Year 5025, March 10. In the Sovereign Palace, Heavenly Planet (North Pole). A butler arrives in the Grand Hall, where a person with a majestic aura is staring into the distance through the balcony at a vast stretch of the extraterrestrial sky unfolded up in front of him, its canvas painted in hues that weren't seen on Earth. An alluring haze of amethyst and cerulean shimmered in the atmosphere, softly illuminating the terrain below.
Far off, magnificent creatures with shimmering wings soar across the heavens, their ethereal cries resonating throughout the enchanted horizon. These creatures, a fusion of avian grace and otherworldly charm, left trails of sparkling stardust in their wake, creating patterns that danced with the currents of the unknown winds. The person's gaze was drawn to a wonderful forest of enchanted forests under the sky. Every tree had glowing leaves that pulsed with a gentle, rhythmic brightness, covering the landscape in an otherworldly radiance. With their branches intertwined in a tranquil dance, these arboreal beauties whispered old secrets, as though they were exchanging cosmic stories.
Tucked away in the center of this magnificent scene, an exquisite garden opened up like a dream-like tapestry. Bright flowers with curative qualities graced the garden beds. A subtle scent of these flowers floated through the air, whispering of magical energy and regeneration.
While staring being seated on an elegant couch, he leaned forward with furrowed brows, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest as he delved into his thoughts. While still seated, his powerful, chiseled, and formidable muscles are throbbing in his casual robe.
He notices the butler when he enters but remains silent. The butler arrives in front of that person but does not speak for a while. The person sitting on the couch says, still staring into the distance, "Reginald, speak up; it's not comfortable having you in front looking at me." Then the butler replies with a grin on his face, "Lord Ajita, I came to wish you a happy birthday. Happy birthday Lord, and congratulations! You are now 3025 years old."
"Hah, you think this is something to be congratulated about." Sighs Lord Ajita.
Reginald hastily replied, "Don't humans like to live a long life? I am a normal android, but I still like living and not being dead."
"Normal! You are the strongest android, or specifically the strongest combat android, in this vast universe." Says Ajita.
Then Reginald curiously asked, "Aren't you more powerful than me, my lord? The strongest human. I will die even if you sneeze at me! You have now evolved into a demi-god [Supreme Kin] who is as strong as an actual divine lord. And with your ethereal sword, 'Abyssal Conqueror', you can even contend with a celestial lord, who is the controller of cosmic powers like chronokinesis* and spatial dominion".
Ajitha chuckled to himself, musing over the disparity in power. While he could easily vanquish a normal Celestial Lord, facing one with deep comprehension in chronokinesis and spatial dominion was an entirely different matter.
In the realms of the divine, after achieving the level of a Divine Lord or God, one inevitably gains some understanding of the laws of time and space from the Twelve Supreme Daos. The Dao of Time and the Dao of Space, coming directly after the Heavenly Dao, form the foundational pillars upon which all other Supreme Daos rest. This sequential comprehension ensures that the newly ascended God possesses a stable and profound understanding of the universe, enabling them to wield their newfound powers with wisdom and precision.
Those with deep comprehension of these laws are exponentially stronger than others, creating a chasm between a normal lord and a mighty lord.
Ajitha yearned to master the Daos of Time and Space, but he knew that comprehending such profound laws was an arduous task. Even with his formidable abilities, it would take at least a thousand years to reach an advanced level of understanding in these Daos.
In his 3,000 years of existence, Ajitha had witnessed his world crumble, humanity teeter on the brink of doom, and, most heartbreakingly, the loss of his family. He longed to bring them all back and live happily once more, but to achieve that, he knew he must take certain eminent steps. The path ahead was fraught with challenges, but Ajitha's resolve was unwavering.
Ajita said in a deep voice, "Hmm, now that you have mentioned a celestial lord, I wonder if I can battle Chronos, the god of time.".
Reginald asked in confusion, "Why do you want to battle against that constantly gibberish-speaking maniac?"
Ajita took a deep breath and said, "To change the course of humanity." He paused and continued, "I'm the sole choice remaining for humanity; I need to do it; no, I must do it! I have been alive since the day of transformation, and I have seen what fear is. I've witnessed humanity's ups and downs. We had the will, but never the chance. If only our allied races had offered more assistance. But why should they had supported us, who lacked a robust background? Had we showcased some potential during that time rather than the infighting between us, they could've supported humans, as the benefits could have flowed both ways—favor returned when we grew stronger. Alas, the only choice left now is to get the triumph against Chronos."
"But, Lord, what benefit will you get by defeating Chronos?" asked Reginald.
