hugged her. "Thank you, Stella. I can be a mother to my children without fear now," she burrowed her head into her shoulder, and tears were streaming down her face. "I never knew you would be the one to save me from this nightmare."
Stella raised a brow. "Are you implying I'm bad at solving problems?"
Comments
Barry Weddle
Stella went too far.
Tryptic
I like this rewrite way, WAY more than the original. You had to get through a lot of ideas in a short amount of time, and this works. It also sets up future interactions with Origins pretty well. I see other people saying that Ashlock has spent too much time winning, but I don't really agree. His challenge isn't about staying alive anymore, it's about making steady progress without sacrifices. The one sticking point left is that it was unrealistic for Morrigan to speak up in the first place. Her character would have never made that decision, based on what we know of her and her motivations. But even this can be reconciled: you just say that the weight of her huge number of past lives affects her, and compelled her to tell Elaine the truth. It's obvious that Morrigan would have some mental issues that lead to chaotic behavior, so it can just be chalked up to that. I haven't read further than this yet, so you might have already done it. But I think at some point a simple conversation with Morrigan in the grove would tie the whole thing together. She can express how afraid she was, how she doesn't know if this is the final answer but it isn't bad to try something different. She can even say how it was stupid of her to tell Elaine the truth, but she's just been through the cycle so many times that she felt she had to, or she couldn't care, or maybe she held some secret hope she would be stopped, etc.
InfernoDroid
While the rewrites were much better than the originals, I still think the overall outcome is not good or satisfying. Origins have been made out to be extremely powerful even if they are in the star core realm. The void is supposed to be able to hit way above it's realm, and Morrigan has been shown to be way more clever than you made her out to be in these chapters. As an Origin of the Void it honestly feels dumb for khoas to be able to remove her from the void. Honestly, even if he was above the monarch realm I don't think any being no matter how powerful should be able to do anything to her in the void. Others have said that it feels too easy and clean. That the ashfallen sect hasn't suffered a single failure in a long time, the worst thing that happened was a bunch of people that don't matter to the story died to Vincent, but no real meaning loses. The Beast tide was resolved anticlimacticly, being leagues above the cast are essentially bowing down before them, etc. It's all just feels like there haven't been any real steaks for the sect since Vincent. Morrigan was a being that no one could control, and yet with basically no effort they bound her soul away. Honestly, I would prefer everything after Elaine announces she's pregnant get deleted right before Morrigan speaks up. Just never have her show up, have the ashfallen sect find a way to give her kid a second affinity down the line, and honestly, I want Morrigan to take that kid over and that's how we find out about the voidmind curse. Honestly, I just want the Sect to take some major Ls
Chris
Ashlock isnt an origin, the system is. The system is the origin of rebirth, and ashlock is simply a demonic tree with a human-level mind and mutations.
Excess
Xkarnation, I am comparing details about how Origins operate between these chapters and chapter 448. They sound contradictory. Also, if Origins cannot have multiple affinities then does that definitively mean that Ashlock is not an Origin even though he resembles one to Morrigan? Also, you stopped addressing Khaos as a general in system notifications for some reason.
jalapenochips
It’s not a bad resolution, but we are now over 500 chapters in without any big losses or defeats. Sometimes, it just feels a bit too safe, too clean, and too sanitized, so when a potentially interesting problem gets solved in 2 chapters, it’s a bit of a letdown. I take it back if there are horrible unintended consequences with what just happened though. There is still time lol
joe obrien
Much better
Thomas Meta
I love the rewrite. It feels like a good ending now. Even if you think it’s not your best. Also I hope you turn Morrigan into her actual archetype as the trinity goddess of death. Or I assume and hope that’s were your going with it with her entering ash’s afterlife. Also not sure how much thought you’ve given to the next general but either kiada or the other half of nox’s soul that turned into a grim reaper. I’m blanking on the name and ascended realm it was called. But assuming a general status could be temporary she could be reduced to a level that would be tolerable for her. Also if kiada can do this. He might be worth the it.
Alex Shinall
Even after the edit, I still do not like this chapter. Probably the worse one you've written. Thus whole situation with Morrigan just feels rushed and so out of place.
XKARNATION
The Sam stuff was brushed over because there wasn’t that much more to cover and people weren’t really interested in those chapters. Sure it’s a lose end but not a very interesting one
Tsurani
Is her soul going to the grove, or did maple eat it? I’m still confused about that.
