"I never blamed you... Pride is the poison every life has drunk... Falling from the abyss only allows you to look up at the stars again."
—The Man in Black
The night sky was exceptionally beautiful. The sea beneath it lapped intermittently against the beach... waves crashing against each other, the sand shimmering in the moonlight.
And in the center of the ocean... a giant beast roamed the sea. On its back lay two figures... one gazing at the night sky, while the other lay helplessly on the beast's back... his clothes already stained with endless blood.
"Where... am I... my body... hurts..." The figure lying on the beast slowly opened his eyes. He felt the sea breeze comforting him, yet he felt a deep wound in his heart, as if it had been torn open.
"You're awake, Taga..." The figure sitting next to Taga slowly turned his head, which had been gazing at the starry sky, and gently stroked her head.
"Sir...? Why are you here? I wasn't..." Taga slowly sat up and asked the black-robed figure beside him with a puzzled tone.
"You don't need to know why I'm here with you, nor do you need to know how you left Atlantis." The black-robed figure spoke in a deep, gentle voice, like a father telling a child not to ask too many questions, just know that someone will always be there to help.
"I'm sorry... sir... I..." Taga slowly lowered her head to look at Rrrovax's back. He clutched his clothes tightly, as if he were afraid of doing something wrong, nervous and guilty, afraid to speak.
"No need to say too much, Taga. I know what you want to say. You don't need to feel guilty." As Taga lowered her head, the black-robed figure gently placed his gentle, large hand on the back of her head. The black-robed figure snapped his fingers with his other hand, and a cup of tea and some food appeared. He held the food and tea out before Taga, who slowly took them. However, he didn't eat, instead looking down at the food in his hands.
"Eat, child. You've been unconscious for a long time. Eat something to replenish your energy. Have a cup of tea to warm you up." The black-robed figure looked at Taga tenderly, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and placing it in his mouth. He summoned a small flame from his fingertips and lit the cigarette.
The cigarette instantly ignited, its scent carried by the flame. The smoke lingered between them before slowly drifting away.
"Sir... I'm so useless... I've failed you..." Taga lowered his head, tears streaming down his cheeks onto the food in his hands, slightly dampening it.
"Taga, you know, I don't think this is your fault, and you don't have to attribute all your efforts to my expectations." The black-robed figure spoke gently, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the food in Taga's hand was replaced with a fresh portion.
The steam from the hot food drifted onto Taga's face, dampening his cheeks and eyes. Feeling the warmth from the steam, Taga found it difficult to open his eyes.
"But I...but after gaining power...I didn't help anyone...I became arrogant...I thought I could...I thought I could overcome everything..." Taga said in a choked voice, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He couldn't quite tell whether they were tears or steam.
"Taga...I never blamed you...Pride is a poisonous wine that every life drinks...Plummeting from the abyss only allows you to look up at the stars again." After saying this, the black-robed figure slowly removed the cigarette from his lips and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. Taga, half understanding, turned to look at the black-robed figure sitting next to him, smoking. He scrutinized the figure's face, realizing he had never shown his face in a long time. He always appeared in a black robe, and he could only vaguely make out his glowing purple-red eyes.
"I told you, your fate isn't over yet. You still have a long way to go. No one can stop you. You will grow step by step, and everything you're going through now is a stumbling block to your growth. Just like a baby, when they're just learning to walk, they stumble because they're unsteady, but they always get back up and slowly learn to walk. This is a symbol of their growth." The black-robed figure gazed up at the stars in the sky. Under the night sky, the stars twinkled, as if burning their very lives to bring the most beautiful existence to this earth.
"Sir... do you think I'm useless..." Taga raised his head to look at the much taller figure, curious yet a little in awe. He asked.
"No... Taga, you're still young, and you can't accomplish many things yet. But I believe your future is limitless, and you'll become even stronger than you imagine." The black-robed figure spoke to Taga with assurance, taking a drag on his cigarette and exhaling a puff of smoke. The smoke swirled around him, then transformed into lines of text floating in the sky.
"Then, sir... will I become like you in the future? Will I become more empathetic, less arrogant, and stronger?" Taga looked at the black-robed figure, hoping he would answer her questions.
"Of course, Taga. Your future will surpass everything I have. You'll become stronger and more understanding of the world." The black-robed figure then pulled out the butt of his cigarette and snapped his fingers. The cigarette instantly vanished from his fingertips.
The black-robed figure then stood up, the sea breeze caressing him, and his long black robe fluttered in the breeze.
