Death... and me

"So, simply put, the damage in the Universe's Foundation was a foreseen outcome. It was the result of the destruction of the Extinction Sphere," Gem concluded the answer to the first question.

"Now, your second question. Why did the Universe get split in half as a result?" Gem thought about the past as he recounted the events. "Because I was forced to initiate the Severing Formations Array ahead of time, I wasn't able to control its power as well as I intended. As you know, the formation was going to split the Yin and yang energies inside the Extinction Sphere. With that, they wouldn't be able to complement each other anymore."

"Unfortunately, because I couldn't control the power of the formation, the split of the Extinction Sphere's energy didn't go as planned. Both energies inside it went chaotic instead of dissipating, and the result was the Universe Split. The foundation of the Universe was hit by that, and the power of the Yin and Yang worked as the two forces that separated the two parts."

Roan understood. "One half had the energies necessary for cultivation, while the other half didn't. Everything has its counterpart in the Universe, so this separation was basically one being the counterpart of the other. One you can cultivate, the other you can't."

Gem nodded in response. "It's quite simple in the end, don't you think?" From there, Gem entered the third question. "Now, about how the Soul Gem System came to life. The reason behind it is its connection with the Universe's Sentience. I needed something capable of growing strong enough to fix the Universe's damage and unite both sides. Naturally, the only thing I had the confidence of being capable of such a thing was the Control Orb."

"That also brings me to Rean's fourth question. Since my soul was damaged after the Universe separation, how did I work on the plan to reunite it? The point is that I didn't fall into a slumber straight away. Have you noticed the Orb's two main energies?"

Rean and Roan nodded. "Yin and Yang, obviously."

Gem continued from there. "That's correct. The Control Orb had the power to split the Yin and Yang energy inside the Extinction Sphere. However, the Control Orb did not have these energies itself. What I did was absorb some of the Extinction Sphere's purest Yin and Yang Energy to keep myself awake."

"In the process, the Control Orb ended up gaining its properties as a result. That was a very good outcome, though. That allowed me to devise a reunion plan for the two sides of the Universe. Since it was the Yin and Yang power of the Extinction Sphere that caused the Universe separation, naturally, it could be used to fix it."

"That's where you two come in. Your soul's connection to the other side will allow the Soul Gem Orb to connect with the Yin and Yang energies there. The System was a byproduct of my plan for this reunion. Being integrated with the Control Orb allowed me to understand many secrets of the Universe, and especially the destiny attached to it. That said, I used the Extinction Sphere's energy that kept my soul awake to create the System."

"Once it was complete, I sent the Soul Gem orb to the other side. Because the Orb had both the Yin and Yang energies used for the separation of the Universe, it had the power to traverse between both sides. It couldn't be used as a link, but it was good enough to be used to find someone capable of that."

"Wait!" Rean immediately stopped Gem there. "Does that mean we could use the Soul Gem Orb to go back to the other side of the Universe?"

Gem laughed in response. "Hahaha! That's correct! It can indeed be used to bring you two to the other side. Not only that, but you will need to go back there once you try to reunite both sides." Of course, Gem also understood what Rean and Roan were thinking. "It's just that you are too weak to do that now, just like me. Two conditions have to be fulfilled before the Soul Gem System can be used to traverse to the other side. First, my soul has to recover at least 80% or more. The second is that you need to at least reach the Divinity Realm."

Rean couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "It's basically as if you had said no."

Gem shrugged his shoulders. "Don't blame me. Back then, the remaining energy of the Extinction Sphere was used to send the Soul Gem Orb to the other side and bring you here. As a result, it was completely spent, and my soul finally fell into a deep slumber. I don't even know what happened between the Universe's Separation and the time I sent the Orb to the other side. All the energy I had I used to devise this Unification Plan, so I didn't see the outcome of that calamity on this side."

Gem finally finished his explanations. "So, with that, I have now answered all your previous questions. Is there anything else you want to know before I go back to sleep?"

"Master!" Sesame immediately intervened. "What about me?"

Gem shook his head. "There isn't much that can be done about you, Sesame. While your soul is still attached to this place, you can't go anywhere else."

Sesame obviously didn't seem very happy. "That's so unfair..."

Rean then looked at Sesame and had a thought. "By the way, Gem, is Sesame really a cat? I mean, a real cat from back on Earth?"

Gem shook his head again. "Of course not! First of all, Sesame is definitely much older than your planet Earth itself. How could it be a cat from there? He isn't a cat at all. It's just a coincidence. Sesame is part of an extremely rare race called the Pixiu."

"Pixiu?" Rean had heard that name somewhere before. "The Pixiu I remember from the stories back on Earth didn't look like a cat at all."

Gem didn't find it surprising. "They don't really have a fixed form. In Sesame's case, he simply looks like a cat from your world. It's that simple."

"I see..." Rean nodded, not putting too much thought into it.