Aiden emerged through the portal into Eden of the Original timeline, and the sight that greeted him was absolute Desolation.
The grand city of the gods lay in ruins.
He floated down and landed in the exact spot where they'd first fought Samael in this timeline, the place where he'd died.
His gaze moved across the devastation, taking in the wreckage of what had once been a beautiful city.
Then he looked beyond Eden's borders, using his dragon's sight to peer across the world itself.
Everywhere he looked, the same scene repeated. Kingdoms reduced to dust. Forests burned to nothing. The entire world was a graveyard.
Aiden sighed, then channeled his authority over time. This made his vision shift at once.
The present faded away, replaced by reflections of the past that played out before him like scenes of a story.
He saw it all.
Right after his death in this timeline, the other dragons had tried to fight back, but they'd been overwhelmed within moments.
