Chapter 1260: Goal Of The Garden Project

Following the sisters, Shiro could see that this realm was bland. It was simplistic and lacked any form of decoration aside from a few flowers that had been planted by the side of the road.

It seemed like there were just the sisters and the mother living in this area but Shiro didn't know if there were more people outside of this compound.

As they approached a small building, Shiro noticed that there was a stairway leading to the basement. The carvings on the walls didn't match any architecture that she was familiar with and even had runic symbols that looked more traditional than the ones she knows now.

'I suppose it's the original runes, ones that got simplified down and had their potency reduced so people could use them.' Shiro theorised as this house was a trove of knowledge.

While she was still unable to find the truth of tier 10, her runic knowledge had already increased by leaps and bounds.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairway, Shiro could see a single woman standing in front of a hovering orb. She wore a long, elegant dress that didn't show a single bit of skin. The dress had a flowing skirt that seemed to have a life of its own as it fluttered softly despite having no wind in the basement. Black hair that faded into white streaks and a pair of grey eyes.

Despite never seeing her before, Shiro instinctively felt that she was Chaos. A strange familiarity yet so foreign at the same time. Her identity as the First Born knows her, but as Shiro, she did not.

"Ah, you two are finally here." Chaos smiled softly while turning back to the sister.

"Yep!" 'Aria' nodded proudly as 'Shiro' put away her book.

"Aria said that you were finished with the garden project? Aren't there plenty of flowers in the garden already?" 'Shiro' asked, causing Chaos to chuckle at the notion.

"No, the Garden Project isn't for flowers dear. Come, have a look." Chaos beckoned them over as she presented a floating orb to them.

The orb was a miniature model of a planet filled with continents that Shiro has never seen before.

"You two know that at the start of everything, there was me. And from me, the two of you appeared. The others soon followed but we governed concepts and laws of reality. If we are the rules, for whom do we bind?" Chaos asked as the two shook their heads, not knowing the answer.

"I believe we are created to govern reality so people may enjoy the fruits of our labour."

Flicking her wrist, the orb expanded rapidly as all three of them landed on the plant's surface and watched as people started to appear and develop the world. Generations flickered by with each second and new advancements blinked through the world's lifetime.

"No matter what happens, people always appear. And without proper laws governing the world, they die and the world ends. Just like how you like reading your books, and how Aria likes planting more flowers, my innate desire is to foster life into the universe. And I want nothing more than to provide a perfect world for them." Chaos smiled softly as she looked upon the world with tenderness.

"I want to grace them with the creativity of mana, the chance to ascend and evolve if they wish. But in doing so, it'll lead to the world itself being unable to contain them." Chaos sighed as she waved her hand.

As mana began pouring into the world, cracks started to form and eventually the planet fell apart.

"The Garden Project is a sequence of events that will temper the world to accept such powers. So that even the strongest being will not be able to destabilize the worlds."

Hearing this, 'Shiro' tapped her chin a few times before opening her mouth.

"But why do we need them to be stronger? Surely if you provide them with a paradise they'll have no reason to pursue more." 'Shiro' frowned as Chaos shook her head.

"They are innately curious creatures, ever searching for more. You cannot stop that, if you do they'll cease to function. Whatever they desire to attain, I will give them a path towards their dream. They only need to have the resolve to tread upon such a path.

"When the project begins, millions of worlds will begin their course. Each cycle will learn from the past and improve upon itself until a perfect garden to host all life is created. We will give the chosen individuals a higher form of power to assist the worlds in taking their course." Chaos explained as 'Shiro' nodded her head in understanding.

"Then I guess you want me and Aria to help you with these cycles."

"Yes, Aria will be responsible for creating more cycles and building upon the knowledge gained from the past. While I need you to help me regulate the number of cycles currently active. I don't want you to terminate them before their due course though… I want them to enjoy what they have first."

"Oh! When do we start?" Aria asked as she was excited thinking about the life she was going to create. She wanted to give them all the blessings she could imagine so that they may enjoy their life to their fullest.

"We will begin tomorrow. I want to take this time to make sure everything is okay before we begin."

As the two sisters left the basement, Chaos turned back to her worktable and glanced at the book on the side. It was a device that will document and store every single test result accumulated from the cycles and help make an informed decision on how the next cycle should progress until a perfect garden is found. But there were still flaws within the design so she wanted to sort that out before gifting this book to her oldest daughter.

Hovering in the air, Shiro was silent.

If everything she heard was correct, the Garden project is what caused the cycles and it's still happening right now. Aria was meant to create more worlds while Shiro was meant to destroy them if they got out of hand.

'Seems like she had already thought of the concept of Admins through taking talented individuals from different cycles. I haven't heard any mention of Order yet so I suppose she'll be created when the Garden Project starts.' Shiro thought to herself as she wanted to explore this place some more but the simulation had already switched.

Understanding what Error is like, there was most likely nothing else to be found in that moment.

Adjusting her eyes, Shiro could see that they were back in the main courtyard with 'Shiro' practicing for her role. She was currently manipulating mana to find a 'good' way to end a cycle without too much pain.

"Hmm.. no this won't do. It'll cause them too much pain, Aria wouldn't like it." 'Shiro' muttered as she thought of 'Aria's' happiness when she created new life.

Flicking her wrists, several magic circles appeared as she continued to simulate ways on how she could terminate the cycles peacefully.

Observing the magic circles, Shiro understood that they were a more primordial form of tier 9 magic circles. This version of Shiro was essentially brute forcing a tier 9 magic circle through sheer divinity and power.

Despite its inefficiency, it was strangely mesmerising watching the way 'Shiro' manipulated the mana.

Suddenly, her trance was broken when Chaos arrived as she quickly sat up straight.

"Did I forget something?" 'Shiro' asked curiously as Chaos shook her head.

"No, I just wanted to ask your opinion on the garden project. I know your sister is excited about it since she's similar to me. She loves bringing life to this world. She took after that aspect of me while you understand the reality of too much excess is bad. I just wanted to hear your thoughts." Chaos smiled as 'Shiro' fell silent.

Thinking about it deeply for a moment, she sighed and scratched her hair.

"I… Am not sure about how I feel about the project. I'm not against bringing life to this world. But in the end… it's still me who has to take them away." 'Shiro' smiled bitterly thinking about how many worlds she'll need to terminate.

Hearing this, Chaos patted her head and gave her a deep hug.

"Though a foreign concept to us, life and death is part of the cycle for these ephemeral beings. They are born into the world and shine as bright as they can before disappearing. Some shine brighter and bring change while others surround them." Chaos explained as 'Shiro' sighed and nodded her head.

"I know… And it's my role as the destroyer to regulate life in this world. If I'm not around, sister will get too excited and bring too much life." 'Shiro' chuckled.

"That's true, your sister doesn't know how to show restraint. How about this, I'll set aside a cycle for you so that you may see why life and death is important for these beings and why your job is just as important as your sisters to bring about balance. I will delay the project for another day so you can sort through your thoughts, okay?"

Hearing this, 'Shiro' nodded her head eagerly as was curious about how these fleeting lifeforms lived their lives. Aria on the other hand was more infatuated with the act of bringing them in than what they do.