"No matter how you try to alter your timeline, it's all in vain."
—Distortion
"Where am I..." A familiar voice echoed from somewhere, and the voice's owner slowly opened his eyes.
What he saw was a dark void, and within that void, a tall blue figure stood.
"Him again?" Taga slowly stepped forward, the heavy sound of his footsteps echoing through the darkness. The blue figure stood still, staring into the distance.
"You're here again..." the blue figure said slowly, slowly turning to look at Taga, who had already arrived in front of him.
Taga, taking in the other's towering, oppressive aura, unconsciously clenched his fist. Strength flowed through him.
"Don't be afraid, Taga. I'm not that interested in hurting you. Open your fist." The blue figure looked at Taga's clenched fist and slowly raised a finger, pointing.
After hearing the other party's words, Taga slowly unclenched his fists, the pressure within him gradually easing. He feared the other party might harm him, and because the other party's power was similar to his own, he hesitated to act rashly.
"Hello, sir..." Taga said in a polite yet cautious tone.
Taga's eyes were filled with suspicion of the other party. He wondered why the other party had the same power as him, why he was here... So many questions weighed on his heart, making him want to find out more about the other party's existence.
"Seeing your doubtful and curious eyes, ask whatever you want to ask." The blue figure clasped his hands behind his back, staring at Taga with piercing eyes.
"Sir... why... are you here... and why do you possess the same power as me?" Taga asked the questions that weighed heavily on his mind, filled with curiosity about the other party's origins.
"Why am I here... I don't know. I only know that I experienced a war, died in that war, and when I opened my eyes again... I was here." The blue figure spoke indifferently, yet there was a hint of concealment in his tone.
Taga felt a tinge of guilt in the other person's tone, but he felt he was overthinking it.
"As for why my power is the same as yours... it's because I am its master!" The blue figure raised his arms and spoke proudly, his tone filled with pride and majesty.
"You are... the master of the same power as mine?" Taga tilted his head slowly, his expression and eyes filled with confusion.
"I created this power, I am its developer, and you are its sole inheritor!" The blue figure slowly raised one arm, a small ball of lightning condensed in his palm.
Taga's eyes gleamed as he gazed at the ball in the other's hand. He hadn't expected the other's mastery of power to reach such a pinnacle.
"What is this power?" Taga asked again.
"If anything, you mortals call it magic, but to me, it's 'divine power'!" The blue figure slowly placed the ball in front of Taga.
"Are you... a god?" Taga looked up at the blue figure, his blue eyes filled with confusion and a hint of distrust.
"Are you kidding? I'm the main god from billions of years ago! I'm one of the most powerful beings in the divine court!" The blue figure's tone was filled with disbelief and arrogance. He hadn't expected the skeleton before him to have never heard of him.
"Then why did you die?" Taga ruthlessly stated the other's death.
"Could you be less blunt..." The blue figure held his forehead with his hand, frowning. He hadn't expected the junior before him to be so rude.
"Being one of the most powerful beings doesn't mean you'll always be the strongest. That's only temporary. There will surely be a more powerful being to defeat us." The blue figure shrugged and looked up at the sky.
"Honestly, I always thought your existence was fictional because I only heard your stories in storybooks." Taga looked at the blue figure, wondering if he was deceiving her.
"No...most of the stories in your so-called storybooks actually happened, including the story of the Creator God creating the universe." The blue figure's tone suddenly became serious, his brow furrowed.
"Is it all true...? Aren't they all myths? Then why? Why doesn't the Creator God come out to save my universe? Why do all the gods turn a blind eye?!" Why... do you want me to lose everything..." Taga couldn't help but feel angry, his voice choking. He was angry because when his universe was on the verge of collapse, the gods didn't appear, didn't come to save the people who believed in them.
"Don't be angry. It's been a long time since the Creator God last appeared... and we haven't seen the Creator God himself. He's too mysterious... As for why the other gods didn't save your universe, I don't know... Perhaps with the passage of time, the gods have long since become different from my time." The blue figure simply shook his head and looked at Taga, observing Taga's distrust of the gods and his venting of anger.
Taga noticed the blue figure's helpless gaze on him. He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and adjusted his mind.
"I'm sorry, sir... I lost my composure..." Taga lowered his head in shame, his face gloomy. He didn't know what to do. He had always believed that gods didn't exist, but now he knew that gods really did exist.
"It's harmless. Don't worry too much. This is simply the truth of this world." The blue figure placed his hands behind his back and turned his back to Taga.
"Sir... have you seen that mysterious person in a black robe?" Taga slowly raised his head and looked at the blue figure, his eyes filled with determination.
"You mean the one you saw?" The blue figure turned to look at Taga.
Taga looked at the blue figure and nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with a desire to fully understand the existence of the black-robed man.
"To be precise... I don't know who he is, nor do I know where he came from. But I do know... he holds many secrets, and I can't fathom him. His power is immense, almost surpassing everything..." The blue figure spoke with a serious and disbelieving tone. To him, the black-robed man's existence was strange. He felt that he existed... yet at the same time, he didn't exist. This baffled him; he had never seen such a being before.
After hearing this, Taga began to ponder what kind of being the black-robed man truly was.
"As for you, Taga, you existed in the prophecy. You are the hope of the entire universe. Your future is long." The blue figure turned to look at Taga and smiled, a smile of confidence and trust.
"I understand, sir! Taga replied with a smile, nodding earnestly.
Suddenly, a ray of light shone upon Taga... After a moment, he awoke from his bed. He gazed at his palms, clenching his fists tightly. He seemed to understand somewhat his destiny and mission, even if he didn't yet know the details.
And in the dark void... a blue figure slowly smiled.
"What a perfect body... Taga, Taga, as a person destined for heaven, I wonder if your body can withstand the power of a true god. It truly fascinates me..." A subtle, wicked smile played at the corner of the blue figure's mouth.
And Elsewhere...
Distortion was in a palace room, standing before a bookshelf, gently tracing each tome with his sharp fingertips. He then took a book from the shelf and opened it to begin reading.
At this moment, an Alkaros soldier knocked on the door. Distortion silently continued flipping through the pages.
"My Emperor... I have located the location of that being. Should we go..." The Alkaros soldier respectfully opened the door and knelt on one knee to report everything he had learned.
"Not yet. We must first slow down the Destiny Man's travel speed and torture him. Distortion said as he read the text in the book, tentacles slowly emerging from the corners of his mouth.
"So, what are your plans..." the Alkaros soldier said respectfully, ready to serve his king at any moment.
"I'll tell you..." Distortion slammed the book shut and turned his head. His face no longer resembled a human. Strange tentacles and patterns covered his features, as if he were a monster...