Wait, is Chronovoid still my name?
Status, Name.
Name: Chronovoid
Reah, thank me.
Rehm, while I have them compelled—
"Effierath, why'd you unseal the Abyssal?"
"I'm certain you'll kill more than they would've. However, I hesitated at the last step. Seeing the others fight over whether to continue made me doubt my convictions."
Fair, but... Concerning. It's not right to prosecute others for something that hasn't happened yet, and that's the only reason she cared about their indecision. THat whittles her entire justification down to "thoughtcrime." Which is especially bad since she can't read others' thoughts like I can. Will leeches don't allow for that much control.
"Lust?"
"I wanted to play with their appendages. However, I fought the others when I saw they'd merged. You can only have fun when you're alive."
Seriously?
"What about the harm they'd cause?"
"I was going to imprison the Abyssals in my dungeon, which I've been building ever since we first sealed them. They wouldn't be able harm anyone once I sealed them down there. Ah, except me."
I shake my dragon head. I don't wanna know.
"Hope?"
"I'd sought a better future than what seemed to lie ahead. Like Lust, when I realized they had merged, I fought the others. I also tried to sabotage the unsealing."
"Meaning, the rest of the sins and virtues were killed because they were complicit with the Abyssal's mass murder?"
And mine. I had no control. They did.
All three say in unison.
"Yes."
Rokay, these three can live. They didn't finish the unsealing and so aren't responsible for causing such horrid death and destruction. They can, however, be treated harshly for contributing so much to the result. Much like Leario.
Pride, Deception, and Justice were uncooperative from the start. Deception could've lied, but Pride saw that Deception was being a crazy moron the entire time. I saw how Deception was behaving through his memories. Therefore, I know neither of them were unsealing the Abyssals.
Perhaps by dumb luck or sheer violent idiocy, Deception was able to evade responsibility. He could also be super smart.
I think of Martissa being an angry pinecone.
No, probably not.
Anyhow, I might as well ask the next question.
"Does anyone here know what just happened? Why my body suddenly changed?"
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
They all speak in precise unison.
"You look like you again."
That's so... Creepy.
I look like me again? Then, was that other 'me' hanging around? Maybe it merged back into my Will when I put my Will outside my body?
I examine my Will.
Wait a second, why do I remember...?
I... I am! Reh, I was.
The sins and virtues DIDN'T kill the God of Time, who was also me. I just merged with the God of Time— we're now one.
Hence the species change.
I think back to my name. Why 'A Chronometric Defect?' A defect in time created by my death. I wasn't supposed to die after a meaningless life. I wasn't supposed to be so pointless.
It's not an epic scheme like my life's worth being higher than others, or that there was some grand design. No— I was such a pointless existence that my personal worth never gained any attachment to reality. Others were attached to me, but not vice versa. I wasn't robbed that night. I killed myself.
I then deluded myself into believing even my death was pointless random chance. Except it was the one action I'd EVER taken which meant something to the world.
This put my birth as a person and the beginning of my death at the exact same moment.
Then I became the God of Time.
A Will with no time, despite controlling it.
Which, honestly doesn't sound all that convincing, but that's what my memories suggest.
But that leaves a loose end. How was I talking to the God of Time when I died? That was me. Even the God of Time's memories say traveling back in time should be impossible.
So how did it happen?
And if he didn't die, and I was not a copy, how was I reborn as a kaizen?
Something doesn't add up.
Could it be because I'm timeless? The concept of time doesn't apply— therefore, I'm not traveling through time; I'm outside its flow. The God of Time was a Chronovoid Dragon, not a Chronovoid, so...
I check my memories.
Nope, he used some temporal tricks I don't understand— this suggests reverse time travel IS possible.
How? I'm not sure. Saying 'I'm timeless' explains nothing. Regardless, he was one of my copies who was testing different uses for temporal talents, back when I was a Chronovoid Dragon. Before I lost my dragon species.
It all checks out, then, reah?
Although I call my split selves 'copies,' they're still another part of me. No matter how many new memories they gain, they can always merge back into my Will.
Which means I manipulated MYSELF into eating the Abyssal.
I'm still not responsible for the destruction the Abyssal caused, because my actions didn't kill anyone until after the sins and virtues willingly released the Abyssal's seal.
They also 'killed' the God of Time because they were pissed that he'd weakened them using the Abyssals. He did that in retaliation for their Will leeches. But he wasn't strong enough to fight them directly at that point.
Was I also trying to push myself past the Annihilation Maw phase? I check my memories.
Reah. That makes sense. Without that push, who knows what would've happened. Eating the Abyssal gave me enough strength to devour fate, which stabilized my Origin.
Then, was Pure Evil; was the original Pure Evil also me? Why don't I have those memories? There must be another copy who died without leaving his memories.
No, wait.
I BESTOWED MYSELF MY OWN LINEAGE?!
How... How does...
My mind goes 'Timeless, silly!'
Roh, but of course. It still explains nothing.
Lemme check my Will.
Status, Will.
Will: 1.83 (191.7d)
If I recall, I had seven-something nonillion Will in the exponent column shortly after I consumed Pure Evil. I have way more than that now, so dropping seven nonillion even as an exponent is a mere pittance.
I try to send the exponent of seven nonillion Will back to myself. Specifically at the time when Parasite was trying to consume me.
I feel nothing. Nothing seems to change.
Status, Will.
Will: 1.83 (191.7d)
Rugh, my Will is so high that nonillions are two decimal points lower than what I'd need to move the meter down a tick. That was dumb.
The idea I can send my earlier self more power is absolutely wild. I could make an infinite—
I remember the fate talent.
You know what? Let's not do that.
I like this universe. I don't want to devour it in one giant bite like I did the Abyssal.
Sheesh. If I can do so much, then—
"Rokay, you all. Stop being compelled. Go back to normal."
"Huah?"
"Sha—"
"Eh?"
"Hm."
They all look confused and so on. Then, they catch sight of me and immediately go right back to prostrating.
I roll my eyes.
Apparently, my ability to compel those under my Origin is likewise under my control. No more random subconscious machinations from my own mind. Reuh. Hopefully.
I pull at my draconic form.
It slides apart like goo.
image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/170.png]
No sound, no fuss.
*blorp-bloplsd*
...
Gross.