The dim moonlight lit up a small silhouette in a black overcoat, floating in front of a devastated black room. A badge of Doom patrol shone on his chest.
*Whish*
Even the chilly, windy air could not help his exhaustion. Having to fly around four provinces had left him with a bunch of sore muscles and a drained Qi reserve. On top of that, gazing over the devastated black room in front of him, he felt like thousands of ants were running on his pale white skin.
He stopped breathing to avoid the pungent, unholy smell that came from the room.
Everything in the room, including the floor, appeared to have been burned into charcoal and then evaporated. Only some disjointed pieces of wood, metal, and concrete were left on the black floor that had caved in.
Floating towards the middle of the room, he ran his hand through his unkempt blonde hair and exhaled loudly.
He scanned the area around the room. The entire floor had been vacated, as per instruction. A small hourglass manifested on his hands.
!Artefact No. 382!
[Hourglass of eternity]
As the sands fell down one by one, the room started restoring itself. The deep black burns surrounding the space slowly retreated, phasing out of existence as if time itself were reversing. The large white bed, the reddish table on the back, the silver watch hanging on the wall, the mirror in front—everything was slowly reassembling, one atom after another.
Soon, the dim moonlight reflected on the whitish floor and walls. The room was as good as new.
*flap flap*
“Mission complete”
Breathing into the refreshing, crisp air, he picked up a black journal from the shelves. Surprisingly, it had survived much better than most of the things inside this room, leaving a small circular hole in the middle that had almost finished healing. Ruffling through the content inside, his black eyes widened, rousing him to full concentration.
He did not recognise the language that was written within the journal. As a certified history nerd, this was a major find for him, enough to keep him rejuvenated for days.
His eyes glowed brightly and his earlier exhaustion evaporated into thin air. A small circular piece of mirror appeared on his hands, pointing at the black diary.
*Thud*
Another identical black diary fell from inside. At the same time, his right hand, which was holding the brown mirror, grew large black hair, quickly turning the entirety of it pitch black.
*Sigh*
“This is the worst one. Now, I have to run around for three days, looking like an ape.”
He appeared to be making a difficult choice as he stared at the black journals with a complex gaze. Easing the tension in his jaw, he smiled in resignation before moving forward.
It seems like he had succumbed to the law of sunk costs.
*****
A large cosmic bus that spanned tens of kilometres was flying in an incomprehensible speed.
Long Tian stared outside, staring vacantly at the vibrant hues of sapphire, amethyst, and emerald that bolted past him. He was still unaware that he was inside a dream as he stared at the vibrant lights from celestial jewels, gas, and dust that illuminated their path through the dark cosmos.
“Papa, look, a space whale.”
Bella pointed to the left, breaking Long Tian out of his daze. He focused his amber pupils towards the cosmic structure that resembled a whale. It was a remnant cluster of dead star system. Ruffling her purple hair, he whispered.
“Bella, it was called the Alpha Centaury star system during it's time.”
"How did it die, father?"
"It was a benevolent whale, Bella. It gave away it's life force so that it could be put into better use."
Bella widened her eyes, staring out at the space in wonder and awe. However, before long, the truth dawned on her, prompting her to stick out her tongue.
"Papa is a big liar!"
A slight chuckle escaped his downtown face. Looking to his right, he found Leo deep in sleep on Ria Ambert’s lap. He chuckled as he caressed his sleeping wife and son. His sad stare transformed into a slight sense of satisfaction as he closed his weary eyes.
*Ting*
“Dear Passengers, we are now 2 lightyears away from Messier 87, we will soon reach the Metalaran. Please be ready along with your cards”
A cold, feminine voice rang throughout the bus, prompting everyone to wake up. Long Tian stood down fixed Bella’s black suit. The bus was filled with different races of people that looked vastly different from each other, all of them in formal attire. Many of the people recognized Long Tian, staring wide-eyed as they took his pictures, muttering silently.
Long Tian looked at the scene outside again. Bustling planets, full of vibrant colour and life flashed past them as the bus kept propelling forwards in the starry cosmos.