Codered999
You forgot to include Khaos and Bob going up two levels in response to Ashlock doing so.
Caleb Reusser
Chapter still has the issue of the resolution to the problem happening off screen. This would work if the novels were single person POV but it is not.
Shannon
As other's have said , this is much better. With the way you had things set up before with Stella going to beg/attempt to convince her not to explode - and then you cut away - coupled with the fact that a previous series of chapters was set up to be a multipart arc concerning the corrupted beast core, midway through beast tide clean up, then you cut to Stella for a half-dozen to a dozen chapters and when we come back beast tide cleanup is over, and the interaction between Sam and Stella's disciple, after sam absorbed the corrupted core, all happened off screen, I was seriously going to just DNF the rest of this series. You should know, as both a writer and a consumer of writing, that there is one thing you should never do. Resolve tension established during the chapter (or at the end of the chapter) off-screen or with a timeskip. And you have done this at least twice. The second most recent is the situation with the corrupted (not standard) demon beast core. The scene has Sam absorbing the core (and lets ignroe the fact that he had no reason to given the resources Stella's disciple gave him only a few days earlier) then the disciple finds Sam and team. She offers to work together. You then timeskip away the resolution to this. We spend time with Stella. When we come back, beast tide clean up is over. The most recent one is the resolution to chapter 504. While the edited 503 and 504 are technically better, you had Stella resolve the situation with Morrigan by begging her. This is character growth for Stella. Stella, a crestfallen and the embodiment of pride almost, was willing to swallow it to shame herself by begging Morrigan to listen and let them. This was actually a good thing. BUT You resolved it. Off. Fucking. Screen. And worse, you had Ash miss it because of the silly thing the system did that was totally out of character under the circumstances. This is bad. This is really bad. The reason that you should never resolve a tense situation, like the above two examples, off screen, is that not only is it the one of the worst types of 'tell don't show' - it is almost as bad as the worf effect - but it disrespects the readers. More importantly, I feel, however, is that it disrespects yourself, your characters, and your world. They deserve better from you. They deserve character growth. They deserve resolution to their conflicts being seen by your audience. --- Editing done. I accidentally hit enter when I meant to shift + enter.
Plateworm
I don’t think she escaped into the void or she wouldn’t be there anymore. It’s more likely she completely erased her presence in reality using her void powers
RedFaux
This version is better indeed
joe obrien
ash put an elder of the voidmine family into an ent for senior Lee… why not again for Morgan?
Victor Mijares
Do feel like its rushed a bit. Like everything Elaine went though. Plus morrigan never actually gone against them. Seems to quick or out of character. Like, instead of killing, why not attach whatever binds them and move it over to an ent of the void. So if she dies, she goes to the ent Instead. Or have ash find a way to make a body for her, one that can get past the limit. Kaos proved it is doable.
NoLifeNeeded
Yeah, like others have said Morrigan was truthful if a bit mean when saying why Elaine will always have kids with void affinity but everyone blew up and attacked her instead of doing anything else. Make a body for her, offer the afterlife as an option, maybe make turning her into a tree a possibility to temporarily extend her life while ash figures out how to give her higher cultivation. Also the whole "you have a way with words but we wont talk about it" is usually a great gag but here it just felt off. I'd say to revisit other options for this chain of events.
Justenrules
Ash said in the past that he planned to eventually tell Morrigan about the second affinity method to bypass the star core limit for void cultivators. He clearly wasnt worried about removing her limit. This betrayal of her is our of nowhere and every character conveniently decided to act like Stella and forget every other method to resolve this.
Tejing
On another reread, I think I see the main issue: show, don't tell. You have Stella explaining how Morrigan doesn't actually care about Elaine, but that's telling, not showing. Even more so, it's Stella telling, when she isn't exactly the most reliable source. We've already learned to take her perspective with a grain of salt. Morrigan "looking detached" just isn't enough. She needs to *do* something that makes her real values crystal clear. Then the rest will make sense.
