Chapter 280 - XX The Price Of Power (First Part)

Standing in the void, Elijah was deeply staring at the old man in front of him. Instead of the all powerful figure Elijah thought he would see the day he finally met the person behind his fate, it was an old and skinny man. The vitality of his almost seemed to be nonexistent.

Elijah as strange as it feels, could not help but ask:"Is it over?"

"Hehe. Well, for me at least. There is a final promise I want to keep." The image of the old man slowly turned illusory. "At my final moments, I used the structures I spread everywhere through the multiverse, connecting it all as one huge entity..."

"Cough, cough. Do you know?" The old man turned more and more transparent. "Before I go, remember to embrace the present, because one day you may come to realize it was your last chance to do it."

"It is funny, isn't it? I remember seeing all of this in your place once." The man rose the corner of his lips with a light smile as he dissolved in the void.

.....

In a distant, distant world. The entire universe crumbles to shambles as its entire structure collapsed. The stars were nothing but dust, as well as the planets, dimensions and everything within it has been devoured.

At the highest peak of the galaxy, a white-clad maiden watched the end of the universe with a pale face as she held onto a ring.

The world-ending calamity was about to wash over her when a massive spatial rift appeared in the air from where a pair of a handsome man and a celestial-looking maiden walked out.

'Stop' The man only had to stare at it and the whole calamity was frozen in place. Seeing he had everything under control, the celestial-looking maiden run towards the white-clad lady and took her in her bosom.

"My daughter! It has been so long!" The celestial-looking maiden cried as she felt the warmth of something she only remembered in dreams. 

"M-mo-mom?!"

Seeing the surprise on his daughter's face, Elijah approached and embraced them both. 

"Did you forget me Claire, I said I would find you. I and your mother will always be with you from now on."Elijah patted Claire's head just like in her memories.

Moments later, his eyes turned to the massive calamity behind his back and asked. "Let's return, shall we?"

And then the three figures vanished from that universe.

...

In the vast chaotic space, Elijah wandered aimlessly before he decided to stop. Giving a look at the insides of the Origin Gate, which Edward left him, or more specifically, the empty cosmic realm within the gate.

"To every creation, there is destruction." Elijah closed his eyes as the entire cosmic realm inside the gate started to burn, with the ignition of a whole cosmic realm Elijah felt the unlocking of a new ability.

"Time Creation!"

Time Creation was the power to create any time according to his will. It only required something of equal value to what you desire to create, the difference was that he could decide whatever the course of events he wished to exist. And right now, Elijah was doing what he promised to Edward by bring back the world which he lost. 

As he created the universe, all the events which previously took place in Edward's reality passed before his eyes and something else managed to take hold of his attention.

The culprit behind Edward's cosmic realm destruction wasn't the cosmic heart as he thought it was. Instead, it was a thin black box like those used to store jewelry.

This box had inscribed words on his top, words that were impossible to unveil its secrets even with his power of time. However, no matter from each direction you tried to read, it will all go back to a single world repeated countless times, the Enigma.

....

When Elijah returned to the void star, the healers were taking care of his sister Ophelia who was slightly injured after her fight with Apolo three months ago. 

The servants were also sent to find a room for Claire in the place, with preference for a room near Aina's so they could be next to each other.

Elijah just appeared in the entrance hall, when Yawen and Sarina welcomed him together with Chloe, who looked to have finally matured to her twenties.

"Welcome back dear/Ell/husband." The three of them exchanged glances before taking him to the bathroom. Five hours later, the four of them headed to the dinner hall with the three ladies holding onto Elijah.

The three had healthy blushing faces as they walked through the corridors while only Elijah had a tire look on his face as he could barely keep himself standing, as least that was how he felt in his mind.

In the table, Elijah already found strange that most people were nowhere to be seen on that night. Of course, he kept his power at the minimum so he could at least enjoy life a bit, or it would be too boring to live knowing everything that was bound to happen.

In the dinner hall other than Elijah, Yawen, Chloe, Sarina and Aina were the only ones in the hall with him. Seating around the table, the four ladies shot their gazes at him and asked. "Spill the beans."

Elijah hasn't even had to ask as he could understand what they wished to know. It wasn't like he wanted to keep it a secret forever, so he told them everything, from his limited life span to his inevitable journey to the past.

Knowing so much about his past, Yawen, Chloe and the other two could pretty much understand everything.

"In the end, this is the price I need to pay. Right now I can at most expand my vitality up to two years, then plan to use Time Lock on myself. Freezing myself in time, I will need to expend an absurd amount of energy constantly, but at least it may keep me alive enough time, or at least until the World King's death."

No matter who he was, or how powerful he became. It was impossible to scape the fate he tied for himself. As somebody who played with fate for countless ages, it was normal to being played as well.

After everything he did, Elijah was destined to forsake everything he builds in the present time to leave on a an infinite journey to the past where he would be nothing but a guardian to Time and Space only to wither away when the job is done.

"Wait, Elijah, are you going to leave us?" Aina suddenly stood up and questioned him with a tearful gaze. From her bloodshot eyes and eyes full of tears, he knew she must be struggling to hold her sobbing. And how could he blame the girl, he only decided to accept her when he was about to head to rescue Claire when somebody who deeply loved him and shared so much with him was left alone.

She just recovered her daughter back, and now Elijah had to drop a bomb like this. Elijah slightly regretted now seeing her like that, but he had to finish it now he started it. Especially so when not just her, but all the other three ladies had similar expressions.

Leaving his seat, Elijah approached them with open arms before holding them all in his bosom. The warm feeling in his heart intensified as the words he left to himself grew brighter in his mind. He already made the decision.

"Who said I'm planning to leave anytime soon? We never even hosted a formal wending yet, and I don't plan to leave without you guys without having a few more children to keep you company." Elijah whispered in their ears, from which several faces blossomed with large smiles and deep blushes.