Origin Seeker

Chapter 242: Portal

Gradually, the day for the portal to arrive approached. Sophia waited anxiously while Dream buried his nose in study. 

He solidified his theories about science. Ever since Dream touched the concepts of Ethereal Force and Physical Reality, he felt his understandings of physics and magic rise, especially when he actively studied them. It was like he could easily discover how they worked. This was definitely those concepts at play. 

Not only that, but they directly boosted his energy regeneration. This naturally meant his soul was stronger overall since it had to support such regeneration. Finally, when Dream looked at his mind space, he could faintly see two shimmering stars at the highest heights. These were the concepts he touched. They were the two tiny wisps he left as a mark on them. 

From these wisps came boundless power, but he wasn't sure how to tap into it. It was like a door he couldn't cross, forever teasing him with the temptations of what was inside. 

During this time of wait, Dream decided he could also help Sophia with his newfound knowledge. After the two worked together and integrated some new systems of information sorting and magical manipulation, Sophia was able to level up from level 74 to level 87. This caused Dream to shake his head. Sophia was amazingly profound, and she was harder to level up than manipulation skills. Dream assumed he would have to make a breakthrough in true information control in order to level her up more. 

With that, Dream continued to wait. Finally, the day of the portal came. Dream took out his pocket watch and waited those last several seconds that would determine if he would be stranded in deep space. 

When the clock struck 12 though, nothing happened. 2 more seconds passed, causing Dream to frown and Sophia to panic.

[We're done. We're gonna watch the heat death of the universe. You're never gonna see your wives again.]

"Since when did you get so nihilistic? That's my job. Just give it a bit. We're far enough to the point where it may not happen instantly."

Saying that, Dream continued to wait. 

5 seconds, 7 seconds, 10 seconds. 

Each second, Dream frowned more and more. Although he didn't know how long he had stayed in the chaotic void, it shouldn't have been that long otherwise he would be much farther. 

Had had a bad feeling.

"...Maybe my time dilation clock is wrong?"

[Don't say that! That would mean we're really screwed!]

"Let me che-"

*Woosh!*

Suddenly, as Dream was about to tear open his watch, he felt space twist in front of him. He froze as he saw a black vortex form in front of him.

[Haha! We're saved!]

Sophia cheered as the vortex stabilized. The portal worked! She wouldn't have to watch the heat death of the universe!

Dream also smiled. The next moment though, he checked his inventory. 

"Hm, It looks like the star is resting nicely. The pressure is still there, but it's at least not getting worse."

[Your power had been inhibited by about 45% just from having that star in you. Are you really going to be okay with that when you're entering the inner universe soon?]

"Yea, I think so. Worst case I just let it out when I need to."

[And destroy a world in the process.]

"Hey, if they push me to that point, then it's their loss. Now, let's go home."

Saying that, Dream stepped through the portal. He was wrapped up in space as he shot back into the chaotic void, shuttling back to Earth.

............

"Hah! I'm back!"

Several seconds later, Dream shot out of the portal. Behind him was the massive sun, but seeing its massive form, Dream was no longer impressed. The neutron star within him held about 50% more material than the sun. That meant that he held more material inside of him than the entire solar system combined. Of course, he couldn't extract much of this material, but that wasn't the point

"Well, I think it's safe to say that I understand more now than when I left here. It was a valuable experience."

[Yes. So let's never do that again.]

"Oh please, I know you had fun. Now let's go. We need to finalize the portal."

Dream sucked the portal into his inventory as he said that. While the neutron star took up 99% of his inventory space, there was still a small sliver that he could put items in. Something small like a portal could fit inside without difficulty. Only if he tried to do something like putting a planet in his inventory would there be problems. Otherwise, he could still carry around a good amount.

Dream was quick to return to Earth. It had only been a month since he left, and he was approaching the 10th year since he returned to Earth. 

Luna naturally noticed his arrival. Surprisingly though, she didn't notice his departure. Looking back, Dream hadn't felt any changes to their connection when he was shot off into deep space. It looked like even though he was so far away, the soul bond still held strong. 

Dream still recollected his little field trip to Luna though. Hearing what he did, she was stunned for a while. She then scolded his recklessness, telling him to remain in the solar system until he finished the portal. She didn't think there would come a day where she would have to actually ground Dream to the solar system. 

Dream agreed with a chuckle before flying to his borg cube and going to work on top of it. It was here that he finally broke apart the portal, reforming it to his needs and preparing the gateway to the inner universe. 