Tejing
This chapter was interesting, but... off. Morrigan ending up in Ash's afterlife might really be the best place for her, but the way this chapter (and last chapter) got to that point definitely doesn't seem to fit the characters. Morrigan has been helpful and fairly forthcoming this entire time. She even volunteered the information that set this chain of events off. Her taking over Elaine or her daughter is obviously something they can't allow to happen, but there was no short-term danger of that. They could have promised to find a different way for her to survive her death and left it at that for the moment. Or they could have offered her the whole afterlife thing as a voluntary option, and she might have taken it after some time to ponder the issue. She does seem to actually feel something for her daughter, she just wants to avoid her fate more than that. If offered another way, she might come around. Lots of less betrayal-y options that were just skipped right past without comment. Either Morrigan needs to prove that she's completely untrustworthy before they rip her to pieces, or they need to find a better way to deal with this. That's my opinion.
Justice League
This chapter was a surprise! And a little sad to me because Morrigan can’t help who and how she is. She is making the best of a bad situation, and had did the heart-breaking work of telling Elaine. She didn’t need to do that. It was an act of love and trust, I thought. Going to an afterlife isn’t a terrible consequence, but Morrigan wasn’t a Vincent Nightrose, breeding his offspring just to eat them eventually. Morrigan tried to be more loving. While not perfectly so, as a person who has seen abusive parenting I wouldn’t say she met that bar either. And Morrigan’s big betrayal of the children she “eats” is done reluctantly, much more like a “which bad fate would you like better?” Campfire game. We were expecting all that to be taken into account, and the great aberration that Khaos is to Morrigan to be a huge part of the answer. Morrigan could have a permanent solution in a Void Ent, always provided by Ashlock, and be in a pact with him (of some kind) that she will use her wit to forward the causes of Ashlock (though as more of a contractor than an employee, if you get my drift) and in exchange Ashlock provides a body, and if Ashlock can’t, she goes to his Afterlife to await when he can. :) This is what I was thinking of, but you have the plot in your mind and we are grateful for the work you put in, to create this family pleasure we enjoy.
Sargon Yami
Morrigan escaped into the void in which she is far stronger than just starcore. How did khaos bring her back? It was implied that in the void she is at the peak
Jacob Dayley
This whole fight felt a little out of left field for a climactic book end and I didn’t love it. I agree with another commenter that Stella instantly trying to kill an origin is just odd. I’m not sure how much souls grow with age but it is implied they do and her age is implied to be astronomically higher than anyone else’s present. It all felt a little too easy and rushed. Still enjoyed the chapter though think it could definitely use some work.
Admiralthrawnbar
Pretty sure they are the only ones with an afterlife to bind them too
Sargon Yami
If no one from even the first layer apear to be able to bind an origin how the hell did stella and kaida do it?
Kai
This chapter is really bad.
bobby2dreki
For the comments against killing Morrigan I think they might have missed one important point. From the moment Elaine gets to surpasse the star core realm, what is stopping Morrigan to commit suicide to finally escape her shackles? Like that is an horrible ticking time bomb to have laying around, of course they need to take action. Is how it was handled the best way? Who knows! But yes I do think the problem I just mentioned might not be clear enough for everyone.
Michael M
Im glad they finally got rid of her she has never been trustworthy and has done whatever she wants multiple times and was just always sus. Plus now she can be perma dead which I feel like she would want best of worlds. And also she was never much of a mother because she didnt actually give a shit about her kids they are just respawn points
Sebastian Lozano
Personally, I really disagreed with this chapter because Morrigan is offering new information willingly about something she cannot control. Whatever her motivation, her supposed allies and family immediately double cross her for attempting to be transparent,truthful, and forthright. furthermore, neither Ashlock nor Stella have a moment of self reflection where Ashlock thinks “I’d rather die than take Stella’s life. But would I rather be in eternal hell?” And Stella thinks “I would happily give my life to save Ash from eternal hell.” I don’t think any character has really acted out of character, but like… no one even mentioned trying to elongate Morrigan’s lifespan. It also feels ham fisted that the family dynamic is preserved when it is convenient: for the Nightshade family where Nox’s sister hated Nox for hundreds of years and then forgives her in one conversation while Elaine literally executed her entire family to save her mother and then betrays her after one conversation
Tucker Longstroth
I feel like Morrigan would look forward to a death not in the void? I think this chapter would flow better if someone suggests the idea, she waffles back and forth for a bit, then denies the chance out of habit and self preservation, then she is forced into the new afterlife.
Immortalloon
Quite enjoyed the chapter. Showing how Stella has power without wisdom. I hope she feels the consequences of her actions after dealing with Morrigan.
Josh
Looking forward to being able to say hello!
