Ophiuchus, exiting Sheldon's body, chanted:
"Depart, Lord of the Stars."
With those words, Sheldon's body fell into deep slumber, showing no sign of the 13th's existence.
***
In a distant realm was a limitless void, dark in appearance. This limitless void was filled with a never-ending dark sea. No living being claimed the Dark Sea as its home... except one.
Sheldon, sinking in the Dark Sea's vast expanse, appreciated his new home, labelling it as paradise. He had long gone insane, only regaining part of his sanity after meeting his future self, Ophiuchus, Lord of the Stars, the 13th Zodiac.
After being manipulated by Lord of the Star's devious spell, Sheldon had to wait until his accidental wish was granted. After all, Ophiuchus was a powerful Time Hunter, using his deceit and immaculate charisma to his advantage. The 13th Zodiac was an exceptional man among his peers. Being attractive truly was a deadly weapon, considering that majority of Elites are women, somehow.
Ophiuchus was a force that no man could dare to reckon with, ecept a select few.
Sheldon, after being silenced by Lord of the Star's spell, had to wait, whether he liked it or not.
After around eight minutes, the 13th returned, keeping his promise.
Sheldon, yearning for answers, asked:
"You're already done?!"
Ophiuchus answered:
"Affirmative. Also, there is something I need to tell you."
Sheldon replied:
"Do say."
Ophiuchus then said:
"Learn how to wield any type of blade from Tenisha. Failing to do so will inevitably end up with your peril. At all costs, start before your second Time Rift."
Sheldon replied:
"Uh... okay."
Ophiuchus added:
"Also, remember. The shadows of dusk reign in the light of dawn."
Sheldon questioned:
"What?---"
***
Picking himself up, Sheldon woke up on the azure-leaf forest's battlefield, where Ophiuchus and Lei fought.
"Ah! Feels good to be me!"
Behind him, a familiar voice resounded:
"Hey, Sheldon."
Sheldon looked back.
"Hi, Teni."
Tenisha then replied:
"We need to leave soon."
Sheldon raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Why is that?"
Teni said:
"When a Time Dweller is slain, its correspondent Time Rift will collapse, killing the remaining inhabitants along with it."
Sheldon then asked:
"So... we have to leave before we get destroyed by the Time Rift itself?"
Tenisha answered:
"Precisely."
Sheldon asked:
"So, how do we get out?"
Tenisha said:
"Well, don't worry. I have a Whisper that can create a Gateway. So, you're in luck!"
After a few chants, a wide crack teared itself into the air right before them, revealing the Solstice of Time and Space within it.
Feeling a deep sense of sorrow, for some reason, Sheldon walked forward.
Step. Step. Another Step.
He fought against his hesitation with each step.
Step. Step. Another Step.
"Wait!" Teni said, disrupting his movement.
Turning his head back, Sheldon asked:
"What is it that you need?"
Tentatively, Teni asked:
"Can I have your gun for a moment?"
With his gaze set solely on her eyes, he said:
"Um... okay."
Once she received the shotgun, a deep frown appeared on her beautiful face. Giving the gun an intense look, Tenisha weakly threw the gun up.
"Combust."
Sheldon's eyes widened with horror, a pained expression finding itself on his face.
"Why did you do that?!"
Almost ending the conversation, she said:
"It's a dangerous artifact, now that Ophiuchus touched it."
As the Combust Whisper did its work, Sheldon threw her a pouch. In it were eleven bullets.
Teni then asked:
"Why did you give me your ammunition?"
Sheldon, walking into the Gateway, answered:
"To give you something else to blow up."
Tenisha, catching the pouch, watched as Sheldon left her behind.
With no tentativeness, Sheldon stepped into the Solstice of Time and Space. Warping back into the real world, he gave his bloodied hands a glance.
'Why do feel guilty? They weren't even real humans...'