At the edge of the Marvel Universe, the Universe Cube and Shiller within it vanished, leaving Eternity stunned on the spot.
At his level, he naturally couldn't sense the existence of the DC God, so he had no idea what had happened.
Theoretically, he should be pleased that Shiller was gone, but for some reason, he couldn't shake the chills that were creeping up his spine.
Left with no choice, Eternity sought OAA's insight. But to his surprise, OAA was preparing to leave. In his anxiety, Eternity chased after him, asking, "And what about Shiller?"
"Leave it to you," OAA replied.
"But... what about the Universe Cube?"
"Leave it to him," OAA said again.
So there stood Eternity, watching his boss depart in the middle of a silent universe. For the first time, he felt the chill of the cosmos biting into him, leaving him with a pallid complexion and an air of defeat.
Suddenly, he shivered – a familiar presence had reappeared in the cosmos. Shiller's voice echoed through the vastness of space:
"Eternity, I've come to negotiate!"
Eternity was now certain he had blood pressure because that was the only explanation for his headache.
Eternity found himself suddenly aware of his breathing. After taking several deep breaths to calm himself, he grabbed Shiller and hauled him into the Temple of Eternity, asking, "What are you trying to do?"
"Don't be angry, stay calm. I know you probably want to kill me right now, but you can't. You could try, though.
"I am the cosmos itself. I can erase you from existence!"
After Eternity has spoken, a burst of light envelops both of them, then... nothing happens.
Suddenly, a halo lit up above Shiller's head.
"This," he pointed to the halo, "is the psychotherapy fee that a poor father pays for his son. Allow me to reintroduce myself – I am a newly settled... New Angel in Heaven."
Eternity, if he had lungs, would surely be livid. He couldn't imagine what kind of god would make a pact with Shiller.
"I gave up so much just for the basic condition of a safe conversation with you, Eternity. I hold you in such high regard because you are the cornerstone of this universe."
"I know, I know. The work is never-ending, and maybe before, you had colleagues and superiors to rely on. But now...."
Shiller gave a shake of his head, a look of sympathy on his face, saying, "Colleagues are unreliable, either disappearing without a word or holding you back. The boss is not happy with you, sending you to such a remote place without providing any psychological support."
"Oh my god, do you see? This is the face of the capitalist. All the tedious and mundane work, you've done it all. But nobody recognizes your hard work. They just think you make too much fuss."
Before Eternity could respond, Shiller interrupted him. "Also, I think you've realized – doesn't your boss know about Death's actions? I don't think that's possible. Being such a high-ranking existence, how could he not know of Death's little tricks?"
"Death stirred up a lot of trouble and mess; he never intended to stop it. But what about you? You didn't make any mistakes. You diligently solved all the trouble, and what did you get in the end?"
And Shiller's final words left Eternity speechless, " Did you ever wonder... is he worth it?"
"What are you trying to say?" Eternity asked.
"Since you are all-knowing, you should know about humans. It's just a job, right? If you can't stand it anymore, you don't have to put up with it—you can always get a new boss."
"You're mad," Eternity concluded. "Can't you hear yourself? You're a human, giving advice to a god to change his boss?"
"It's precisely because I'm a human that I'm advising you. Eternity, there's no creature in the world that understands you better than humans. We have such abundant feelings and sympathies. We empathize with all creatures in the world, even gods."
Shiller wore an expression of mild sadness, saying:
"From the birth of the universe, humans began to explore the mysteries of eternity. If every life in the universe takes what you do for granted, I want to tell you on behalf of all humans – we don't."
"From the beginning till now, we believe that every life in the universe should have the right to pursue fairness, and we fight for this."
"Human strength is weak, but our spirit never fades. Eternity, people love God, and the way we express our love is by allowing the object of our affection to pursue a better future."
Eternity stood in silence in the Temple of Eternity. He found all of this ridiculous—his reason told him that this madman in front of him was talking nonsense, for all this trouble was caused by Shiller.
But if he was honest with himself, was he truly free of complaints?
Even without Shiller, the mess caused by Death would eventually explode. When the cosmic order was chaotic, who would clean up the mess?