Just like the people of Earth, the people of Zamaya, Prince Kuwan's planet, also awakened gifts.
The only difference was that while Earth had just experienced its planetary awakening, being one of the last to do so in the universe, Zamaya was one of the first. It was one of the oldest planets.
They had years upon years of documented gifts and abilities, as well as thousands of manuals to help one fully master one's gifts.
Beyond that, they'd also gained the ability to synthesize gifts and bestow them, as well as take them away.
This was why the Third Prince was a cripple. He was given a gift by his father so powerful, it completely destroyed the aether channels in his body.
But even with this, his gift was invaluable. It made him practically immortal, and now that he'd gotten rid of his status as a cripple, the world would shake.
"Let's go."
It was only a matter of time before he became King and completely changed the landscape of Zamaya.
***
On Earth, the situation couldn't have been worse.
Every continent found itself flooded with monsters beyond humanity's wildest tales, and dungeons and gates began to appear.
If a dungeon or gate wasn't cleared in the given time, the small world of the dungeon would fuse into Earth and force a war.
This meant that every planet linked to dungeons could fuse into Earth, and a small gate world could be unleashed.
Every day, Earth found itself getting bigger and bigger as more and more planets fused into the world, and more foreigners began to wage war on them.
But as this happened, more and more aether suffused the planet. Slowly, people got the hang of it, but even with that, it seemed like Earth would fall.
All nations had been destroyed, all laws discarded, and all continents fractured. It was at this moment that it occurred.
From the shadows, five factions that had existed since Earth's earliest days arose.
In a week, under the guidance of these five powers, all foreigners were killed and all order was re-established. Now, five new gigantic continents were formed, each given to one of the hidden factions.
Rapidly, Earth's undercurrents began to move, and unbeknownst to all, one of the universe's greatest forces had risen from the dead.
An era of uncertainty lay ahead of them.
***
[Somewhere on Earth]
The skies were of a golden color, and the earth entirely painted white as snow heavily fell from the clouds of gray that covered this same beautiful golden sky.
The winds were harsh, yet it brought a sense of comfort to all who lived within the grand forest of bloody red trees situated under this sky of gold.
This didn't seem to be Earth at all, as the levels of atmospheric aether here matched some of the universe's most secured and prized locations, and this forest was filled with beasts of shocking origins.
But this wasn't the most shocking thing of all.
Floating atop this same forest was a grand, no, a gigantic castle entirely made out of black stone.
On the edge of this patch of floating land, overlooking the strange world below, a man could be seen.
He had long white hair, as white as the snow that fell from the skies, and so long it trailed after him like a sea of white.
His skin, just as white as his hair, reflected the light of countless strange marks that oozed an air of ancientness and power.
His eyes shone with a scarlet light, akin to swirling pools of divine blood, as the man's face could be said to be beyond perfect.
He wore long robes of white and gold that barely managed to hide his toned and tempered physique, and upon his forehead, a black runic cross could be seen.
The man suddenly sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head.
"How cruel these bastards are. How cruel."
His robes fluttered in the wind, and with a step, he walked on air, beginning to roam around the world ahead of him.
"To wait until the population has been imprinted with fear and only then act? How cruel. To have the power to lift the skies yet allow it to crash onto these poor mortals…"
The more he spoke, the more enraged he seemed to become, and as that happened, the aether around him seemed to become dyed red.
"White Eclipse."
Suddenly, behind him, walking on air, twelve shrouded figures appeared, all exuding soul-shuddering auras.
A portal formed.
"Let us make our name known."
***
As Earth and Zamaya's tides moved and shifted, seemingly becoming more and more chaotic, Amon underwent his own ordeals.
[Time Lost Meaning.]
Amon had stopped counting the years. Perhaps after the first, perhaps after the first decade, perhaps after the first century, or perhaps after the first millennia.
It may have been an eternity, or it might have as well been a mere moment in time.
It all felt like a single point, stretched across infinity only to remain a singularity.
Floor after floor, level after level, and enemy after enemy, he simply battled.
As he did so, under the tutelage of the man of stone, more knowledge than he could fathom was being stuffed into his brain.
Whether it was matters of Warlocks, Arcane Lords, Martial Masters, or Beast Kins, he was taught all of it.
Moment after moment, he shattered limiter after limiter and gathered more and more origin aether.
It was like this entire descent was made to transform him entirely, to remold him from his very roots, and yet, he refused.
He refused to lose himself to the First Warlock's schemes. After dealing with the first Prince, he'd learned a valuable lesson.
No meal was free, and he knew that for this legacy he was receiving, a payback would be asked.
But he didn't care. Instead of becoming what the man of stone and the first warlock wanted, he took it all and shattered it, using it as building blocks and foundations for what he wanted.
Time truly had lost all meaning.