Ajita smiled and said, "Not me, but the whole of humanity will get the gift."
"What gift?" asked Reginald.
Ajita looked solemnly at him and said, "Time! The thing we needed the most was, was it just a millennium or a century? No few decades would have been enough for humanity to contend against that apocalypse. The Harbingers called it a blessing for the humans, which led to the purging of more than half of the human race. And what are we left now—a few thousand humans living in this universe as remains of past humanity? If I slay that Chronos and acquire his Primal Hart, I can discover the secrets of time and then go back in time like those Temporians* who constantly appear in times of crisis for their race and are still alive even after such horrendous events in this universe."
"Why now? Why don't you wait a few more decades? You will become a divine lord! I believe in you!" said Reginald.
Ajita smiled faintly and closed his eyes. He said in a very faint voice, "I've ascended to the echelons of a divine lord, yet not entirely." And sighed.
Reginald, his eyes widening in disbelief, was so taken aback that it seemed as if they might pop out. Stammering, he managed to squeeze out, "W-what? What did you just say?"
Ajita chuckled; his response laced with quiet confidence. "You underestimate me greatly. Can you fathom that I've ascended to the rank of a divine lord? If I desired, I could even reach the pinnacle—a lord of omniscience." However, a shadow veiled his countenance, and a somber tone replaced the earlier bravado. "Yet, I overestimated the resilience of the human form. I have but three years as a divine lord, after which I shall become an energy bestower to the universe, disintegrating body and soul."
Reginald had a sudden breakdown of heart, calming his emotions he said, "That's why you were in such a hurry. I understand now," he murmured. Brushing away his tears, he continued, "Don't worry, my lord. You can surpass these limitations; you can still live. I believe in you. I'll immediately set out to find divine pills or eternal drugs to extend and save your life."
Ajita hurriedly called out to him, "Stop," but Reginald didn't relent. Desperation-tinged Ajita's voice as he shouted, "Please stop. Won't you fulfill a dying man's wish?"
Reginald halted and, looking determined, declared, "You won't die, my lord. I will not let you. I will find a solution to save you without fail."
Ajita responded calmly, "If there were a solution, wouldn't I have done it already? Currently, there are none. But there was one in the past. Remember when I first transcended? I received insights directly into my mind. It revealed how the heavens shape natural transcendent beings and how they ascend, distinct from us, who ascend using heavenly power from mortals. There, I witnessed the main disparity—the nebula-core. The one we formed has a flaw. If I had crafted a perfect nebula-core, I wouldn't be facing this inevitable death, as the vast celestial power wouldn't be leaking rapidly from my core."
"So, by going back in time, it's not only to save humanity but also myself," Ajita said. He sighed and continued, "This time, too, I received insights from the heavens. Insights that will guide me to create a perfect MystiCrest*—the symbol that adorns the forehead of beings from the divine lord and above when they unleash their power."
Ajita then directed Reginald's attention to his forehead, where the MystiCrest began to materialize. The ethereal divine symbol resembled a sacred lotus, its petals adorned with Shankh-like patterns, embodying cosmic vibrations and the call to divine consciousness. Swirling lines echoed the eternal dance of creation, while at its heart lay a torus, symbolizing the unending cycle of creation and destruction. Illuminated by an ethereal glow, this symbol invites contemplation of the interconnected rhythms shaping the cosmos.
Reginald found himself momentarily entranced, captivated by the unfolding mystique. Shaking off the trance, he inquired, "Lord, can you truly achieve time travel and all? Is it genuinely possible?" Frustration etched across his features, he scratched his head before adding, "I've witnessed Temporians accomplish it a few times, but is it within our grasp as well?"
Ajita nodded contemplatively and spoke in measured tones, "We've witnessed the unfolding of far more improbable feats; achieving this should be within our grasp. However, venturing back in time carries grave consequences. We'd be altering the entire timeline of the universe, triggering temporal interference that won't escape the notice of omniscient-level beings. As the instigators, we'll bear the brunt of the universe's counteraction, demanding meticulous preparations. Be ready; time is a luxury I'm running short on," he added, a touch of sarcasm lacing his words.
In a frustrated outburst, Reginald exclaimed, "Are you still in the mood for jokes, my lord? Tell me, what's the plan? The paramount step is to defeat Chronos, but..." He banged his head against a pillar and continued, "How on earth are we going to defeat that scoundrel? He can see the past, present, and future. Forget about defeating him—can we even get close to him without him knowing we're planning to take him down?"
