"From now on, you shall be known as my descendant." A bright new light fell on the sli from the Creation Goddess's palm.
She solemnly declared, "Giliberu was the na of one who carried the burden of goblins… From this mont onward, you shall be known as Averon Elian. Stand as the foundation, not as fla. Endure longer than light."
[ Ding! You have been renad to Averon Elian {Permanently Embedded} ]
"Sli#47, and Giliberu can be taken down…" The young sli grinned. "Averon, finally a good na."
[ Ding! You are blessed by the Creation Goddess! ]
[ Ding! You acquired the bloodline inheritance of the Creation Goddess! ]
"This…" Averon's smile almost reached his ears. "Since bloodline inheritance stops at the Granter's level… This bloodline holds monstrous potential."
After all, he had received the power of the Creation Goddess—how could he not be happy?
The Creation Goddess gently glanced at him as he smiled.
He muttered, "So now everything's worked out fine… at the end."
His future self flashed in his mind as he mused. 'Did he also have the sa na?'
The Creation Goddess sighed, reading his mind. "No, he doesn't. He was nad by Remora, not by ."
"Wait, Remora. Why and how?" Averon asked, frowning.
"Ti began to change when you acquired Soul Chronicle from your future self," the Creation Goddess explained softly. "And your future self didn't have that kind of advantage."
Her tone grew heavy as she continued, "His soul essence kept dropping low and low. Soon, he lost his mories. During the Trial of Order, he led goblins like you—"
"Wait. Did he lose control?" Averon asked, cutting her.
"No," Creation Goddess shook her head. "Despite losing mories and soul essence leaking, he managed to keep his body in control and did penance successfully."
"To whom did he pray?" the young sli asked bitterly. "What did he wish for?"
Creation Goddess didn't reply, just stood silent for a mont.
'It should… healing soul,' he mused bitterly. 'He'd lost his mories after all… and in that situation even I wouldn't be so willing to wish for others.'
"Yes, indeed,… and prayed to like you," the Creation Goddess confird, nodding her head gently. "After more than a hundred years of penance, he forgot who he was. He had only one goal—he rembered nothing but healing his soul."
She sighed, "He prayed without knowing why he started praying. He chanted without rembering his own na. I healed his soul… but not his heart."
"So it was that route I would have gone," Averon muttered, clenching his fist. His throat was dry, his voice shaken a bit.
"Yes. That was your actual path," the Creation Goddess said, with soft eyes on young sli.
Young Sli clenched his fists, his eyes turned dim. 'I need to help my future self as well…. Long list of goals, which I don't know whether I can complete.'
After a few monts, the Creation Goddess said sharply, "You are impatient. You rush. You grab the nearest solution. And then you wonder why it burns you."
She continued with a stern glare, "And your future self is what impatience becos. You are here because he changed the past… but he had no one."
The young sli's core beat a little faster, recalling how he was warned by that shadow lady who took 30% of his soul essence.
Averon nodded solemnly. "Yes, I will rember your warning."
He clenched his fist and thought, grinding his teeth. 'If the Ti God hadn't placed that sealed artifact near , none of this would have happened… my future self wouldn't have suffered… and neither would I.'
"No, it's not Ti God's fault," the Creation Goddess said, shaking her head gently.
"Why isn't it Ti God's fault?" the young sli questioned, as his voice rose, "If Ti God didn't see the future and place the sealed artifact near for saving the world, I wouldn't have picked it."
"Yes. Ti God did place it near you because of saving the world, but there are a few versions of you who didn't use it," the Creation Goddess said. "Instead, you kept looping."
"What? Didn't use it?" the young sli asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes. In certain versions, instead of using it, you looped and defeated the sealed artifacts in the Ruins City Lunxia cleanly," the Creation Goddess said softly.
"Then what about future tilines where Vael had destroyed the world that Ti God had seen?" the young sli asked, his mind racing.
"Actually, the fusion of the sealed artifact and your souls wasn't Ti God's actual plan," the Creation Goddess said with a deep sigh.
Her voice reached the entire dinsion, and for a mont blue light stopped.
