In the next room,
Instead of revisiting visions of his past, as expected, the scene ahead of Aether changed, revealing glimpses of his future.
He saw the people he loved—their faces, their lives—leaving him, dying one by one before his very eyes.
[If you think you can handle your past… then let’s see how well you handle the future~]
Yet,
“Hmm, so she dies like that?” he muttered thoughtfully, as though taking notes. “Noted.” He continued studying the scenes with a serious expression, “I’ll need to deal with Aqualina a little more carefully… she’s trickier than I thought.
And for Helena, looks like I’ll need to put in some extra work there.
Delphine… well, she can see the future, so it’d be smart to let her in on the secret before giving her a child…. Ahah.
As for Stella, oh? She’s acting differently—must be because I told her about the mission and… the future changed? Interesting…
And then there’s Aria… Interesting. She’s okay with the others but trying to kill them behind my back… Not bad for a Mommy Yandere, Haha” he mused, clearly entertained by the possibilities.
Aether wore an amused expression, noting each potential future with a mix of calculation and curiosity.
[…]
Aether turned his attention back to the floating words and asked with a playful smirk, “So, any more potential women I should be aware of? You know, I’d like to prepare in advance.”
[…]
The words froze in the air as if processing the absurdity of what they just heard. Then,
[WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!! YOUR LOVED ONES WERE DYING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, AND YOU’RE ACTING LIKE YOU DON’T EVEN CARE!!]
[….. Do you truly love them?]
Aether narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone becoming flat, “Of course I love them. That’s why I’m taking notes of future possibilities. Planning ahead, you know? Having too many women… it’s a challenge, but one hell of a fun one too~”
[…]
The words hesitated as if they had stumbled upon something deeply wrong with Aether’s mindset.
“Anyway…” Aether then glanced at the vision where his loved ones lay dying. He took a deep breath and looked down at his hand, noticing a slight tremor, subtle but undeniable. ‘The fear still lingers, huh?’ he mused internally before his gaze returned to the floating words.
He let out a dry chuckle, provocation clear in his voice, “Oh? Is that really the best you’ve got? I was expecting something a little more intense.
Here I was thinking you’d put me through some complicated, twisted game, and this is all? A simple, pathetic attempt?”
The words hovered in the air, seemingly at a loss, before they began to disintegrate into fine white particles, swirling around him like an ethereal tornado.
“Hmm? A new trick, I see?” Aether remarked, his curiosity piqued as he watched the particles whirl around him.
Then with a soft,
Ssshhhh
They dispersed.
Aether raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden change in scenery.
He found himself standing in a vast, serene landscape.
‘This is new,’ Aether thought, frowning as he glanced around. The lush green with bright blue sky scenery stretched as far as the eye could see, “This looks very similar to the—”
“Origin Pillars, right?”
Aether’s body stiffened at the sound of the voice. It was unmistakable… the voice of the Mother.
‘How is this possible?’ Aether’s brow furrowed as he slowly turned toward the towering circular pillars, his eyes landing on a figure seated in the middle.
A woman shrouded in a glowing white light.
“It’s been a while… Aether,” she spoke with a calm yet authoritative tone that echoed throughout the vast sky.
Aether instinctively rubbed his ears, feeling like his eardrums were on the verge of bursting from the sheer power of her voice.
“Oh? Looks like I need to tone it down for a mere H##### being,” she added with amusement lacing her words, lowering her voice enough for Aether to no longer worry about his hearing.
Aether exhaled deeply, trying to regain his composure as he stepped closer to the Origin Pillars. His voice dripped with sarcastic politeness, “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this sudden visit, Your Grace?” He tried to look at her directly but could only make out her long, slender black leg, as the rest of her body remained concealed by the blinding white light.
“Hmm? Aether, I can feel your anger, your bitterness. You can’t hide that from me.” Her voice softened, “Your little act won’t work on a God.”
Aether sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. Shaking his head, he muttered, “So, Ms. God, tell me, why would someone as high and mighty as yourself bother to visit a ‘lowly’ being like me?”
