"Trust me, the God of Creation... I will absolutely destroy everything you hold dear!"
—Distortion
A disembodied voice echoed around them... The surrounding space shattered like shards...
A majestic figure held a sphere... His face could not be seen clearly... No living being could see it clearly...
Taga's figure was reflected in the sphere he held...
Taga at this moment...
The wind whistled past the ears of Taga and Syl. Syl held Taga's neck as they leaped from the opening that had opened the ruins.
Taga stared solemnly at the bottomless void beneath him. Sunlight shone through the hollow, but the darkness within was like a giant beast devouring the sunlight.
Syl held Taga's neck tightly, his eyes tightly shut, not daring to open them.
After falling for an unknown amount of time in the dark void, Taga suddenly frowned.
Taga shifted his stance, lowering his legs downward. Suddenly, a ground covered in runes came into view.
Taga landed forcefully on the ground, and a cloud of dust immediately rose...
After a moment, the dust cleared, revealing Taga half-crouched on the ground, which had been shattered by his own steps. Syl clutched Taga's neck tightly.
"Syl, you can open your eyes now. We've reached the surface," Taga said gently, gently patting Syl's hand, which was tightly wrapped around his neck.
"Are we there yet..." Syl slowly opened his eyes, took in his surroundings, then released his grip and jumped off Taga's back.
Taga then slowly stood up from his half-crouch, his eyes surveying the surroundings. Although the surroundings were utterly dark, Taga's eyes gradually lit up.
Since gaining his "divine power," Taga's eyes and body have been able to see things he couldn't before, such as scattered debris and the sound of a strange heartbeat.
"Is this the interior of the ruins? Why does it feel so dark?" Syl asked, tilting his head as he lifted the scepter from his back.
The gemstone on the scepter shone a blue light, illuminating their view. A long corridor opened before them.
Murals carved into the corridor's walls, each one recounting a legend like a storybook.
Taga walked over to a mural and touched it. The scenes he saw felt strangely familiar.
Golden threads crisscrossed the cracks in the murals, emitting a shimmering light, as if the murals were alive.
Each mural depicted a silent epic legend.
The first depicted an infinite void. Within that void floated a tiny glimmer of light, like the seed of a dream.
The second, the light split—seven vague forms flowed from it. They surrounded the core of light, seemingly giving birth to all things.
In the third painting, the central light transformed into a faceless god—the Creator God.
He stretched out his hand and created the stars, the ocean, and the beginning of the soul.
The fourth painting depicts the falling of "God's Tears"—tears that turned into "dust," corroding all He had created.
In the fifth painting, the gods battled each other, the world crumbled, and the Creator God's figure gradually faded, leaving only shattered light and dust.
In the final painting, only a line of ancient text remained...
Taga looked at the ancient text and scratched his head in confusion. He still couldn't fully understand what this mural meant...
At this moment, Syl ran over. He looked at the mural on the wall, touched his chin, and turned to look at Taga.
"This seems to tell the story of the Creator God's creation of the world. And the text seems to say... 'When all is settled, everything will restart!'"
"Hahaha, this mural is just like the legend my grandfather used to tell me. I didn't quite believe it before... but now I do, except..." Taga's tone shifted from nostalgia at first, to depression, and finally to renewed confidence.
After going through so much, Taga has come to terms with things. His current mission is to find a way to save Tina. He's unclear about what his destiny demands of him, only that he must save the universe.
Although he doesn't know what saving the universe entails, if saving Tina is the path to saving the universe, then he's willing to fulfill his uncertain destiny.
Taga turned to look further into the corridor. There was a massive doorway, and two stone statues stood before it.
Taga slowly approached and looked at the two statues. Each held a long sword. Like guardian deities, they guarded this ruin for millions of years, their bodies covered in dust and moss.
Taga walked towards the door, and Syl followed eagerly. Just as Taga was about to push it open, he suddenly froze. For some reason, he sensed a murderous aura.
"Why did you stop?" Syl tilted his head in confusion, wondering why Taga had stopped listening.
Taga immediately leaned over, pushed Syl aside, and quickly retreated.
From their perspective, the stone statue raised its longsword and slashed at Taga and Syl. Taga quickly pushed Syl away, causing the statue's strike to miss, and the heavy sword to embed itself directly into the stone floor.
"Tsk... What a nuisance..." Taga murmured softly, then reached forward, picked up Syl, and carried him away.
The two stone statues awakened, their eyes glowing red. With their longswords in hand, they chased after Taga.
Taga hoisted Syl onto her shoulders and sprinted away into the darkness.
The two statues chased after him into the darkness, their red eyes scanning their surroundings. After seemingly searching in vain, they turned back.
Taga, holding Syl with one arm, his other arm grasping a protruding rock, his gaze fixed on the retreating statues.
