Have you lost your mind!?
"Because?"
I'll be dinosaur food once I get here!
A delicious steak prepared from the future!
"Calm down, things are not as you think, believe me."
But...
...
... Well.
"The past is not what you first imagine, and once you get there, you'll know."
Sorry to interrupt you... please continue with the explanation.
"Thank you"
"You have to promise me one thing once you travel to the past, Sakurada Kujo, save the world from The Great Abyss War "
"Entire continents will be buried under the ocean; many species of life will become extinct; nothing will ever be the same again after the fall of the Great Spiritual Network of this world."
"It sounds hard to believe... but that is not the future, but the past, and you must see it to understand that these times when you think there is peace and happiness in the nature of the world, all of that is actually the product of a horrendous work of a perverse evil. The true cause of The Great War of the Abyss ."
"This mission is a will that carries the weight of billions of lives from every corner of the world. And I, the last living God, am the proof of the existence of all those who gave their lives only for this moment: The Hero's Journey "
I understand all of this, Goddess-sama... I don't know if I am the person you expect, but I promise to live up to those words.
"...?"
That?
"Ah... it's nothing... I was just a little surprised at how quickly you understood and accepted."
Oh, well, that's because of two things. First, since I'm now dead, my old will is buried too. There's no point in complaining at this point in my life. If my new will is to save the world, then so be it.
And second: For some strange reason I feel like I can trust you, Goddess-sama.
"I understand," she mutters to herself with a smile. "We're all counting on you, Sakurada Kujo."
Yeah!
"Now then. I would like to help you with many things in order to get you closer to the final goal, but I cannot spoil the natural course of events. As it will only be counterproductive to your path. Everything must follow a natural course of events that can be diverted thanks to your intervention, but not so much that everything is changed at a young age. At the very least, you must figure out on your own how to deal with The Great Abyss War and lay the groundwork for then."
"I would advise you to have as many allies as possible on your side. The more great powers are on your side, the better. It doesn't matter if it's the Gods themselves that you have to beg for help."
That sounds like it seems almost impossible to fight against that Demon King of the Abyss and stop the war.
"The problem is not that enemy in question, but the threat that comes next: the one who destroyed the Great Spiritual Network of the World causing the extinction of all spiritual beings. If that were not the case, then so many Gods would not have given their lives to maintain this..." She had shown me a necklace that hung on her neck hidden beneath the white robe.
What is that, Goddess-sama?
"This small circle hanging from this necklace is a secret art with the residue of ancient spiritual circuits 'Space-Time Travel' and it will be your travel ticket. This old pendant is what we have been maintaining for 10,000 years. It will send you around one or two decades before The Great War of the Abyss , so you should already be prepared by then. But the date is not exact at the time of the true end, so it might turn out that you travel on a shorter date…"
Oh, it's amazing.
"The truly incredible thing is that it has been able to remain active for so long despite being disconnected from the Great Spiritual Network… there used to be 5 surviving Gods who joined together for this cause: each one was frozen for a period of time and only one of us had to remain awake to keep the circle in place. As our power was enough to maintain the ritual for at least 2,000 years, each one of us was awakened while the one who had been maintaining the spiritual circuit for all that time disappeared. As a result, I am the last one."
I understand, this is a pretty serious matter...
"It is good that you understand quickly. Unfortunately, the amount of information I can give you is limited and I must not interfere too much with the natural course of events to a certain extent... I hope that the little I can offer you will be of some use."
"I don't want to overwhelm you with information, so I guess that will do."
"Try to learn as much as you can about the world and its people, and trust in the origin and ability of your Spiritual Circuit ." As she said those words, she handed me the necklace with the magic circle. "I would like to continue chatting and give you some other details, but I don't have much time… it took you a long time to come here."
I'm sorry, but if you had killed me a little earlier, instead of waiting until now, maybe we would have spent more time together.
"Oh? Why do you think I brought you here for that reason, do you think I murdered you?"
It's just a theory. I find it awfully convenient that it's a coincidence that I died at that time, and that I'm the one who must fulfill a mission that carries an enormous weight. You already seemed to know that Sakurada Kujo is that Hero. And since you have little time left now, according to what I've just heard, then you chose this moment to bring me here. It could be considered murder, wouldn't it?
"... That's interesting, you're partly right, but there's something that only I know and I can't tell you right now. Because it would spoil some fundamental things from now on in your journey. So I won't respond to your theories." So I hit the nail on the head...
"Now then, I will proceed to channel spiritual power into this necklace."
With both of her hands outstretched, pointing at the earring I was holding, it began to glow in different colors like a rainbow. The colors changed smoothly and randomly as I felt a tingling sensation in my arms, and it spread throughout my body.
I felt like I was being sucked into the collar: my consciousness was fading very slowly and I was dizzy. It was a strange sensation.
"Before you travel, there are several things I must tell you:
If you ever feel lost and like nothing is going your way, or you are staring down the impending defeat, then lean on your friends and the connections you have made in the world. Remember that you will never be completely alone.
Power defines everything in the world, but there are other things that are even more important. Not everything is won with force, and you will not always win with it.
Don't rush and enjoy the moments of peace: try to live happily, because once the times of war come, the only thing that will remain are the memories." When he said that, for a moment I thought I saw a tear in his eyes.
"And last but not least: good is bad, and bad is good. That is a rule that is sometimes important to consider in most cases and throughout your journey."
Goddess-sama, how am I to know that I am doing well and that my efforts are being beneficial to that Great War?
"No matter what you do, the favorable will probably come by itself. Since many things are destined to happen without even intervening."
Where should I start?
"Nothing but winning over those around you first, that is the most critical thing. The rest will come sooner or later, so you must act according to your judgment. I trust you."
... Goddess-sama.
The light emanating from the necklace intensified, and the energy finally came out enveloping my entire body. Beneath me a kind of magic circle formed with strange letters around it. I felt very light as if gravity did not exist and my body slowly decomposed into small particles of light that were absorbed by the circle on the ground.
Goddess-sama, will you continue to help me then?
"I... don't exist yet at that moment"
Hey?
"I trust you can do it… but you must still be careful. This is no longer your present and your past will be your future according to the laws of time. You only have one chance now and you must make the most of it."
At that moment I felt a kiss on my right cheek...
She had kissed my cheek.
Was that a goodbye kiss? How thoughtful.
"Don't judge me… if everything goes well, we will surely meet again." He smiles kindly.
If I manage to find her, will you still remember everything up to now?
"You and I will be the only witnesses of this moment."
"Ah, I almost forgot!" Just before she disappeared completely, she added something else. "Now in this world you will be called Lucius, that will be your name until the day you die."
I understand, that's how it will be.
"Good luck, Lucius," she says cheerfully as she waves her hand. It was a rather informal farewell coming from a Goddess…
Those were the last words I remembered before my vision went blank and my body was pulled aggressively through the sky and the earth. It was like traveling at the speed of light.
The entire world I knew shattered as I passed through a dimensional rift that emanated the same light as the necklace from moments ago.
When I finally entered that terrifying vortex, I immediately lost consciousness.
I only vaguely remembered the cold that made my body shiver and a strange sensation entering every fiber of my skin.