Epic of Caterpillar - Chapter 2546

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Once Genesis saw the Gods leaving, she looked at the Supreme God of Time almost immediately after that, glaring into his empty eyes, and the will-o-wisps within them.

"Time, I don’t recall you ever being friends with Hades, you have never spoken with him either…" Genesis said. "What’s going on with your current choices? You refuse to help and now you do something on your own?"

"Last time I checked, Genesis, I had the free will to do as I please, as long as it benefits the world, you said it wouldn’t bother you," Time said. "I have been working hard to protect this world like you don’t believe. Time is twisting endlessly, I can see the past, present, and future at the same time. You could never understand my dilemmas, and why I choose the things I choose until it is finally the moment for Time to reveal it to you."

"You’re always cryptic…" Genesis said. "The power of Time you’ve cultivated for so long… How is it possible that it has become this potent? Based in what you say, it goes beyond my own powers."

"Indeed they do, it could be said I am one with Time in a way," the Supreme God of Time said. "The secret? My diligence, and perhaps my past."

"Okay but what about your friendship with Hades?" the Supreme Goddess of Fate asked. "What do you even mean? Also isn’t my power over Fate enough for such worries to disappear?"

"It’s not enough, your power can only cover a certain perspective around you. It is certainly useful for the present," nodded the Time god. "But it might not be for the future I am seeing."

"…What?" Fate felt sightly annoyed. "You’re saying I am weak?!"

"Come now, don’t fight…" the supreme goddess of souls and reincarnation sighed. "I’m sorry about this, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, the seniors are a bit cranky sometimes…"

"A-Ah, I see…" Tsukuyomi nodded. "Well, I can understand the frustration… Ahem."

"Hmm!" Amaterasu nodded and smiled nervously. "I hope we can get along…"

It was very clear the two of them were very nervous, they didn’t expect things would get this serious out of nowhere!

As Rulers of the two places of Genesis that are perhaps the most bountiful, they’re used to great feasts and celebrations, but there was nothing like that here.

Their coronation only came with several responsibilities and a heavy duty now… They weren’t really regretting anything, but it was certainly more taxing than they imagined.

"Of course, you two can feel free to refer to me as an equal," Time said with his very deep, intimidating voice. "Your presence here is refreshing, we needed some new blood for a while. Especially because those old women over there won’t stop being suspicious of even a fly."

"O-Old women?!" Fate cried angrily. "I am a beautiful woman that has kept her youth all these years! I am not an old hag!"

"I never called you that…" Time sighed.

"Hmph, considering my race, I am rather young, very young at that! Don’t you dare call me an old granny!" Genesis said.

"I never said that…" Time muttered.

"A-Ah… Please stop…" Astra sighed, facepalming. "You’re embarrassing us all! We’re supposed to be an important position!"

"…"

"…"

As all the bickering continued, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu weren’t close enough to anybody to even initiate a conversation, so they remained mostly in silence, looking at things just… happen.

"Aah, I want to go back to my palace and party all night…" Tsukuyomi sighed internally.

"I want to go relax in my hot spring while I eat delicious rice cakes…" Amaterasu dreamed.

As they spoke, the Supreme God of Time addressed why he chose to help Zagreus and Hades.

"I can see many timelines at the same time…" He sighed. "I an ancient one, he was my companion."

"What?" Genesis asked. "H-How?"

"When I was but a foolish young man," Time said. "When I was all lost, when those I loved were lost against the claws of injustice. He was there, he saved me, he helped me… He is a friend I cannot ever forget."

"But that was a timeline that didn’t exist, wasn’t it?" Fate asked.

"Is that what you think?" Time wondered. "Yes… perhaps you’re not wrong. But timelines tend to converge, things could happen at the same time, present and future, past and present. Time is endlessly moving forward, but even the past is not lost or forgotten, it can be weaved into the present and the future… And I can see it happen before my eyes."

"I can’t with him, he speaks so strangely, I can barely understand him," Fate sighed. "And that’s really something, considering we are so ancient and wise…"

"…" Genesis glanced at Time once more.

Her suspicious eyes slowly changed, for some reason, the words that this cold, mysterious man spoke felt so filled with emotions and nostalgia.

"Just who are you, Time? Will you ever reveal it to us one day?"

He had no past she knew about.

He had no history she knew about either.

He appeared one day after the War, having already gained the Supreme Power of Time in all of Genesis.

She didn’t even have to guilt trip him or something, he willingly accepted setting up Genesis own "Time" for everyone.

His past?

Was he a human?

Was he a demon?

Was he an angel or something else?

Who was he?

She couldn’t quite tell.

Because what she saw beneath his cloak…

It wasn’t anything like she had ever seen before.

She could only recall memories about him after he joined them once the war was over.

It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

As if he had traveled… through time.

She knew there was something about him that was very important.

If he truly traveled through time, then his presence here…

He was trying to do something to save this world, which might’ve been doomed from the future he came from.

"Genesis."

And then he spoke to her out of nowhere.

"Hm? What?"

"Don’t be afraid, and don’t worry."

"Huh?"

"I promise you that I will protect this world…"

"…"

She fell silent, looking elsewhere.

Seemingly slightly embarrassed, for some odd reason.

"Thank you."

And instead of acting proud, she thanked him.

"You’re welcome."

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