Time.

A notion that was always independent of the rest of the world.

Encompassing the past, the present, and the future, a single woman maintained this concept alive.

But her power, teared in half, also fell in the hands of another being.

...

A long sigh, full of desperation, echoed inside a room full of documents and flasks.

The dark, undulating shadow of a Remnant placed its hand over its eye and growled.

"Another failure."

"Was attacking the lamias a mistake?"

Through the second vision that appeared from the stolen power, Miasma observed the damages caused by a large explosion.

"Out of the entire force I had cloned, only around five percent survived. That blast killed everything..."

Ten thousand colossal beasts, three hundred thousand 'Corrupted Lords', and three billion normal beasts.

Out of all of it, less than five hundred colossal beasts survived, and around thirteen thousand 'Corrupted Lords' were uninjured. The normal beasts, which were the largest force under his control, were left close to one hundred and fifty million totals.

Deveralna's beam, which entered the rift, ravaged his armies without her knowing it.

Miasma wasn't angry. He was past this feeling.

"Everything I'm doing is leading to nothing but failure."

"These creations, these clones... Everything ends up losing. Even myself."

He looked at his revolting hands. Claws that resembled sharp spikes and fleeting flesh that continuously rotted from corruption.

"When have I started to question my goals? Was it..."

The vivid image of a destroyed city appeared in his head. As he turned his head, his purple eyes settled on the resting body of his son.

Corruption was slowly seeping into his body to accommodate its possession later on.

"Or was it when I lost against Orion?"

Feeling the hands of the Agathion on his core even to this day, Miasma shuddered.

Fear, which he had never felt before, shattered his ambitions.

But it was too late to turn back. Everything continued as if nothing had happened. Time continued to flow, unbothered by his wavering.

"I have to rebuild this army. After coming this far, I cannot give up."

While this army wasn't going to help in his current situation, all he could do was send them to the future.

This closed space, away from all laws of time, could only be sent forward. As it was 'closer' to the future than the past, the beasts were unable to affect the past.

The actual moment it froze upon was right after losing to Orion, which meant that only after their disappearance could these beings be summoned.

"Again..."

As he closed the other space and the Remnant power of 'Space and Time' stopped working, his hands began to move by themselves.

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All that Miasma could do was watch his limbs move independently of his will.

Recreating the same events that led to his demise against Noah, Miasma sighed.

"I haven't been able to work on other projects. I could only work on one so far..."

Recalling the only moment he could move as he pleased, he sighed again.

"Those squamats were a very intriguing discovery. I also thought that the sphenodon was great. If I could work on similar animals, I could do so much more."

The knowledge of the animals came from a book he read in the future. One that told about species that never existed on Triazils.

"My ideas to corrupt the fauna also never came to fruition. I wish I could continue my research."

His mind was free to continue, but as his body was his, but actually the one from the past Miasma, all he could do was watch as he repeated the same actions written in history.

Only during the few moments of inactivity could he briefly move around and influence the future.

But time was running low. It had been seven years already, and rebuilding his army would cost him every resource on hand.

"Either I focus on this era and send everything to deal with those two Heroes, or I send everything to the future, but lose."

"..."

He chuckled lightly.

"Whatever I choose, I am losing."

"Losing in this era means my end. Orion won't let me go easily this time around. And since I am forced to act the same as, my power will be affected."

"I won't win a battle against two Heroes. Even I am not so full of myself as to think that. Noah already managed to get me at the last moment."

He recalled the catastrophic explosion that almost destroyed his core.

"My movements are bound by my destiny. Even if I destroy the future successfully..."

"I won't be there to witness it."

"And if I were to win against those Heroes..."

His expression darkened.

"I'll never be able to save her."

The situation he was currently in was a clear depiction of Henrietta's warning.

Nothing he would do would change the events of the past.

Only Orion, who wasn't born yet, could move freely, unbound by destiny.

Frey, the Valkyrie Miasma tried so hard to save, was unreachable. No amount of meddling with 'Time' would ever change this conclusion.

Even destroying the world sounded stupid in his head.

"As if the creatures that seek 'Purity' will ever appear in a tainted world."

His snarling voice echoed through the room. During those past years, Miasma realized that 'Hope' never was a notion pushing him forward.

It was 'Spite'. The malicious idea that he could recover everything, and continue his perfectly stable life like nothing had happened.

Then, as he grabbed a small bead in between his claws, Miasma smiled.

