Following Kronos' direction, Evan gazed up and saw the universe's stars through the slit in the dike. Amid this cosmic spectacle, a colossal meteor hurtled toward them and vanished in a flash.
"Is Rowena Ravenclaw's power derived from the universe?" Evan asked in astonishment. "The favor of the War Goddess Morrigan?"
"The Spiritual Gods and Demons, as you perceive them, are among the many powerful magical creatures that have arrived from beyond this star," Kronos clarified. "After Titan fell from the sky, they found their way here from the universe through various means."
"Wait, are you saying that these magical creatures, including wizards, are descendants of extraterrestrial beings?" Evan asked urgently. "How is that possible? You mentioned that Titan's duty was to entrust life and create various divine creative forces."
"I'm pleased that you understand this matter. The truth about Titan hasn't been forgotten by the general populace," Kronos acknowledged. "Yes, when this star was first formed, we used materials such as rock, magma, seawater, steel, iron, and air to create various divine creative forces. For instance, the Cyclops you encountered were one of these first-generation divine creative forces. They possessed life but lacked flesh and blood, incapable of reproducing."
"First-generation divine creative forces?" Evan recalled the Cyclops immersed in magma.
"Yes, the first-generation divine creative forces were formidable beings. They aided us in our battles against ancient gods from the void and maintained the balance of this star," Kronos explained. He then shifted his gaze to Evan. "After Titan fell from the sky, these divine creative forces evolved for various reasons, gaining flesh and blood over time. They gradually forgot their original purpose and evolved further, becoming the sources of life we see on this star today."
"Like the giants in Sicily," Evan said, nodding, beginning to grasp the concept.
The giants were descendants of the Cyclops, possessing extraordinary physical strength, but they were far from the original in terms of power. Having flesh and blood made them susceptible to emotions and injuries, rendering them unable to wield magic, let alone reforge their bodies in the magma.
"Giants are one example, and creatures like goblins, centaurs, merpeople, whom you are familiar with, are included," Kronos continued. "Even humanity."
"Humanity, too, evolved from Titan's divine creative force?" Evan inquired.
"Yes, you are one of the successful outcomes of that evolution," Kronos continued. "Don't be surprised; from a broader perspective, this star's various lifeforms are descendants of Titan's divine creative forces. However, the magical abilities you possess do not come from us."
"What do you mean?"
"As I mentioned, Titan left an incomplete seal during the war. We hoped the first-generation divine creative forces would eventually develop flesh and blood and evolve further, making this star more vibrant. However, to avoid drawing the attention of the beings from the void, we did not originally include magic in the initial design. Initially, we intended that, during evolution, you would gradually lose your ability to use magic, much like how giants cannot use their ancestor's strength or how centaurs cannot harness the power of nature."
"But wizards can use magic, and the ancient masters possessed even greater power," Evan pointed out.
"That is an anomaly. The magic you wield today does not come from Titan but from mysterious ancient external beings in the universe," Kronos explained slowly. "Just as gods arrived from the ancient void, when this star was born, various external beings arrived here for different reasons. Most were small and weak, arriving accidentally through meteorite crashes, eventually evolving into the animals and magical creatures we see today. However, some possessed immense power, and in ancient times, they were known as gods or demons by your kind."
Evan nodded in understanding. It was, as Kronos had said, the magic wielded by wizards, derived from powers such as lightning, time, death, nature, and dream manipulation, was beyond what most wizards could comprehend. This magic didn't originate from Titans but from other powerful external beings, often called gods.
"Throughout human history, particularly after the war, this star has experienced a dark and primitive age," Kronos continued. "Titan's divine creative force evolved over time into the diverse lifeforms we see today. Some newcomers arrived for various reasons, making this star more vibrant. However, not all arrivals were small and weak meteorite lifeforms. Many formidable beings, which your humanity has regarded as gods or demons, also arrived. For instance, the ancient beings responsible for the Oynya destruction or those who bestowed magical bloodlines upon wizards."
"So, this is the origin of the gods?" Evan said, deeply fascinated.
"Yes, indeed. In the early stages of a magical civilization, these powerful beings, what your kind perceives as Spiritual Gods and Demons, mated with the descendants of Titan's divine creative forces, giving birth to creatures with partial magical abilities. These beings expanded rapidly, including species like humanity, house elves, goblins, leprechauns, and more," Kronos explained. "Humanity is the most unique among them. Initially, your ancestors were infused with first-generation divine creative force, granting you pure magical abilities that surpassed other beings in wisdom and adaptability. With the seed of magic, humanity quickly rose to become the rulers of this star."
The Time-Turner emitted a pale blue light as it floated calmly before Kronos, its dial indicating the passage of time.
"In the later stages of the previous magical civilization, powerful humans began to uncover the remnants of ancient times and even waged wars against the gods," Kronos said softly. "They discovered the secrets of the Titans, developed various formidable magics, and imprisoned the Spiritual Gods and Demons in special spaces, gaining control over them."
Following this, the history known to Evan unfolded, with formidable Spiritual Gods falling from the sky, marking the end of the era of gods.
