Damien prepared to leave without telling anyone. He rarely made contact with the people of the island, though that first woman and the Elder would visit him from time to time.
They never gave him their names, which made it obvious that they wanted to maintain distance as well. It was likely because they knew that he was going to leave the island soon, so they didn't want to get attached.
Nevertheless, those two had helped Damien immensely during his stay here, so he at least wanted to do something for them as well.
He first approached the Elder. He was a quiet man, but also quite considerate. He was the one who showed Damien the most care. Perhaps it was because he viewed everyone here as his grandchildren, but his attitude was unexpectedly warm.
He helped Damien establish his privacy, and every once in a while, he'd bring with him gifts of incense or other similar objects to help Damien calm his mind for training.
The Elder wasn't someone he could directly help. If he tried, he would be refused.
Then, to help him discreetly…
The Elder was content with what he had. His people were happy and they had everything they wanted. If they wanted more, they could just manifest it on their own.
How was Damien to help him?
The most he could do was support the Elder's wish for peace. He didn't want people to come to this island to meaninglessly die anymore.
'Hmm…the island's structure can't be changed, but…'
If more people paid attention to the rituals, then perhaps there would be a change in the death rate.
Damien subtly interfered with the island itself. Through his connection with Nonexistence, he influenced the atmosphere in such a way that those who arrived here would feel more inclined to listen to its population.
He wasn't going to influence their decisions entirely, but he made it so that it was more appealing to follow the Elder and his people for just a few moments than to jump straight into the waters of nothingness.
Essentially, he eliminated the rush that clouded most people's judgements, allowing them to rationally consider their options.
Perhaps his aid would go unnoticed and nothing would change. Perhaps the rituals would eventually become commonplace and more Supremes would rise from the ashes.
Whatever the case, there was no way to know until much later.
Damien did bid the Elder farewell, returning to him a gift before going to find that woman.
She was interesting. Though she was content with her life on the island, she had more of a desire to leave than others. It wasn't enough to be called ambition, but it was still something.
When Damien found her, the offer he made was simple.
"Do you want to leave this island?"
If he aided her in her journey through the waters of nothingness, she would clear the trial with ease. As someone who'd submerged himself multiple times in the past few years, he could confidently assure that.
She believed it as well. Watching him felt like watching the growth of a beast. He relentlessly pushed himself to get stronger, and the results were clear enough. Someone like him could absolutely give her freedom from this boring life.
Was she prepared to take it?
This was the first time she truly considered the possibility of escaping this realm.
And the main emotion she felt radiated so deeply that Damien could sense it from a mile away.
Pure fear of the world she didn't know.
"I apologize, but I will have to reject your offer."
She came to a conclusion quickly.
This was her home now. It had been her home for millions of years at the very least. After such a long time, what would it feel like to return to the very moment from when she left?
Everything would be unfamiliar. She hardly remembered her previous life. Rather than going back to people who still cared about her that she didn't know anymore and a world that knew her but was unfamiliar to her eyes, she preferred to remain in this situation.
She was content. That was enough. She didn't strive for anything more, despite the dreams that occasionally plagued her. Damien looked into her eyes and read her emotions. She was feeling something he never took the time to consider.
Right, he had barely been here for a few years. For most people, it had been eons. How would he feel about returning if he had been here for millions of years, building relationships with people who also could not return to their own worlds?
To them, their old families and friends were distant and painful memories. Their current environments had become their reality. 'I can't agree with it, but I can accept it.'
He knew that he would never lose his desire to return home. Time didn't change anything about that. However, these people's lives were different from his. They made their own choices and followed paths that were right for them.
In the end, he accepted her feelings and offered her a more material gift. After all, the changes he made to the island could be considered a gift to both her and the Elder. Once people stopped dying so frequently, he didn't doubt that both of them would be much happier.
He bid her farewell, never learning her name even at the very end, and walked to the shore of the island.
The time had come to move on. Unlike the people who resolved to live their lives in this realm, he had no hesitation in his heart.
With a single step, a step that was so much lighter for him than them, he crossed into his final hurdle.
Damien sighed in admiration.
'...it's definitely the coolest one.'
The beach he stood on was the only undeveloped part of the land he could see. Everything else was a sprawling metroplex of unbelievable proportions. 'But that also means that there are more people here than anywhere else.'
Right, this was the final roadblock before escape. The other islands may have consumed large amounts of experts, but this one was their true grave.
After all, the task on this island was a nightmare for most.
'Simply put, it's about purity.'
To reach a level of purity in one's Nonexistence that met the realm's standards was the only goal. Once that goal was met, the light of Nonexistence would return them to whence they came, ending their time in this realm.
Wrong. To Damien, it was a task of extreme simplicity. From the beginning, he had been focused on keeping his Nonexistence pure. Though it didn't meet the island's standard, his starting point was high.
For most, this island was the worst possible place to be.
Because most of the people in this realm absorbed its energy to grow.
Their entire journeys over the past four islands were devalued, because along the way, they ruined their chances to graduate from the fifth island.
The Graveyard of Supremes was this island's nickname.
But, in reality, it was their greatest helper thus far.
Damien knew this from the moment he saw that the task was purification. He went straight into the first city he saw without a single pause in his steps.
'Finally, the end is in sight.'