There was no way Richard hadn't learned his lesson after the first time he touched Pandora's Forge, but he had to admit he was surprised by the way Neo vanished.
There were just too many things he didn't understand about the Neo. First, there was the absurd amount of energy required to awaken his relic. Second—though Neo might not know this—awakening usually took far longer due to the usual slow speed of absorbing spiritual energy. But, judging by the staggering speed at which Neo had drained spirit stone after spirit stone, Richard knew Neo was far from normal. But he decided not to pry.
Seeing Neo disappear upon touching his relic, Richard was sure it was a function of the relic itself. Unlike Helen, who still looked stunned, he simply took a seat and pulled out another chair for his granddaughter.
***
Neo found himself in what looked like a vast hall, one seemingly built for giants rather than humans. But that impression was fleeting, his attention immediately drawn to an old man sitting cross-legged with a genial smile. From the densely corded muscles covering every visible inch of his upper body, Neo was sure there was nothing ordinary about this person smiling so casually at him—even if he felt no immediate sense of danger the way he usually did with the grim reaper 'Richard'.
"Come here, child! Sit with me!"
Immediately, his voice boomed across the colossal space, making Neo wince and clutch his head in pain with a ringing in his ears.
"Oh, sorry," the old man said, his voice now tempered to a more reasonable tone. "I've been alone here so long, waiting for you. I forgot how to restrain myself."
Neo's ears were still ringing as he thought, *What is it with all these old monsters in this world?*
Regaining his bearings, he mustered his courage and walked toward the buff old man, whose smile never wavered. He was here now, and even if this figure seemed suspicious, he knew there was no escaping.
He sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the old man, who remained quiet, simply observing him for a long minute before speaking.
"Hah... the new Creator, you'd look good with some extra muscles on your thin body. You've even awakened the bloodline… Oh, I wish it had been the same for me." His tone was nostalgic as he gazed up at the impossibly high ceilings, finally looking away from Neo.
Neo was shocked to hear the word 'Creator', ignoring the old man's weird comment on his body. He thought of the system and how it addressed him. This couldn't be a coincidence.
"Erm… Sir? The 'new' Creator?" he asked softly, curiosity shining through his eyes, though he tried to hold back from blurting out every question at once.
"Hehe… I'm sorry. I am the Creator who came before you. It might be hard to grasp, but you must understand—there was a Creator before me, and one before them, stretching back to the dawn of time. There has always been one in the universe. And now… It's your turn." The old man spoke in a mysterious tone
Neo fell silent, unable to comprehend the sheer weight of those words, his thoughts racing as he stared at the ground.
"Tsk… I'm bad at this. Don't hurt your head, child. The universe is vast, filled with mysteries even I couldn't unravel in its entirety during my time. There's no need to overthink."
The old man abruptly dropped his melancholy and switched topics, his demeanor brightening. "Now, tell me, what Creator relic did you awaken?
"...."
Seeing Neo silent at his question, "Come on, I haven't spoken to anyone in centuries. Humor this old Creator, will you?"
Neo thought for a moment. "The Pandora's Forge."
"Hahahaha! The universe is definitely in for it this time. Mine was the 'Hephaestus Hammer'." As he spoke the name, a giant hammer—twice his size, adorned with the same gold symbols and bronze sheen as Neo's Forge—materialized in his hand.
The old man gazed at it lovingly like a doting parent before speaking. "Isn't she beautiful?... I wish we had more time, but unfortunately, we don't."
The hammer vanished from his hand at this point, and his voice grew serious. "I'll explain the best I can.
'You are now a part of a long line of relic bearers called Creators. You can see that even though we are both called Creators, we do not wield the same relic. Our title as Creators only comes from the fact that we possess an affinity to wield these powerful relics of creation. And there has always been… only one Creator in existence at a time."
"The fact that you came to exist means my time has come to an end. I'm only on borrowed time now, and after this, I'll be gone in every sense of the word."
The old man said this with a smile, in stark contrast to the sadness that had settled on Neo's face. "Don't look at me like that. I had fun—me and my relic." His expression was still bright with memory.
The universe in itself descended from two distinct energies, so fundamentally different in their duality, Creation and Destruction, each born as one end of a cycle pitched against each other from the start. For millions of years, the Right to wield each of these energies has been passed down in an unending war in the cycle of existence itself.
With both Truths engraved in existence itself, they each choose a representative among the sentient beings with an affinity for their energy, and with this process, the first of the Creators and Destroyers were born. Both the relic bearers of creation and destruction have been at war with each other since the dawn of time. A war that you just stepped into as my successor to the creation title.
Oh, I wish I could pass on my creation techniques to make this path easier on you, but with the oath that binds each creator, I can't. You'll be bound to do the same.
Neo leaned forward with a glint in his eyes as he heard passing on creation techniques, but at the end of that sentence, he had a disappointed look. The old man, seeing this, chuckled but still kept his words going.
He leaned forward slightly. "Unlike we Creators, who uphold the existence of Relics, the Destroyers thrive on fear and chaos to tear down the existence of Relics, world after world, with legions at their call." A faint, cold smile touched his lips. "In the end, of course, I caused them centuries worth of loss beneath my hammer." The old man said this with pride rippling through his figure.
Neo listened in silence, struggling to comprehend the scale of what was being revealed. His world, which had once seemed centered on the Templar Empire, was suddenly expanding into something terrifyingly vast.
"Oh.... I can't tell you how to use your relic either".
"..... It seems all this old man tells me are things he can't give me... Where's the good stuff?" Of course, none of this was out loud, but the old man made a knowing smile at Neo, sending him still, "Shit, he can't read my mind, can he?...."
"Umm, the difference in our relics, this is the same for every creator?" Neo asked, pushing his dissatisfaction at meeting a mighty being and not gaining anything but a bunch of responsibilities so far.
"Each creator relic has always been different. But, from what I know, the Pandora Forge was used once by a creator, very powerful too. He destroyed 4 generations of destroyers before he vanished. I'm not sure how, but if it was the same Pandora's forge, then it's possible that your path may be easier than mine.
There may be… fundamental differences in both your relics, but I'm sure you'll find your way; we creators always have.
"I have one silly piece of advice for you, child..... He gave a short pause before speaking..... "Enjoy the journey as best you can. You need to. It's the only way to avoid being broken by the weight of the universe on your shoulders."
Neo didn't say a word. The sheer responsibility felt like a physical weight. His shoulders slumped.
'Sigh.'
"And if I refuse? All this responsibility, I'm not sure I want any of it. " Neo whispered, defeated. All he had wanted was to save his brother. The world? The universe? None of it mattered to him. Not now.
"Hahahaha… I had a feeling you'd say that. My predecessor said the same thing. And so did I. Not exactly with the same words, but you get it." The old man's laughter was kind, not mocking.
Honestly, it's up to you what you want with the power you've gained. There's no oath binding you to our cause… but there's also no escaping fate. Trust me. I tried for centuries."
At the end of his words, his tone softened into melancholy once more. He looked up at the impossibly high ceilings and smiled, as if seeing something—or someone—Neo could not.