POV Narrator:

The world lost its shape around the giant body of the Colossus. The previous rocky landscape was no longer present. These surroundings could almost be described as a different place entirely. This whole place is very different from what a person would expect from a rocky crevice in the side of a desolate black mountain.

The Colossus stares in awe at the majesty of the sight before him. He’s floating through space like a bird through the sky. The surroundings aren’t the solid landscapes that he’s used to. No, this is something entirely different. Around him, swirling rivers fill the entire reality from tiny streams of red to sprawling rivers of every colour on the rainbow.

The Colossus stares intently at the rivers coursing all around him. It feels like he’s staring at the very building blocks of creation itself. He isn’t far off in his assumption. Coursing all around him was rivers of elemental essence. The very heart that all the other elementals from the first age transformed into.

The concept of gravity doesn’t exist here. There’s no ground or surface to walk on. On the Colossus’s shoulder, Zohn is passed out. The only thing keeping him connected to the Colossus was his trusted spear. Zohn was subconsciously gripping the spear tightly even in his unconscious state, and this kept him from floating off into the vast expanse.

The Colossus is slowly drifting further and further away from the bubble-like entrance of the mountain crevice. Steadily, he drifts deeper into this strange place. He’s so fascinated by this pitch-black world filled with magnificent rivers, that he didn’t know that he’s secretly being watched.

POV ???.

Another day keeping watch over the elemental realm. It’s an important job to keep this place in check, for its very existence is vital to the continuation of the cycle of the ages. Sometimes a creeping thought wanders through my mind as I keep watch, ‘Is the System the only thing keeping watch over this mysterious place?’.

That thought can haunt even one as powerful myself, but I do my best to keep those thoughts in check. This is only the second quarter of my Millennium long watch, and I will make sure that nothing goes wrong here. I must make sure. The age is still young, so anything can happen. Without this place, the cycle of ages wouldn’t be possible.

These mighty rivers contain the elemental essence that we need to start the next age when the time comes. If the signal comes to start the next age, and this place isn’t ready, then I don’t want to think of what will happen. I can at least take solace in the fact that it’s tough to get into this place. It takes a significant amount of power out of my brother and sisters to even send a single individual into this location to keep watch, so for anyone to come into this place is an arduous task.

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I can’t let my thoughts wander. I need to stay vigilant. I retake my watchful stance as I continue to watch the elemental rivers, with rainbow colour, coursing through the realm. I suddenly spot something strange off in the distance, near the edge of this realm. Off in the distance, I spot what looks like to be the silhouette of a humanoid creature.

There’s something other than elemental rivers in this realm. How can this be? I should take a closer look. I carefully make my way towards the silhouette off in the distance, making sure to keep out of the elemental rivers’ way. I might be powerful, but even the slightest touch from these rivers is enough to obliterate me. Within a matter of minutes, I’m finally close enough to make out the silhouettes figure, and I’m intrigued by what I found. With calm eyes, I stare at the body of a strange granite man floating through the elemental space.

While staring at the granite man, I can’t help but wonder how it got into this realm. The only reliable way that is known to get here is by forcing your way into this realm, but this being is not strong enough to achieve that. I start to diligently scan the surrounding and then I notice something off in the distance. A bubble-like portal is closing at a rapid pace at the edge of this realm.

An entrance formed into this realm? That is an exceptionally rare occurrence. If I’m right, then this is only the third portal ever to create a pathway into this realm and the chances for a being to step through a portal that lasts for a day at most in astronomically small. Now that I think about it, how is this granite man still alive? The elemental essence should’ve ripped him apart, the second that he entered this realm.

I inch myself closer to the granite man, hoping he won’t notice my presence. It looks like he’s distracted at least, so he won’t notice if I get a little closer. When I finally get within a kilometre of the granite man’s body, I found myself unable to progress further. What is this!? I quickly step back in shock, and that’s when I finally notice a giant translucent barrier surrounding the granite man. So that’s how he survived the journey.

This thing doesn’t belong here in the elemental realm, and it is my job to watch over this place, so the best solution will be to cast him out. At least I can control a tiny bit of the essence while I’m in here thus opening a portal out shouldn’t be a problem. I calm myself and begin to concentrate on manipulating the essence around me.

I slowly start to construct a portal out of this realm’s elemental essence, and I place it near the location of the portal that the granite man used to enter this realm. When I finished the portal, I used the elemental essence to push the granite man out of the realm. Slowly the granite man was sent away, and my watch can finally continue in peace.