Like that, a few more months passed. During this time, the Earth continued to advance with leaps and bounds, enjoying a golden age unlike any throughout history. 

In these past couple years, Luna hadn't appeared much to the public at all, instead letting her subordinates take the stage and do everything for her. She became elusive, and this was in order to let Earth adapt to her lack of presence. It would have to manage itself without her there after all, so she needed to make sure it could. For a long time, Luna didn't talk to a single person or touch a single document. Everything was totally hands off, her appointed leaders taking her role. 

And she was pleased with their success. With the foundation she laid, everyone was able to continue to operate without her guidance. The gears of civilization kept turning under her autonomous systems. 

Now, she was just waiting. She and Alice both. Occasionally they would sit in Earth's orbit and stare at Dream's cube, specifically his figure that worked on top of it. They could see him reform and enchant the portal continuously, even breaking apart the bracelet and integrating it into the portal. Neither of them knew what he was doing, but they didn't doubt him. They wouldn't be able to understand the portal even if they worked on it for 10 years. 

Finally, the day came. As Luna and Alice watched their husband work, they were stunned as a tear suddenly opened in space behind the portal. This tear was several meters wide, enough to fit several people side by side. Without suspense, Dream flew into the portal, disappearing to who knows where.

Seeing this, the two were curious, but they waited patiently. Sure enough, Dream returned a few hours later, nodding to himself. He then turned to where Luna and Alice were sitting, waving them over. 

"So? How is it?"

Luna asked as they approached. Dream's response surprised her. 

"It's done."

"Done? Seriously?"

"Yup."

He nodded.

"I just need to input the coordinates, load it up with aether, and then we're good. Although, there's one problem I encountered just now."

"What problem? Is it a bad one?"

Luna asked worriedly. Dream shrugged.

"It's not absolutely horrible. Its effects at least won't show within a few billion miles. Basically, there's a deviation in the pathways when they're created. It places you near the exit, not on it."

"Well that's not good. Can it be fixed?"

"That's the problem. Since I'm not connecting to another anchor, I can only point us to our destination and fire. This would be fine across the span of a few light years, but we have to travel a lot farther than a few light years. I'm not sure exactly how far we need to go, but that deviation could take us a lot farther off target than we may want. Plus, I'm gonna have to create individual channels for each of us. Once we enter the portal, I'm not gonna have much power over each person's shuttle path since the chaotic void is still able to overpower me slightly. Especially over time."

Dream shook his head, laying out all the problems. He didn't like that this was an issue, but he had no other way to go about this. The portal didn't get an anchor. He would basically be shooting them all out of a canon and hoping they landed on target. 

Luna pondered for a bit. She was also concerned about this uncertainty, but at the same time, she was eager to move on. She weighed her desire to leave Earth and desire for certainty. 

"...I think we should try it anyway."

She eventually spoke. 

"We may get off target, but we'll at least be dumped in the inner universe. Regardless of whether we hit our target or not, I believe in your power. You'll be able to get us anywhere else we need to go, right?"

She nudged Dream with a smile as she said that. To that, Dream could only smile wryly. He had no idea what the inner universe was like, so how could he know if he could handle it?

But he did have confidence in his tunneling ability. Either way, he could transport himself and the girls anywhere they wanted with relative certainty. It might take a few tries, but he could do it. 

"Well, alright then. I guess we can be officially considered ready to go. The portal is ready whenever we want to use it. I suggest we settle anything we need to here."

"Of course! I'm already good to go, so it's just you. After you do what you need to, we can go see our families one last time before leaving. We may not see them for a long time."

"Right."

Dream nodded. He obviously couldn't leave without saying goodbye. 

............

From that day on, Dream and the girls did last minute preparations. The one with the most preparations was actually Dream. 

He had a list of things to do, but luckily they could all be done quickly. First, he and Sophia tapped into the AI's that ran everything from the space elevators to the borg cube. They set these AI's to continue operating, maintaining the supply of materials and machines as they have been for the past several years. They also input several contingencies for all kinds of different scenarios, making sure any unexpected situations could be handled. 

After that, Dream stocked up on various things, mainly his nanites and any highly advanced tech he had constructed. He immediately gave a ball of nanites to Alice, ensuring she could do the same as Luna and have a mobile workshop for any possible needs. He did the same for Iris as well, though this required him to wake her up and give her the news. 

Once Iris heard that the portal was ready, she instantly became lucid, her restrained urges flaring up. She wanted to rush over and enter it right that second, but Dream calmed her down, convincing her to wait just a little while longer. 

