“Head away from the city, don’t exit the ocean yet, move three thousand miles north, and slowly surface a few hundred miles every hour for the next seven hours, this ocean is about seven hundred miles deep. After this, you would focus on the next portion of the plan.”

The boy acknowledged the instructions with a quick nod, barely taking in his surroundings before he began moving, his body cutting through the black ocean with tremendous speed. However, he briefly glanced back to look at his home and he could not find it, except for a slight haze that could be easily missed, his home had vanished.

“You are powerful for your age, but you lack experience in battle, and although your instincts are supreme and I am sure that your adaptability during battle would be impressive, the stakes are too high for me to risk on your expected performance, I will be showing you certain battle scenes and telling you more about the enemies we are about to face. Tell me when it gets too much for you and I will stop, especially when it comes to the battle memories, they contain certain higher concepts that can be jarring to an inexperienced mind.”

The sensation of his heart beating faster occurred again, and the boy did not realize that a grin was beginning to grow across his face-he somehow understood even if there was no reason for him to know such a thing-that this sensation of fear was a rare thing for him,

“Haaa… Here you are, and you have not yet taken up your name, I should have expected it from someone like you. So there is indeed a connection between the Past and this Present. My dreams and memories do not lie, even if I do not remember them. So, do you like this gift? I told you that if you allow me to reach across Time and grasp hold of your soul, there would come a day when everything would become new… silence, light, metals, the feeling of blood rushing through your veins as you stand before an equal… Oh, the beauty of it all. I was not worthy to share that moment with you before, but now, all would be as it was intended to be, and you shall climb to my heaven and have your duel. No one in all of creation would deny us this battle.” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

The boy nearly screeched to a halt, but he pushed on, this was the first time the voice in his dreams had appeared to him so clearly when he was still awake, and he realized that this time, it was not a memory but someone voice which had been transmitted to him in real-time,

“Did you feel that?” the Lost Flames jolted, “Oh, he was speaking to you, wasn’t he? That is a good thing, it means his influence is spreading faster than I thought and perhaps we would not have to hold on for too long before he is finished with his tasks. Oh, I can’t wait.”

The boy was silent for a long while, “He spoke as if he knew me as if we had met before I was born. Tell me the truth, Lost Flame, this is not the first time I have been alive.” it was more of a statement than a question.

Lost coughed, “So glad of you to finally figure that out after the many obvious hints that have been sent to you from the moment of your birth, yet I would not be the one to give the answers to that question of yours, because the process by which you are standing here, at this moment with me is unprecedented, and there are certain things I can’t say because it would cause ripples across Time, but be assured that whatever you know as truth in your heart, keep a hold of it, for there would come a time where it would be tested and your questions shall be fully resolved.”

“How could I be dead, and then live again?… My Soul, he mentioned reaching across Time for my soul, and a bargain of duels. In my past life was I worthy enough to battle a Creator?”

Lost did not hesitate, “No one is worthy to battle him, but you intrigued him. You have no idea how difficult such a thing is for someone like him. He who sees perfection as just the beginning.”

The eyes of the boy glinted as excitement, resolve, and other emotions ran through his head and his speed increased. Following the orders exactly as stated by Lost, the boy soon broke above the waves, and for the first time, he was able to see the realm that lies above the ocean. He was disappointed. With his gaze, he could see hundreds of continents and the endless battles occurring between the Explorers and the Calamities. Yet born in a city of gold, this reality outside was mundane, and there was also something else beneath.

It did not take long for him to frown, “There is something seriously wrong with this place,” he breathed the air deeply before he coughed it out and halted his breathing, “The air is filled with vitality, and yet it feels as if I am breathing in death itself.”

“It is amazing that you can see the connection between Ascendancy and Calamity so quickly. This is the first thing you have to worry about that most are not aware of in this world. You are not fighting two separate enemies but one, two sides of the same coin but having different faces. Transform into your golden giant form and head to the heavens, you will see a barrier, we are going to break through it, draw some attention to ourselves, and then we will flee. The real enemies do not lie below but above, ready yourself. It would take at least two minutes for you to reach the Threshold, that is more than enough time for me to transfer the memories of battle into your head.”

The boy shook his head, “I do not want them,”

Lost chuckled, “What do you mean you don’t want them?”

The boy smiled, “I thought you said that repeating words is not cute?”

“Haha, very funny, I said repeating words after the first time is not cute, and I have only repeated your words once. Stop distracting me, surely you cannot mean what you just said to me. The importance of these memories cannot be overstated. You have not fought any real battle since the time of your birth and there are many things that you cannot anticipate in war.”

“This creator,” The boy interrupted, “Did he have a beginning like mine? Was he always this strong or did he grow from a child to the titan that he is today?”

It was possible to hear the frown in Lost’s voice, “Although he grew from a tiny whelp like you, his origin transcends everything you can imagine, his first cry drew a… why are you asking this question, I don’t think I see your point here,”

The boy spoke slowly, “Even before I was born I was already given too many advantages. If I am ever worthy to be able to stand against him in a duel that all of creation would not interfere with, then I need to begin the show of my worth. I need to prove to myself and everyone that I am worthy of this duel.”