Chapter 84
Chaos of Everafter
Ethan was in a daze.
He hardly heard the remainder of the ‘trial’--the time unfroze, and the punishments were meted out, and the notification windows sprung forth with rewards, and even the exit to the Tunnel appeared… and he was still in a daze, his mind reeling.
Stepping out of the Tunnel, he caught the King’s gaze one last time–in it, he saw a shred of pity, encouragement, and hope. The man smiled ever so briefly as the darkness torched the throne room, and soon the brushes of reality painted the flat plains on the canvas, now missing the spinning vortex.
It was deep past midnight, around 3 AM at the earliest, and it was rather chilly. As they had to wait for Delilah to build a portal, they found a nearby cliff and carved out two small caves–one for Delilah to build the portal in, and the other for the rest to sleep in. Even though the others saw something was off with Ethan, they didn't ask.
As for Ethan, the King’s words continued to ring inside his mind–over and over and over again. Tian had never mentioned anything of this nature–more so, the fairy repeatedly proclaimed how impossible it was, and how much he had to sacrifice in order to bring them back into the past. And yet, per the King’s words, the ‘chosen ones’ were growing like pears on the trees. This also cemented his theory that somebody else came back with him as well–that there was another time traveller going around the Earth and dismantling the timeline.
Ethan, after all, had very little knowledge of the first few years of the Descent. The amount that he did know was effectively a drop in the ocean. The only reason he knew the things he did was that they were that monumental. However, in their midst, dozens of other Tunnels likely opened up across the world that were possibly just as important but were initially gobbled up by someone who wasn’t willing to share.
He didn’t know the early ‘stars’, didn’t know the vast majority of the events from the first few years, but–evidently–whoever else came back did.
The news that the King broke to him nearly made him catatonic as the man alluded to something Ethan feared more than anything else–that all of this was just a ‘game’. There were plenty of signs: the fact that the world employed a game-like interface, all the random elements to it, the progressively difficult encounters… Many posited that was the truth behind the orb–that there were ‘aliens’, ‘entities’ within observing humanity and showcasing it to the rest of the cosmos, as though it were a reality TV show.
They were mostly dismissed, but the worm of doubt was always there–that the entire Earth was just a plaything of some bored, ethereal being. Or, from the sounds of it, beings. There, perhaps, also lay the answers as to the hellish difficulty–somebody, something, was simply having fun watching them struggle.
Ethan gnashed his teeth, his gaze turning dark.
As someone who valued control over all other things in the world, learning that he had none stung. It burned. It felt as though there were fingers suddenly pressing into his throat, choking him, causing his lungs to burn. He was a floating leaf at the mercy of the violent and unpredictable wind, and there was nothing he could do. And yet… he couldn't simply sit and surrender. Give up. He still had to fight, had to struggle, had to vie for the future in which he could do something.
He’d already decoded the King’s parting words–it wasn’t all that difficult, after all. The truth behind it was that they were called ‘Travellers’ for they would do precisely that–travel. Earth, as most other words of its nature, would likely collapse someday in the future. It was already on track for it–more and more Terrors were beginning to gain interest in it, and though the world had many strong individuals, not only did they never cooperate, they actively fought against each other. Had he not returned, he would have likely ended up travelling, too, to some other world, desperately clawing against the void in an attempt to grow strong enough to defy it.
“E-Ethan… is, is everything alright?” Ronald asked tentatively. His expression must have become beyond ugly, Ethan mused after seeing everyone’s concerned and slightly terrified faces.
“... it’s fine,” he replied, letting go of the rancid breath. It was pointless to stress over it–there was literally and figuratively nothing he could do just yet. No, there is one thing… there was one person who was messing up everything–and he would find them and chop their head off, no matter what.
However, seeing the sheer effect they had on the timeline, it was likely that Ethan was actually weaker, and perhaps even less experienced. But that didn’t matter. It was unlikely that they’d think there was another one, another person who came back. That was his advantage–and he had to reap it in full. Otherwise, the world would cascade into madness that even he would fear. No, rather, it was already getting out of control. They were one step behind already condemning the world to its end.
“Sure as shit don’t look like everything’s fine,” Mingzhu added. “Right, did we get the item?” those words prompted Ethan to look through the numerous notifications that he’d ignored so far.
“Yeah,” he nodded, noticing [Dimensional Flux] in his inventory. Considering that they'd closed the Tunnel that should have stayed open… it would have been stranger if they hadn't gotten the item. Beyond that, there was only one more item–a short, slightly curved sword with mawed innards and a glistening edge. A weapon that he could finally use.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
[Q’uilon, the Last Breath]
[Rarity: Named Unique]
Level: 50
Requirements: 100 Vitality
+38 Strength
+24 Agility
+188 Damage
[Special Effect: every 100 points of Vitality grants 0.6% chance to activate 'Spectral Blast'
[Special Effect: consecutive attacks against the same foe increase attack speed by 2%, up to 20 stacks. Once 20 stacks are reached, all stacks are consumed and you are granted a 'Hollowly Blessed' buff for 8 seconds. Cannot gain stacks for 60 seconds after.