With that, he went with Luna and Alice to say their final goodbyes to their families. Dream's family had long been set up to live on the tree dome island where they enjoyed days of peace. However, when he went to announce his departure, he was bombarded by his sister.

"You're taking me with you!"

Melody didn't hesitate to rush at him with her sword, chopping at him with her demand. Dream only rolled his eyes, grabbing the sword and turning it into billions of particles that floated away with the wind. Melody was stunned, but quickly regained her fighting spirit. 

"You're gonna make me another one of those when we get to the inner universe!"

"..."

Dream was silent as he gazed at his sister. She was only two years younger than him. They were very close, and because of this Dream was worried. Not just whether or not she could handle the inner universe, but if she could handle the ride there. 

All this time, Melody hadn't advanced in level much. She was still around level 320. However, after so many years of fighting demons, they became nothing to her. At that time, Melody had gone to Luna and found people to fight with her. By now, she had fought every class 4 in the world at least once, and several of them had fought her hundreds of times. She constantly battled, constantly improving her skill. And when she wanted a true battle, Dream had constructed robots that could push her to her utmost limits. 

After such comprehensive training for so long, Melody had sharpened her skill to the utmost. Dream's bots had pushed her to refine absolutely every aspect of her combat. Speed, strength, magic, stamina, defense, and combat sense. The bots forced her to develop everything, and Luna was usually there to give pointers. At Melody's power level, there was nobody that could beat her in skill. She was definitely cut out for this kind of life, a life of combat.

Because of this, Dream knew she had stagnated. She was being held back by her level, and that could only increase if she found strong enemies to gain experience from. 

Only he could bring her to a place with those enemies.

Melody saw Dream thinking and didn't disturb him. She did continue to glare at him though, ready to punch out with all her might if he said something she didn't like. 

"...Fine."

"Really?!"

Hearing that one word, Melody brightened up like never before. Dream nodded with a serious face.

"Mm. But you're doing everything I say and not leaving my sight. The forces I'm tampering with are not something you can handle. Make a mistake, and you'll be annihilated. Understood?"

"Yes! Haha, I'll see you later mom!"

Melody cheered as she ran over to their mother and gave her a hug. Seeing this, Dream's mother could only chuckle. She could no longer make decisions for them or give them advice. Their power had far exceeded anything she understood. Plus, they were adults. They could make their own decisions, and she knew that they would take care of each other. 

"You two just be careful. And be sure to return when you get the chance. I'd like to see my children at least occasionally."

"Of course! Alright, it's time to go. We finally get to fight some real enemies! I'm sick of those stupid robots."

Melody murmured to herself as she packed some bags and loaded them into her inventory. Dream continued to say goodbye to his father and brothers before eventually taking Melody with him to the portal. 

Upon arrival, he could see Luna, Iris, and Alice standing there. With him and Melody, that made it 5 people going through the portal. 

"Alright, listen close."

Dream spoke as he touched the portal.

"I'm going to be making 5 channels for each of us. When each of us steps through the portal, we'll be covered in a stable bubble of space. Each bubble will hold a set of coordinates that will guide you through the chaotic void. Just a note, if those coordinates are worn down by the void, then you'll be tossed aimlessly through the void. A mere few seconds can send you tens of thousands of light-years away. I wouldn't be surprised if this ride lasts at least a day, so do be sure to not let anything happen to your space bubble or coordinates. Anyway, I've prepared suits for you all that will deploy if anything happens. They contain an extra supply of aether that will keep you safe until you at least get ejected from the void. Take them and we can get started."

Saying that, Dream tossed four spheres to each of the girls. The spheres hit each person's hands before covering their bodies like a liquid. Then, they disappeared as they formed into an invisible barrier of space around each person. This was one of Dream's contingencies. He would obviously prepare for the worst. 

"Alright. The portal is already loaded up. This is your last chance to do anything you need to."

Dream warned as he activated the portal. It rapidly swirled as a spatial vortex was formed, piercing into the chaotic void and tearing open a hole. Everyone watched the void be torn open as they thought about anything last minute. However, since they were all transcendents who had strong minds, there was no way they would forget anything. Everyone shook their head. 

"We're ready."

"Very well then. Oh, one more thing. Melody, take this."

Suddenly, Dream sent out a small bracelet. Melody put out her hand, letting it slip over her wrist and tighten around her forearm. After that, she felt a searing pain in her soul as the bracelet sunk into her, forming a black tattoo. 