"Wasn't this one a giant jellyfish?"

With a smile full of nostalgia showing the two rows of sharp teeth, Miasma continued to follow the written path he was on, unable to influence it.

As time passed, he prepared himself for the last moment, when all of his pat actions would return in full force.

Orion was haunting his thoughts. He knew.

He knew that the young man would never let him rest easy until his very death.

...

Outside the hideout, Orion and Procyon were walking, following one of the Tree of Life's massive roots.

Inside the tunnels, one natural cave caught his attention, both entering it without looking further.

"Hmm."

Looking around, Orion lifted his index finger in the air.

"We would fare better with a light source. Alyssia, I will borrow your energy once again."

At the tip of his finger, a bright sphere of light, albeit translucent like a light bulb, floated upward.

When the light touched the ceiling, it began to light the entire room brightly.

"This is a huge room. Perfect."

Orion turned to Procyon, who was sniffing the air. He stretched his arms and legs before bending backward.

All his bones cracked one by one.

"Agh! I haven't been moving much these recent years. I'm rusty beyond belief."

He felt the pain course through his entire body but smiled as heat replaced the stinging sensation.

"Even if I help Noah, I'm not training every day like I used to. I'm around forty percent of my capacity."

"Just forget about the 'Fourth Gear'. I'm almost certain I won't even be able to use the 'Second Gear' properly."

As Orion took an offensive stance, Procyon suddenly looked at him and leaned on all four of her legs.

"Grrr!"

Hearing her growl, Orion smiled.

"I hope you're ready."

Leaning forward, he rushed her.

As he approached, he went for a low kick. She lifted her front legs off the ground, easily avoiding it.

As Orion was fighting with only his brute strength and no superfluous abilities, he could enjoy this refreshing battle and slowly recover his reflexes.

"Oop-"

Procyon's claws went straight for his head, but Orion simply moved his head out of the way.

Her right claw scratched his cheek, and a trail of blood followed behind.

Kicking her away, Orion rubbed his thumb on the scratch, healing it with a quick action.

Then they exchanged a flurry of attacks. The swift strikes of Orion met the bestial tenacity of Procyon.

She had a very high defense while rapidly dealing blows that could immobilize any normal beastman or human.

'Come on. I know you want to... Just do it.'

As Orion pushed her back toward the wall, he waited for something.

When Procyon's back touched the rocky wall, she growled more dangerously.

'A cornered beast is the most dangerous.'

Pivoting on his right leg, Orion sent a swiping kick toward the Remnant's head.

Sensing that this hit would render her unconscious, what Orion was waiting for appeared.

He suddenly stopped his kick and immediately retracted it inward.

A thin barrier covered Procyon and began to expand outward, pushing Orion this time.

'This is solid. Be careful not to get crushed.'

Tetra gave him quick advice.

'...'

But while she was afraid for his wellbeing, Orion was actually having fun.

Slowly, he began to be pushed back, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The barrier continued to expand but stopped at the ceiling and inner walls of the cave. The only space left to move around was near Orion.

*Bump*

The back of his right foot touched the wall.

"That's..."

With a smile, he looked behind him, then toward Procyon.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't experience losses that often."

A powerful strength began to wrap around his arm. With a single punch, Orion's fist met the barrier.

*CRACK*

Procyon's expression suddenly crumbled at the blast. The feral look in her face vanished, and she sat down.

Walking inside the crumbling barrier, Orion smiled while rubbing his fist.

"That barrier is solid. Not as tough as Karteira's shield, but very much so."

His arm was tingling from the resistance he met, but the smile on his face never faltered.

"Aaah~ That felt good. Thanks."

Orion sat next to the Remnant and stretched his body once again, this time without a single bone cracking.

"I'm no match for Noah, so it's great to have a sparring partner at my level."

"Well... At the level of my current state, at least."

He knew that if he went full force against Procyon, she wouldn't stand there very long.

One single kick from the 'Fourth Gear' would break someone in half effortlessly, at the price of his leg.

"Want to go again? I can stay on the defensive this time, so you just have to attack."

The Remnant's gaze appeared full of confidence and anticipation. She stood on her hind leg and growled at Orion to take his position.

'Will you never stop training?'

Orion smiled.

'Never.'

With these trainings added to their daily lives, they helped each other to grow even stronger.

As they grew closer together, a friendship between the progenitor of the Kobold and the leader of the Agathions began.