"You bend time again," Althea murmured softly when he passed near her, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
Ross only smiled back.
"It's the least I can do," he replied.
"After all, no amount of power means anything if I can't spend it on those I care for."
Her heart warmed at his words, and for a brief moment, she reached out to touch his hand.
"You always say the right things," she whispered.
"Only because they're true," he said simply.
And so the night continued, a night that stretched far beyond the limits of ordinary time.
Within the sanctuary, the hours moved like a gentle current—slow, calm, and eternal.
Outside, the stars still shone over a quiet world, unaware that deep below, a man who had conquered heaven and earth was choosing, once again, to conquer something even greater—love, devotion, and the fragile beauty of human connection.
Ross Oakley, master of time, savior of his people, and ruler of realms and the multiverse, was at peace.
