Deciding to take a break, Maximus and his family left the Source of Knowledge for a vacation.
With no burdens on their minds, they returned to the Etherium Realm, blending with nature as they relaxed.
Sitting by a blue lake, feeling the breeze as the trees swayed, the chirping of birds, and the splashing of water made them feel alive again.
"The sky is so blue..." Maximus murmured, looking up.
"Indeed, everything is beautiful when you forget everything," Hazel sighed.
To completely rest, they even sealed their powers down to that of mortals.
Seeing the world with blurry clarity, untouched by laws and the chains of the realms, was an otherworldly experience.
Although many powerhouses see mortals as ignorant weaklings, to them, it was the purest way to experience life. It was a way to witness the essence of the world.
The essence of the world is not its fundamental laws or how it cycles, but its most natural composition, a beauty that only mortal eyes can truly see.
Forgetting everything about the dark beasts, the laws, the Source of Knowledge, and their path, they began to enjoy their vacation in the most primitive state.
"Come, the food is ready. Let's eat..."
Meanwhile, at the Source of Knowledge, Atlas was left alone.
"Master is really a demon..."
Left behind to merge the Path of Will with the Source of Knowledge, Atlas felt tired just thinking about it.
Although his path was forged from the same source, because he had been gone for so long, he now had to slowly guide his Path of Will to adapt to the Source of Knowledge once more.
With the speed of its adaptation, it would take a few thousand years for his path to fully merge with the Source of Knowledge.
"I hope Master still remembers his promise..."
Focused on their rest, Maximus and his family began touring the Aeon Plane.
Their first stop was the Etherium Realm.
Although most of it was already familiar, the familiarity brought a nostalgia that calmed their hearts.
Seeing familiar faces, friends, and family, it seemed they had come back from the past.
After a quick tour of the Etherium Realm, they returned to the inner void of the Aeon Plane, visiting its most beautiful places.
They went to the spots where they once dated, the restaurant where they used to eat, and the park where they used to play.
Taking their time and walking slowly, a sense of liveliness returned to their faces.
"We should do this more often."
"That's right, Father. I didn't expect so much to have changed here."
"Still, it's just as beautiful as ever..."
"I wonder what happened to our old spot."
Remembering the days when they played around and shopped without a care in the world, they couldn't help but smile.
Unfortunately, because of the appearance of the dark disaster, they were forced to take up arms and focus all their attention on defending the Aeon Plane.
"Don't worry. From now on, whenever you feel tired, feel free to rest. If not, we'll take a vacation every now and then," Maximus promised.
Having reached such a high tier, they had begun to forget their roots, always facing forward without looking back.
Although it made them efficient, it also numbed their hearts.
Life isn't just about what's ahead, but also about what was left behind.
Even if looking back wastes a little time, it gives fuel to keep moving forward.
A few thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
As smiles returned to their faces, time seemed to slip away. Happy moments seemed to never last long.
Sensing the Source of Knowledge begin to boil, they came to a stop.
"It's time to go back. That kid must have finished merging the Path of Will with the Source of Knowledge."
"But why is it reacting so violently? It's just another path merging with the Source of Knowledge."
They had experience merging different Seeds of Path and many other things into the Source of Knowledge; they knew it shouldn't have such a large reaction.
Yet, feeling the boiling energy from so far away, they couldn't help but doubt their senses.
"It should be the Source of Will..." Maximus smiled.
"The Source of Will? How could a path create a source on its own?"
Atlas's path was forged from the Source of Knowledge, which meant it didn't have an original source of its own.
However, hearing the words from their father, it seemed Atlas had successfully given birth to a new source for his path.
"This is indeed unique. When I have time, I'll see if I can recreate it."
The paths of his family were still rootless, without any true source.
If he could study how to create one, not only would they grow stronger, but it would also lead the Source of Knowledge to evolve.
"Then… what happens when two sources merge?"
This was the first time such a thing had ever occurred in the Aeon Plane.
A source is a unique amalgamation of the origin of laws. Logically, merging them should only result in a massive explosion.
"Don't worry. There shouldn't be a problem." Maximus reassured them after noticing their concern.
Before Atlas began merging the Path of Will, Maximus had already deduced it would be safe.
Otherwise, how could he relax on vacation knowing someone was planting a bomb in his own house?
"Let's go back and see for ourselves..."
Also curious about the reaction of the Source of Knowledge, his family followed Maximus back to the Etherium Void Region.
Heading straight toward the Source of Knowledge, they finally witnessed how the two sources were merging.
One was like an endless sun, too vast to see in its entirety. The other was a small sphere of light, slowly sinking into the larger one.
Yet instead of being consumed into nothingness, the small ball of light began to blaze even brighter, pushing back against the massive sun that threatened to devour it.
Unfortunately, the Source of Knowledge was simply too immense and powerful.
Although the Source of Will tried to resist and assert dominance, it couldn't overpower its counterpart.
With Atlas even deliberately guiding the process, the Source of Will was thoroughly suppressed.
Watching the two sources struggle and clash, inspiration suddenly surged in their minds.
Taking advantage of the moment, Maximus focused intently, hoping to glimpse the process of how a source of law could be artificially created.
Using all the plane origins in his possession to support his understanding, knowledge began to flow into his mind.
Immersed in deep concentration, they silently observed as the Source of Knowledge and the Source of Will slowly merged into one.