It was hard for Timothy to accept the fact that he went from being a normal mortal to being able to create alternate timelines in just a short moment. It was a tremendous change to the small mortal view he had possessed before. Is this what it was like being a servant of Death?

"What do I even need this for? It's an amazing ability but what use could it ever have" ?

"I can only imagine using this ability for the most mundane mortal problems. Maybe if one of my cups was broken by accident, I could perhaps create a separate timeline where the cup wasn't broken"?

Timothy pondered about it for awhile. He simply decided to ask Death about it when he had the privilege to grace his presence again. For now, he wanted to test his new ability and leave the forest after.

Everything had to be done quickly and precisely. Timothy had read enough novels to know that anything that had to do with the concept of time was extremely dangerous and should not be taken lightly.

"I just want to get a feel for this," Timothy said, with a voice brimming of determination.

Timothy stared at the mark of infinity on his left hand. The tattoo was emanating a blood-red. It was as if it knew that Timothy was now aware of its capabilities. Accompanying the red hue was a strange feeling of familiarity that flowed through Timothy's body. It felt as if both him and the mark had been inseparable partners for eons.

"I can absolutely do this. I can feel for some reason a connection that shouldn't exist between me and this mark."

Timothy surveyed his surroundings with keen attention, his mind focused on a specific objective that required a blood-spilling tool. After some time, he spotted a sharp stone near the waterfall's bank. Although it wasn't even as big as his palm, it was sufficient for the damned action he was about to do. As seconds ticked by, the mark on his left hand grew increasingly intense, as if it were building towards a grand release. With a determined look in his eyes, Timothy advanced towards the stone, fully prepared to shed his own blood.

With a quick and decisive motion, Timothy slashed the sharp stone across his face, gouging out his left eye. Blood spilled down his face and stained his clothes, an intense pain that threatened to overwhelm his mental psyche then followed. But in that moment, his body subconsciously activated the Quantum Leap ability.

Everything around him started to shift and blur. The sky grew paler, the stars shifted in the heavens, and he felt a strange, almost otherworldly force pulling at his mind. And then, in an instant, it was over. Timothy found himself standing in the exact same spot, but his face was now unblemished, his eye restored to its former form. The power of Quantum Leap had given him a new lease on life, and he felt a rush of exhilaration as he contemplated the possibilities that now existed before him.

Although Timothy had initially been brimming with a profound sense of elation at the prospect of creating a parallel universe, this sensation was fleeting, as he was swiftly overcome by an overwhelming fatigue that surged through his body with an alarming intensity. The energy demanded by the creation process had been colossal, leaving Timothy with a mind that was rendered blank and dazed, eventually resulting in a loss of consciousness. The fear that this outcome was a possibility had worried Timothy from the very start, given that, while he possessed an immortal soul, his physical form remained undeniably mortal.

Timothy didn't show any signs of waking up till it was near noon. The sound of rushing water had awoken him from his deep sleep. His mind started to race, trying to make sense of the incredible ability that he had been unleashed. He had always been fascinated by the concept of time, and now he had the power to manipulate it in a way that he had never thought possible.

"What I understand from this Quantum Leap ability," he said to himself, his voice barely above a whisper, "is that it's not just about turning back time. It's about erasing it entirely, creating a new branch of reality where the event you didn't want to happen simply didn't occur."

He paused, staring off into the distance as he tried to wrap his head around the implications of this power.

"But it's not just that," he continued, his voice growing more animated. "Time is a dangerous and mysterious thing. Removing even the smallest event from the timeline can have immense consequences. That's why Quantum Leap creates a branched timeline, a new universe parallel to the one you were in before. The only difference between the new universe and the old one is that the event you chose to erase didn't occur in this new universe."

He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the power that he now held.

"I have to be careful with this," he said to himself, a note of caution creeping into his voice.

"One wrong move, and I could unravel the fabric of reality itself."

A deep sense of worry filled Timothy's heart, with an ability like this he had to be extremely careful. Cold faced and mentally exhausted he looked at sky hoping to get an idea of what time it was, an action he later realized was useless as the dominating cedar was still bullying the streaks of sunlight.

Realizing the futility of his actions, he started to depart the woods. Within a few seconds he was out of the near mystical clearing he had traversed upon before. Timothy felt uneasy, he felt as if a massive weight had been put on his shoulders due to his previous revelations. He didn't know why but he felt a deep sense of crisis when he woke up. He could feel his fate changing, going into a path that was unpredictable.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Timothy completely stone faced wondered, "what type of life does one that serves Death live and how did all my actions from the past lead up towards such a chaotic future" ?

Timothy ran as hard as his unathletic legs could take him, he wasn't sure he wanted to be involved with Death anymore. In fact, he wasn't sure what to do with his life now at all.

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In the realm with the endless black sea of glittering stars sat Death. All of Timothy's actions was being carefully observed by him. In truth, he was excited. With his extremely vast amount of abilities, he made sure that Timothy was protected and hidden since the moment he returned from Platonia. No other being across the endless cosmos was aware of Timothy's capabilities. Only it knew about Timothy's actual potential, not even Timothy himself was aware of the scope of his powers.

