POV Isida Pendragon.
As Isida Pendragon, the Queen governing the Meteor Stream cosmic sector in the Twilight Zone Galaxy, I often ponder the concept of time and its profound philosophical meaning.
Time is an intangible form of energy and force, governing the flow of Existence and Nonexistence. It holds both beauty and mystery within itself, functioning as the engine, the driving force of all prime elements, including itself.
It is still unusual to realize that time is the primary cause of the formation of the Universe and that it possesses its own paradoxical nature.
It is an eternal river carrying us through the moments of our lives, a constant reminder of the impermanence of all things. The more I delve into this enigmatic notion, the more I understand that time is not merely a linear progression but rather a vast interconnected web of possibilities.
In my quest to comprehend the essence of time, I have come to the belief that it is not an absolute, unchanging entity but a fluid and dynamic structure. It bends and warps around us, shaping the events of our lives and influencing the course of history.
Time firmly bound mortals within its limits, but only I possess the ability to shape destiny in my own way.
Speaking of unique abilities, I cannot overlook my power to control time. Although my fantastical and profound form of magic has its limitations, it sets me apart from others, allowing me to peer into the intricate fabric of temporal reality.
I have been told that my superpower is nothing more than a legend, concocted to inspire young cultivators. But I assure you, it is no myth.
A hundred thousand years ago, as we rose to the Star Galaxy rank, my two sisters and I faced a difficult choice: to obediently follow our father's wishes regarding marriage or to fight for our own destinies.
I was not frightened by the prospect of becoming the wife of some old cultivator without a chance of finding true love. What frightened me and my sisters was the fact that we would no longer be able to be together. Each of us was supposed to have her own betrothed to secure as much political and material benefit as possible for our father.
We made a complex and incredibly foolish decision – to fight for our freedom. As a result, we all perished at the first attempt, but in the next moment, I realized that time had turned back to the moment of our deaths.
After countless attempts and unwavering dedication, my two sisters, Syrma and Niks, and I managed to defeat our fearsome father, a cultivator of the Supercluster Galaxy rank.
I never told my sisters how many trials it took to achieve a positive result. Unlike me, they did not remember the failed attempts.
To be honest, in certain attempts, before the battle with our father, instead of preparing and explaining the situation to Syrma and Niks, I simply buried my face in a pillow and wept bitterly, then turned back time. And so it went on and on: sometimes I would destroy my room out of anger, and at other times, I would scream into the air out of the injustice of life.
This was a challenging task for my psyche and mental composition. It seemed to me an impossible feat. I persevered for the sake of my sisters, whom I love to death. I could not give up, as all efforts would have been in vain.
My ability had a distinguishing feature, which became decisive in our liberation from our father's clutches. Despite the constant deaths, my experience and energy in the Vial Soul accumulated, allowing me to learn and form new Stars around the Soul, bypassing "present" time. I did not become physically stronger, but my spirit was uplifted.
Ascending rank by rank, I firmly established the Ninth Star Galaxy level, and together, we shattered the barrier that separated us from the Supercluster Galaxy realm. And yes, our victory was surreal, as there is the Cluster Galaxy rank between these two ranks.
Our victory did not come without a price, including our first encounter with Femiarta. But her visit and our future friendship served as evidence of the boundless potential embedded in each of the sisters. In the Limbo dimension, we also met the infamous Morena, who was then a weak girl.
For a hundred thousand years now, the Universe reveres us as pioneers, overcoming the barriers of what was deemed unattainable. Our journey serves as a beacon of hope for young cultivators, encouraging them to strive for greatness and surpass the limitations imposed upon them.
Having mastered time, I realized that the knowledge of Magic of Primary Elements grants boundless possibilities. With every moment, I am filled with the desire to use these potentials because within the ebb and flow of time lies the canvas on which we paint the masterpiece of our lives. Indeed, history is not only read, it is also written.
— Who is that? — I whispered, sensing an immense power resonating.
Someone was breaking through the barrier into the dimension of "Chrono." As long as I can remember, I have always sat here in solitude, contemplating philosophical matters, indulging in self-pleasure, or reminiscing about the past.
Unfortunately, the joint experiment with my sisters failed, and my daughter Aludra did not inherit my unique abilities.
