Saga of Atlantis

205  Ocean Of Space And Time [End]

...A masked man was sitting on a chair with a woman sitting on his lap.

...I recognized that woman.

Emily's mother.

...Sofia.

My mind buzzed with confusion.

The things that kept on happening in front of my eyes were too hard to believe.

Is he really "me"?

My gaze remained fixed on Sofia, who was smiling blissfully.

Her grey hair flowed behind her, while her grey eyes tenderly looked at "him."

It was a sharp contrast to what I saw when we met before.

Shifting her body slightly, she slowly removed "his" mask until only his lips were visible.

Without waiting, she kissed "him" passionately.

"....."

The confusion I was feeling spiked as I looked at them having a good time.

Didn't she say there was nothing between her and that "man"?

The fuck is this now?

'Did she lie to me?' I couldn't help but wonder as I looked at Emily running towards them.

The "man" helped Sofia to get on her feet before he patted little Emily's head.

And as if noticing my presence, he slightly raised his head but stopped halfway.

"The past, The Present, The Future." A deep and heavy voice echoed in my head.

"The distance between them is an illusion." The "man" turned to look towards me, slowly gazing up.

"The future doesn't exist." "His" words buzzed in my mind as "his" eyes slowly gazed up.

"Yet the past is far behind us." Sofia also looked up, but there was only confusion on her face as if she couldn't see me.

I blinked.

The trillions of threads floating in the vast ocean came into view.

I just looked at the intersection of the threads for a long time.

"My" own words rang in my mind again and again.

Like my reality was being questioned, I couldn't do anything but float in the ocean.

'What does he mean by the distance between time is an illusion?' I grumbled in my head, trying to piece everything together.

What does that even mean?

Is time just an illusionary concept without any meaning?

In the first place, how can I see or go back to the past?

Why is that even possible?

'Does the future really not exist?' I wondered, rubbing my chin.

If the future doesn't exist, then what about the game knowledge I have?

Is that one of the threads in the trillions of them present here?

'Wait, does he mean the future doesn't exist for 'me'?' I thought, and immediately something clicked in my mind.

If I want to have a desired future, then can't I just go back in time... and make one?

...Isn't that what I am doing?

But if the future doesn't exist for me, then why do I want to change it?

If there is nothing in front of me, then why am I so eager to replace it?

'Paradoxes are inevitable, huh?' I mused as I started to let my body float aimlessly in the ocean.

Wait, isn't the present that I am living right now an already occurred "future" for "me" who went back to the "past"?

So, is he trying to change the "future" that "he" had already experienced?

But isn't the present that I am living right now happening "after" 'he' goes back in time?

...So, did nothing change?

...And what did "he" experience for him to go back in time and try changing it?

'This is so confusing.' I grumbled, rubbing my temples to alleviate the headache I was feeling.

One thing that is even more confusing is why am I in a fucking relationship with Emily's mother?

What does being together with her have to do with anything?

'Sigh.' I sighed tiredly as I shifted my gaze away from them.

The threads spread out in infinite length with no end.

Wherever my gaze turned, they came into view.

With nothing else to do, I tried finding anything unique about them.

Except for the intersections and loops, there wasn't anything unique.

They just moved in a linear way without much detail.

'How do I even identify which one represents which time?' I wondered, keeping my eyes on them.

There wasn't anything that differentiated them.

They all looked the same to me.

Slowly, I floated towards a different thread, making my way toward a different loop.

Taking a deep breath, I extended my hand before grabbing the looped thread.

The world around me twisted.

Space and time turned upside-down and elongated.

I blinked.

BOOM!!! A thunderous sound echoed, making my ears numb.

I shook my head as I looked up, hundreds of thunderbolts dancing in the sky.

An old man with long silver hair floated in the air, a furious look on his face while sparks of lightning conjured around him.

From the high ground I stood on, I turned my gaze to the opposite of that old man.

He was a masked young man with long pristine white hair tied in a ponytail.

A spear in his left hand and a sword in his right.

...I did recognize him.

It was "me."

"How dare you betray the Thorja family!?" The old man yelled, glaring at "me." "We are the ones who fed you, dog!"

'Mother's family?' I wondered, as my mother also belonged to the Thorja ancient family.

"You shout a lot, old man." "He" replied nonchalantly. "No wonder your children also like to scream a lot."

A thunderbolt flashed toward the young man, and he effortlessly swatted it away with his spear.

'Isn't that Draupnir?' I wondered, noticing the familiarity with the weapon.

"Where are they!?" The old man yelled, glaring at "him." "What have you done to them!?"

Jeez, the old man really yells a lot.

"Nothing much." "He" replied with a light shrug.

"I've just cut them into hundreds of pieces and kept them 'safely' for you to retrieve."

The old man trembled in rage, his entire face turning crimson.

"WHY!?" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "WHY DID YOU KILL THEM!?"

"JUST SO I CAN SEE DESPAIR ON YOUR FACE, VEXOR."

"He" yelled back while letting out a heartfelt laugh.

But the laughter quickly died down. "You shouldn't have interfered with Steph's matter."

Tears trickled down the old man—Vexor's—eyes as he kept on glaring at "him."

"You are a snake." He growled, the thunderous lightning around him brightening up. "I will tell his highness everything you did."

"He" lowered his body to get in a battle stance, raising both his weapons.

"Corpses don't talk, Vexor."

I blinked.

The world around me distorted.

The gentle feeling of returning back to the ocean didn't come.

Instead, it was a burning sensation that crept all over my body.

I blinked hastily as I tried to look around, only to find myself in burning flames.

...I instinctively tried to move my body away but couldn't.

Only my head moved, so I started to look around.

In four opposite directions, four different pillars were visible.

They had thousands of small runes engraved on them.

...I vaguely remembered what they were.

The seal that kept whatever was inside the forgotten continent in check.

"No."

My heart trembled violently as I noticed where I was.

And before I could even think properly, a primal sense of fear crept into my heart.

It was my eyes that started to bleed.

Shouts and screams started to echo in my head as if something was trying to get a hold of my mind.

'What is happening!?' I yelled in my mind as I started to lose consciousness.

And if it wasn't enough, I felt a burning sensation in my soul.

"..."

I slowly looked up, careful not to scream.

An enormous mouth with billions of razor-sharp teeth was looming over me.

...Ready to swallow my body entirely.

But before it could, the space around me trembled.

Cracks started to emerge in the space while time around me slowed down.

A lady with long black hair and golden eyes came out of a portal.

In a split second, she grabbed my body before the space around me completely broke.

The world twisted around me, and my mind returned to its normal condition.

"ARGHH!!"

But my relief soon turned into unimaginable pain.

My body felt like it was being torn apart.

It was as if I was being shredded alive with my pain receptors working overtime.

"Are you alright?" Zadie, who was holding me, asked while laying me gently on the ground. "You don't look good."

I groaned in reply, unable to muster any words.

She smiled faintly, revealing her sharp, pointy teeth.

 "They usually don't act this fast. Looks like they were trying to capture the youngest version of you."

My eyelids grew heavier, slowly closing as I felt my consciousness slipping away.

"Sleep, my beloved," Zadie whispered, her voice soft and soothing. "The next time you wake, you'll see the world differently."

As my eyelids shut completely, the last sensation I felt was the warmth of her lips brushing softly against mine.