Ajita frowned and responded blandly, "Don't paint it as an impossible mission. Chronos isn't omniscient to that extent. Every being in this universe has their own thoughts and decision-making processes. Every choice carries different consequences. How could Chronos comprehend it all? He possesses the power of precognition to foresee future events, temporal perception to perceive events simultaneously across different points in time, and temporal awareness to inherit knowledge of the current state and progression of time in all dimensions. However, he lacks temporal immunity, a power reserved for beings at the omniscient level, shielding them from the effects of alterations in time. Every godly being holds the power to manipulate time and every single organisms action changes future, and despite Chronos's specialties, he can't unravel everything. Moreover, the unique powers granted to strong beings like us disrupt his control over time and space, even if to a minimal extent. As a divine lord, I can easily approach him with my insights into time. The challenge lies in defeating him, given his additional powers.
Pausing to reflect, he continued, "Chronokinesis, Time Travel, Temporal Stasis, Time Loops, and more—these are the additional powers he possesses."
Reginald, consumed by anxiety and worry, asked in an extremely anxious tone, "Can you defeat him, Lord? It's not that I don't trust you. Now that you're a divine lord, considered a true god, you can defeat a celestial lord easily. But he's the god of time, a celestial lord with a title—a title given only to the top 10 strongest in each level."
Ajita met his gaze and responded, "I don't want to defeat him but to slay him. Don't look at me like that! I know killing someone is more difficult than defeating someone, but beings like Chronos are easier to slay than to defeat."
Excitedly, Reginald inquired, "Do you know some method, martial art, or divine technique to kill him, my lord?"
Ajita replied cunningly, "No, I don't have any martial art or divine technique, but I possess the most important quality of a human which will help us."
Perplexed, Reginald asked, "What quality is so significant that it can even defeat a god?"
Ajita chuckled and said, "Slyness and ruthlessness!"
Reginald, momentarily blank, hurriedly asked, "Can you please repeat that, my lord? I think I'm having some problems with my ears."
Ajita looked serious for a moment and repeated, "Slyness and ruthlessness!" before bursting into laughter again.
Reginald, now red with anger, the air trembling with his rising aura, glared at Ajita and said with a shaky voice, "Are you still in the mood to joke, my lord? This is a very significant matter. Please refrain from joking and be serious. Tell me you do have an actual plan rather than this nonsense."
Ajita's voice took on a serious tone as he explained, "In the grand tapestry of human interactions, slyness is the art of outsmarting others with a wink, while ruthlessness is the not-so-subtle reminder that in the game of life, the ruthless keep the rulebook under lock and key."
Reginald's face began to redden once more.
Ajita quickly added, "Okay, listen here. My actual plan does involve these two factors. We have to be sly and ruthless. Chronos, being a celestial lord born as a divine lord by the heavens, has the support and restrictions of cosmic energy. We need to exploit these restrictions to bring about his demise."
Reginald asked, "But how do we do that?"
Ajita, resolute, responded, "We have to eliminate all of his worshippers. It's through them that he gathers the power of faith, using it to survive and strengthen himself."
"Isn't that cruel?" Reginald asked. "I know you said about being ruthless, but this is too much. He's been worshipped in the vast universe for eons, at least on a billion planets. How do we kill them all?"
Ajita gazed at the sky and replied, "I don't mean them all, but his true followers—the races related to him like Temporians, Timekeepers, Chronalites, Aeonians, and such. They provide him with more than half of the faith."
Reginald, his brow furrowed in confusion, asked, "Isn't that still a huge number of people? If we go and destroy their planet, we can save some time. But we'll be accumulating massive sin energy because we won't only be killing them, but their entire planet. Such an act will have a negative impact on our minds too." Reginald shuddered at the thought.
Ajita, still gazing at the sky, responded, "No, we can't have their planet destroyed. We need their corpses. We have to kill them without destroying their bodies. This will be much more painful, even for my heart. But humanity comes first for me. Even if I have to sacrifice my humanity to save humanity, I am ready to do it."
Reginald asked in disbelief, "Why? Why do you need their corpses? The total number we'll be gathering will be in octillions or more. And where will we be keeping them? To store such a huge number of corpses, we'll have to combine 8–10 planets into one!"
Ajita spoke in a deep voice, "Didn't I also mention slyness in my plan? The corpses of these races, which have a strong connection to temporal powers, will be of immense help to us. Specifically, their cores have assimilated and conserved temporal energy. Our adversary is not only Chronos but also those Omniscient beings. They have temporary immunity, so if we travel through time, they will notice us. No, even before we open the Temporal Stargate, we'll have been found out. So, we must gather all that energy, and along with the Primal Hart that Chronos has formed and his core and Crest, we'll have a 90% chance to complete our plan and also will remain unnoticed by the Omniscient lords."