"Taga, don't you think we're being a little ambiguous?" Syl, held tightly by Taga, couldn't move, but a smile clung to his face.
"Sorry, but this is an emergency, so I have to excuse you for a moment. And now's not the time for jokes!" Taga said, somewhat helplessly but with a gentleness that was all his own, as he slowly jumped down.
"That was a close call. Luckily, you reacted quickly!" Syl patted Taga's arm, expressing his trust in her.
"It looks like a bit of a hassle. Find a good place to hide later. I need to find a way to defeat these two statues," Taga said, turning to Syl.
Syl looked at Taga, nodded, and turned to leave. But Taga grabbed his backpack.
"Wait a moment, can you lend me the rope?" Taga snatched it from Syl's backpack.
"What do you need the rope for?" Syl tilted his head in confusion. He watched Taga walk to a location with the rope, tie it to a boulder, and then slowly pull it to tie it to a nearby pillar.
"Alright, a simple trap is ready! Go hide!" Taga turned to Syl and rushed towards the stone statues.
The stone statues had returned to their original standing positions. Taga walked a short distance away, squatted down, picked up a stone, and threw it at the two stone statues.
The two stone statues slowly opened their eyes. Seeing that the person who had just tried to enter the gate was the one who had just arrived, they slowly stepped down from the platform where they had been standing, drew their swords, and rushed towards Taga.
Taga gave a mocking expression and ran back, the statues in hot pursuit.
Soon they reached the spot where Taga had set her trap, where she stood by a pillar, watching the statues.
"Bye-bye!" Taga gestured goodbye, then with a single hand cut the ropes holding the boulders. The boulders instantly fell from the statues' heads, crushing them before they could react.
"Taga, you took care of them?!" Syl slowly emerged from the corner, gazing at Taga with admiration.
"It wasn't much of a trick," Taga said, slowly walking forward and crouching down. He picked up the shattered stone, muttering something to himself.
"What are you doing?" Syl stared at Taga, confused.
"I'm apologizing to them. They didn't do anything wrong. They were simply defending the ruins. We were merely intruders, and yet we crushed them. This is a sin, but there's nothing we can do." Taga apologized, set the stone down, and headed for the gate.
Syl followed Taga, and they slowly pushed open the gate...
Elsewhere...
Distortion's ships had arrived at the icy continent, and their troops had disembarked.
Distortion sat on his throne, gazing at the frozen trees and flowers around him. He sipped his cup of hot tea, while Rhazoth, standing beside him, surveyed the surroundings, searching for the ruins.
An elf lay in the grass, his brow furrowed. He had a feeling the elf was up to no good. He was about to return to report to the chieftain, but when he looked down, he saw a tentacle firmly grasping his ankle.
His pupils trembled, and the tentacle instantly pulled him in front of Distortion.
"Elf, peeping at others is bad behavior. It's disrespectful. As punishment... I'll punish you with death!" Distortion said with a forced smile, his tone cold and cruel, filled with contempt for life.
Distortion instantly raised a tentacle and pierced the elf's head. Blood gushed out instantly, some even splashing onto Distortion's face and mouth. Distortion didn't react, instead licking the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"It's been so long since I tasted blood... I miss it so much..." Distortion said, throwing the elf's body away.
"I've found the elves' gathering place," Rhazoth said coldly, completely unconcerned with Distortion's recent behavior.
"Thank you for your help. Now we're going to do something cruel!" Distortion said politely, as the tentacles around him stirred.
The old man sitting at the altar seemed to have anticipated something and stood there, awaiting the other party's arrival.
Distortion sat on the throne, slowly carried by the soldiers to the altar, where he saw the old man.
"Are you the guardian who will unlock this relic? Help us unlock it, and I'll let you live. How's the deal?" Distortion leaned over the old man and smiled, his skin revealing strange tentacles beneath his lips.
"I've long suspected you'd come. I also know I'll die whether I unlock it or not, and you'll have a way to unlock it. So, I might as well buy Taga some time here." The old man said this fearlessly, his tone filled with courage and disdain for Distortion.
"Hahahaha! You truly are the incarnation of the God of Creation! The energy you radiate is truly familiar! Since you won't help me unlock it, I'll kill you!" Distortion laughed wildly. He had already seen that the other man was the incarnation of the God of Creation. He had just been testing it, and it turned out to be true.
After laughing, Distortion slowly raised its tentacles and killed all the elves present. Rhazoth, however, walked indifferently toward the altar. He didn't care what Distortion intended to do; he simply wanted to find the Creator and utterly slay him.
Rhazoth placed his hand on the ground that opened the altar and began to gather energy. The altar floor slowly opened, and Rhazoth turned to signal Distortion that it was time to leave...