NOVEL WEB Chapter 634: Wall of Divide
Max was utterly stunned as he stepped out of the Void Shuttle, his boots pressing against the clouds that, somehow, felt as solid as any stone pathway back in the Lower Domain.
He turned slowly, taking in the sight once more—the majestic floating city hovering in the sky, supported not by visible pillars or mountains but by massive, ever-spinning runes that glowed faintly beneath the surface, like celestial gears turning in silence.
"This is magical!" he muttered aloud, his voice barely more than a whisper as awe overwhelmed him.
"It certainly is," Aria replied with a gentle smile, clearly amused by his reaction. She had seen this reaction from many first-timers, but Max's wonder still brought a flicker of pride to her eyes.
Max furrowed his brows, trying to piece things together. "Wait… is the Middle Domain in the sky or something?" The confusion in his tone was genuine.
From what he'd experienced, they had ascended through layer upon layer of clouds, then suddenly arrived at this seemingly divine stronghold. To him, it almost felt like they were nearing outer space. "So are we just going higher and higher?"
"That's not it," Aria said as she disembarked from the shuttle, the fabric of her clothes flowing with the ethereal breeze. Her tone shifted into something more thoughtful as she explained, "Our world—Acaris—is actually hollow from within. At least, that's what the oldest records and legends suggest. From the outside, in what we call the starry sky, it appears like a star, just one among countless others twinkling in the darkness. But the truth is, we don't live on the outside surface of a world. We live inside it."
She turned to him as her boots touched down gently on the cloud-surface, which offered no hint of instability—only a firm, warm solidity, as if it were made of condensed essence rather than water vapor. "No one's ever gone beyond to the starry sky or even confirmed what's truly out there. The starry sky is unreachable. But what we do know is that within Acaris, from the Lower Domain to the Middle Domain, everything is layered like chambers inside a grand shell—connected by pathways, dimensions, and forces far beyond common comprehension."
Max fell into deep thought as he stood there, eyes scanning the ethereal city built on clouds, gears, and mystery. The idea that their world was hollow, an inverted shell of endless realms stacked upon each other, stirred something within him—an instinctive desire to explore it all. Every layer. Every secret.
"What do you mean by hollow?" Max asked, his voice low but steady, a hint of curiosity pressing behind his words. He had his own theories swirling in his mind, vague outlines of something far bigger than he'd imagined, but he needed to hear it from her. He needed to confirm if the world he thought he understood was, in fact, far more complex.
Aria smiled softly, her expression a mix of knowledge and awe. "We don't know the exact shape of our planet, but what we do know is that Acaris is a hollow world. We live inside it. The entire structure is like a vast shell, and within that shell are realms layered in immense divisions."
She motioned toward the endless expanse of cloud and glowing runes beneath their feet. "What we're standing on right now is the Wall of Divide. It separates the whole inner world into two halves. Think of our world as a hollow sphere, and this wall acts like a flat barrier bisecting it. Below the Wall of Divide lies the Lower Domain, and above it… the Middle Domain."
Her gaze lingered on Max's face, letting the truth sink in before continuing. "Of course, the wall doesn't cut the sphere evenly. The Middle Domain is massive—countless times larger than the Lower Domain."
Max's eyes widened as the weight of her explanation hit him. That meant everything he had ever known—every sky he looked up at, every peak he'd climbed—was still inside a closed shell. They weren't living on the world… but inside it. Like ants in a glass sphere, oblivious to the outside.
"So, we're basically living in a sealed box," he muttered, his voice touched with disbelief. "No knowledge of what lies beyond."
"I understand," Max finally said with a slow nod, the awe never leaving his eyes. "That means, as long as I keep going upward from the Lower Domain, I'll eventually reach the Middle Domain?"
"Yes," Aria said. "In theory. But as you now know, only through certain paths—like the guardians' routes or the Forsaken Wilds—can that be achieved."
But there was still one question burning in Max's mind, the kind that clings to you even in dreams. "You mentioned no one can go to outer space. So, when someone flies too high in the Middle Domain, do they eventually reach another wall? A roof? A shell? Something that marks the edge of the world?"
Aria's smile dimmed. "No one knows for sure. No one's ever seen the true roof of Acaris. But the highest recorded point—the so-called Heaven's Edge—is protected by an unknown force. Anyone who dares get close to it is slammed to the ground by an invisible pressure. Some survive, barely. Most don't. And those who return never try again."
Max fell silent, letting the truth of her words sink deep into his bones. So that was why the people of the Lower Domain remained confined, their eyes forever turned upward but their wings clipped by ignorance.
The only path they knew—the Forsaken Wilds—was a death sentence for most. That's why so few ever crossed to the next realm. Not because they were unworthy… but because they didn't even know how.
"Alright, let's get you to the Middle Domain," Aria said, her tone casual as she turned and began walking toward the heart of the floating city.
But Max, still trying to piece everything together, quickly called out, "Wait, wait!" He caught up with her and asked with clear confusion in his voice, "Wouldn't it be possible to just keep flying upward and eventually reach the Middle Domain that way?"
Aria turned around and gave a small nod, confirming his guess. "You're right. If someone were to keep ascending high enough, they would indeed break through the Wall of Divide and enter the Middle Domain."
But then her expression turned serious, her eyes sharp with warning. "But there's a catch. Doing that—crossing the barrier without authorization—would immediately trigger the guardian network here in the Wall of Divide. Anyone who breaches it, whether coming down from the Middle Domain or ascending from the Lower Domain, is considered a potential threat. The guardians stationed here will be alerted instantly, and they won't hesitate to hunt you down. Even if you don't mean harm, they'll treat you as a hostile infiltrator."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle before continuing. "That's why there's a safer way. Every guardian outpost in the Wall of Divide maintains an ancient system of records—those who are authorized to travel freely between the domains. Once you're officially registered and given passage rights, you can move between the Lower and Middle Domains without being flagged as a danger. Your presence will be recognized, and you'll be protected under guardian protocol instead of pursued by it."
She gestured toward the towering structures ahead, runes glowing faintly along their surfaces. "We're heading there now—to have your name, your aura, and your identity added to the guardian records. Once that's done, you'll be acknowledged as someone who belongs to both realms."
Max fell silent for a moment, digesting it all. It wasn't just about strength anymore. In this world, access and recognition could be more powerful than brute force. And if he wanted to move freely between domains in the future—then he had to take this step. Properly, officially.