Then who is breaking into this lonely dimension?
I focused my gaze on the source of the destructive energy that was literally tearing a hole into my dimension.
After tracking a small planet I was already familiar with, I exclaimed in shock, — Nephew?
A second after my exclamation, young Thanatos appeared here, calling out into the void, — Where am I? Where is Nemesis?
Happily smiling, I unconsciously murmured, — Unbelievable... this is unbelievable! Have we succeeded?
...
Slightly earlier.
Nemesis POV.
While Thanatos and Spica were racing toward the laboratory, Agatha's squad fought desperately against the Spider-Weavers' horde that caught us off guard.
It was not hard to guess that they were Spider-Weavers. They came either for Thanatos or the entire Pendragon family. There could be no other explanation.
I took on the strongest of them while my cultivator combat units helped fend off the uninvited guests from Limbo.
Amidst the chaos of battle, I bravely fought with my squad to save Agatha's soldiers from the ruthless attack of the Spider-Weavers.
The many-legged enemies advanced with terrifying precision, and among them stood the formidable Arachne Queen named Proserpina. She was a creature of immense power and cunning, as well as Alcyone's younger sister, who serves Femiarta.
When the clash of swords, explosions of energy pulses, and the hissing of webs filled the air, I locked eyes with Proserpina, who taunted me with a venomous grin.
I spat in her direction, — What do you want from our family? Why have you come to this pitiful planet?
— Ah, Nemesis, the weakest of the Pendragons, — sneered the Arachne Queen, her voice oozing with detestable arrogance, — You and your pathetic slaves have no chance against us, the Spider-Weavers, who serve the greater good of the Universe. Oh, by the way, where is your precious Thanatos? He is nothing but your puppet, unworthy of being called a living being. You spawned an abominable heresy!
I restrained myself from recklessly lunging at Proserpina. I exhaled and retorted with sharp sarcasm, — I thought you served your Goddess Femiarta. Is she not as important as the preservation of the Universe?
She hissed, raising her spider-like limbs from her back, ready to strike, — Shut your filthy mouth! Do not dare utter her name! I've always hated your family, which took away all the time I could spend with our Mistress.
As we slowly walked along the edge of the forest, parallel to each other, I surreptitiously placed gas mines underground while engaging in a conversation with Femiarta's puppet, — Ha-ha-ha, so you're envious, huh? You should have said so earlier. I'll send you some dildos from the Galaxy ruled by succubi. Your one-sided love for the Goddess must have driven you mad, and it won't hurt you to indulge in self-pleasure.
— You will die for insulting my beloved Goddess, — Proserpina coldly whispered.
— Really? — I smirked, expecting Niks to watch over my safety.
Proserpina understood my intention from my smirk, so she brought me down from the sky to the ground.
— Do you think Niks knows about the Spider-Weavers on this planet? Femiarta gave me an artifact that envelops this planet in an absolute mantle of Reality energy. Your mother now sees an illusion and has no idea that today she will lose both her children and her niece.
I started to get nervous as I looked at Proserpina's wand. It was an artifact beyond my comprehension. It was beyond rainbow rare.
Femiarta has very powerful followers! Proserpina is not just an Aharna and a dark elf; she possesses three types of energy: Chaos, Void, and Darkness. Compared to her, my control over gases is nothing. Besides, I am of the Ninth Dwarf Galaxy rank, while Queen Arachne holds the title of the First Star Galaxy. Although the difference is roughly ten thousand "Stars," she operates on a completely different level.
I was mature enough not to pay attention to insults from loved ones. I had to muster my resolve and engage in a deadly duel with Proserpina.
"Aren't you even flinching? Well, I'll rejoice in my victory when you're in deep despair, and your soul is devoured!" Proserpina roared, enveloping me in darkness.
I took out balls of compressed gases from my spatial ring and began releasing them, countering her energy attacks. Once, I could only control the air, but now I fully manipulated the gaseous state of substances and elements - the Gases.
Our duel became a demonstration of immense power and mastery. The forest around us trembled from the concentrated strikes, driving away any wildlife or stray monsters.
Despite my many years of experience, I gradually lost strength in my struggle against the relentless Queen Arachne.
