"The Grand Elder is going to die," I thought, a realization I had never considered. This being, older than even the other elders by at least five thousand years, was going to die. My mind was just starting to comprehend the impossible level of power held by this being, whom we take as an enemy. After I got myself in order from spacing out, I noticed that the Grand Elder was looking directly at me.
"Now that everyone has digested that, let's continue," he said. "I am sorry for delaying you in this pressi-," I quickly apologized to the whole group and the Grand Elder, bowing my head deeply, nearly touching the soft grass on the ground. They were waiting for me to recover from spacing out, but I was interrupted.
"Do not worry about it. Everyone had taken a few moments to digest that information. It is not something to be ashamed of. The thought of what one considered impossible suddenly becoming a possibility and the big chance of it becoming reality so quickly is shocking, isn't it?" he said calmly, his voice soothing my very soul and bringing me to understanding, somehow compelling me to look at the others, where I saw understanding and acceptance.
"Though, there is no reason to go too far. The creature could just be a mid or peak Titan level. I myself am only a SAN: beginner Titan."
"Now I want to say, I always knew I was not the strongest, though I considered myself the strongest on this planet. Maybe someone has dethroned me, but that is very unlikely. The energy surge from their growth would surely be evident," he said.
"So you mean to say, the creature we face now is not from our world?" the chief said, speaking our collective thought for us.
"You have left the surface of this planet before, haven't you?" he said, facing Mul, the chief, and the Generals.
"In space, I showed you large flowing objects, worlds—some like our own, some different. Many of these worlds, I believe, do not contain life, but many also could. Do you know how or why the world is the way it is right now?" Looking up into the cavern from which he had dropped, he was probably thinking of the surface.
"It's all sand, all disruptive energy, poisonous and hazardous to life, storms of destruction," he finished, looking at us for an answer.
The chief looked at me to answer. I nodded at him and turned to the Grand Elder to respond. It was common knowledge anyway; even children knew. Teaching everyone was a way of preventing any of us from ever making the same mistake that led our world to its current state.
"It was caused by the fight between powerful entities, beings stronger than the Titan level."
"Yes, that is very true. But let me enlighten you more. Of course, the chief and Mul already know this, but for the others… one of the beings in that fight was an outsider. Yes, it wasn't of this world. The other, though, the being that fought that being and wo— or at least chased the outsider out of this world—was the world."
"The world? How? Is there a being called the world or…" Toko asked.
"I know you are confused, but you would have to accept it. I have come to accept it after a very long time. So if you do not want to believe the world is alive, it is understandable, but after time, you may come to believe as I have."
"How?" Toko asked.
"Simply, there was nothing else to believe. The world is alive, all worlds are, and they can fight and protect themselves from threats, external or internal, heal themselves, or starve their occupants that live on it. Their power is beyond mere Mor—"