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THIRD POV
"What if they predicted this outcome?"
Belenos said, her expression darkening with thought.
"If that's the case, then they're good… frighteningly good. Good enough to realise the war was never in their favour, regardless of what happened in Nihil Space."
'Belenos is right. I doubt things would have turned out any differently if Antares hadn't intervened. Armies on that scale would only prolong the war and delay the emergence of the Dark Nebulas. However, their actions forced them to step onto the battlefield and…...'
A sudden thought pierced even his omniscient mind, and for the first time in a long while, Acamar's calm expression cracked. His eyes widened as the realisation settled in, sharp and deeply unsettling.
'Wait… Antares didn't even contribute to the war.'
Acamar's thoughts began racing, each conclusion hitting harder than the last.
'Killing Shinku was hardly a contribution. That Dark Star was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Antares never came for the war. He arrived with the Dragon Deity, then left to retrieve his other wife.'
His grip tightened, puzzling the pieces.
'And if those armies were still alive, they would've been an obstacle to him. Their destruction forced the Dark Nebulas to march into the Star Realm, leaving Nihil Space completely exposed… a perfect entrance no one would notice.'
The pieces aligned too neatly.
'Could it be Antares is...'
The thought died before he could finish it.
Acamar's eyes narrowed as he searched. A Star of his calibre should have had no trouble locating a single individual across infinite distance. Yet this time… there was nothing.
And that unsettled him far more than the revelation itself.
He turned sharply and found him standing right in front of him. There had been no warning signal, no distortion in space, or any sign of arrival. He had simply appeared as though he had always been there.
Acamar saw him before the others could register his presence. Before Acamar could react, he seized him by the hair and lifted his childlike form effortlessly into the air. Shock flashed across Acamar's face, but he was given no time to respond as a devastating punch crashed into his head.
The impact thundered across existence, rupturing his skull instantly as fragments of light, Ontologions, and Ontospheres scattered violently in every direction. His body quickly followed, breaking apart and fading into nothingness before the force of the strike had fully settled.
"I'll be waiting for the real you."
Algol said, his voice calm yet carrying the unsettling weight of something newly reborn.
His transformed body was bathed in flowing purple ink, each ripple glimmering with eerie luminescence. His eyes were wide open, twin silver pupils burning with intensity staring straight ahead, unblinking, as if gazing beyond Existence itself.
[[IMAGE]]
[[IMAGE]]
"Acamar!"
Belenos shouted, shock breaking through her composure as she watched the impossible unfold.
"Lord First…?"
Adhara's voice followed, quieter, laced with disbelief that hung heavily in the air.
Across the Star Realm, the faces of its apex figures twisted in horror as the reality of what they had witnessed settled in. The strongest and most primordial Star had been defeated with terrifying ease.
"The real war will end the moment it begins."
Algol said, speaking with the kind of certainty that made it sound as though he alone possessed the authority to begin and end wars at will.
The Omnis visibly tensed, their instincts clashing between attacking him and escaping while they still could.
"This is your invitation to The End."
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ANTARES POV
Suddenly, my eyes snapped open and I jolted awake, unsure of how long I had been unconscious.
I found myself in a place I couldn't comprehend. The expansion of space meant nothing here, just as the flow of time held no relevance. There was no sound, no light, no darkness, no thought, no presence of any kind… and yet, I was here.
"White?"
I called out, already knowing he was the only one who could explain what was happening.
"You're awake. Good. Let's begin."
I frowned, finding it unreal for him to do so.
'He's been waiting?'
"How long was I out?"
"I don't know. Time doesn't exist here, so I can't give you a precise answer."
"What's your rough estimate?"
"Trillions of years… perhaps longer. What matters now is that you're ready for the next Step."
'Trillions? I wonder if Home is affected.'
"It's not."
He replied, my thoughts partially linked to his.
"The flow of time is different in your Existential Shell for the Star Realm which has fractured flow of time. Nothing much might have happened. Furthermore, you can travel back if it ends. That's if you make it to the next Step."
<<...>>
So I could rewind time on a scale this vast… and yet the weight of inevitability still outlasted it.
'Wait.'
Perhaps inevitability itself might finally be within reach after the next Step.
"Are you ready?"
Its voice echoed through my mind and across the unknowable environment surrounding me.
"Ready for what?"
"The Etherheart is not something you achieve simply by merging the two Arts. You must pass specific trials before claiming even a fragment of it."
"What happened to the whole?"
"Your Shell is merely a drop of water in an endless ocean. This first step only makes you eligible to wield it perfectly."
'More and more nonsense.'
As much as I wanted to know what was happening outside, there was nothing I could do about it now. I had no choice but to trust the Goddesses and Acamar to protect them.
With my resolve hardening, I raised my head.
"I'm ready."
"Good. This is a trial, so you will not have access to your previous states or feats. You will be nothing more than a mortal, vulnerable to doubt and rumination. Are you..."
"I've come too far, White. There's no turning back."
I cut it off before it could finish, unwilling to hear another warning.
I wanted to see these so-called trials for myself. Attain powers to protect myself and my loved ones. These are the reasons I chose this path in the first place. Not to mention our journey in this Shell.
And with that strong resolution, everything went black for me.
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To be continued...