[Special Effect: upon dropping to 1% of Max Health, activate ‘Last Breath’
It was a lot of words, Ethan mused, but the weapon itself was beyond compare. In fact, he was likely the only person on Earth who would be able to wield this sword for at least a couple of more years–perhaps with the exclusion of Ronald who’ll likely hit 100 Vitality within half a year.
As a weapon, it wasn’t necessarily perfect for him, but it did attempt to cover one of his biggest weaknesses–damage, especially boss damage. ‘Hollowly Blessed’ buff was almost exclusively made for bosses as Ethan would have no means of proc-ing it otherwise since his entire tank-fantasy was about draining an army of enemies at the same time. ‘Spectral Blast’, on the other hand, was a strange one; Ethan didn’t exactly know how it would operate, but he’d test it out later. And ‘Last Breath’... ‘Last Breath’, in truth, gave him goosebumps. He didn’t like it–not one bit, in fact.
What Ethan was certain of was that this weapon never appeared before–it would have become known, especially due to 'Last Breath'. This meant that this was likely a parting 'gift' by the King'--precisely the reason Ethan didn't like it, as the nature of the 'Last Breath' was too foreboding.
He didn’t speak much for the two days after, and the others didn’t bother him any further. By the time Delilah finished the portal, Ethan had calmed down enough–his plans hadn’t changed, not truly. There was only so much he could do and he was already being strained. If there was one thing that changed was that he had one more person to hunt down–whoever it was that came back with him. However, that would simply be blind guessing for now. Maybe they attack one of the Tunnels I’m familiar with?
“Should I also destroy this portal too?” Delilah asked him gingerly as they all gathered together.
"... no, leave it," Ethan mumbled after a moment. "It'd make a good safety net." There'd be fewer and fewer people willing to explore this far out of anything, so if there ever came a time they had to 'book it' rather quickly and far away… this would make for the perfect place. "Alright, let's go."
The group soon landed on the other end, welcomed by the excited Layla, the tired Sarah, and two fairies who immediately recognised that something was off. After a few moments with Layla, Ethan ushered others back into the lodge and stayed outside with the two fairies. Tian, especially, realised that something terrible must have happened.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I met another one.”
“Another one?”
“Like me,” Ethan said. “Someone who came back. He said we ain’t exactly a rare breed.”
“...”
"Care to comment on that?" Tian seemed conflicted for a moment, sighing afterwards and speaking up.
“There is some truth to it…”
“Some?”
“There are indeed a decent number of ways to ‘buy time’,” Tian said. “But you are still different, Ethan.”
“... what do you mean?” Ethan frowned as even Cyra seemed to be perking up with interest.
“If it was simply bringing you back, I could have done so myself.”
“... eh?”
“I am Lord Tia’nnutemabblekun, First of My Name, and the Emperor of the Lumine Fairies. By the virtue of my lineage, I could have asked one of ‘them’ to bring us back.”
“But you didn’t?” Ethan asked, temporarily ignoring everything else in that sentence.
“No. I have already told you–only eight entities should be aware of you.”
“How was I recognised then?”
“You likely didn’t hide yourself,” Tian replied. “You stand out like a heavenly tower compared to your companions.”
“...” Ethan stayed silent, realising it was true. He really did stand out. “You still haven’t told me why I’m different.”
“Ordinarily, hundreds, if not thousands of entities are aware of the time travellers,” Tian continued. “As such, they are always tracked, observed, and played with. If I had done that with you, you would have already died.”
“...”
“I… I cannot tell you how I brought you back,” Tian continued. “Please, for one last time, have faith in me.”
“I am still being fucked with,” Ethan said. “Or, rather, this world’s being fucked with. It’s because of the other one, isn’t it?”
“... most likely,” Tian nodded.
“Can’t you find them?”
“I could recognise them if they were close,” Tian said. “But I have sacrificed most of my powers. It will take me centuries to regain them.”
“I’ve a feeling there’s still a truckload of shit you’re withholding from me,” Ethan said, his gaze darkening for a moment. “Ah, but fuck it. My head’s already full of crap. I never trusted you, Tian. Not when we first met, not when you proposed you’d bring me back, not when you did bring me back. Never. And I’ll likely never trust you so long as either one of us draws breath. Don’t be offended–”
“--you don’t trust anyone.”
“Yeah. So, whether you’re lying or telling the truth… it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out eventually.”
Silence fell over the three as Ethan went into the lodge–there were hundreds of questions swarming his mind but he knew that was the extent of what he was going to learn today. It wasn't much–in fact, it was barely anything–but it was enough. He was still just a barely-Awakened pup–knowing any more would not only have any benefits but would likely be damaging. Ignorance, after all, was the ultimate bliss.