Victor DoUrden
So clearly the author hates this character. As the entire moral of the chapter is to not be honest or vulnerable around family and etcetera. This also kills the subplot of how her skin care routine was coming along.
InfernoDroid
I'm going to be brutally honest, it kinda just feels like you didn't know what to do with her character and just decided to get rid of her so you wouldn't have to worry about what to su with her anymore. (I know she'd go to Ash's afterlife, but let's be real, she'd get 1 or 2 more scenes, maybe be referenced a few times here and there, but honestly no longer be a real character anymore)
InfernoDroid
Honestly, I didn't like it at all, personally I hope he rewrites the entire seen, both from last chapter and this one
InfernoDroid
On the Author's note, I'm going to be honest, i really didn't like getting rid of Morrigan, she's a great great character as she doesn't have to bend to Ash's will, and currently it feels like too many beings have to with him only in the 9th layer. Honestly, I don't like any of the Morrigan having to have reincarnate into a family member. Tbh I don't like how any of this played out. I'd rather have her not have to reincarnate like that, to have seen khoas and decide to start "working" with Ash to escape the star core realm. Overall, I don't like killing her, or any origin off for a VERY long time. At this point, I think it should literally be impossible for the Aahfallen sect to manage this for ANY origin.
Someone
I have to say it shows Stella's violent side, Morrigan didn't betray them or anything they just didn't fully trust each other. The first time Ashlock used his weak sleep technique sounds a lot like what Morrigan went through in the void when she had no heirs, a never ending nightmare. I think they shouldn't have been so extreme with her. It feels like with Knox when she was a trader, Stella's violence there was stupid there when they chose to poison them from the start. It was just to start a stupid fight,. Like now, Morrigan would definitely do something in the grove of rebirth. They should have talked about it.
Nic Peacock
Alright theory time: I’m calling it the grand cycle theory because it suggests that the cycle exists as a step on an even larger cycle. We all know that is a cycle happening where the world tree grows through the 9 realms before being cut down by a crestfallen. We also know the origins existed in a pre-creation before the creation of the nine realms. And we have heard a legend of a time where all the Qi was held by one being and all of creation lived as mortals. And finally, we know the heavens like change but have a grudge against technology. So what if Ash’s role in the grand cycle is to consume all the qi in the nine realms and hell, bringing all the souls – especially the origin souls into his “afterlife.” This creates a mundane world similar to the one we live in. The mundane world eventually destroys itself through technology. Leaving the origins alone in a state of pre-creation. Desiring change the being who controls all the qi starts to share some with the origins, and from there, the nine realms are created anew. The cycle of the nine realms itself being a process to create the being that will role of the heavens. Assuming this theory was true Elder Lee would probably be the previous Ashlock and is the one who popped him out of the afterlife and said they feared eternity. And if Ashlock doesn’t break the grand cycle, he is faded to become the next Elder Lee.
Tryptic
One thing that is very unclear with the current chapter is what Maple means when he says "let me eat her." At first I thought he meant eat only her body, because they were just talking about binding her soul to the grove and him asking to eat her soul goes completely against what they just said. I think at a minimum, Ashlock or someone should demand clarification from Maple about what that will do and how it would help. The goal of every character in the scene changed when Maple said that line, but it changed in a sneaky way where nobody seemed to notice. Morrigan might, *might* have been convinced to let her soul be bound and still live out her current life, since she's looking at immortality whether she becomes Elaine or goes to the grove. Even if she thinks the grove will be destroyed when Ashlock dies, and she'll end up reincarnating anyway. But that's a chance for Ashlock to explain to an Origin that he's planning to break the cycle and stay alive permanently: we can learn how the Origins are likely to react. I think much of your reader base has been expecting Ashlock to rally all the Origins behind him in his revolution, which this chapter feels like it derails.
Tryptic
This is a really tough one. I think that Morrigan could be convinced to join Ashlock's grove through words alone, if given enough time. But the issue is being forced right now, so as the author you can kinda choose whether to go the violent or non-violent route.
