Ocean Kindling saw the world's fundamental flaw.
So, in his own era, He gambled His fate and His life, venturing into the darkness beyond the world to seek an answer to the problem—and a future path for the lives within this world.
So, the question was:
Why did Ocean Kindling go beyond the world to seek answers?
Ocean Kindling of the past had actually given Rogue the answer to that question as well. (See Chapter 980 for details.)
Among the messages Ocean Kindling had passed on to him, one fact had been stated from the very beginning.
The First Fire—came from the darkness!
There was no doubting the power of the First Fire, the source of it all, the being that had created all source essence, Kindling, Ashes, and the Burning World.
That was why Ocean Kindling had gone searching in the darkness beyond the world, rather than anywhere else.
It was clear that Ocean Kindling had already been considering this possibility back then.
That was why He had said, "Do what I want to do and what I must do."
He had set His sights on the origin of the First Fire.
He wanted to investigate and discover just where the First Fire's immense power had come from.
And He had found it.
The answer to the First Fire's strength—
was "dark" within "gathering without releasing"!
Yes, the First Fire had initially been a part of "dark." This did not merely refer to darkness, but to a form of existence.
As "dark," it only gathered energy and did not release it.
And beyond the darkness, there was no concept of time.
Thus, dark would keep accumulating energy.
Until certain "accidents," such as the First Fire, were born.
The First Fire had undoubtedly drawn tremendous energy from this process without