In deep thought, Death spoke looking into the pitch black waters of the infinity sea, "a mortal chosen by complete randomness and fate was bestowed such a terrifying power. If those other beings like myself were to be aware of this, they would do everything in their power to capture him".

"There is nothing other than the cyclical nature of the universe that is to be blamed for Timothy's birth. We can only show it gratitude for gifting us another king. Let us rejoice, the return of the creator is near"

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Timothy had almost reached his limits. He had been running for over 2 hours now and still not had reached the end of the forest. It was odd, the previous trip had only taken him a little over an hour going at a slower place than what he was at now and yet even though he was currently moving faster, it had already taken him twice the previous time.

Timothy looked around with worry, he suspected the supernatural was interfering with his departure. While looking around he realized something shocking. Less than a hundred meters behind him was the entry to the same path he was practicing mysticism. He had barely moved from the spot he was at two hours ago.

Timothy in a panic stricken voice slowly said, "this is impossible, I was running my heart out. How could I end up back here when I'm sure I wasn't running in circles".

With Timothy's confusion, ensued a cold aura. It wasn't exactly like Death's but there was a vague similarity with it. The only difference being that this aura felt like that of a wild untamed beast, ready to end all life in its path. The sign of infinity on his left hand glowed bright red. It was a passive ability and would be activated at any moment if it felt the death of Timothy or extreme danger incoming. It wouldn't activate however if Timothy's spiritual energy couldn't manage it at that point in time else his soul would break apart into oblivion. These are concepts Timothy would only learn later on.

Something was forming in the shadows of the cedar. It was an entity with a beastly like aura. The shadows in the surroundings were converging forming something indescribable. It had pitch black eyes that could stare into the deepest parts of a mortal's soul, wearing a skin of shadows drooping off of it's 23 feet body.

Dozens of eyes popped out of its body capable of staring into every direction with a smell reminiscent of rotting dead bodies. The centerpiece of this all was the extremely menacing deer-like head it possessed with two horns that curved up pointing towards the skies.

Timothy was taken aback looking at the creature that formed before him, he could only respond in a shacky voice asking " what are you" ?

In an otherworldly voice the creature replied "human, there is no need for you to hold fear towards me. If I wanted you dead , it would have happened since the moment I desired it. What I am in relation to you is your sister, your new one at least"

Timothy was greatly confused. As far as he could remember he had always been an only child. Besides even if he did have a sister it definitely wouldn't look like this ancient demon before him.

"I don't mean to offend you but I think you have the wrong person. I don't recall having siblings"

The creature looked at Timothy with curiosity and in a gentle voice she responded " I'm your sister through Death, we are both servants of Death thus you are my brethren".

Timothy stood there in shock. It was hard to believe that he had met another servant of Death so soon. But he trusted her, that familiar aura was impossible to replicate.

"Your like me!? Why are you here , what did you want to speak to me about"?

"Death wanted you to understand what you are and what you can do. You have been chosen by fate at absolute random for a great mission. For what the mission is, even I don't know. You wield an extremely tyrannical power and if you don't fully understand it, naturally you will die even though that isn't an exactly bad thing either"

"Timothy my younger brother, for you to understand what you are , you need to listen to a story that has been retold since ancient times. You need to hear about the origin of the devourer "

Timothy stood there with a puzzled look on his face. He didn't know anything about this so called "devourer" but just by the name of it he knew it would probably kill him on first sight.

"Alright sister, tell me the story of the devourer"

The giant creature's terrifying faced burst into a smile. Timothy didn't know whether to laugh or smile observing these emotions from her. He could only force a wry smile onto his face.

"Alright younger brother, you can refer to me as Nightingale or Night for short". As the cold wind howled through the forest, Timothy watched in terror as the creature before him underwent another terrifying transformation. Its shadowy, beast-like body began to crumble away, bit by bit, under the deep hue of the moon, each shadowy piece evaporating into thin air in the luminescent light. As the transformation continued, a blue glowing cocoon emerged from the wreckage of the creature's body, pulsing with an intense energy.

The cocoon continued to glow brighter and brighter, until suddenly, it exploded with a blinding burst of light. When the light faded, a figure emerged from the remnants of the cocoon, resplendent in a new form. It was Nightingale, and her beauty left Timothy in awe.

Her deep blue skin glowed like pearls under the moonlight, and her hair sparkled like a galaxy in the night sky. Her features were striking, and every detail was immaculate, from the thick, dark lashes that framed her piercing silver eyes to the regal posture that spoke of her otherworldly origins. Her body was lithe and elegant, and she moved with an effortless grace that seemed to defy gravity.

As Timothy watched, mesmerized by her every move, Nightingale seemed to radiate a sense of quiet strength and determination. It was clear that she was a creature of unearthly power, and that her transformation had only amplified her strength and beauty.

In a calm but ethereal voice she said, "let me tell you the story about the great devourer, The Book of Melvin".