What he saw was certainly not what he was expecting.
Though Nonexistence was always removed from living beings, its form was humanoid. Its desire to be recognized by the people of the world made it take a form that they would sympathize with.
Existence was different. It was recognized regardless of what form it took, and as it had no such desire to change its position, it never took a single defined form.
Damien's eyes landed on what could be considered a monstrosity. It was a combination of everything in the world. In one sense, it was a massive chimera of all that existed, a gruesome entity that was difficult to lay eyes on. In another sense, it was a being with no definite form that constantly shifted between the different aspects of Existence.
Sometimes it was fire, sometimes it was darkness. Sometimes it was a dragon, and sometimes it was nothing more than a single atom. It remained in this space that was also a manifestation of its form. As for why this space existed…?
Perhaps it didn't. Perhaps it was created for the sole purpose of giving Damien a chance, which was why Existence was unable to find a proper form for itself.
Or was it just indifferent?
Damien stood in that space with it, but it didn't acknowledge his presence in the slightest.
'I can't sense a hint of emotion from it.'
It had every emotion in its being as even they were a part of Existence, but it never displayed them on its own. It did not have its own feelings. How was Damien supposed to approach such an entity? None of his life experiences thus far taught him about an event one.
He didn't know when the last time he felt so overwhelmed by any being or concept was. It had been long enough that the feeling was new again. For a moment, it interfered with his thoughts, making him stand in sheer awe in front of Existence itself.
He wasn't able to easily exit that state on his own. He only regained his senses when he felt a slight push on his back.
He turned around, but there was nothing there. Only the wide expanse that was this strange and formless realm.
Considering the location, there were only two things capable of interacting with him. One was the Existence in front of him, and the other…
'...so their relationship was never a hostile one.'
While the two concepts opposed each other naturally, they thrived in their harmony. Nonexistence was jealous of many of Existence's blessings, but it knew that the concept was valuable and didn't want it to change.
After all, its wish was never to replace Existence, but to be valued at the same level. It wanted to stand equal to its twin.
If that desire held any malice, then Damien would have sensed it. In this moment, he could feel Nonexistence's desire clearly. It did not want to benefit on its own. As it had submitted to him and trusted him with its wish, it wanted him to help Existence reach a similar state.
'They're like real siblings.' Damien thought to himself.
He felt as if Nonexistence was telling him that Existence still wanted to feel the emotions that it could. Only, it never had a sense of self. It needed Damien to help it attain that.
'Right, it displayed curiosity when I approached, didn't it?'
If curiosity was the first emotion it ever felt, then it would obviously want to understand how the rest felt as well.
'Am I…really interacting with the greatest concepts of all right now?'
It was hard to imagine that the thoughts he was having pertained to the concept of Existence itself. It felt more like he was trying to deal with an emotional teenager.
'It's odd, isn't it?'
Had anybody else experienced this? If they had, then they weren't here, so Damien had to ask himself the question.
It seemed was more of the perspective that an Absolute had. There was no distinction between concepts or people or nonliving things. They all had their own pulses and expressions. Damien stood in a position where he could view them all without bias. Existence was no different from anyone or anything else. In order to teach it how to express itself and develop a sense of self, did he really have to do anything that he hadn't already done?
Damien had raised children in the past. Not just August, but Zara and Xue'er before him as well. He had experience in teaching, and if he took away all of his biases and viewed Existence as nothing more than what it truly was, the task at hand became much less daunting.
'This is basically a confirmation of what I began to wonder when I met Grand Heavens Boundary.'
Just as humans were jealous of the vastness of the universe, the universe was in awe of the numerosity of existences within it.
He approached carefully, getting closer to the ever-changing chimera of Existence. It noticed his presence. He could feel its weight on his shoulders as it observed him.
However, he did not show fear. This pressure was natural, not intentional. He refused to treat the concept differently just because of its innate power.
Eventually, he stood right next to it, looking up at its form. Slowly, he raised his hand and touched it for the first time.
Existence itself flinched, confused. Damien's warm hand was not something unknown to it. As he touched it, it saw the moments in Existence that converged with his actions.
Countless mothers and fathers brushing their children's hair, holding them close so they felt secure. These images were familiar as they were experiences that transcended race and species. Almost all living beings showed this kind of affection for their young.
But it felt different.
It was transmitted the emotions of both the parent and the child in that scenario, but it couldn't relate to those emotions at all. What it felt when Damien put it in the same situation was a subtle sense of discomfort and fear.
When the emotions it was meant to be feeling were so joyous, why did its own body feel fear?
Damien felt it too, but he wasn't discouraged. He removed his hand and spoke to the concept for the first time.
"You felt fear because all of this is unknown to you."
He knew that Existence could understand him, so he spoke to it without prejudice. His role was that of a teacher. Without worrying about his own ambitions, he was to teach Existence how to process the emotions it felt and differentiate them from the emotions of others. As for what it decided to do when it was finished learning…?
Damien naturally hoped that it would act according to his wishes, but he wasn't going to groom it for that purpose.
Nonexistence asked him sincerely to help its sibling, so that was what he came to do.
In the short time that he'd been here, Damien's mentality changed immensely. He viewed the situation in a way that nobody else could replicate.
But, then again, wasn't that the reason why he gained such an opportunity in the first place?
Existence and Nonexistence were concepts that changed along with the changes in the people, worlds, cosmos, and realities. Amidst all of that change, Damien was the only one who came along and gave them the chance to form their own independence and security. They only had the ability to think and process like humans because Damien viewed them without bias.
So, it was only natural that Existence would be willing to meet him.
And it was only natural that his endeavors in this specific aspect would always go his way.