After Shen's victory, the cities lay in ruins, and people had taken refuge in shelters. Everything above ground looked desolate. Shen and Elena were now together in one such shelter.
Despite the devastation, Shen held Elena warmly in his arms. He knew that the remaining new gods were still out there somewhere. Shen was determined to protect Elena, the world, and the place he called Sweet Home—a house, a room where he could be alone with Elena.
But a voice, like Elena's, brought Shen back to the harsh reality.
"Shen, I have something to ask," Elena said, her voice tinged with suspicion. "Why do you have so many powers? What are you hiding from me? Also... I’ve noticed you’ve been acting strangely lately. You’ve grown stronger, but you seem afraid of something. Please, just tell me, maybe I can—"
"No."
A single "no" from Shen cut off Elena's words. In Shen's mind, images from previous time loops flashed, warning him of what was about to happen.
"I don't want it to happen again..."
Shen spoke with sadness and near despair. Since his return, his mind had been on the verge of shattering, and it was Elena who had been piecing it back together.
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"It? Happen again?" Elena asked.
"Yes," Shen nodded, tears beginning to stream down his face.
"But you shouldn't hide anything from me. We need to—"
"I said NO!!! I just want to live peacefully with you. Why? Why do you always choose to sacrifice everything for me? This has happened too many times!!"
Shen's voice was filled with despair. The fear of losing Elena had driven him to hide everything—his guilty past, the time loops, and the losses he had endured—from her.
Elena listened to Shen's words and gradually began to understand something. She embraced him tightly.
"Tell me everything... I promise I will only listen. I won't do anything else, I promise."
Shen gradually calmed down and began to tell Elena his story.
"The truth is, I come from the first timeline in the first world. It's true that we're here, but this is the second timeline, one that I have influenced. You see, Elena, when I was in the first timeline and Naval appeared, he destroyed everything. But I discovered the ritual to become the DEVOURER, and you chose to sacrifice yourself for me, to give me my first powers. I killed everyone—teammates, enemies, everything. I killed to gather enough power. Then, using the speed of light from your power and the ability to warp space, I jumped to the second, then the third world, killing and collecting power. You sacrificed yourself for me many times. You chose to let me kill and absorb you many times. I went through that feeling over and over. I felt fear, helplessness, and near despair. Later, when I had enough power, I killed Naval at the center of spacetime. I jumped through many dimensions, many worlds, until I killed Naval and created the second timeline."
Shen's tears fell more and more freely as he spoke.
"I... I just want to live peacefully with you and protect our Sweet Home, a peaceful place for just the two of us, where I can love you once more, and you can love me once more."
After hearing everything, Elena hugged Shen tightly, understanding the pain he had endured. She silently promised herself that she would never let Shen lose anything ever again.