"What's this?"

Melody asked as the pain subsided. The black tattoo had designs with stars on it. This was Dream's signature cosmic image, only it left a mark on her soul so it couldn't be ordinary. 

"It's a piece of my soul. It's a watered down version of my soul bond with those three. If anything happens, I'll be able to track you with it. I don't need you getting stranded in deep space forever."

"Right. Thanks."

Melody nodded, thankful that her brother thought of this. She was the weakest here, and if she were ejected early she would have to float among nothingness until she died. Nobody would find her unless it were by some miracle. With a piece of Dream's soul with her though, he would be able to find her no matter where she was. It was a very comforting assurance.

"Then let's go."

Saying that, Dream linked up to everyone. Luna, Iris, Alice, and Melody all watched as he pulled them into the portal at the same time. 

Meanwhile, there was one person watching this from afar. The Archangel Giros watched as Dream disappeared into the portal. The portal shut down not long after, sitting idly in its place. 

"So it's finally time."

Giros smiled before raising his hand. There was a device in it, the one he had given Dream many years ago. When this device was activated, it would call on Giros and let him know that he could open the gates for Earth. 

Dream had activated this. Not long before he left, he had given a message to Giros that he could finally expose Earth to the inner universe. Dream hadn't activated it until the last moment since he was going to leave Earth by his own power. Now, he had left, and in doing so he had passed the torch to Giros. 

Giros nodded before turning and disappearing. A few days later, shockwaves shook the Earth as the mighty gates of heaven were opened, finally connecting the distant Earth to the inner universe. 

.........

Meanwhile, after entering the portal, each of the girls felt their bodies be covered in a layer of elusive space. This space was incredibly stable, almost excessively so. They found it difficult to move their own bodies because the space around them was so locked down. As Dream warned though, they didn't do anything to combat this. For the sake of safety, they let themselves be constrained. 

After that, everyone watched as they were shot through an endless darkness. This darkness attempted to penetrate into their stable bubble of space, chipping away at it in an attempt to tear it apart. The destructive power behind this darkness was oppressive, making them feel fear even from behind the shields of space. 

At the same time, each bubble of space glowed with a special set of coordinates. It was these coordinates that forced them in a certain direction in the chaotic void. 

None of them could feel a sense of direction though. They felt like ships navigating a stormy sea, barely keeping afloat among the chaos. Their sense of time was also skewed. It was extremely disorienting. 

Dream kept an eye on everyone as they shuttled side by side. A minute passed quickly, causing Dream to sigh at the astronomical distance they had to travel. He knew that it would take a lot of power to resist the void for so long, so he especially prepared such airtight bubbles of space. 

However, as time passed, he began to grow with worry. Unlike what he thought, they had to travel for far more than a day. Dream saw his pocket watch tick past the 3 day mark. It was at this point that the void began infiltrating deeper into everyone's bubbles. It wanted to annihilate the set of coordinates and destroy everyone's souls. 

Everyone saw this and began to panic, especially Melody. She was at the mercy of her bubble's strength. 

As for Luna, she was actually able to reinforce her bubble. She used her strong and orderly power to reinforce the space around her. As for Alice, she seemed to become illusory, almost disappearing from the senses of the void. It lightened up on her, slowing the destruction. 

However, there was one that was in the worst position. Dream watched as Iris's bubble let in the power of the void. In fact, Iris was welcoming it. She smiled as those tendrils of chaos sought to tear her body apart. 

Dream tapped into his connection with Iris. 

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Dream! This power is annihilation!"

"Don't let it in. If your bubble breaks down, you'll be ejected from the tunnel."

"You know, that might not be such a bad thing."

Iris spoke ominously. Dream frowned.

Truthfully, Dream had ensured that Iris's bubble was the strongest. That was because her powers naturally disturbed everything, even space. If she wanted to, she could tear apart space with her power of annihilation. And she didn't have total control over her power. It naturally seeped out. This led to her bubble deteriorating quickly. Dream didn't know how much farther they had to go, but he was thinking she might not make it. 

It didn't seem like she minded it though. 

"Retract your power! That bubble needs to last as long as possible!"

Dream raised his voice. Hearing his seriousness, Iris sighed and withheld her power. The bubble's deterioration slowed, and the next moment, the suit Dream gave her manifested, reinforcing the bubble. 

With that, she was safe. Dream shook his head, turning his attention to Melody and making sure she was safe. 

Like this, they continued on for another 5 days.