Reginald took a deep breath and said, "Still, our plan majorly depends upon you defeating Chronos. Even if we weaken him by cutting off his faith power by half, it still seems difficult to kill him."
Ajita suddenly jolted as if he had an epiphany and replied, "I will not be fighting him to slay him. I will punch him a few times, blow myself up, and drag him along to death."
Reginald choked up, and after grasping for breath for a few seconds, he uttered with great difficulty, "Blow? What do you mean? You will be self-destructing to kill him. Doesn't that make our whole plan useless? How will we collect his primal heart, core, and crest if you blow up with him? And how the heck will you go back in time if you don't remain in the present?" Reginald's face now became a mess, breathing heavily. After a few moments, he spoke again: "Did becoming a god damage your brain? Is your intelligence leaking like the celestial power from your core, huh?"
Ajita looked at Reginald with a twitch on his face and said, "You still remember that I'm a god now, yet you still shout and curse at me. It seems you have a death wish, my dear butler."
Reginald, still glaring with crazed eyes at Ajita, said, "Whose fault do you think it is for my outburst? First, you informed me about becoming a god, but you didn't even give me time to be happy, as you also said that you were going to die soon. Yet you didn't stop there; you suddenly talked about slaying a powerful celestial lord, then massacring a few races, and now—now you are telling me about blowing yourself up! Is this a conversation where any person can remain sane?"
Ajita looked at him calmly and said, "Just calm down and listen to me. I just realized that we need his body, so why should I have a bitter fight just for that? We need to set up the formation with all our materials placed at specific points. Then, we will activate the array with me in the center. As I don't need to send my body into the past, only my soul will go back in time, and I will have a spiritual reincarnation. So, we just need to bring Chronos into our formation. Then, I blast myself, keeping my soul safe. My energy blast will be powerful enough to kill him but not strong enough to destroy his Nexus organs—hart, core, and crest. After that, my soul will arrive there and perform the ritual to open the Temporal Stargate. My soul will go back in time, and you will be coming with me too—your whole body. Remember, you didn't exist 3000 years ago."
Reginald raised his hand and interjected, "Wait, wait, wait. Since when have you possessed this formation? Moreover, when did you commence all this planning? Where did you acquire all this information about Chronos, time travel, and the powers of Omniscient beings? Why was I kept in the dark about all these details until now?"
Ajita smiled at him and said, "Come, follow me," and started to levitate, gliding towards the lake near his medicine garden. Nestled in the midst of the garden, the Spirit Lake shimmered with a subtle glow, its crystal-clear waters concealing a mystical secret. At its core lay two radiant spheres, the primal hearts of a legendary Hydra. These luminescent orbs, resembling sea turtle shells from above, emitted blue flames and sparks, revealing the magic within. Known as Spirit Water, the lake's mana-infused essence possessed a unique ability—to fill any vessel to the surface, cease, and only flow again when needed. The Hydra's primal hearts, visible through the lake's clarity, offered a glimpse into the enchanting convergence of elemental and arcane forces.
Beside the enchanted lake, a small house emerges, its weathered stones and timber blending harmoniously with the ancient forest. Adorned with ironwork windows that frame views of the mystical waters, the dwelling exudes an air of secrecy. A cozy porch, illuminated by lanterns, beckons visitors into a warm interior, where ancient tapestries and well-worn books create a haven for those seeking refuge and connection to the magical heartbeat of the enchanted realm.
Ajita stopped in front of the small house and invited Reginald in. As the door opened, the view inside shocked Reginald, and he entered, still mesmerized.
Note*
Chronokinesis: Another term for the power to control time and space is "Chronokinesis." This term combines "chrono," related to time, and "kinesis," referring to the ability to control or manipulate. It suggests the mastery over the temporal and spatial dimensions.
Temporians: A fictional race who have the power to traverse through time.
Nebula-Core/Nexus: Nestled within the chest, the Nebula Core is a mystical organ that bestows individuals with the extraordinary ability to manipulate time and cosmic energy. Through the practice of time meditation facilitated by the Nebula Core, individuals can undergo a century of profound mental exploration while only a single year passes in the tangible world. This unique power allows them to accumulate vast wisdom and experience, becoming stewards of the temporal balance.
MystiCrest: A radiant symbol on the forehead, the MystiCrest blends telekinetic prowess, a divine aura, mental communication, and limited elemental control. Bearers of this mystical mark can manipulate objects with a mere thought, exuding an ethereal glow that mirrors their emotional state.