joe obrien
On a side note can we get a breakdown of ash’s current skills / levels / and mutations.. so many have changed lately I’m not sure where we sit with them
Sam Hayman
I liked it but thinking back not sure it makes sense its a bit extreme and seems almost counter to the whole bring down the heavens thing. I would think a better way would be to use the origin of rebirth/system mixed with divinity, maybe the ent magic (not the new general) and void origin herself to create a new existence. If ash and system can get the void over the hurdle to that next stage then there’s some shenanigans they can do to push lil miss void origin over the end do she’s immortal
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
joe obrien
I saw more of a betrayal from the system rather than Morgan.. she can’t help the way the heavens make her reincarnate.. I just feel like Morgan was done dirty
joe obrien
I had liked the idea of Morgan taking over khoas as that would have given ash more control over morgan as his new general
Antonio Thompson
Another point I’ve been considering: isn’t the whole reason some of the Origins join together because Ashlock’s role is to break the cycle? If that’s the case, then it feels contradictory for him to simply kill them once they pose a threat. After all, their joining—and the cycle that spawns them—shouldn’t be seen as a problem in itself. Just my thoughts. Overall, still great work otherwise.
Owen Kaz
It's likely a continuity thing. The void doesn't fit in with the established order, and goes against the heavens, therefore as the voids incarnation they would be heavily affected by it. The fact that they cannot reach higher than star core barring (assumabley) very high level techniques manually assisting them means they inevitably get stuck in weaker bodies, as those at the higher levels likely have techniques themselves or those around them who can prevent the possession. She is likely doomed to the void only temporarily. As the potential to takeover other void beings exists, but she is far too weak to take over higher level individuals. And since humans don't get a void affinity naturally, they are incredibly rare We also don't know how becoming a beast would affect an Origin. It likely heavily affects the process of regaining their memories. Potentially even causing an infinite loops as they fail to regain themselves before the beast dies. The current body was certainly one of her previous daughters. The whole family was. She just probably considers herself a her and prefers it for manipulation purposes.
Warphole
I liked the direction this chapter took. Morrigan was the epitome of selfishness, to the point that no reasonable person could ever truly trust her. Personally, I think that kind of self-centered character is portrayed far more convincingly by the worldwalkers. They manage to be self-serving without feeling so over-the-top or implausible. I was also curious how the story would handle hostile origins, so it was satisfying to see that addressed.
Alex Shinall
Not a huge fan of this chapter tbh. What happen to Morrigan was brutal and came out of nowhere. I would rather there be another solution to Elaine's problem than throwing brutilizing Morrigan and throwing here soul into The Grove for eternity.
the duck guy
Would have been cool thow to know how she pleaded with morigan
Antonio Thompson
I feel like this risks wasting a good character. There’s so much potential in exploring their origins, their defined role, and the impact they could have on reality and the system they’re bound to. If the Tree can create its own reincarnation, it should naturally have the power to alter the cycle itself—granting different powers and abilities. If betrayal is meant to come, I’d hold it back for later when it could carry far more weight. For example, Ashlock could eventually devour all the Origins and ascend into something like the “Over-Origin”—a final, terrifying embodiment. That way, suspicion is preserved, but the arc builds toward a more satisfying payoff. As it stands, killing the character here feels like a waste. It isn’t really her fault, nor has she shown direct intent—it’s something forced upon her. That nuance should matter, and handled differently, her arc could be both more meaningful and more rewarding.
Ibram Gaunt
Thank you for the chapter. Wow morrigan shows her true colours… maybe she is so set in her believe that the cycle can’t be broken that she can not fathom the possibility of change. Maybe thats what ashlock is. The origin of change… his system the origin of rebirth and he the origin of change… that’s gonna be complicated…
Erik Tóth
Thanks for the chapter!
federico Camargo
This chapter answered one of my doubts about why Morrigan’s hair would turn pink and then go back to black. However, it feels somewhat unnatural how easily she was incapacitated, considering that when it is revealed she is an Origin, she carried Ash’s soul into the void where she apparently could exert her full power. It seems strange to me that she didn’t do the same here. "Does Morrigan always reincarnate as a woman? It feels strange to me, I always thought she would be reborn in a random form, and that for an Origin gender wouldn’t be something important. So, was the current body one of her daughters’?
Someone
A new book will be released!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plateworm
Tftc
SDCard
Thanks for the chapter! It's always nice seeing Stella so protective of the others.
StormTheSquid
It's because she's an origin, her supernova would probably be demi-divine despite being void affinity.
Alexey Gladkich
I am confused. How would Morrigan's Supernova be able to harm Ashlock? Isn't he immune to the void? The last two supernovae couldn't do anything to his soul.
Ethan Barrow
TFTC!! The system needs a good kick to the ass for that one.
Quentin Cozzi
Thanks for the chapter!