Averon's core trembled as he took a few steps back. "For real?"
"Yes. Only after, unknowingly, yours and the sealed artifact's souls had half-fused. He wanted to get to a tiline where both of your souls fully fused... But you remain intact, with part of your personality," the Creation Goddess said.
With a deep breath, she continued bitterly. "Averon in that tiline, you managed to stall them… the unholy ones."
"He wanted to get to that tiline only after our souls had half-fused." Young sli clenched his fists. "So it's Ti God who saved … that repetition in that nothingness?"
"Yes, Ti God saved you," Creation Goddess nodded.
Averon turned silent, as gentle blue energy kept the dinsion bright.
He asked, "Then why didn't Vael's soul and mine fully fuse? Why did it stop midway?"
The Creation Goddess replied, "Because of her…"
"Her?" the young sli muttered, tilting his head in confusion.
"You will know her in the future," the Creation Goddess said, cutting him off.
"Then what did Ti God actually plan?" the sli asked, raising his brows. "And wait, I only stalled them… unholy ones?"
"The fusion of your soul and the sealed artifact's soul was just one of many tilines," the Creation Goddess said. "And Ti God's actual plan..."
A little later—
"A version of mine succeeded with that!" Averon yelled, his voice cracking.
The Creation Goddess nodded, glaring at him softly. "Yes, it was the actual plan of saving the world from sealed artifact Vael. But that version of you took many loops to try this thod out—and succeeded."
Averon fell to his knees. He slamd the ground. Thud! Thud! "Damn it. Damn it. I didn't know that kind of thod existed."
Every shortcut. Every ti he thought he was clever.
"So, it's not Ti-God's fault…Only yours!" the Creation Goddess sighed.
"You were never forced," she continued, her voice no longer soft, "You chose the faster blade every ti. You chose pain over patience. And then you blad fate."
She scolded, "Do not accuse others for wounds you carved yourself."
Those words shook Averon. His core jolted.
"If you had kept looping, you would have found it out," the Creation Goddess said, her eyes narrowing.
Averon bit his lips.
He kept slamming the ground.
The Creation Goddess patted Averon's back, who was still in quadruped position.
"If you were beyond saving, I would have remained silent," She said, softer now, "And that is why I am speaking to you—not condemning you."
The young sli felt his mind calm. As her palm patted him on the back. His eyes let out emotion with just a few drops of tears.
With a deep breath, he announced, "I'll make sure not to take quick routes from now on."
A silence spread across the dinsion, with a gentle smile from Creation Goddess.
Averon stood up, determined.
He mused, 'But if I try to loop, I will lose a version of Mama Sli and others. And even that world would be destroyed.'
He couldn't let it happen since Saint King Haruka's world still flashed in his mind.
"Actually…" Creation Goddess explained, raising her brows.
A few monts later—
She said, "Right now, your soul is covered by the ancient combat style mark. So your soul essence stopped leaking. You can continue to loop until the barrier stays intact over your soul."
She ordered sharply, "Now keep doing what you did in the beginning…. use loops."
"Yes, I'll use loops to my advantage and won't hesitate to use them," Averon nodded firmly.
"And about stalling unholy ones…" He asked, since Creation Goddess still didn't answer this.
"In that tiline… the only tiline where Vael's soul and yours completely fused, you actually managed to stall and hold against Unholy Lord," Creation Goddess said, her voice low.
"I did…" Averon sighed. "But it seems that tiline is gone."
Creation Goddess's energy flickered for a mont. "But only for a few monts and in all other tilines you have failed… and that thod I told you was only to save the world from Vael, not from all unholy creatures."
Averon took a deep breath. "So, still no hope visible?"
"Do not think you are hopeless," she added quietly, "If you were, I would not have nad you."
"None on a large scale," she continued, "However—"
Young sli cut in, with bright eyes. "What is it?"
"The authority," she said, glaring at Averon's core.
[ Ding! Eternal Mastery has devoured all your faith! ]
A notification suddenly flashed in Averon's vision.
Reviews
All reviews (0)