Evan contemplated momentarily, asking, "If these Spiritual Gods and Demons are newcomers, why haven't they continued to arrive on Earth after the Flood ended? Human magical abilities and knowledge had regressed."
"Have you seen the ancient creature in the ruins of Oynya?" Kronos didn't directly answer but posed a question. "I sensed that its power was breaking free from the shackles of time and arriving in this world."
Evan nodded, memories of the monstrous apparition from the depths of the seabed abyss resurfacing in his mind. He looked at Kronos, waiting for him to continue explaining. Unlike saving the world or participating in a dreadful war, Evan was intrigued by this unknown secret.
Mastering some additional knowledge and enhancing his own abilities could be quite helpful. Moreover, it didn't seem to carry any immediate danger.
"These formidable newcomers are not as simple as they may seem," Kronos said, his gaze fixed on the changing stars above. He explained patiently, "Their origins and compositions are diverse and complex. Some are protectors created by the will of other stars, while others are evil beings born from the corruption of ancient gods. Some originated from other forces in the universe, and there are even those more ancient than this star itself."
"More ancient than Earth!" Evan whispered to himself. "Are they from the same void as those monsters?"
"Not entirely. The universe is vast, complex, and far-reaching, with various unexpected phenomena. If your strength is sufficient one day, you might be able to explore other life-bearing stars," Kronos said.
Evan marveled at the idea but couldn't fathom possessing such incredible power.
"This is by no means an impossible feat," Kronos said as if he could sense Evan's thoughts. He smiled and continued, "Not all Titans remained on this star after the post-war period. Many embarked on new journeys to seek other life-bearing stars. As the last era of magic dawned, more and more powerful humans gained the ability to do the same and left."
Evan looked at Kronos, suddenly recalling the story he had heard from the evil gods in the Centaur tribe. They had mentioned that ancient masters once fled their homelands, seeking refuge where the evil gods could not find them. At the time, Evan had dismissed it as ramblings, but now he saw the possibility.
Evan cross-referenced the information he had received from Kronos with what the evil gods had said, confirming its authenticity. He vividly remembered the words of the evil gods: they had not endured the agony of witnessing the collapse of countless worlds but had instead entered into a more terrifying and eternal danger—one that would never fade away.
Looking back, it seemed that the truth might be even more horrifying.
"The strengths of these external ancient and formidable beings differ from those of the Titans," Kronos explained. "Some have good intentions or specific goals, willingly sharing their powers and skills with humanity. This is what sets them apart."
Evan nodded, understanding that this was akin to how wizardry differed from the Shamanic practices or other mystical traditions worldwide. If what Kronos said was true, then humanity had inherited different abilities from various "Spiritual Gods."
In the European wizarding world, magic was categorized into protective, neutral, and dark magic, primarily involving spells and transfigurations. Additionally, there were studies in herbology, potion-making, alchemy, divination, star-gazing, and various other branches.
In Africa, witch doctors who harnessed Shamanic powers practiced curses nature magic, and communicated with the spirits of their clans. Evan couldn't help but think that the powers of these witches and wizards were quite remarkable. Some even claimed to be able to transform into animal spirits—a concept that fascinated him.
Not to mention the more mystical Eastern magic, which he was unfamiliar with. Evan was genuinely intrigued by the diversity of magical traditions described by Kronos but understood that he might never fully grasp them.
"Some are willing to communicate, while others represent chaos and evil," Kronos continued. "You encountered one such entity in the ruins of Oynya, an embodiment of pure destruction."
"Catastrophe..." Evan muttered, recalling the inscriptions he had seen on the stone tablet in the submerged city, mentioning the "Law of Ruin."
"Yes, in that catastrophe, the newcomers, gods, and chaotic beings from the ancient void collaborated, attempting to break free from their shackles and corrupt this star," Kronos said. "That was the final chapter of the post-war period, the most severe conflict this star has ever faced. We paid a tremendous price."
The price he referred to was the disappearance of the powerful ancient masters at the end of the era of magic. Evan had been researching this aspect and knew that terrifying events had occurred during that time.
"With the destruction of magic during the era's end, human magical abilities regressed on a large scale," Kronos explained. "This was the price we paid to end the reign of gods and demons on this star. They could not arrive here due to the weakening of their formidable powers. This is the answer to the question you wanted to know. Due to time constraints, I cannot go into greater detail about the events of that catastrophe. However, the ultimate outcome is linked to our time. These so-called 'god-demon newcomers' and the ancient terrifying gods from the void are dormant, waiting for a new opportunity. They never give up, and they must be stopped."
The conversation returned to its main point: preventing the world from descending into the fate that Kronos had witnessed in the wrong timeline. Evan understood his responsibility and was now involved in this prolonged and terrifying war.
"Evan, you must find this Time-Turner and go back in time as I have witnessed you completing the task," Kronos said, the pale blue Time-Turner floating slowly in his palm. "I understand your thoughts, but this is not something I'm forcing you to do. It will be your choice in the future. You will understand soon."
"Alright, but where is it now?" Evan sighed. Although he had some doubts, he decided to take this opportunity first. Even though he didn't want to return to the world-saving business, he might eventually use this Time-Turner.