Meanwhile, our squads of young cultivators fought bravely, but they were gradually overwhelmed by the overwhelming numbers and ferocity of the spider-like creatures.
All I could do was to hold back Proserpina, who hurled clusters of Chaos at me and tried to ensnare me in void traps scattered on the ground. Only thanks to my countless supplies of various gas combinations, I successfully defended myself.
But this couldn't go on forever.
If I am cut off from my family, I can only rely on myself. It seemed like the moment had come to show my true worth, to demonstrate the true power of a cultivator!
I took out my combat black-and-blue attire from my spatial ring, put on enhancing amulets on my belt, and erected an aerial shield that repelled another surge of mixed energy.
Next, I pulled out my beloved sturdy daggers, each with a small hole in the center for tiny gas-filled balls.
I spun the daggers around my axis, and as a distracting maneuver, I lifted a huge 200-foot (60-meter) boulder using heavy gases and hurled it towards Proserpina.
A whirlwind of various gases and weapons swirled around me, ready to be unleashed against my sworn enemy. My glowing gaze expressed absolute composure.
— Laughable strength! — she sneered, creating a void shield around herself.
At the moment of impact between the boulder and the shield, the boulder simply vanished. The most dangerous difference between Chaos and Void was that, if correctly understood, the Void could negate almost any damage as long as the attack did not exceed the energy value of the defense several times over.
Proserpina did just that and then conjured a whip made of Chaos and darkness, with the tip consisting of Void. It was a simple but highly lethal weapon!
She swung and accelerated thousands of times, instantly appearing in front of my face. She struck, but I easily dodged. Speed and agility were my forte, and I evaded most attacks by moving at high velocity.
— Coward, pathetic weakling! Stop running and fight to the death, — Proserpina hissed, glaring at me with her six eyes.
As the daggers reached the backside, I aimed them at her, also activating gas mines.
She was at a higher level, so she sensed the threat from my treacherous attack.
While she was fending off the daggers and taking damage from the mines, I began retrieving various clots gases from my ring, compressing them into a single core: hydrogen, helium, carbon, oxygen, neon, zinc chloride, methane, propane, ethylene, and dozens of other gases.
My daggers exploded near Proserpina, but with the power of Chaos and Void, she neutralized my attacks. I couldn't create a strong enough sphere, so I had to send the one that had already formed.
— Ah, you bitch!
*Explosion*
Proserpina didn't manage to block the hit of the small sphere, which released its energy and caused an explosion of unprecedented scale. She absorbed most of the blast, and the protective amulet on her neck shattered, causing about 10 miles of trees to be destroyed around us.
The shockwave even reached my laboratory, but the windows were strong enough not to shatter.
— Enough! — she yelled in pain. Proserpina began to unwind her artifact wand, saying, — Now you will die!
I wanted to use other trump cards, but I didn't have time. She activated void traps scattered throughout the forest. Their sheer number paralyzed me, and Proserpina managed to capture me.
She grabbed me by the throat and infused her weapon with three types of energy, but suddenly, I noticed my relatives approaching.
Just when all hope seemed lost, a ray of light broke through my despair. From the shadows appeared Thanatos and Spica, and with their appearance, I felt hope.
Seeing that I was in a dire situation, Thanatos stepped forward, his eyes burning with anger and determination to save me. Meanwhile, Spica transformed the ground into hundreds of different spikes aimed at my rescue.
Proserpina used void traps to block her attack, and then she called out, — Alcyone!
At that moment, her elder sister appeared behind her. Alcyone had been hiding in the shadows all this time, and her presence was to come to my cousin's aid.
Without further ado, Alcyone rushed at Spica to teleport her and herself out of the forest, leaving only me, Proserpina, and Thanatos within a ten-mile radius.
I realized our victory was impossible. I couldn't even handle Proserpina, let alone Alcyone.
Thoughts of my brother filled my mind, regrets taking hold. I had been so unfair to him, and I deeply regretted it.
Oh no! If I perish, Proserpina will take two lives at once. She will kill both me and our child.
— Forgive me, brother, — I whispered through the choking.
With a sudden burst of emotions, Thanatos shouted at Proserpina, — I heard the second spider said you didn't need to kill us! Release Nemesis right now. If you need me, I'll go with you.