Soon, a structure that looked completely man made was visible in front. Unlike all the planets before, this sphere was completely metallic. The metallic structure got bigger and bigger, almost encompassing the entire sky as they got closer.
It was the Metalaran, the center of the All-Heaven Alliance.
An innumerable array of spaceships, space train and space vehicles were parked outside, illuminating the space around Metalaran brightly with their colorful atomic propellers and lights. Even the vast space outside the huge metal planet looked a bit cramped due to their large number.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The large bus entered into a small hole on the planet, landing on one of the emptier platforms that spanned hundreds of miles.
“Sir Shang Tian”
As long Tian and his family climbed down, a beautiful dark elf adorning a grey formal suit quickly rushed forward to greet him. The grey suit fit her busty figure very fittingly, causing all the men to stare at her.
“Sir, we have been waiting for you. Venerable Xorock Thunderaxe has already reserved seats for your entire family.”
*Buzz*
A metallic green grasshopper landed in front of them, taking off as soon as they entered. As they entered deep into Metalaran, a artificial deep blue sky lit up with stars showed up. Unless one knew where they were already, nobody would be able to tell that the sky above in Metalaran was artificial.
“Sir, may I take a picture with you and your family?”
The elf sitting in front inquired in an expectant voice as she twirled her hair. As she got the confirmation, her face quickly lit up.
*Snap*
*Snap*
*Snap*
*Snap* *Snap* *Snap*
The trio watched with deadpan eyes as she just kept clicking photos around him, not even taking them in the frame. However, over the years, they had gotten pretty used to this treatment.
*Thud*
“Tch”
As the metallic grasshopper landed, Long Tian sighed in relief, quickly taking off.
A large number of seats were arranged in a circular manner throughout the planet, as far as eyes could see. Rows of ‘people’ of different races sat, creating a sea of heads above the varying sizes of seats. Ogres, goblins, trolls, orcs, elves, humans, crab people, mermaids, and all sorts of races were gathered for the funeral. The only similarity shared among all was that they were adorned in formal suits and ties, mostly in black suits, pants and white shirts.
As soon as Long Tian stepped on the black carpet in the middle, he felt thousands of gazes focus on him. The surrounding people bustled with loud whispers and noises.
“Sir Shang, All-heaven Alliance said you were the last one who met Sir Alex.”
“Sir, what did Sir Alex say before his death?”
Shouts came from all sides as he landed, quickly buzzing his ear. He walked forward without responding.
“SHANG TIAN! YOU LET THE PROPHET KILL HIMSELF.”
A human longer than 2 metres was rushing at him with eyes full of vengeance, turning the entire crowd silent. However, he was quickly captured by flying shackles that rose out of the ground.
“YOU HAVE DOOMED US! THE ENTIRE HUMAN RA-”
As the shackle chained him completely, a few orcs in dark green suits quickly removed him from the scene. Long Tian walked without changing his expression, taking a seat in the first row along with his family, right before the large circular grey platform.
After some time, a grey spaceship landed on the platform, emerging from within a group of 'people'.
A human of 3 metres got overshadowed by a giant orc that stood like a small mountain. Beside them were an old female goblin, a large centaur, a crab, and even a skeleton, as well as various pivotal figures from other races. All of them were in full black formal suits, in respect to Alex Walton's original culture.
Other than the attire, the only similarity they shared was the half-golden moon in the middle of their foreheads.
Everyone made way for the giant orc as he proceeded towards the middle of the grey platform. The small podium quickly and promptly rearranged itself to fit his size. He stared forward, his green eyes glowing like fire in the dark night, as he spoke emotionally.
“Welcome to Metalaran, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are all gathered here because of a single human. One singular, small human who is probably just about one third of my size. But do not go on his size, for his impact transcends any measure. This is a person who single handedly broke down the status quo in the known universe, leading us all towards a brighter, safer future.”
All of the people in the audience stared breathlessly at the large holograph in front of them, staring at the long green face that had two large canines protruding up from his lower jaw. However, it did not diminish his charisma. Even the large scars on his face only added to his elegance, signifying his achievements through continuous war and fighting. It’s not that this giant orc was particularly handsome, but his eyes held a charisma and intellect that were only available to those with a curse of wisdom.
