In that brief minute, Roselle didn't visit old friends. He went straight to the nearest library, using his Knowledge Emperor abilities to skim history books, confirming one thing: this was indeed a world over a century later, and the strange guy who summoned him hadn't lied.
Roselle Gustav had been dead for over a hundred years, reduced to a cautionary tale in history texts.
His death didn't shock him. Even now, he was considering switching to the Black Emperor pathway to escape Outer Deity pollution, using its resurrection to shed incompatible characteristics, break free from semi-madness, and become a clear-headed Sequence 0. He hadn't fully committed yet, so his future death wasn't surprising.
The real issue was that, theoretically, he should've resurrected by now. Why hadn't he in this era?
A bad feeling crept in. Something major had derailed his resurrection plan. He tried sensing his current-era self, and his expression grew darker.
"Looks like you're convinced this is the future." Alaric said, reading Roselle's thoughts. He gestured to a sofa with a smile. "Sit, Mr. Roselle. Let's have a proper chat."
Roselle didn't refuse, sitting down and looking at Alaric. "Are you the Lord of Mysteries?"
"Pfft... " Alaric couldn't help but laugh. "Why would you think that?"
"Historical projections are a Fool pathway ability, and the Lord of Mysteries is known as the King of Time and Space. I thought you, projecting past consciousness into history, might be Him. Guess not." Roselle said, his reasoning sharp. You could call him flawed, but as a Knowledge Emperor, he was undeniably erudite.
"Sorry to disappoint, the Lord of Mysteries can't do this." Alaric said with a smile. "This is my unique skill. Call it Shadow of Time."
Shadow of Time… Roselle committed the name to memory before asking, "If you're not the Lord of Mysteries, who are you?"
"You can call me Lucifer. As for identity, let's say I'm a transmigrator too." Alaric said, smiling as he introduced himself.
"Lucifer… cosplaying the Morning Star?" Roselle rolled his eyes, unsurprised by the transmigrator claim but visibly relieved by the confirmation.
He glanced out the window. "With an ability like that, I bet the truth of transmigration isn't a secret to you."
"It's not." Alaric admitted, looking out the window too. "I know this is Earth, millions of years in the future."
"Then you know about those things?" Roselle said, winking meaningfully.
"You mean the Outer Deities? I do. I've dealt with them more than once." Alaric said, understanding his meaning. He smiled. "I'm currently helping Mr. Door shake off the Mother Goddess of Depravity's corruption."
Roselle's gaze sharpened. "You can remove Outer Deity corruption?"
"Indeed, Mr. Roselle. I can, and right now, I'm the only one who can." Alaric said with a nod, looking at him. "That's why I summoned you today. You've probably sensed what's happened to your current-era self."
Roselle's face darkened. He pursed his lips. "I thought becoming Sequence 0 and dying once would clear the Mother Goddess of Depravity's corruption. Guess I was naive. My current self is still corrupted, right?"
"More precisely, you're stuck in a liminal state between life and death. You haven't escaped the Outer Deity's corruption. You could still resurrect as the Black Emperor, but if you did, you'd be a god fully controlled by an Outer Deity." Alaric said calmly.
"That's just damn rotten!" Roselle cursed, then looked at Alaric. "Name your price. What'll it take for you to help me?"
"You trust me that easily?" Alaric asked, smiling instead of naming terms.
"Why wouldn't I? My current state proves it. Honestly, I haven't felt this clear-headed in ages. That damn corruption kept me half-mad, but your bizarre power not only suppressed it but even held back the Original Creator's awakening consciousness. If you can do that, what's not to trust?" Roselle said, his expression easing with long-suppressed relief. Fighting the Original Creator's consciousness or the corruption's influence was no small feat. With both suppressed, balancing his divinity was a breeze by comparison.
Huh? Shadow of Time can do that?
Alaric caught the implication, glancing at Roselle discreetly as a long-standing question found an answer.
He'd always found his summoned figures... like the Ancient Sun God or Mr. Door... oddly human. A half-Old Days Sun God or a triune, corrupted Mr. Door should've been less coherent, yet they were emotionally rich. Now it made sense: Shadow of Time likely suppressed consciousnesses not native to the summoned, like the Original Creator's or the corruption's, or perhaps only summoned the target's core consciousness, leaving the extras behind.
Alaric reached this conclusion in his mind, not too surprised. Shadow of Time summoned the target's will, so things like the Original Creator's consciousness weren't included. Given the ability's high rank... capable of summoning Yog-Sothoth... it wasn't shocking it could suppress such interferences.
***
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