Sheldon, the young, delusional man, finally looked forward, realizing the man was referring to him.
Another realization came upon him.
Both Sheldon and the man right in front of him were completely different -- in terms of appearance.
Sheldon was a frail-looking young man with dark hair, not to mention how short it was in the Maryland beauty standards; whereas the man in front of him was a decently muscular lad with long, white hair.
Sheldon, compared to the man in front of him, was quite ugly.
While staring, one word echoed in his mind:
'Handsome...'
The beautifully handsome young man then asked:
"Uh... Sheldon?"
Sheldon then replied:
"Oh, hey, Handsome."
The striking man chuckled.
'Handsome... what a fitting name.'
Sheldon added:
"What's with the pause?"
Handsome immediately answered:
"Nothing, really. Just call me Ophiuchus."
Sheldon was busy admiring Handsome's voice when he realized something. Ophiuchus is the name of the damned 13th Zodiac!
There's no way that Sheldon, a weak, aspiring teenager, would meet a Celestial in his entire life. It would simply be impossible!
He decided to take a good look at the man that claimed to be Ophiuchus.
He was clad in dark stone armor. It had engravings on it, glowing in the hue of magenta. On his breastplate was a large insignia, thirteen stars shining bright in its embrace. He had no pauldrons; instead, his armor ended with a sharp point on his shoulder.
His helmet was missing, replaced by a mixture of a magenta aura and the dark stone. The mixture faded from his neck to his seemingly perfect, pale skin.
His face was the closest thing to perfect that Sheldon has ever seen. His beautiful ivory eyes gave his face a possessive look, not to mention his defined jaw. His face looked as if it was formed by a powerful deity.
'He truly is... Ophiuchus!'
But to Sheldon's surprise, Ophiuchus resembled a better version of Sheldon. A more powerful one, more dazzling, more charismatic, more confident.
Noticing an anomaly on Sheldon's face, Ophiuchus asked:
"Why are you red?"
Sheldon blushed even more, completely embarrassed.
"Oh... uh..."
Interrupting Sheldon, Ophiuchus said:
"You shouldn't blush for me. After all, I am your future self."
Sheldon was starstruck.
'Wait... hat? If he's I, does that mean...'
"Did you manage to get a successful love life?"
Ophiuchus lingered for a moment then answered:
"You're desperate, aren't you?"
Sheldon replied, slowly growing impatient.
"Just tell me!"
Ophiuchus sighed.
"So what if I did? It doesn't change anything. But fine, I did. Don't ask me anymore questions; not much time is left."
He paused... then added:
"You were just assassinated weren't you?"
Sheldon remembered his state in the Time Rift. It wasn't really the best it could've been.
"By who?"
Ophiuchus answered:
"Alethea, the Poet's Valor."
'Why does everyone have a cool name?!' Sheldon questioned in his head.
After a few moments of silence, Sheldon asked:
"So, why'd you disrupt my tranquil?"
The 13th immediately answered:
"I want us to make a deal. A deal that will align your soul to that of the Stars of the Orion. The Zodiacs, as you may call them."