Some of the chaotic and unmarked artifacts truly are from this galaxy, some reaching back to 8 billion years ago, and others even up to 10 billion years.
There are extremely well-contained fragments of strange energy strands and unrecognizable fragments of artifacts that are still sealed away in small isolation systems made of ancient flawless-grade ether arrays. These arrays themselves have decayed at the same rate as the Fortress Citadel, not dating back further than 6 billion years. Yet, the oldest wisps of matter and artifact shards seem to be just over 13 billion years old.
The foreign artifacts that cannot be placed on any timeline within this Origin Plane are far more intriguing. It is because when I block out the newly added laws that have taken root in this system, and only focus on the past lives my sword has been through, it all becomes a little more clear.
I begin to map out the exact memories that align with the fluctuation of laws manifesting on these foreign artifacts.
There is an enormous black oval with not a single wisp of ether left inside it. Every single test done in the Ravine has no reaction, yet, the stone is so hard that even the Commander's full strength cannot dent its outer edges.
Instantly, the laws emanating from this rounded stone are consistent with the inner core of a star-eating species from billions of cycles ago.
Its true form used to look like an elongated fish, and a past wielder of this blade that had ethereal white hair and turquoise skin had a very strong soul bond with this creature throughout his life.
Next, my attention shifts to a triangular pyramid-shaped artifact that shares similar qualities. It is as black as the void, without a single wisp of energy flowing through it. Even tests where these teams tried infusing it with divine threads, mana, ether, and even Demonic Energy all failed.
Yet, when I watch the laws fluctuating through it, my memories anchor me to over a trillion cycles back. This was the centerpiece in a grand formation that held tens of thousands of galaxies together to win a great war.
It helped in gathering enough energy from the foreign races in this alternate universe, slowly siphoning it into my soul sword while the past wielder of this blade was gravely injured. He was a frail, grey-silver-skinned humanoid creature with two pupils in each eye. A race not very adept in physical combat, but unmatched in mental attacks.
The complex array managed to isolate the wielder from the passage of time while millions of years passed on the outside, biding its time until the rightful Supreme could return.
When another strange artifact catches my attention, it is even further back in the many countless great cycles, a heavy crown-like artifact that was worn as a protective shield, making it capable for the wielder to traverse vast amounts of open deep space without any other technology.
Every out-of-place artifact I set my eyes on tells its own story through the resonating laws, and I realize this is a personal treasury that has been somehow brought along through the passing cycles.
Not every cycle has an artifact that aligns with it. If that were the case, this entire galaxy wouldn't be big enough to store them. Yet, every one is a noteworthy relic respecting the sacrifices of extinct races that helped past Emperors in their travels.
In less than a millisecond, I scan through every artifact and re-experience the most potent events from past Emperors once again. There are even some here that open up new pockets of time and great cycles that I still had locked away and unperceived until now.
Yet, I put on a smile and blink as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening, and tether all of the kneeling subjects before me to stand.
"Rise. Your efforts in uncovering the truths of the past are commendable. I thank you for your devotion."
The grateful eyes of hundreds of people stare at me and Maria standing before them, unable to bow as I keep them upright.
A sense of relief washes through them, but they still look at us with unyielding reverence, like we are no longer of the same race... like we are unfamiliar gods.
We welcome Ren, Monk, and Luna to the gathering, then exchange subtle greetings with notable figures that work here doing research.
Yet, even once this gathering begins to reconnect with each other, as they have been zones apart for numerous months or years too, I feel that there is still an unbreakable awkwardness creating tension in the air.
Maria and I walk apart, speaking and catching up individually with long-lost teammates. Yet, the air of subservience remains in every conversation.
Our status has permanently shifted in everyone's minds, and it has been subconsciously ingrained for hundreds of years.
We have been gods protecting them, battling an Ancient Silver-Cored Immortal Demon outside of the galaxy for far longer in their perspective than the amount of time we have ever spent as equals by their sides.
Even as we try to warm up to everyone again, it becomes obvious that it will not be that simple. It will take hundreds of years to rewrite this inner coding, and even so, there will always be a shadow looming over these new thoughts. After all, it is not an illusion they have conjured up. We have in fact ascended to a level of existence far beyond what any living beings in the Lower or Upper Realm can comprehend.
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Author's Note:
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Thanks for reading:)
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