Long Tian let out a large breath, staring intently at the large, white haired orc.
Xorock Thunderaxe.
This person was far stronger than anyone else in the back. He was more of a legend. If Alex Walton were considered the brain of the All-Heaven, this person would deserve to be referred to as the fist without any dispute.
At this very moment, everyone in the known universe was watching him on their screens. Every city and town had his hologram all over them, His face glowed with profound sadness as he continued speaking somberly
“We all know him. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest people this universe has ever and will give birth to. One of its profound masterpieces, a proud son of haven. In his 4.7 million years of life, he advanced not only the human race towards the peak of life, but everyone else as well. He has left his profound footsteps in astrophysics, health and medicine, chemistry, and nuclear physics, among many others, leaving no field untouched. This is his world, and we merely linger in his shadows, unable to ever walk past it.”
Everyone in the audience nodded heavily, feeling their hearts turn heavy. The situation in the alliance was not always stable. There was always chaos and fighting between the different races regarding territory, resources, and power. However, there was one person who was respected by all races due to his unsurmountable contribution.
“Like all good things end, Sir Alex has decided that his time with us is over. Unfortunately for us, his watchful eyes no longer linger over us as we prepare to proceed into the depths of the universe.”
Sounds of sobs came from places in between the crowd, even some non-humans were sobbing loudly.
Long Tian felt his eyes become misty. As an orphan, after his grandfather, the only father figure who taught him the ways of life was Alex Walton. He gazed at the green eyes that sparkled like fire in a dark cave.
“BUT HIS CONTRIBUTION SHALL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. EVEN AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE, THE ANNALS OF HISTORY WILL RECORD ALEX WALTON. THIS NAME SHALL RECEIVE RESPECT FROM NOT ONLY US, BUT ALL THE RACES THAT WILL EVER EXIST. WE WILL NEVER FORGET. WE WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD.”
Almost everyone watching felt their blood boil. That pair of green eyes with unshaking conviction caused their dulled hope to reignite.
"WE WILL CONQUER THE END."
The entire universe bustled with loud cheering noises. The sea of people surrounding the Metalaran bustled with loud cheers.
"“GLORY TO VENERABLE ALEX WALTON”"
"“GLORY TO VENERABLE XOROCK THUNDERAXE”"
"“GLORY TO ALL-HEAVEN ALLIANCE”"
.
Soon, everyone on the platform gave their own version of the eulogy, listing the achievements of Alex Walton and their own perspectives on the matter of his death. After everyone was finished speaking, the large human over 3 metres stood onto the podium, speaking with a baritone, gravelly voice.
"Everything that had to be said has been said, and my words here will not add anything of substance. However, there is one person who knows more about Alex than majority of us. Someone who has been his closest aide over the last few decade"
The screens in the entire universe focused on Long Tian.
"I welcome Shang Tian to speak in behest of myself."
Long Tian stood up without changing his expression. He had already expected this when he arrived here. As he slowly made his way towards the stage, small murmurings reverberated.
"Alex Walton's last apprentice."
"Shang Tian? The guy who won the past three decades of ANVISA awards."
"All thanks to Alex Walton. I am pretty sure Sir Alex had been tired of inventing new things and just gave it to him."
A Krab-man spoke, his loud, throaty voice reverberating from his triangular nostrils towards Shang Tian,
The surrounding onlookers exchanged disapproving glances at the crab. Each individual sitting inside the Metalaran was someone at the top of their galaxy. Many of them knew the inside story. Briacrox, the Krab-man in question, held a lingering resentment towards Shang Tian because he declined to marry his daughter.
All the human races throughout the universe watched with bated breath as Long Tian rose onto the podium. Each of them were staring at him with varying expressions on their faces. While some seemed disappointed and angry, the majority stared at him with fiery eyes that burned like cinders.
"Hello"
His monotone voice echoed across myriads of galaxies.
"I am Shang Tian."