No, brother! Not this... I don't want to admit that I will lose him because of my weakness.
While my heart was consumed with regret and despair, Proserpina looked at my brother lying in the muddy ground and said, — Do you think my sister sets rules and laws for me? I've long planned to kill you all, including Alcyone. No one will stand between me and my Goddess Femiarta!
*Crunch*
I felt my own neck snap, and my entire combat attire vanished, leaving me in tattered clothes.
Oh! My neck... I can't feel control... I can't feel life.
In my final breath, I whispered, — Forgive me, Thanatos, for all the pain caused...
— NOOOOOOO! NOOO! NEMESIS! — Thanatos screamed with all his might.
...
Third-person POV.
He witnessed the brutal murder of his own sister, the one who had been by his side for seventeen years of a difficult life. The only one he couldn't bear to lose. Whose loss he would never accept.
Proserpina had no intention of leaving any chance for Nemesis's resurrection. She stopped the spinning wand and thrust it into Nemesis's heart, where the Vial of the Soul was hidden.
There was a huge energy release that wiped out all living things that didn't have cultivation power and level. Everything within a radius of 100 miles (150 kilometers) turned into a lifeless land.
The energies of Chaos, Darkness, and Void in the wand completely destroyed Nemesis's existence, wiping out any signs of life.
— N-Nemesis... — Thanatos mumbled in disbelief, falling to his knees and slowly crawling to his dead sister.
The wand of three energies emitted a dark crimson smoke, emanating from the pierced heart and shattered vial. The space itself exuded residual crimson energy mixed with gases, turning Nemesis's eyes red.
With trembling hands, Thanatos touched his sister's cooling face. Her expression froze in a smile, for the last thing she saw before dying was her beloved man and younger brother.
«I... I don't regret loving Thanatos with all my heart. I regret that I will never be able to show him and our daughter the cosmic beauty of my Familial planet... It's beautiful...» were Nemesis's last thoughts emanating from the Vial of the Soul.
At the moment of her final death, the vessel dispersed entirely into the Void, leaving the Soul Singularity inside Nemesis's stiffening body until it began to decay in the lifeless soil.
Thanatos began to tremble with pain, grief, regret, hatred, and anger. — Aaa-aa-argh! Nooo-o! Not you... please... don't leave me, my dear!
Clutching her cooling body, Thanatos tried to memorize the last remnants of warmth dissipating into nothingness.
— And was it worth it? Challenging the envoy of the Deity was a terrible idea. With difficulty, but I killed her, and no one will help you, Heresy. Who's next on our list? Ah, yes! Spica is next, — gleefully proclaimed Proserpina, laughing like a mad villainess.
Thanatos clenched his fists, and his trembling ceased. He gazed horribly at the Queen-Arachne, and the earth around them began to tremble as if experiencing a ten-point earthquake.
Thanatos was literally destroying himself, drawing strength from the Vial of the Soul, from the Soul Singularity itself.
Unaware of what he was doing, Thanatos began to shout, — A-a-a-a-aar!
The entire fabric of Space vibrated, forming visible fissures for hundreds of miles in all directions.
The energy resonance was so powerful that it stunned and awed every living creature. Surviving cultivators, Spica and Alcyone fighting, Evelyn together with Agatha, all turned to the source of the scream, witnessing this moment with distress. Even the Weaver-Spiders stopped their battle, curious about the rupture in the fabric of existence.
— What are you doing? What the fuck is this! Impossible... is this Time energy? — Proserpina frowned deeply, realizing something. She yelled, — NO! Don't you dare!
Queen-Arachne rushed toward Thanatos at maximum speed. Her teleportation took less than a fraction of a millisecond, but it wasn't enough to catch up.
Time was faster than the speed of light.
At the moment Proserpina almost touched Thanatos, he disappeared, and the whole world froze. Literally, throughout the entire universe, the flow of time halted, freezing in a single moment, in a single picture.
Normally, the worldly time relentlessly moved forward, leaving behind memories, facts, history. People die, planets die, stars die, but time always kept ticking, indifferent to everything. But something changed.
A variable was added that stopped, delayed time at one moment in history.
And this fact wouldn't escape the attention of one godlike observer.
And the inviolable memory would haunt her, regardless of Thanatos's future actions.