Chapter 214: The Dying Time god 2!
Tessa felt a tidal force rushing into her being, an incomprehensible power flooding her like a barren land being overwhelmed by the sea. Every fibre of her existence strained to contain the magnitude of what was pouring into her. It wasn't just power—it was ancient, timeless, a force that predated understanding. She could feel it coiling within her, ready to unravel and expand her very essence into something divine.
If she so much as moved incorrectly, she feared she might shatter into a million irretrievable fragments. Yet, deep down, she also knew that if she managed to contain it, she would become unstoppable.
Her hands trembled as they glowed faintly with an otherworldly light. She could feel the threads of time itself weaving into her soul. It was as though she could reach out and touch moments, bending them, stretching them, reshaping them.
Looking around, her vision sharpened to an extent she hadn't known was possible. The world wasn't just the present anymore; it was a kaleidoscope of past, present, and future overlapping. Each second felt like an eternity, and each eternity passed in the blink of an eye.
A surge of confidence bloomed in her chest as her newfound power stabilized. She knew she could conquer the world. This wasn't arrogance—it was fact. She had surpassed mortal limits and stepped into a realm that only the most powerful beings in existence had ever touched.
Her essence had transformed. She was no longer just Tessa Caldwell. She was now the possessor of the rare and coveted Time Essence Seed—the first in recorded history to awaken such a power since the birth of the Time Gods themselves.
The Legacy of the Time gods was story so esoteric even the time gods themselves know little to nothing about their own origin.
In the vast expanse of the universe, there had only ever been three Time Gods. The first time god- Zorath, which is the loner of the three Time gods, was born from the chaos of creation itself, a being of infinite complexity who bent time to establish balance in the universe. The second and third followed millennia later, but their origins were shrouded in mystery. Each Time God was unique, their existence bound by a single immutable law: there could only ever be three.
Attempts to challenge this law had ended in catastrophe. Many, desperate for the power of a Time God, had tried to confront them, only to be reduced to nothingness—forgotten even by time itself.
This loner of the three Time gods, Zorath, however, was different. In the waning days of his existence, as his essence began to fade, he made a discovery. His power, unlike his predecessors', was not destined to dissolve into the void. Instead, it could be passed on—a revelation born from the steady leakage of his essence.
Realizing this, he began a desperate search for a successor. A being capable of holding the weight of time itself. A vessel strong enough to wield the chaos and order that came with it. For centuries, he scoured the universe, testing mortals and immortals alike. None had proven worthy.
Until Tessa.
The Birth of the Successor, and the fourth time god in existence which is also a replacement to the first and oldest time god suddenly became an existential possibility.
In his dying or rather, fading moments, the loner of the Time gods- Zorath had found her. He had seen her potential—her strength, resilience, and untapped destiny. His essence, once guarded so fiercely, had been willingly bestowed upon her.
Now, as she stood amidst the storm of her transformation, she realized the gravity of what had been given to her. She was not just another mortal with power. She was the culmination of eons of searching, the heir to a throne older than the stars.
The dying Time God's voice echoed faintly in Tessa's mind, resonating through every fiber of her being. His words weren't just sounds—they were ancient truths, carved into her very soul.
"The universe does not need another guardian of time. It needs a force capable of rewriting its destiny. You are not my replacement, Tessa. You are my evolution."
The voice faltered momentarily, then surged again, as if the essence of the Time God clung to this final moment, desperate to ensure his wisdom would not fade into obscurity.
"I will place a mark of my soul upon you," he continued, his tone imbued with both authority and an uncharacteristic warmth. "It will shield you from every attack at any level lower than that of a Time God. Even the mightiest beings will be unable to harm you directly. Furthermore, I will conceal your Time God seed. Its presence will remain hidden until you are ready to claim your place on the throne. No one will know you are the potential successor born to replace me."
The gravity of his words pressed down on her, but Tessa remained silent, absorbing every fragment of his knowledge.
"Before you ascend, before you become strong enough to wield my throne, heed this warning: Be smart with your relationships. Do not repeat my mistakes." His voice grew softer, tinged with regret. "If I had fostered trust with the other two Time Gods, they would not have been so easily deceived. Erodius..." His voice cracked at the name, the pain of betrayal echoing through Tessa's soul. "Erodius, the pitiful, forbidden-level god, fooled them into thinking I was weak, into believing my end was inevitable. Had we been united, I might have resisted."
The weight of centuries of loneliness and regret poured into Tessa, and for a moment, she felt the Time God's sorrow as if it were her own.
"But you," he continued, his voice lifting with a newfound resolve, "you will be different. Live as a god, but not as I did—alone and mistrusted. Build alliances, yet remain wary. The universe will test you, but you must never falter."
The final strands of his presence began to dissipate, his essence unraveling like threads of light scattering into the ether. His voice softened to a whisper, the last remnants of his legacy folding into Tessa's being.
"Live... as a god..."
And then he was gone.
For a moment, there was silence—an eternal stillness that only she could perceive. It was as if the universe itself had paused to acknowledge her transformation. The weight of her newfound power settled within her, no longer an uncontrollable storm but a steady, pulsing rhythm that aligned with her every breath.
Tessa opened her eyes. The world seemed sharper, clearer. She could see the invisible threads of time stretching around her, connecting everything in intricate, interwoven patterns. She could feel the subtle shifts of past, present, and future, each one now within her reach.
The mark of the dying Time God burned faintly on her chest, a sigil glowing with ancient energy, a reminder of the mantle she now carried. She was alone, yet infinitely connected—to all things, all moments, all possibilities.
The birth of the fourth Time God was not just an event. It was a new chapter in the history of the cosmos, and Tessa stood at its center.