“Hmm… I can sense that narcissistic tone of yours.” Her voice was laced with annoyance, “But no matter. I’ve been observing your peculiar actions over the past month… Something’s off, Aether… It seems you’ve used your bloodline ability, haven’t you?”
Aether tried so hard to control his emotions to not slip away and yet,
“I see,” she said, her voice tinged with satisfaction. She nodded slightly… Just the smallest flicker in his eyes was enough.
She was a God!
“Sigh…” She exhaled deeply, “Aether, I know we despise each other—it’s as amusing as it is unbelievable that a mortal and a God could share such mutual hatred. But before you jump to conclusions and blindly believe her or… ‘them’,” her tone sharpened, laced with warning, “I want you to listen to what I have to say.”
‘This just keeps getting more interesting…’ Aether thought, folding his arms across his chest. He motioned with his hand, his expression indifferent, “Go on, then.”
Though the Mother Goddess was visibly irked by Aether’s casual, almost disrespectful manner, she maintained her composure, “The world,” she began, “is governed by balance—an equilibrium no one is allowed to disrupt. This balance has been the foundation of all existence for eons, far beyond mortal’s understanding.”
“For every death, there is life… And for every life, there is a death.”
Aether’s brow furrowed.
“You, Aether—or rather, the boy once called Ether—had only two distinct possible futures,” she continued, her voice calm, “One where you were chosen by the Arcane, a path of unimaginable power.”
Aether’s mind flashed back to that critical moment, the memory of nearly being chosen by the Arcane still fresh.
She continued, “And the other… was Death… Death by your beloved Grandmother! Those were the only two options for your fate.
There was no third path, no other possibilities… until he intervened.”
“Mortimer Frostblade,” she said, her voice tinged with distaste, “That man did what no one could have predicted. He forged a new reality by capturing you, creating an entirely new possibility, a fate that diverged from the truth.”
With a wave of her hand, the lush green surroundings melted away, replaced by a void-like universe….. Millions of stars glittered, connected by faint, shimmering lines that crisscrossed endlessly.
“These,” she gestured, “are the branches of every timeline, every possibility.”
Aether’s eyes widened in awe, his expression one of genuine surprise, “Wow… It’s… beautiful,” he whispered, almost reverently.
“Believe me,” she said, amused by his reaction, “it’s not.”
She pointed to a specific line, where a path seemed to reach a pinnacle, “That,” she explained, “was Ether’s original timeline. The culmination of everything,
The Beginning
. But…”
With a snap of her fingers, that single point splintered, multiplying into countless divergent branches…. The once orderly timeline fractured into a chaotic web!!
“It’s become so… messed up, hasn’t it?” Her tone was filled with annoyance.
Aether, still staring at the intricate display of timelines, nodded slowly, “Yeah… it’s a complete mess,” he muttered, all while ignoring the urgent notifications flashing in his Log.
!~Ding~!
[Do not listen to her]
!~Ding~!
[Exit now!!]
!~Ding~!
[She will kill you!!]
!~Ding~!
[She is manipulating you!!]
…
…..
The warnings kept flooding his Log, but Aether’s focus remained locked on the intricate tangle of timelines before him.
“It’s not over yet,” she said ominously, snapping her fingers once more. A particular branch zoomed in, revealing Ether being bound by an eternal slave contract.
“This was the second mistake—created by the same family. Another unpredictable reality no one foresaw!” she continued, her voice growing darker. With another snap, she revealed more timelines, expecting them to branch off further. But instead…
“Fuck… it’s beyond repair,” Aether whispered, his eyes widening in shock. What lay before him wasn’t just a few disjointed branches—it was a colossal web of timelines, interconnected, flowing in all directions, looping and tangling like endless threads, each twisting into the other.
The timelines had become so warped that the new branches wrapped back onto themselves like a chaotic mass of snakes devouring their own tails, twisting tighter and tighter, until finally…
It all collapsed into a single… thick….. straight line!!
Aether stared in disbelief, “One line… Only one,” he muttered, astonished by the sight.
“Indeed The One and only…. Timeline” She mumbled while staring at Aether intently.