“Hey Janus, why do you look so sad and gloomy all the time?”

A familiar face drew near to me whilst I was resting underneath the branches of an old tree.

The wind was refreshing and the sun was less harsh here, making this place a good spot to nap.

“Aren’t you bored of this passive life, Ceres? Wouldn’t you rather have some more excitement to entertain our never-ending lives?”

Ceres sat down beside as she looked up to the sky pondering.

“We may have attained the highest we can achieve, but what is the point of it all if we cannot go any further? After all, even the freshest of waters grow stale if there is no movement.”

“Well, I’ve been having some fun helping out the lesser beings that live down below. They’re so… idiotic in their ways; always fighting over little things and being greedy for more and more. Somehow, those lesser beings remind me of us before we ascended and it makes me want to help them grow, to help them develop and advance.”

“Hoh? It would seem that you have found purpose in your life.”

“I wouldn’t say that it’s my purpose, but I do enjoy doing so. Although, it feels like my efforts are wasted most of the time as they are all too greedy and too petty to see the greater picture.”

“At least you aren’t as bored as I am.”

“Why don’t you find something to do, Janus? It would be better than just sitting underneath this tree all the time and pondering our existence.”

“Hmm… you know what, Ceres? That’s not a half-bad idea.”

I stand up and smooth out the wrinkles in my clothes before looking towards the city a way off in the distance.

“To have a hobby, no, to have a dream is what it truly means to live. I have been wondering whether I should pursue this dream of mine for quite some time now, but now you have convinced me that having a hobby is a good thing. Thank you, Ceres.”

“Isn’t this what friends are for?”

“Hohoho, of course, of course! Just you wait, Ceres. I will show you what my dream is and perhaps even share it with you.”

“Well then, I shall await the day that your dream comes to fruition!”

…

Isn’t that what you said in the past, Ceres?

Why is it now that you too have come to stop me?

I am merely pursuing my dream just as you have tried to pursue yours.

Don’t tell me you really trust in the words of Mars?

Has he convinced your mind into believing those lies that he spouts left and right?

It is no matter.

You have no need to worry, Ceres. With my final act, we will all have a second chance.

Perhaps, in the future, we will be able to meet again when your sanity is intact.

“Janus! Please, don’t do this!”

You may cry to me like so, but I refuse to listen to the callings of those that are insane.

“This isn’t the Janus that I know! Please, stop what you are doing and we can all live peacefully!”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Hoh, peace? Peace, you say?

Mars has really brainwashed you quite a bit.

Ever since when did that deranged war maniac ever care about peace?

If anything, he wants to eliminate all the peace that exists in this universe and have an eternal war raging day and night.

That is where his strength comes from.

You poor fool, to be won over by the adversary.

“It is too late, Ceres. I have already completed the circle; not even Jupiter can stop me now.”

“But it isn’t too late to stop all of this, you can still deactivate the circle!”

“I refuse. Your blindness prevents you from seeing the future that I desire and the one that will bring the fun back into our lives!”

“Janus!”

“Hohoho, I hope to see you in the next life for perhaps we can be companions once more.”

I wipe away the bloody tears that flow from my eyes and clap my hands together with great force.

“Farewell, Ceres.”

Hohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho!

***

Ugh, my head hurts and my body feels sore all over.

What’s with these strange dreams though? Where are they coming from?

And that stupid laugh, what kind of person goes ‘Hohoho’?

Is he a gift-giving father figure that comes to give presents to good children?

“See? I told you he would wake up. Your companion only passed out because of the unnatural amount of physical exertion forced upon his body within a short period of time.”

Turning my attention towards the new voice, I see a man dressed in white robes standing next to the door of the room.

“But really, what in the world were you thinking? Applying Greater Tremor and Greater Gravity on the man at the same time? Look at his frame! Even a bear wouldn’t be able to handle that much force without falling over!”

“Well, s-o-r-r-y for my ignorance; but he’s the one who asked for it!”

“What matter does that make? The point is, you really shouldn’t be trying to experimentally use vibration or gravity magic for developing muscles without a trained practitioner in the area. If you were to apply even a little more force than you already had, your poor companion over there would have been knocked out for days or even weeks!”

Amelia turns away from the man in white whilst crossing her arms and putting her lips into a pout. The man only shakes his head before turning towards me and extending his palm out for a handshake.

“Good afternoon, good sir, my name is Nestor and I am the local healing expert for this small town. Now, what might your name be?”

Receiving his hand and locking into a firm shake, I look over the man from head-to-toe.

The man seems to be in his thirties, most likely single, and whose hair is a shade of dark brown. Underneath his nose rests a well-trimmed handlebar mustache paired along with an equally professionally-styled goatee that seems to accentuate his non-married status.

Why does he seem to be unmarried? I don't have a clue in the world, but every way that I look at this man, he seems to match the generalized stereotype of the handsome bachelor whose hobbies are greater than a relationship more and more.

Oh, he asked me what my name was, didn’t he?

…

…

…

What was my name again?

Oh shit, uh…

Time freeze!

Why haven’t I realized this before?

This question, a question that is even more important than ‘How did I get here?’ and far greater than ‘Why am I here?’, is one that I have never paused to ask myself:

Who am I?

I don’t know my name nor do I know my past.

Stop! I’m not going to ask any further.

I’ve already made a decision to not ask too many questions in order to limit the stress on my mind.

What matters right now is what I should have my name be.

A name… what name resonates with me?

Argh! I can’t even think of a name that fits me because I have no past experiences to compare names and types of people with!

Think, myself, think…

…what about that name from my dream?

Janus.

Sounds simple enough.

I don’t even know who or why this Janus guy is appearing in my dreams, but it seems like a name that I vaguely remember.

To hell with it all. From now on, I am Janus.

Time release.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Nestor was it? My name is Janus.”

Both of Nestor’s eyebrows rise before moving to a position where one is shifted above the other.

Is there something strange about this name?

“Janus? Like the name of the God of Time, the God of Beginning and End, Janus?”

…huh?