"Taga, the place you're headed to will guide you to greater strength. Don't be afraid. Always believe in yourself. Guidance will help you grow." The black-robed figure turned to look at Taga and gently rubbed her head with his large, gentle hand.
The black-robed figure gazed toward a distant island and slowly snapped his fingers. Instantly, Taga's blood-stained clothes were replaced with a brand-new long leather coat, adorned with metal chains, magical runes, and beautiful floral patterns.
Taga stared at her clothes with some shock, carefully examining them. A smile crept onto her lips. Just as she was about to look up at the black-robed figure to thank him, he had already vanished into the darkness...
"Thank you, sir... I won't let myself become arrogant again..." Taga lowered his head, but the smile on his face didn't fade. He was now a completely new person, one who would become even stronger and more knowledgeable about the world.
And on the other side...
Above all things, countless universes radiate their own unique light. Between these universes, passages slowly flow. One of these passages slowly tears open.
"Finally... a rift in the past multiverse... This place is filled with nothingness and overwhelming power... How beautiful!" The one who tore the rift open was Distortion. He watched as the time tunnels he had torn slowly merged, then turned and began to walk somewhere.
The nothingness that existed between the gaps between the multiverses seemed almost endless, merely interconnected universes, connecting different timelines and branches.
Distortion walked and walked, finally arriving at a place he had longed to see. Within the void, limbs, ashes, broken weapons, torn wings, and fallen crowns drifted, and among them, a towering figure stood amidst the drifting debris.
Distortion slowly stepped forward, and the being standing among the limbs turned to look at Distortion. This being's body was covered in eerie eyes, all of which simultaneously gazed at Distortion as he slowly approached. All of them flickered as they stared at Distortion, and the being, turning its head, also glared at Distortion with its single pupil. The demonic gaze was like a blast against Distortion... but Distortion remained unmoved.
"You've finally arrived... I've been waiting for you for so long..." The being turned, its eyes radiating an eerie light; they had spotted Distortion from the moment he arrived.
"I'm sorry I'm a little late, my esteemed Lord Rhazoth." Distortion smiled at Rhazoth before him, bowing slowly, a sickening smirk on his face.
"Don't try that on me! I know what you're up to! From the moment you were born, I knew you'd come to me..." Rhazoth then folded his arms across his chest. The eyes on Rhazoth's body trembled, eager to steal the stories and energy of every cosmic entity.
"Since you already know this, my all-knowing Rhazoth, would you be willing to cooperate with me...to rule all of 'Oldworldtale' with me! To erode this entire forest!" Distortion spoke with a politeness that tinged with danger, staring at Rhazoth through half-lidded eyes.
"Rule? What's the point? Destruction is the only true truth. Why would I need to be informed?!" Rhazoth spoke to Distortion in a commanding and unyielding tone, a powerful aura emanating from him, as if to force Distortion to his knees.
"That's wonderful! My goal is the same as yours...but I want to create my own universe, and you would be the perfect partner. My goal is to destroy and create a new universe, and yours is to destroy. So why not cooperate with me? Don't you want to become as powerful as the Creator God?" Distortion maintained his polite tone, his aura unchanged as he radiated his own.
Distortion and Rhazoth's powerful energy fields clashed, merging into one, distorting the very void of the infinite multiverse. Then, simultaneously, both energies ceased emanating.
"I admire your courage... mortal... no! You are no longer human either." Rhazoth spoke these words in a cold, arrogant tone, tinged with admiration. Even though he lacked any means of speaking, his voice could still tremble in the soul.
"Thank you for your appreciation~ This is proof of our successful collaboration~" Distortion then extended his hand, his arm gradually enveloped by the tentacles. Rhazoth gazed at Distortion's outstretched hand and slowly extended his own. The two most dangerous beings grasped each other's hands...
And above all this...
In the abyss of nothingness, the conversation between the demon and the villain echoed, like two ancient undercurrents converging.
Countless dead gods... The wreckage of the dead drifted like witnesses.
They thought they were writing a new era.
They believed cooperation could shake the very foundations of the tree.
However, higher still—at the summit, beyond the reach of branches and leaves—light streamed silently.
There, there was neither time nor space.
Only a pair of indescribable "eyes," silently looking down.
That gaze contained no anger, no mercy, not even words.
Just existence.
And yet, it was this very existence that made even nothingness itself tremble.
He saw the villain's smile, the demon's eyes.
He also saw an end they had yet to perceive.
Above all, the Creator God watched, uninterrupted.
For He knew that all struggles would ultimately yield a single answer.